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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Summer vacation began as Freya’s assignment finished sooner than expected. Some students took advantage of the break to briefly return to their hometowns.
They must have been exhausted from continuously participating in mock battles while studying.
They would need to alleviate some of that fatigue during this vacation to handle the second semester’s schedule.
But I didn’t have such leisure. There was something I had to do during this break.
For that purpose, Elsie, who had nowhere to go back to anyway, was already staying, but Yuseora also remained at the academy instead of returning to her merchant guild.
“Damn, I should’ve left.”
Yuseora rolled around on the ground inside the trial area they had managed to reserve while the academy was less crowded, muttering regrets.
Then she glared at me resentfully.
“What? Why? Want me to add more?”
But she quieted down immediately after I spoke. She seemed to be getting tamed quite nicely.
Elsie, on the other hand, wasn’t the same.
‘Did Gwen raise a monster?’
Their stats were certainly similar to Yuseora’s, but there was a big difference in their mental fortitude.
Elsie pushed herself to the limit, taking advantage of the fact that physical fatigue within the trial area disappeared upon leaving.
The training she was currently undergoing was related to her unique ability, Optical Modulation.
Optical Modulation was a type of magic that used light mana to change her appearance.
Usually, that was the extent of its best use, but if developed further, it was also possible to make parts of, or even her entire body, invisible, just as she had been doing recently while following me.
The problem was that, until now, this was only possible when she was completely still.
If she moved, she needed to perceive her surroundings and constantly renew the modulation with each movement.
Therefore, it was originally unusable during combat.
‘But…’
“High-ranking Hero Allen Blake isn’t that big of a deal.”
This crazy woman had actually succeeded in doing it.
The time she could maintain it was a mere second at most, but that one second was enough to decide a match.
The moment she disappeared and reappeared, she swung her sword from my blind spot.
‘Sorry for not being a big deal.’
It was true that my talent wasn’t much compared to hers or Yuseora’s.
Yuseora’s talent went without saying, and Elsie’s Optical Modulation seemed inferior to my ‘Night Shadow’ when limited to combat, but in the Lodreim Kingdom, where the sun never set, it was a different story.
That’s why I needed their help.
‘But you’re still far off.’
Elsie’s attack, utilizing even the Breeze Bringer’s ability to scatter my wind authority, was considerable.
However, her swordsmanship was still within my predictable range. As I effortlessly deflected her sword, she stumbled and rolled on the floor.
“Mixing in feints is good. But if it’s obvious that it’s a feint, it’s no longer a feint.”
If she fixed just that, her previous attack might have succeeded. It wasn’t easy, but with Elsie’s talent and effort, it was achievable.
“Let’s call it a day.”
It wasn’t good to push them too hard, especially during vacation.
Even if there was no physical fatigue within the trial area, mental fatigue would accumulate. And I also still needed personal training.
“What, is it my turn already?”
As I approached, Freya, who had been watching us from afar, grumbled. But she didn’t seem to dislike it that much.
“I look forward to your guidance today.”
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“By the way,”
Freya asked as she observed my swordsmanship closely,
“are you really planning to go to the Lodreim Kingdom?”
I nodded.
“Of course, I need to spread some false information as well.”
A completely absurd destination wouldn’t do. It had to be somewhere their operation was somewhat underway.
That wouldn’t completely fool them, but it would force them to allocate some attention.
“So you’re going after all. You know what’s happening there, right?”
“Of course. That’s why I have to go. If I can’t stop it there, there won’t be another chance.”
“That’s…”
She paused, observing me for a moment, then continued,
“You know something.”
She must have been making deductions based on my actions.
Finding and killing the 71st Demon Lord in advance and then heading straight to Sak to contact Libero. It meant I had a lot of information for some reason.
“Then leave the false information to me.”
“But you decided to give up your Demon Lord identity, didn’t you?”
“It’s alright. I think I can pretend to be younger for about two more years. So I want to help my disciple at least during that time.”
If she wanted to do it, I wasn’t going to stop her. It seemed she had finally found a small goal for herself. And the fact that she was the best person for the job was undeniable.
“Thank you for taking care of it.”
“Don’t mention it. I just regret that I can’t go with you myself.”
“No, that place is only dangerous. There’s nothing to regret about not being able to come.”
She tilted her head.
“But weren’t you going to take them there too?”
“Them?”
“Yuseora and Elsie. Weren’t you going to take them too?”
I was planning on it. Yuseora could definitely be strategically useful, and Elsie, by graduation, would be fully capable on her own.
And depending on how the operation in the Lodreim Kingdom unfolded, there was a good chance Elsie would become a wild card.
“Yes, that’s likely.”
“If that’s likely… you haven’t told them yet?”
That hit home. I hadn’t told them where our next destination was yet.
“Not yet.”
“When are you planning to?”
“I’ll have to tell them soon.”
Since I accepted them as comrades, I had to tell them. But I was hesitant. Hesitant to bring them into such danger.
“Can you really tell them? Especially Ercia?”
Ercia.
It seemed she also knew Elsie’s true identity.
But I couldn’t easily answer the question.
‘Should I really reveal to Elsie that our next destination is the Lodreim Kingdom?’
The Lodreim Kingdom was a place deeply connected to her.
Even now, after witnessing her efforts and accomplishments and accepting her as a comrade, I was still hesitant to take her to the Lodreim Kingdom.
Would she be happy about me going to the Lodreim Kingdom?
She was currently thinking of revenge against the kingdom and being my comrade as separate matters. She had even said she didn’t want my help anymore.
Would it really be okay to reveal the destination of the Lodreim Kingdom to her…
“Are you really thinking of her as a true comrade?”
“Huh?”
“What’s the problem? I thought you were quite the leader during the mock battles, but you’re getting all flustered over such a trivial thing.”
It wasn’t trivial.
“That was a mock battle. But reality is different. In reality, if you die, that’s the end.”
“A leader doesn’t even have that much sense of responsibility? It’s natural for a leader to be responsible for the lives entrusted to them by their comrades.”
“Sense of responsibility… I don’t know. Confidence and arrogance are only a fine line apart. Whether I can really be responsible for all their lives… to be honest, I think it’s realistically difficult.”
Freya clicked her tongue.
“You’re a coward.”
“A coward?”
“You’re so pathetic I don’t even want to bother, but considering you helped me, I’ll give you some advice.”
She raised her hand and pointed.
“Who do you think you’re deceiving right now? Yuseora? Elsie? Or me?”
She shook her head.
Then, pointing her finger at me, she said,
“Don’t get it wrong. No one here is being deceived by you. Whether you’re Allen Blake, Seo Yoo Rang, or any other name, it doesn’t matter. Everyone believes in and follows you, the person.”
They believe in me, the person?
“You’re the one deceiving yourself right now. You’re foolishly mistaken, thinking you’re using them.”
I’m deceiving myself?
“Shouldn’t you understand after I’ve spelled it out for you? Think about it carefully. No, is there even anything to think about? Why don’t you make a decision as soon as possible? They’re not fools either.”
At her words, I looked at Elsie and Yuseora, who were resting at a distance.
They were chattering nonstop about something.
It was a seemingly peaceful scene, but I suddenly remembered something I had heard recently.
‘The calm before the storm, they said.’
It was what Lian, the support mage, had said. I wondered if that referred to the storm brewing between those two. I felt a sense of unease.
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“Just how is that swordsmanship even possible?”
Yuseora said as she watched Seo Yoo Rang’s swordsmanship while resting.
Elsie sighed and added,
“It even feels more refined than before. Of course, that swordsmanship itself was amazing, but due to its lack of polish, it felt overall inferior to Master Gwen’s. Now, they seem almost on par.”
Yuseora flinched in surprise and turned her head.
“Gwen? Are you talking about the Rose Hero, Gwen?”
“Yes, although she’s quite small for such a grand title.”
“She must have been quite an amazing teacher.”
Yuseora looked dejected.
Elsie said to her,
“What’s the use of being discouraged when you can’t even reach him yet? At least you said you could beat him if you acquired a better relic.”
“The problem is there’s no reason to do that. The risk of consuming a 3-star relic is too great.”
Yuseora then asked Elsie,
“By the way, Elsie, have you known Seo Yoo Rang for a long time?”
She had felt it in Elsie’s attitude towards Seo Yoo Rang and in their conversations.
It was as if they had known each other for a long time, or even… like former lovers.
Of course, that was a misunderstanding amplified by her suspicions…
“Yes, we spent some time together a few years before I came here.”
Elsie proceeded to amplify the misunderstanding.
“He gave me warm food when I was soaking wet and starving, washed me, and let me sleep in a cozy room. He bought me clean clothes, dyed my hair…”
Lost in her reminiscence, she didn’t notice Yuseora fidgeting.
“And then, one day, he just left with only a letter. I heard later that Master Gwen suffered the same thing. He’s quite the habitual offender. So when I met him again, I tried my best to be helpful, but he had already taken down three Demon Lords in the meantime…”
“Wait, what?”
“Soaking wet…”
“No, three Demon Lords. What are you talking about?”
Elsie tilted her head and said,
“He took down three Demon Lords. What’s wrong with that?”
“Seo Yoo Rang took down three Demon Lords?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve been following Allen without knowing that?”
Yuseora turned her head towards Seo Yoo Rang, who was talking with Professor Freya in the distance. Her face had gone completely pale.
“Allen? You mean Allen Blake? But he’s a High-ranking Hero.”
“Yes, that’s him. Seo Yoo Rang is practically a fake identity for a clean slate.”
“No, then…”
Yuseora had only known and followed Seo Yoo Rang as someone incredibly skilled in swordsmanship and information gathering.
She hadn’t known his true identity as Allen Blake, the High-ranking Hero who had defeated three Demon Lords.
But if that was true…
“What is he trying to do by going this far?”
“What do you mean? Didn’t you hear? He said he would defeat all the Demon Lords and save the world.”
“No, I know that, but his specific next plan…”
“I don’t know.”
At those words filled with certainty, Yuseora realized.
“Of course, he must have a plan. I guess I’ll just trust him for now…”
“But I told you. He’s a habitual offender.”
For some reason, Allen was staring in their direction with a hardened expression. Watching him, Elsie said,
“If he’s thinking of doing something foolish right now, this time, I’ll definitely fix him.”
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