Chapter 538

Velkia glared at Leo, scowling. The sight of those red eyes unsettled her, because for a brief moment, she glimpsed the gray eyes she knew so well.

There was only one person who had ever looked at her like that and even though she had spent countless years with him, In all that time, it had happened only once.

Velkia bit down hard on her lip.

Master Kyle.

It couldn't be. The idea that she could see shadows of her master in this boy was absurd.

Leo, watching Velkia, closed his eyes.

What should I say?

There were so many things.

I'm sorry I couldn't come back.

That should be the first thing he said.

I'm sorry for making you bear everything.

Even if she wouldn't accept it, it was an apology that had to be given.

You didn't have to carry it all.

The sorrow of a teacher.

It must have been hard.

He had never known what it was like to be a parent, but if he had been in Velkia's place, those were the words Dade and Reina would have said to him.

There were endless things he needed to say, but the words wouldn't come out. They swirled inside his mouth, refusing to leave.

Because he knew that none of them would bring Velkia any comfort. She had already accepted that her masters would never return.

Even if they had told her not to bear the burden, she would have done so anyway. She had understood how hard that path would be and still walked it.

Leo knew better than anyone why Velkia had chosen to shoulder the world, but he had never wanted her to end up like this.

He had wished that she wouldn't follow in their footsteps, but this was the path she had chosen.

The path she resolved to walk.

Offering clumsy words would only insult her resolve and in turn, he understood why she had changed so much.

She must hate the world.

She must loathe the world that had taken away those she loved.

She wouldn't be able to forgive those who live in it.

She would never forgive the ones who trampled over the sacrifices of those dear to her and continued living

However, that was only one part of why Velkia had fallen.

The emotions she should have cast aside in her final moments, that she, of all people, should have been able to let go… she held on to.

What had truly driven her to madness was Velkia herself.

She couldn't forgive herself for harboring hatred toward the world her teachers had saved.

She despised herself for holding a grudge against those her teachers had carried on their backs.

She loathed herself for being consumed by those emotions and killing her dearest friend.

That's why she wanted to destroy herself.

And that grudge had brought her back as an undead.

Only now, standing face to face, did Leo finally understand Velkia's emotions.

He tightened his grip on his sword.

"Don't look at me with those eyes," Velkia spat.

Eyes filled with sorrow and pity, eyes that sought to understand her.

"Don't look at me like that!" Velkia let out a furious scream.

She couldn't accept the act of being understood. No one could understand her.

No, no one should!

The more she stared into Leo's sorrowful, understanding eyes, the more her reason crumbled.

Leo closed his eyes for a brief moment. There was something he had to say, but the moment Velkia heard it, she would lose control.

Nevertheless, it had to be said.

"Velkia."

"Ugh…!" Velkia bit her lip. That voice, those eyes staring at her, they reminded her of someone.

That voice calling her name was unbearably familiar.

So she didn't want to see it. She didn't want to hear it and yet… she couldn't turn away.

Because the person before her resembled the one she had longed to see more than anything.

"Ah…"

"You did nothing wrong." Leo, watching his trembling disciple, finally said what had to be said.

"…!"

"I won't blame you. I understand you. You… were never in the wrong."

"Ah…!"

It was the one thing she had always wanted to hear. Yet, it was also the one thing she never wanted to hear.

Velkia clutched her head and violently shook it. "No. No! No! Don't you dare say that! I was wrong! I was the one who tarnished my masters' names more than anyone!"

She didn't even want forgiveness from her masters, let alone being forgiven by someone who didn't even understand her sins.

"Aaaaah!"

Boom!

Velkia kicked off the ground and lunged at Leo.

Crash!

The impact brought the entire building down.

Her hatred and resentment surged toward Leo and in that instant, Leo's drawn sword swung toward her.

"Ah?" Velkia let out a dazed gasp.

Although it was just simple downward strike, yet… that strike dredged up memories from the depths of her mind.

sep

Under the somber, ash-gray sky of a setting sun, An elf girl swung her sword in an empty clearing.

Beads of sweat glistened on her delicate chin, no, her entire body was drenched in sweat.

The hand gripping the sword trembled, and her breath came in short, ragged gasps.

A simple and concise movement. From high to low. The first strike every swordsman learns, the downward slash.

Even those who had never trained in the sword could imitate it, but putting all one's strength into that simple strike, from dawn before sunrise until the setting sun, was a different story and the girl wasn't merely focusing on the downward slash.

Hwah! Hwah!

Each time she swung her sword, the air around her was pushed away, but even then, Velkia lips never stopped moving, chanting runes.

Before her, Kyle sat perched on a wall, legs crossed, reading a book.

At that moment, Velkia abruptly shut her mouth. Her face went pale, and her sword wavered.

"Not bad. You're doing well," Kyle remarked.

His mocking voice made Velkia's hands tremble even more, her breath turning even more ragged.

She tried not to look in his direction, but ignoring him wouldn't stop his voice from reaching her ears.

"You stopped your spell, so your wrist got cut off, and since your wrist got cut off, you couldn't hold your sword, so your head went flying." Kyle chuckled and asked, "Do you have two lives?"

Flip—

Kyle turned the page of his book.

That book was none other than the magic tome Velkia had written herself. A tome where she recorded her own magic spells. A necessity for any mage.

"And how is this complicated?" Kyle taunted again.

Velkia's eyes quivered. Her patience was reaching its limit.

Kyle laughed, "Are you stupid?"

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

Finally unable to hold back, Velkia raised her sword and charged at Kyle. The outcome was obvious, but she couldn't endure it any longer.

Kyle, with an uninterested expression, kicked Velkia away, and she tumbled pathetically across the ground.

Drained of all strength, she lay motionless.

Kyle, watching her, closed the magic tome and tossed it at her. "Same time tomorrow."

"Kiieeeeeek!"

Velkia flipped over in frustration and threw a tantrum, but Kyle didn't even glance her way as he walked away.

sep

"Oh, my dear little disciple. You had a tough day again, didn't you? Here, say ah~."

"Ah~." Velkia giggled foolishly and opened her mouth.

Luna picked up a piece of food with her fork and placed it in Velkia's mouth.

Chewing on the food, Velkia asked, "Who made this today…?"

"I made it, of course! A special meal for Velkia's health! Tastes good, right?"

"It's delicious," Velkia answered with a smile, though her eyes were starting to lose focus.

"Look at those puffy cheeks chewing away. My little disciple is so cute! It's like looking at myself at that age!" Luna bounced in excitement, her behavior utterly ridiculous.

Aaron, who was sitting beside them, widened his eyes. "You were completely different at thirteen, weren't you? It doesn't seem like you would've been…"

"And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Hiiiiiik?!" Aaron recoiled in fear as Luna grinned menacingly and swung a frying pan.

Watching the scene unfold, Velkia silently stuffed more of Luna's cooking into her mouth.

What was this called again? Luna had said it was a traditional elf dish with a long history, but Velkia knew the truth.

Luna hated her own kind. Or rather, she despised the history and traditions of elves, as well as those who clung to them.

Velkia felt the same, and she wasn't alone.

There were many orphaned elves in this era. Most of them resented the history and traditions of elves.

There was a saying that even a ruined noble house lasts for three years, and high elves were no different.

They clung to their history and traditions, considering them the greatest virtue, so they were generally better off than common elves.

It didn't happen in Godthrone, but in other cities where their lineage persisted, there were undoubtedly many of them.

Velkia had encountered them many times and they always looked down on orphaned elves, calling them filthy, treating them as lowly, yet they never extended a helping hand.

Because, by their standards, these orphans were neither noble nor pure.

Velkia gazed at the traditional elf dishes laid before her.

Despite everything, Luna had made these dishes for her… because she was an elf. Because traditions and history were ultimately the roots of one's identity.

Even if those who bore that heritage had rotted away, the roots themselves had not.

Or maybe she just wanted to prove that elf cuisine is awful.

Velkia chewed mindlessly, her expression becoming even more vacant than before.

The dish itself probably didn't taste bad. The problem was undoubtedly the cook, but Velkia had no complaints.

A year ago, going hungry or eating scraps from the trash had been a daily occurrence. Compared to that, this was paradise.

"By the way, when will we get to train Velkia again?" Aaron, who had escaped from Luna, returned to the table and muttered.

Velkia's ears perked up, and her lifeless eyes regained their light. The dull, glassy stare of a dead fish turned into the sharp gaze of a lively one.

"I want to learn new sword techniques from you again, Master Aaron!" Velkia said with a bright smile. "I also want to learn new magic spells from you, Master Luna!"

Her excited voice sparkled with anticipation.

Luna and Aaron exchanged glances, looking troubled.

"Not yet."

"Yeah. Train under Kyle a bit longer."

"Why? Master Kyle doesn't even teach me swordsmanship or magic! He just makes me repeat the same things over and over again!" Velkia shouted, her voice full of frustration.

Aaron moved closer, meeting her eyes. "Kyle isn't teaching you nothing. I can teach you swordsmanship, and Luna can teach you magic, but… there's a limit to how much we can teach you."

"Why?"

"Because you're a magic swordsman." Luna, who had been quietly watching from behind, spoke in a calm tone. "Using aura and magic at the same time, neither Aaron nor I can teach you how to do that. We can teach you the basics of swordsmanship and magic, but only Kyle can teach you the fundamentals of a magic swordsman."

Of course, Luna and Lysinas were dual-classed in magic and summoning. Dweno, too, was both a warrior and a mage, but even so, the level of mastery was different.

Dual-class warriors always carried the risk of being spread too thin. To surpass their limits, they had to find a way to merge their abilities seamlessly and in that regard, there was no one who could match Kyle, the all-class master.

That was why, after Luna and Aaron, he became Velkia's final mentor.

Still, Velkia slumped her shoulders.

She understood. Even if it delayed her growth, building a solid foundation was important.

Luna and Aaron had emphasized that even more than Kyle did, but…

"I want to grow strong quickly so I can fight alongside you all," she mumbled.

Aaron gently smiled and patted Velkia's head. "You don't have to."

"Huh?"

"We'll create a peaceful world where you don't have to risk your life on the battlefield. You don't have to."

"……" Velkia blinked.

Luna let out a bitter smile.

Aaron truly meant that.

Of course, she wanted the same, but…

It won't be that simple.

She gazed out the window. The sky was a deep, hateful crimson.

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

Aaron, who was also born in the Age of Calamity, might not fully understand it either, but…

Even so, I don't want Velkia to stand on the battlefield.

Luna looked at Velkia with the same conflicted gaze as Aaron. This was why she had asked Kyle to be Velkia's teacher. She, Aaron, and Kyle, all of them had different ways of living.

That damn guy doesn't even dream of the future.

Which made his teaching philosophy fundamentally different.

They would become the shadows that protected Velkia.

She would naturally follow them as they led the way forward, but Kyle was different.

"I might be wrong, Aaron."

"Huh?" Aaron widened his eyes, while Velkia looked at Luna in confusion.

"Velkia, what kind of person do you want to be?" Luna asked.

Velkia puffed out her chest. "A hero like the Great Heroes."

"Living like us isn't necessarily the right answer. Especially not in a new era." Luna crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling. "Your life will be more complicated. You'll need to be independent, whether it's for your ideals or the future you'll live in."

Kyle must have thought of Velkia's future in a world without them.

"Maybe that's exactly what you need, Velkia."

The brighter the light, the easier it is to lose your way.

Luna swallowed the rest of her words.

sep

Boom!

Velkia, struck directly on the head by a simple downward slash, crashed into the ground.

The surrounding buildings had already been reduced to rubble, and screams echoed from all directions.

Step. Step.

Through the swirling dust, Leo approached Velkia, who lay sprawled on the ground.

"Get up," he commanded indifferently.

Drip— Drop—