Chapter 538

Velkia glared at Leo, her expression twisted.

The sight of those red eyes stirred her heart.

Within them, she had unmistakably glimpsed the gray eyes she once knew.

Only one person had ever looked at her with those eyes.

Although she had spent many years with him, he had only looked at her that way once.

Velkia bit her lip hard.

'Master Kyle.'

It was impossible.

There was no reason for her master’s shadow to appear within the boy standing before her.

Leo closed his eyes as he faced Velkia.

'What should I say to her?'

There was so much he wanted to tell her.

'I’m sorry I couldn’t come back.'

Those were probably the first words he should say.

'I’m sorry I made you shoulder everything.'

A sincere apology she likely would not accept.

'You never needed to carry it all alone.'

The sorrow he felt as her master.

'It must have been so difficult.'

Leo had never truly understood a parent’s heart.

Even so, he knew that if he had been in Velkia’s position, those were the words Deid and Reina would have offered him.

There were countless things he wanted to say.

Yet none of them left his mouth. They merely lingered on the tip of his tongue.

Not one of those words would comfort Velkia.

Velkia had already prepared herself for the possibility that her masters might never return.

Even if they had told her not to shoulder the burden, she would have done so anyway.

She had understood how difficult that path would be, yet she had chosen to walk it regardless.

Leo knew better than anyone what had driven Velkia to carry the world upon her shoulders.

He had hoped she would never end up like them.

He had hoped she would not follow in their footsteps.

Even so, it was the path Velkia had chosen.

'The path Velkia resolved to walk.'

Offering her shallow words of consolation would be an insult to her resolve.

Because of that, Leo could understand why she had become so twisted.

'She must hate the world.'

She must loathe the world that had stolen away everyone she loved.

'She probably cannot tolerate those who continue living in it.'

She could not forgive those who lived on while trampling upon the sacrifices of the people precious to her.

However, that was only one reason Velkia had become distorted.

It was an emotion she should have discarded when her life ended.

And Velkia was more than capable of overcoming such feelings.

What had truly driven her mad...

Was Velkia herself.

She could not forgive herself for hating the world her masters had saved.

She despised herself for resenting the people her masters had protected.

And after drowning in those emotions, she came to hate herself beyond reason for driving her friend to her death.

'That is why she wanted to destroy herself.'

That resentment had caused her to be resurrected as an Undead.

Only now, after standing face-to-face with her...

Could Leo finally understand Velkia’s heart.

His hand tightened around his sword.

“Don’t look at me.”

He understood her with eyes filled with pity and sorrow.

“Don’t look at me like that!”

Velkia screamed spitefully.

She could not tolerate his attempt to understand her.

No one could understand her.

'No. No one must understand me!'

The longer she stared into Leo’s eyes—eyes that pitied her, mourned for her, and understood her—the more her reason crumbled.

Seeing that, Leo closed his eyes once more.

Then he opened them and spoke.

There was something he had to tell her now.

Leo knew instinctively.

The moment she heard these words, Velkia would lose control.

Nevertheless...

He had to say them.

“Velkia.”

“Eek...!”

Velkia bit her lip.

The eyes gazing at her reminded her of someone.

The voice calling her name sounded painfully familiar.

That was why she did not want to see him.

That was why she did not want to hear him.

And yet...

She could not bring herself to push him away.

Because the person before her resembled the one she had desperately longed for.

“Ah...”

As his disciple groaned in anguish, Leo said the words he had to say.

“You did nothing wrong.”

“......!”

“I won’t blame you. I understand. You... did absolutely nothing wrong.”

“Aaaah!”

They were the words she had wanted to hear more than anything.

Velkia clutched her head.

Then she shook it frantically.

“No. No! You’re wrong!”

And yet, they were also the words she least wanted to hear.

“Don’t spout such nonsense! I did do something wrong! I tarnished my masters’ names more than anyone!”

She did not want forgiveness from her masters.

Especially not—

Her sins were far too grave to be forgiven by some stranger.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

Boom—!

Velkia kicked off the ground and charged at Leo.

The impact caused the building to collapse around them.

Crash—!

Velkia’s hatred and resentment surged toward Leo.

At that instant, Leo drew his sword and swung it at her.

“Ah...?”

The moment Velkia saw it, a dazed sound escaped her lips.

A simple downward strike.

However...

That one downward strike dragged a memory up from the depths of her past.

===

Beneath a gray sky, where a gloomy sunset slowly faded...

A young Elf girl swung her sword in an empty clearing.

Beads of sweat gathered along her slender jaw.

Her entire body was already drenched.

The hand gripping the sword trembled faintly, and ragged breaths constantly escaped her lips.

From top to bottom.

A downward strike.

The first movement taught to anyone who learned the sword.

A simple and concise motion.

A posture that even someone who had never held a sword could imitate.

However, performing that simple downward strike with all one’s strength from before sunrise until sunset was another matter entirely.

Moreover, the girl was not concentrating solely on her sword.

Whoosh—! Whoosh—!

Every time she swung, the surrounding air was forced aside.

At the same time, Velkia’s lips moved without pause.

Kyle sat atop a stone wall before her, his legs crossed as he read a book.

Then Velkia’s chanting in the Runic Language abruptly stopped.

Her face turned pale, and her sword faltered for an instant.

“Well done. Excellent work.”

At Kyle’s sarcastic voice, Velkia’s hands began trembling violently, and her breathing grew even more labored.

She desperately tried not to look at him.

But even without looking, there was no way to avoid hearing his voice.

“You stopped your Magic, so your wrist is gone. Without a wrist, you can’t hold your sword. And if you can’t hold your sword, your neck is gone.”

Kyle smirked.

“Do you have two lives?”

“I-if I swing a sword all day while memorizing complicated Magic Formulas... I-I might make a mistake.”

“That’s why I’m asking. Do you have two lives?”

Flip—

Kyle turned the page.

The book in his hands was none other than a Magic Tome Velkia had written herself.

It contained the Magic Formulas she was capable of using.

Every Mage possessed one.

“And what exactly is so complicated about this?”

Velkia’s eyes trembled.

Her patience had reached its limit.

“Are you an idiot?”

“Kyaaaaaah!”

Unable to endure it any longer, Velkia raised her sword and charged at Kyle.

The outcome was obvious.

But she could not bear it without doing something.

With an indifferent expression, Kyle kicked her away.

All strength left Velkia’s body as she rolled pitifully across the clearing.

Kyle closed the Magic Tome, tossed it toward her, and spoke.

“Be here at the same time tomorrow.”

“Kiiiiiiick!”

Velkia rolled her eyes and began throwing a tantrum.

Kyle walked away without sparing her another glance.

===

“There, there, my adorable disciple. Today was difficult too, wasn’t it? Say ‘Ah.’”

“Ah~”

Velkia opened her mouth with a foolish grin.

Luna placed a piece of food from her fork into Velkia’s mouth.

As she chewed, Velkia asked,

“Who made today’s food...?”

“I prepared this special stamina meal just for you, Velkia! Is it good?”

“It’s delicious.”

As Velkia answered with a smile, the light in her eyes gradually faded into a dull haze.

“Look at those little cheeks moving! My disciple is so adorable! It’s like looking at myself when I was younger!”

Luna bounced excitedly like a child as she admired her young disciple.

Hearing that, Arron, who was sitting nearby, widened his eyes.

“She was completely different at thirteen from how she is now? I find that difficult to believe.”

“And what exactly do you mean by that?”

“Hiiiiieeeeek?!”

Arron fled in terror when Luna swung a frying pan with a murderous smile.

Watching them, Velkia diligently continued eating Luna’s cooking.

What was this dish called again?

A traditional Elven dish with a long history?

Velkia knew Luna disliked her own race.

More precisely, she hated the history and traditions of the Elves, as well as those who remained shackled by them.

Velkia disliked them too.

And it was not only her.

In that era, many young Elves had been orphaned.

Most of them despised Elven history and tradition.

There was a saying that even a fallen wealthy family could endure for three generations.

The same held true for the High Elves.

Those who valued their long history and traditions above all else generally lived better lives than ordinary Elves.

There were none like that in Guardslone.

However, many still lived in other cities that had preserved their lineages.

Velkia had encountered them several times.

They looked down upon orphaned Elves.

They treated them as lowly and filthy.

Not once did they extend a hand to help.

All because those children were neither noble nor pure by their standards.

Velkia looked down at the traditional Elven food before her.

Despite Luna’s dislike for such traditions, she had probably prepared it because Velkia was an Elf.

Tradition and history were, ultimately, one’s roots.

Even if those who carried those roots had become rotten, the roots themselves were not inherently corrupt.

'Or maybe she merely wanted to show me how terrible traditional Elven food tastes.'

Looking more dazed than before, Velkia continued chewing.

In truth, the food itself was probably not bad.

The problem was most likely the person who had cooked it.

Still, Velkia did not complain.

Until a year ago, going hungry or surviving on scraps had been an everyday occurrence.

Compared to those days, this was paradise.

“Anyway, when will we be able to teach Velkia again?”

Arron, having returned after fleeing from Luna, sat at the table and muttered.

Velkia’s ears immediately perked up.

Life returned to her deadened eyes.

Her gaze, previously as dull as that of a dead fish, became as clear as a freshly caught one.

“Me too! I want to learn new swordsmanship from Master Arron again!”

Velkia beamed brightly.

“And I want to learn new Magic Formulas from Master Luna!”

Seeing her eyes glitter with excitement, Luna and Arron exchanged troubled looks.

“Not yet.”

“Right. Keep training under Kyle a little longer.”

“Why? Master Kyle doesn’t teach me swordsmanship or Magic! He only makes me repeat the same things every day!”

Velkia shouted, her voice filled with dissatisfaction.

Arron approached her, crouched beside her chair, and met her gaze.

“It isn’t that Kyle isn’t teaching you. I can teach you swordsmanship, and Luna can teach you Magic, but... there is a limit to what we can teach.”

“Why?”

“Because you are a Magic Swordsman.”

Luna, who had been watching from behind, calmly continued Arron’s explanation.

“You use Magic and Aura simultaneously. Arron and I cannot teach you how to combine them. We can teach you the fundamentals of Magic and swordsmanship, but only Kyle can teach you the fundamentals of being a Magic Swordsman.”

Of course, Luna and Lysinas were also Dual Classes who used both Magic and Summoning.

Dweno was likewise a warrior and Mage who wielded Aura.

Nevertheless, their Dual Classes were fundamentally different.

A Dual Class was inevitably an ambiguous existence.

That was why one had to fuse their abilities together to wield power beyond their natural limits.

And in that regard, no one could compare to Kyle, an All-Class.

That was why he had become Velkia’s final master, slightly later than Luna and Arron.

At their explanation, Velkia’s shoulders drooped.

She understood.

She knew that even if it meant growing stronger more slowly, establishing a firm foundation was essential.

Luna and Arron had emphasized that even more often than Kyle.

But...

“I want to become strong quickly and fight beside you, Masters.”

Arron smiled gently and stroked Velkia’s head.

“You don’t need to.”

“Huh?”

“We will create a peaceful world where you won’t have to risk your life on the battlefield. You don’t need to fight beside us.”

Velkia blinked.

Watching them, Luna gave a bitter smile.

'Arron means every word.'

Of course, Luna wished for the same thing.

But...

'It will be difficult.'

Luna looked out the window.

A dark crimson night sky, hateful merely to behold, stretched beyond it.

'Even if we end the Era of Calamity with our own hands, Velkia will still have battles to fight.'

Even Arron, who had been born during the Era of Calamity just like Velkia, could not fully understand that.

Nevertheless...

'I still don’t want Velkia to stand on a battlefield.'

Luna looked at the confused Velkia with eyes much like Arron’s.

That was why they had asked Kyle to teach her.

Luna, Arron, and Kyle all approached life with fundamentally different mindsets.

'That bastard isn’t dreaming of the future.'

As a result, the way he taught Velkia was fundamentally different.

Luna and Arron intended to become the shade that protected her.

Velkia would naturally follow as she watched their backs leading the way.

But Kyle was different.

“My way and yours might both be wrong, Arron.”

“Huh?”

Arron’s eyes widened, while Velkia stared at Luna in confusion.

“Velkia, what kind of person do you want to become?”

At Luna’s question, Velkia proudly puffed out her chest.

“A Hero like the Great Heroes.”

“Living the way we do isn’t necessarily the right answer. Especially in a new era.”

Luna crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling.

“Your life will be more complicated. You will need to stand on your own, whether for the ideals you pursue or the future you choose to live in.”

Kyle was undoubtedly preparing Velkia for the time when they would no longer be there.

“Perhaps that is what you need most, Velkia.”

'Because the more captivated you become by a brilliant light, the easier it is to lose your way.'

Luna swallowed the rest of her words.

===

Boom—!

Struck directly on the head by a simple downward slash, Velkia was driven into the ground.

The surrounding buildings had already been reduced to rubble.

Screams echoed from every direction.

Step. Step.

Leo walked through the swirling dust toward Velkia, who lay facedown amid the debris.

Then he spoke calmly.

“Get up.”

Rattle—! Clatter—!

“It’s time for you to finish what you never learned, you damn disciple.”

“What?”

Velkia pushed herself upright and stared blankly at Leo.

***