#16 West (2)
I didn’t tell anyone about my relationship to the situation.
It was because he did not feel the need to reveal the relationship with him by telling why the situation attacked Yubin.
As such, Zeldia’s words were full of doubts.
How can he know about the relationship between himself and the situation that no one else knows?
There was only one way to clear the question.
“How do you know?”
The basis for his confidence that he does not know is that he lived in the same era as the situation, so he has no choice but to ask himself.
Ultimately, it was the correct answer.
“There is such a thing as rank.”
“A rank?”
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“When the realm exceeds a certain level, the invisible becomes visible. They don’t seem to know these things these days.”
Gerdia, smiling brightly, was relaxed.
He is frustrated and annoyed by saying something he doesn’t know, but there was one reason why Elric couldn’t get into it according to his personality.
‘Can I win?’
It was a question that had been in my mind since I first met him.
If I draw my sword like this, will I be able to cut him? It is impossible to spew mana, bind it, and hack it. It is impossible to suppress them by dragging them into a hand-to-hand combat. Even if you are fully prepared, you cannot be sure of victory.
It is a conclusion completed in the realm of intuition.
I can’t quite define it, but Elric’s intuition certainly told me that he was stronger than he was.
“It is our time. In order to become a strong man who will make a name for himself on the continent, he had to complete his own rank. Me too. It’s natural to judge that you can’t beat me. The scenery we see is different.”
Elric was taken aback.
It’s because the inside is pierced.
“… I guess that rank can grasp the basis of my martial arts.”
“To be precise, it is to smell the incense. I have a good sense of smell.”
Tok, tok.
Gerdia tapped my nose.
“The Sword Emperor’s sword has a thick smell of blood. It is not a figurative expression. The ghosts of those whom he sliced up to complete the hierarchy are trapped in the sword and emit incense. You feel that too.”
“How many people have not killed people on the battlefield?”
“No one collects them in a sword.”
Elric’s brow furrowed.
Gerdia said.
“Hey, don’t you ever think it’s strange?”
“what?”
“A sword that becomes stronger only when you forge your life, and a sword that degenerates when you stop killing. I’ve never wondered what it’s called a martial art.”
“… !”
At that moment, Elric felt a strange sense of deja vu.
“Remember. What did you learn from the Sword Emperor?”
There was only one.
what I learned from him
-Open the sword world.
how to make a living.
The moment he realized that, Elric’s eyes widened.
Suddenly the answer comes out.
“The sword world… .”
“What is the sword world, he is on the verge of killing.”
Satisfaction was reflected in Zeldia’s smile.
Elric is confused.
Meanwhile, Gerdia’s words continued.
“There is not one way to climb the ladder. Endless inner cultivation, deeper search for truth, unity with the world, and perfect solitude. Anything. In any form, beyond a certain point, the soul dominates the senses. The rules that make up this land begin to be realized in physical form. The one he taught you is one of those methods.”
“… I don’t understand.”
“There is no need to think too hard. These are things that you will naturally come to know when you rise to the ranks.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
It was a natural question.
I don’t think his words are false, but it’s a situation where I can’t help but doubt his intentions.
Gerdia willingly answered.
“plural.”
At that moment, he had terribly cold eyes.
To the extent that it stands out even though he has a big smile on his face.
“Did I need any more reasons?”
Oh so so goosebumps came up.
What came to mind was the history of him and Nazak, and his relationship with the Sword Emperor.
“I have come to make an offer.”
He took a step forward.
“You can’t beat the Sword Emperor. My relationship with him won’t be good either. But you have to win. It’s neither you nor me, and neither of us can do it.”
Elric looked him right in the eyes.
His countenance has softened considerably.
It was a face that seemed to be a mask for some reason.
“I can’t progress further. It’s because I sacrificed all my remaining possibilities to save the people of Nazak. But not you.”
“… .”
“You can climb the ladder. You can also look beyond that. Young, talented, and passionate.”
he held out his hand
“I will help you. so that you can climb the ladder So that I can fight against that bastard’s sword.”
Your voice, your eyes, your gestures, and even the emotions that are conveyed.
There was no hatred anywhere, but Elric felt the purest hatred for Zeldia.
It was such a terrible, suffocating hatred.
Elric asked.
“… Are you saying you want to become a teacher?”
At that, Gerdia complained.
“Hey, always keep that in mind.”
Before long, the words that came out strangely stimulated Elric’s trust.
“Anyone who reaches out with a purpose will never do it for you. So do not try to honor those who are not for you.”
He was talking about a transaction, not trust.
He was saying that he had no intention of becoming a teacher himself.
It’s more reassuring to show the inside.
After much thought, Elric took his outstretched hand.
*
That day, Elric headed for Nazak.
The last captured Fort Thandal is one of the best forts on the entire Western Front.
It won’t be pierced to the extent that I’ve been away for a while.
There was nothing to worry about right away.
Anyhow, even after arriving in Greenazak, Elric kept moving.
“Where are you going?”
“A place where you can grow up.”
“I’m asking where that place is.”
Zeldia smiled sullenly and kept quiet.
All Elric could do was swallow the frustration and walk after him.
One, every journey has an end.
In the end, the place he reached was the center of Nazak, the capital.
In Nazak’s capital, the deceitful Undead were doing their job mechanically.
When all of them met Zeldia, they bowed their heads with intelligence.
Zeldia dealt with them one by one and headed to the basement of the castle.
Elric was horrified.
There was a space in the basement of Nazak that was the same size as the entire land in the capital.
“What is this… .”
“It was prepared for revenge. I knew he would look beyond the stairs. do you know The only way to climb the ladder and aim for the next step is to devour the world that others see.”
A huge stone statue looked down at Elric in the dim light.
Beneath the statue stood three tightly closed coffins.
“You will rise to the ranks here. The entrance is already open, albeit imperfectly. You just have to pull it out.”
It was the moment when Nazak hit the ground with his cane.
Koo Goo Goo!
Three coffins were opened.
Inside were three dried-up corpses.
To be precise, it was undead.
Grrrr-
A dry sob escaped their lips.
One held a spear, the other two daggers, and the third a sword and shield.
Gerdia said.
“These are the former kings. Only hoping for the end of the Sword Emperor, he tied his own spirit and body to the present world. We all have such contracts. Waiting only for you.”
Elric swallowed in vain.
It was only after hearing those words that he understood the meaning of their weapons.
What drew Elric’s attention in particular was the undead holding a sword and shield in the center.
“… heaven.”
The lord of the sky, the knight who was the master of the East, and the man who was Elric’s dream when he was young.
Gerdia said with a low laugh.
“Come to think of it, you are from the East. This dude will be pretty happy. If you were alive.”
“… Are you irrational?”
“I can’t think. Only resentment and instinct remain. That was the price.”
Elric’s fists clenched.
There was a strange feeling of awkwardness and tension inside.
Their empty eye sockets caught my attention.
“Okay then, let’s start right away.”
Zeldia stopped talking nonsense.
He waved his hand straight away as if he was overjoyed that the long wait was over.
“Fight. Then climb the ladder and aim for the next one. Just like the Sword Emperor, beat us all.”
Those words were the beginning.
bang!
The undead, the previous kings, attacked him at a speed that Elric could not perceive.
*
Edward heard incredible words.
“what?”
“Mrs. Portman is on her way west.”
“Who is Mrs. Portman?”
“I am Kasha’s wife.”
“Wouldn’t it be?”
“That’s what you want no.”
Is it really like that?
No, maybe something like that.
Edward’s mind went blank at the secretary’s words.
Only one thought came to mind.
‘What’s wrong?’
Why the hell is there not a single day where nothing goes wrong when only Kasha gets entangled?
“What should I do?”
“What are you going to do?”
The letter shaking in the secretary’s hand, the seal of the Portman family stuck there.
It was Tyria’s letter, needless to say.
… Yes, I was with Kasha the day she left Wibin.
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You will be the one who knows better than anyone what happened between them.
So, because of that.
“Can I burn it?”
“Can you take responsibility?”
Edward was too afraid to open the letter.