Chapter 18 – Three-Way Meeting (1)
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Like Alone, Leticia began to receive instruction from Yushin, and her swordsmanship skills gradually began to shine.
She built up her practice in sword fighting.
She absorbed her flaws like a sponge and learned her new swordsmanship.
To become stronger. She wants to fulfill her dream of one day standing on the same level as the hero she admires. Because Leticia had a firm goal, she grew faster than Alone.
Paaang–!!
At the same time as her wave sound spread, her sharp sword strike struck Yushin.
It got faster
Yushin was surprised at the rapid growth of the high elves.
Elves are a race of longevity. That’s why they grow slower than humans. But the high elves were different. This is because the sacred High Elves, who inherited a noble lineage, had magical power management that surpassed that of the Elves and growth rates that exceeded those of humans.
“You’re good.”
“It’s not over yet!”
The black wind thickened.
And sharpened
Every time Leticia swung her sword, a strong wind rose. As the wind blew stronger, it developed into a force that could crush people. The strong winds eventually turned into a typhoon.
“But stay back.”
Yushin drew his sword.
She poked in either direction exactly.
Then the fierce typhoon disappeared. The thread of magical power mobilized by the sword wind had been cut off. With a normal attack without using the Mana Blade, Leticia’s attack was completely nullified.
“Good judgement.”
Yushin extended his sword back.
I realized that Leticia had sneaked up behind me using the strong wind.
Sword and sword collided.
Perhaps not knowing that even the spleen strike would be easily blocked, Leticia swallowed her saliva as she clenched her teeth. I never thought I could detect her presence even in a fierce typhoon. He was also a warrior-level strongman.
“I lost again.”
Leticia meekly admitted her defeat.
How many defeats have you already had?
I’ve given up even counting now.
Leticia had always felt humiliated by defeat, but as her defeats continued to accumulate, she gave up responding to them one by one. I lost every time I sparred. It was natural to lose. But she still feels resentful of her, probably because it is her personality that she hates to lose.
“You are getting better and better? The ability to use Mana Blade is also excellent. Her graduation exam must have been passed.”
Leticia already had the qualifications to safely pass the Bria Academy graduation exam.
She is also the number 1 student in the entire school.
Her good looks, excellent academics, and sharp swordsmanship. In addition, considering the prestige of her family called the Golden Santander, there are not many students of her academy who can surpass her.
“All right, of course. I’m the daughter of the Santander family, this much is natural…!”
At her Yushin’s praise, Leticia turned her head away. He crossed her arms, blushing.
Her ears went red as if she was taken aback by the sudden compliment.
She seems to be the weak type for her compliments. She especially reacted weakly to pure praise. If it had been Ardena who had praised her, Leticia might have ascended to heaven with great joy.
“Get out of the way, pig.”
“Pig?!”
Alone pushed Leticia.
She must have been quite jealous of Leticia, who was praised by Yushin, and her expression was filled with heartache.
“Who is a pig…!”
“Wouldn’t it be heavy to carry around such large breasts? It’s lascivious. Vulgar! To train your swordsmanship, you must have a nimble body.”
“Are you nimble? It must be poverty.”
“Poverty! Are you done talking?”
Fight again
Seeing Alone and Leticia start fighting while standing close enough to face each other, Yushin felt embarrassed.
It feels like being a trainer.
It was like educating two puppies who were terribly disobedient.
“You should be friends with each other.”
Caught between two troubled children.
Then, fierce protests came from Alone and Leticia.
“Who is your friend!”
“I am not your friend.”
Both are the same.
Clapping sounds when the hands are clapped. Alone and Leticia were exactly that.
* * *
It was Ardena who saved Yushin from being caught up in a fierce fight between Alone and Leticia.
She walked around the yard with her.
The voices of Alone and Leticia, who were screaming and fighting, could no longer be heard.
“News has come from the Kingdom of Valois.”
“Will you pay my ransom?”
“It seems to be the way it is.”
“First of all, it must be clear that the ransom is more than 5 billion aether.”
“I offered to pay twice that.”
Ardena threw her eyes at Yushin.
It was a gesture that seemed to ask her what she thought of the conversation so far.
“My men didn’t want to go home. The Santander family seems to be doing pretty well.”
“…That’s good.”
“I am also satisfied with my life here. They are treated well for a slave.”
“Our country of elves is relatively free for slaves with outstanding abilities. I can’t let that talent rot.”
Compared to other countries, the Elf country has an absolute lack of population.
So they depended on slaves.
Various slaves are distributed throughout the elven country’s politics, education, and society. Instead of simply putting slaves into heavy labor, they contributed to the nation by assigning them to jobs based on their talents.
“So you mean…”
After resting for a while,
Yushin opened his mouth again.
“Do you want to go back to me, are you asking that?”
“Okay.”
Ardena made a nervous expression.
She seemed to be deciding whether or not to answer.
“To be honest, I don’t really want to go back. But if you ask me if you’re going to bury your bones in this country of elves for the rest of your life… I’d hesitate to answer.”
“I see, that’s good!”
Ardena gave a bright expression to Yushin’s answer. She was always expressionless, an emotional change unlike hers.
How could you have such a bright smile?
Seeing her bright smile, Yushin cleared her throat and turned her head away. It was because of her brightly smiling Ardena that made her heart beat, albeit for a moment.
Her face turned slightly red. She turned her head away trying to hide it.
“But is it okay for a slave to tell his master openly that he wants to go home?”
“I do not know either.”
“Yes?”
“Because I never had slaves.”
“It’s an elven country famous for its slavery, but the high elves never personally had slaves?”
“But it’s true…!”
Said Ardena, blushing.
Through that reaction, Yushin knew that Ardena’s words were not false.
Then am I her ‘first slave’? Is it because I feel like something is offended?
“I don’t know because it’s been a while since I’ve been in the country of elves… The most important necessities of high elves are slaves. Young and fresh slaves. High elves are said to be unable to eat soup with their own hands if there are no slaves.”
Yushin happened to see high elf students eating in the space prepared by the academy.
They refused the academy cafeteria and ate dinner prepared by the family chef. He thought that it was absurd for someone of a noble status like himself to eat food that elves ate, and that it was also absurd to eat with ordinary elves in the same space.
And when they ate, the high elves only ate what the slaves scooped them up. It was considered rude to move one’s hands while eating.
“Even if I’m a stranger, you’re trying to fool me too easily. How many high elves have I met so far in the country of elves? I’ve never seen a high elf that doesn’t have slaves.”
“There is no allone.”
“If Allone wants to get a slave, ask her to get a friend first. A high elf with no friends is an unbelievable slave.”
“But Alone is a proud and strong child. He can make friends right away if he puts his mind to it!”
“He’s twenty-one now! I’m only three years older than you! And yet, have you never had any friends?”
“…Three, three years apart…!”
But what Ardena was interested in was something else.
Yushin’s age is twenty-four this year.
Alone was twenty-one, so there was a three-year age difference.
On the other hand, Ardena is 320 years old this year. If her birthday cake had to have as many candles as her age, there would be more candles than the area of the cake. And the whole cake will be covered with wax.
“Well, then, for now… I will accept that you have no intention of returning home.”
“Uh.”
“Thank you.”
“What are you saying? I am a slave to this family.”
At Yushin’s words, Ardena cautiously nodded her head.
* * *
Allen Roxfield, who continued to fight against barbarians on the northern front, won a series of victories.
He killed all the captured barbarians.
Her head was cut off to build a tower, and her torso, missing her head, was threaded onto her skewer.
After confirming the ruthless deaths of their compatriots, the barbarians decided to plan the future and withdrew. Even the savages, known for their daring and valor, were fed up with Allen Roxfield’s horrific deed.
“Everyone who interferes with my reunion must die. There’s no reason to keep him alive. Kill and kill again I don’t need the obstacles that hinder my reunion with Yushin. All you have to do is kill them.”
Said Allen.
Her words were accepted by her subordinates with a heavy nod of her head.
“Yeah, yes…”
“Yoo-sin-nim will be very happy. It’s only a matter of time before Sir Allen becomes the first seat of the Seven Swords of the Kingdom. Aren’t you in a relationship where you promised each other to be engaged?”
The faces of the lieutenants who answered that were wet with horror and fear.
Do not touch the planting.
You have to pretend to sympathize with that madness.
Allen Roxfield is a mad dog.
However, she was a mad dog that bit the enemies of the Valois kingdom. She annihilates her enemies without the slightest mercy. So the royal family sent Allen Locksfield on multiple fronts to defeat her enemies.
“Sir Falco.”
A knight under her command approached.
Allen’s lieutenant, Falco, stood up after a moment’s pardon with her superior.
She opened the door and left the conference room. I followed the stiff-faced knight across the hallway. After leaving the conference room for a while, the driver informed me of urgent information from the capital.
“It was a big deal.”
“What is it? Being so serious.”
“Sir Yusin Gilead…Is said to have been taken prisoner in a war with the elves.”
“What, what?!”
Falco groaned.
What kind of thunderclap is that? The Seven Swords of the Kingdom are captured by the enemy!
Even until they left the capital to commit to the northern front, Yushin Gilead was safe. There was talk of him being sent to the western borderlands, but he couldn’t be held captive by the elves! This is nonsense. It is clear that something is wrong and misinformation is false information!
“It is true. There is a brake on the western front. I couldn’t believe it either, so I checked it several times.”
“Sir Yusin Gilead, how did the three swords of the seven kingdoms get captured by the elves? It’s impossible. There must be some mistake!”
It can’t be.
Falco, who strongly denied the information about the Yushin Gilead, tried to instruct him to confirm the news again.
But the words didn’t follow.
Allen Roxfield, she showed up. It was because he heard the name of Yushin Gilead from a place far, far away from the meeting room. She was indifferent to other things, but she was fiercely obsessed with her beloved fiancé.
“Just… What…?”
Allen’s golden eyes shone as sharp as a bird of prey.
It was not human eyes.
It was the eyes of a beast, no, a monster more savage than a beast.
“Tell me again.”
A formless madness raged.
Now that she would return to the capital and meet her beloved fiancée, and that she would be praised for her record in defeating the barbarians of the north, Allen’s anticipation was tinged with hatred.
“Who, by whom… Was caught…?”
A monster dressed as a beautiful woman asked.
