Extra 19 - Kihano – For Another Encounter (End)

A tower stood proudly, as if trying to pierce the sky. 

And towards that tower, a bolt of lightning descended with fury. 

"Huaaaaah!" 

Crack-boom! 

With a deafening roar, the top of the windmill began to explode. 

Seen from a distance, it looked like a rain of fireworks scattering into countless fragments. 

The villagers, upon seeing the countless luminous particles coloring the hill, began to cover their mouths in astonishment. 

"…One device remains." 

However, the lightning that had started in the sky had not yet lost its brilliance. 

Kihano's left eye, wide open, still glowed with a white light. 

The knight Kihano, who had drawn his sword for the young spirits still suffering, descended down the golem's shoulder with the lightning he had borrowed from the sky. 

Roooooar! 

The lightning, which had started from the head, traveled down the shoulder and reached the blades. 

Samonte, realizing where that current was headed, quickly manipulated his controller, but Kihano's sharp perception had already anticipated the golem's movements. 

—Kihano! Strike again! 

Andrew issued another warning upon seeing the golem's fist descending from above. 

However, upon what happened next, even he could only watch with his mouth agape. 

"…What is that?" 

The golem's arm was rising towards the sky. 

As if someone were pulling it with tremendous force. 

Everyone present raised their heads to witness such an absurd scene. 

"Grrr!" 

Beneath the golem's arm, which was slowly lifting, Kihano remained clinging to his sword, gritting his teeth. 

Crack-crack-boom! 

A sensation as if an entire mountain were being shifted. 

Kihano's sword, clashing against the golem's fist, sparked and emitted a metallic screech, but his wrist did not stop moving, twisting the golem's strength. 

"Huaaaaah!" 

A defensive dueling technique, deflecting the opponent's strike with a circular motion. 

A technique difficult to execute even in combat between humans was now being performed against Samonte's windmill. 

"Kihano… Frausen. So, in the end…" 

Kihano's body, burning with white light, looked like a star. 

Sarnus, understanding the meaning of this sight, began to tremble visibly, as if struck by a storm. 

"Just a little… more…" 

Crack! Crackle! 

A sound of breaking so loud it was heard even from the hill. 

The sound came from the golem's shoulder joint, which had exceeded its limit. 

Unable to withstand its own force, the golem's arm twisted grotesquely, and the windmill let out a cry of agony. 

Rooooar! 

Beyond the arm of the golem, which Kihano had repelled, something became visible. 

The windmill blades, still squeezing the young spirits. 

"Now I see it." 

A picture he had once imagined, wondering if he could ever make it real. 

However, what he saw now matched that picture exactly. 

"…." 

A beam of light emanated from Kihano as he discovered that final moment. 

It was a light similar to that of a star borrowed from the sky by a child. 

With that light reflected in his left eye, Kihano aimed at the axis of the blades. 

"Huaaaaaah!" 

For the children who cried because no one had stepped forward. 

A starlight thrown for them illuminated the hill of Consuegra as it rushed toward the golem's chest. 

Crash! 

With the sound of something shattering, Samonte's windmill began to harden like a stone statue. 

With its left arm still extended towards the sky. 

From that immobile arm, lights of many colors began to flow. 

"I did it." 

Kihano smiled with satisfaction as he gazed at that light. 

A star that had fulfilled its duty and was now falling, while many others began to rise towards the sky. 

At the point where they intersected, there was a glow never seen before. 

***

"…Is that an aurora?" 

From the top of a hill covered in rubble, Kihano smiled weakly. 

Although his body lay exhausted, he could afford to smile thanks to the rippling waves of light shining above his head. 

"With a view like this, it wasn't a bad gamble." 

The young spirits, freed from human hands, fluttered happily, painting the sky with their own colors. 

It was a scene that looked like an immense silk mantle covering the heavens. Upon witnessing this sky, visible only because he had decided not to look away, Kihano slightly raised his hand and waved softly. 

"Goodbye." 

A fire-breathing lizard, a shining butterfly, a tiny squid the size of a fingernail, and a small white snake that stared at him with its tiny eyes. 

Although many of these small beings still hovered around him, Kihano, already exhausted, could no longer understand their words. 

"Yes, I know. See you later." 

So he could only bid farewell with a promise for another time. 

He didn't know when it would be, but if fate allowed it, they would meet again. 

As if understanding his words, the young spirits surrendered one by one to the aurora dancing in the sky. 

"…It's beautiful to see it this way." 

Smiling as he watched them depart, Kihano admired the sky he could now see because he had not turned away. 

At last, the sky he gazed upon was filled with stars, twinkling endlessly towards him.

***

At some point in the summer, in a small nameless village. 

Not far from Consuegra, the local tavern buzzed with lively chatter due to the circulating rumors. 

"They say he brought down a giant golem." 

"A golem controlled by an evil mage! And it wasn't a dragon, but a human knight!" 

"What was his name again? I think it was Kihano of La Mancha." 

Kihano of La Mancha.

The knight who defended the village of Consuegra from the wicked golem. 

The rumors, recounting that grand and spectacular scene, continued to spread from town to town, from city to city, further glorifying Kihano's name. 

"Ah, you've done something huge this time." 

However, Kihano himself, the protagonist of the rumor, couldn't even swallow the bread stuffed in his cheeks. With a comical expression, he tilted his head. 

"What did I tell you before you left?" 

"…." 

"I told you to lay low. To avoid drawing as much attention as possible." 

It was a village he had reached after leaving Consuegra. 

There, Kihano was enjoying warm bread after a long time. 

But because of Perez, who sat across from him, he couldn't swallow it and only moved his eyes from side to side. 

"And you're telling me you destroyed a golem? And not just any golem, but one funded by Dragulia!" 

"Haaa. I did it because it was necessary…." 

"And on top of that, you handed the key to the cell to the imprisoned elf?" 

Gulp. 

In the silent table, someone swallowed nervously. 

It wasn't Kihano, who still had his mouth full of bread, but the young Yan, sitting beside him. Unlike Kihano, who was pretending to be clueless, Yan trembled like a leaf, unable to hide his anxiety. 

"It's strange. I'm sure I handed it over discreetly." 

"…." 

Seeing that Kihano didn't even attempt to make an excuse, Perez's face began to harden. 

Bringing down an out-of-control golem could be justified, so it was a matter that could be resolved. 

However, releasing an elf who was under Sarnus's custody was a far more complicated issue, even for someone of the Frausen lineage. 

"…Don't go near the capital for a while." 

Clink.

With those words, Perez placed a rather heavy pouch on the table. 

The weight of those gold coins seemed to tell him to leave as soon as possible and stay far away for a long time. 

"Leave as soon as you can. Word is already spreading that Dragulia is taking action." 

The order to leave sounded cold, but the words he added afterward revealed sincere concern for his brother. 

Kihano, who had now humiliated Dragulia twice—a family that pursued perfection—was beginning to shine brightly with potential. 

The old reputation of *"Frausen's parasite"* was no longer enough to protect him. 

"I suppose we couldn't hide it forever." 

Young birds must leave the nest at some point, whether by choice or by external circumstances. 

Looking at his brother, who had taken so long to spread his wings, Perez stood up from his seat. 

"…Brother." 

If he left now, they didn't know when they would see each other again. However, Perez showed no hesitation as he exited the tavern. 

It was a determined and firm farewell, as if he were showing Kihano what he also needed to do. 

But for Kihano, who still wasn't used to goodbyes, all he could do was murmur "brother" as he watched Perez's back moving away. 

***

After winter came spring. And now, summer was full of green leaves. 

The knight, the boy, and a frog walked amidst that season and stopped for a moment when they reached a crossroads. 

"Which way do we go now?" 

The road split into four directions: east, west, south, and north. 

Without a clear destination, Kihano couldn't help but look thoughtful. 

Luckily, he knew not to head north, where the capital lay, so at least that option was ruled out. 

"How about heading east? I know a wizard there, and we might get information about my body." 

"I'd prefer we head south. Lord Perez said we should be careful about dragons." 

"…." 

Should he go east for Andrew, or should he follow Perez's advice and head south? 

Both suggestions had valid reasons, which made choosing difficult. 

But suddenly, Kihano turned his head upon hearing the trill of a bird coming from a completely different direction. 

"What's that?" 

Flying above his head, a bird seemed to demand that he make a decision quickly. 

It was a messenger hawk, but unlike the usual ones, it had the powerful wings of a falcon, a species only seen in the far west. 

"…A drawing?" 

The hawk descended lightly onto his outstretched arm. 

In the messaging tube, which was thicker than usual for a bird of its size, there wasn't an ordinary letter, but an anonymous illustration. 

"What's this, Lord Kihano?" 

"I don't know." 

Kihano scratched his head as the hawk adjusted its wings. 

"But this style feels familiar." 

After observing the drawing for a while, Kihano felt it was both strange and familiar at the same time. 

Every meticulous brushstroke seemed like the work of a true master. 

It was as if the landscape he was seeing had been captured alive on paper. This illustration reminded him clearly of one he had seen before. 

"Consuegra…" 

The same scene he had seen from a dark prison, but which now seemed illuminated in his mind. 

Remembering the silver-haired elf who had made that drawing, Kihano finally realized who the author was. 

"Andrew." 

"Yes?" 

"In which direction is the city of the elves?" 

"You mean Alfheim? It's to the west." 

A messenger hawk had arrived when he had nowhere left to go. 

As he gazed at the drawing, which had come as a sign in a moment of uncertainty, Kihano turned his head to the west. 

"Then let's head west." 

"To the west? Why suddenly to the west?" 

Neither east nor south, which they had been discussing until now. 

Andrew and Yan looked at him confused, but Kihano had already made his decision and began walking. 

"That's good. Anyway, my sword is broken, and I wanted to get a new one." 

The fight with the golem had been intense, and Kihano's sword was now chipped and worn. 

It could be considered an honorable scar, but for a knight, his sword was an essential companion. 

"They say dwarves are excellent blacksmiths. I've always wanted to have a sword made by them." 

Beyond the elven forest of Alfheim lay Myrkheim, the home of the dwarves. 

And it was said that every sword forged there was a true masterpiece. 

"By the way, Lord Kihano." 

"Hmm?" 

"This drawing is very strange. Look here." 

While walking west, Yan studied the drawing closely and showed it to Kihano with bright eyes. 

"At first, I thought it was a night sky, but it's not." 

Looking carefully, there were other hidden landscapes in the drawing. 

"If you look here, doesn't it look like a city?" 

"Oh, you're right." 

"It's small, but it looks like a maze of alleys surrounding this star." 

What looked like a night sky was actually a drawing of a dark city. 

In one corner, there was a small golden star emitting a faint glow. Kihano couldn't help but feel drawn to it. 

"…It's an interesting drawing. The star isn't drawn in the sky, but on the ground." 

Although not in the night sky, that small star seemed to declare itself a star nonetheless. 

Though small, it was the golden star that shone the brightest. 

Kihano, feeling pity for it, unconsciously traced it with his finger. 

"What could this be?" 

Kihano didn't know, but what he was seeing was a scene he would encounter in a distant future. 

Though the time wasn't right yet, Kihano began walking slowly toward that uncertain destination. 

Toward that star which, though not in the lofty night sky, knew how to shine on its own. 

For that reason, every step he took was a step toward an encounter. 

Epilogue of Kihano (End).

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