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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“I lost spectacularly.”
Elsie, having poured all her strength into the duel, collapsed onto the ground.
Unable to maintain Optical Modulation any longer, her appearance had returned to its original form. Blue eyes and short, golden hair ending at her shoulders. Covered in dirt and dust from the battle, she was the Elsie I knew.
‘Though she’s grown quite a bit.’
I leaned against a nearby tree, trying to catch my breath. It had been a while since I had such an intense sparring session, so I was a bit tired too.
My Stamina stat was lower than Elsie’s to begin with.
Then, Elsie, who was lying down and staring blankly at the sky, said,
“I’ve always wanted to be your comrade, Allen.”
In response to my promise to grant her any wish, she had immediately asked to be my comrade. Why was she so fixated on being my comrade? It was hard for me to understand.
“Elsie, why are you so obsessed with being a comrade?”
I had thought that Elsie’s viciousness stemmed solely from her desire for revenge against the coup perpetrators. But through this battle, I realized that her goal lay beyond revenge, somewhere else.
“Because I’m indebted to you. I’ve thought a lot about how to repay that debt. And what I eventually came up with…”
And that goal was…
“To become your strength. Your letter with the promise to meet again soon. And introducing me to such an excellent teacher like Gwen. Everything pointed to that path.”
“Is that why you honed your swordsmanship so diligently? Without even taking care of your own body?”
I hadn’t noticed until now, but with Optical Modulation deactivated, it was finally revealed. Elsie’s body was covered in bruises.
Two years ago, when I saved Elsie, she had been starving and weak, but her body wasn’t covered in bruises and wounds like this.
Even Gwen wouldn’t have been so harsh, so Elsie must have done this to herself.
“Yes, because I really had to work hard. Gwen told me a lot about you. It seems that even though it was a short encounter, you left quite an impression on her. Come to think of it, Gwen wanted to see you too.”
There was no need to worry about that. I had met Gwen on the day of the entrance ceremony.
…But I did feel sorry that we couldn’t have a proper conversation.
“When I first resolved to become your strength, I didn’t know, but Gwen said you were stronger than I thought. So even though I knew nothing about swordsmanship, I worked hard. Because I knew that you, who left Basil in a hurry, wouldn’t have just been sitting still.”
Indeed, I had gone through a lot. I became Libero’s disciple and learned swordsmanship. I challenged the second trial and spent eons there. And I killed two demon lords.
“I tried so hard… but a few months before entering the Hero Academy, I heard the news. That Allen had caught three demon lords. Do you know how I felt at that time?”
“…”
“Don’t worry. It wasn’t a negative feeling. I just came to my senses. I realized that I couldn’t become your strength like this. I think I trained to the point of near death for the next few months. Because I didn’t know when I would see you again.”
I saw her eyes redden.
“When I came to the academy and saw you disguised as Seo Yoo-rang… Logically, I wasn’t sure, but my instincts were already certain that you were Allen Blake. I was just happy to finally see you again. I could understand that you were hiding yourself, you must have had your reasons.”
Elsie’s words became increasingly impassioned and rapid.
“So I decided to wait. Until you asked me to be your comrade someday. I firmly resolved to wait… but shamefully, the moment you took Yuseora as your comrade first, I couldn’t stand it anymore. It felt like I had been abandoned by you. But…”
Tears streamed down her face.
“Now I feel a little relieved. Now that I’ve confirmed firsthand how weak I am. Even though I tried so hard, it seems I wasn’t enough to be your comrade.”
She now had a truly resigned expression. The flowing tears seemed to wash away any lingering feelings she had. On the other hand, I had achieved the purpose I had set when I entered the trial with her.
However…
‘I didn’t know until then.’
I didn’t know until we entered the trial. How much Elsie had worked. How sincere her wish to become my comrade was. I hadn’t known.
‘But now I know.’
I entered this trial to show her the difference in our strength directly. I had succeeded to some extent, but now I was ashamed to call it a success.
Elsie had also shown me a lot through the battle in the trial. The effort she had put in to become my strength.
I now knew how desperate it had been. She had always treated me sincerely. Then I didn’t want to treat her with lies anymore. At least to her, it was time to end this false play.
I would no longer return to being Seo Yoo-rang for Elsie, starting today.
‘Deactivate Optical Modulation.’
The skill covering my face, Optical Modulation, disappeared. My original delicate features and dull blond hair returned. Seeing my appearance, Elsie smiled bitterly.
“You’ve become a little more manly. I remember you having such a delicate face before that I could have mistaken you for a woman.”
Elsie wouldn’t know, but I actually used that to my advantage when dealing with her situation back then. Back then, I didn’t feel embarrassed because I didn’t think it was my body.
“That face suits you better. You’re smart and capable, but… you have such a kind, somewhat lacking face.”
I didn’t know whether it was an insult or a compliment. But what was certain was that I agreed with her. And what I had to say from now on had to be said with this face. Before that…
‘God, can you turn this space into the place I’m thinking of?’
It didn’t take long for the space to change. The blue sky disappeared. And instead, a sunset-colored sky unfolded above.
“This is…”
Elsie looked surprised. It was a place she knew too.
“Remember?”
She would definitely remember. She was the one who brought me here in the first place. Basilium, the hill with the best view.
“Of course, I remember.”
We were back on that hill, both as adults. Somehow, Elsie was crying just like back then. With this, my appearance, the location, everything had returned to Allen Blake. So now I could say it.
“Elsie, become my comrade.”
Elsie’s eyes, which had been lost in the scenery of Basilium, widened again.
“Huh? But you said you couldn’t accept me as a comrade…”
Wrong.
“That was Seo Yoo-rang talking. I, Allwn Blake, want to accept you as my comrade.”
Then Elsie’s lips curved into a subtle smile. She seemed happy, but unable to fully express it.
“No, as you saw in the battle just now, I’m weak. I’ll only be a hindrance as a comrade…”
That was also wrong. That Seo Yoo-rang guy was completely mistaken. He was a guy who, because he had knowledge as a player, mistakenly thought he knew everything.
“No, you’re strong enough. If you achieve good results and obtain a decent holy relic, you can become a valuable asset.”
Moreover, Elsie was a typical late-bloomer character. She would continue to grow stronger. At this rate, she would definitely surpass me someday.
And if she resolved the kingdom’s problems and succeeded in obtaining the Kingdom’s Sword… she was someone who could potentially become the strongest. Even so, there was only one reason to reject her.
The responsibility that came with taking her as a comrade. It was a topic I had thought a lot about during the mock battles.
Could I really be responsible for my comrades in actual combat? Honestly, I still hadn’t found the answer. I would have to continue to ponder it.
But at least regarding Elsie, I was now certain. I could be responsible for her. No, I wanted to be responsible for her. That’s why I extended my hand to her, who was still lying on the ground.
“I apologize for everything Seo Yoo-rang said. So… will you become my comrade?”
“Comrade…”
She grabbed my hand without hesitation.
“Of course. I’ve been waiting for these words for the past two years.”
Even though Elsie’s face was covered in tears, her bright smile looked so beautiful that I couldn’t even meet her eyes properly.
“So, are you satisfied with this?”
It all started with my promise to grant Elsie one wish. The important thing was whether she was satisfied.
“No, I’m not satisfied.”
At her words, I turned my head and looked at Elsie again. For some reason, she was wearing a dangerous-looking smile again. I suddenly had a bad feeling.
“Let’s start by being comrades.”
“Start by being comrades?”
“It’s nothing. I’m just happy to finally be your comrade.”
The sunset-colored sky, unique to the Basil region, dyed her golden hair red, now that we had finally met again.
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Predator
A hunter