Future Knight

Chapter 62

“Of course, the thrust you mentioned is important, but for men, isn’t strength paramount? A powerful slash that can wipe out the enemy’s defense in one blow! Such a slash is truly a man’s dream.”

“Are you trying to teach me, one of the five greatest swordsmen on the continent? Don’t you understand that a lightning-fast thrust that can incapacitate the enemy with minimal movement and force is the most fierce and efficient attack? Tsk, tsk, tsk….”

“No, what I’m saying is….”

Jaizen, who had indulged in drinking for the first time in a while, slurred his words drunkenly.

Elradian also seemed to enjoy debating swordsmanship with the novice swordsman sitting across from him.

“Shall we step outside for a moment?”

“….”

When Kang Chan suggested to Edelene that they go outside, Edelene’s face momentarily turned red.

However, the redness from her drunkenness already masked it, making it less noticeable.

“Ah, alright.”

The two stood up and walked out of the tavern. Jaizen, who was conversing with Elradian, briefly glanced at them but pretended not to notice and continued his conversation with Elradian.

Jaizen’s expression, however, wasn’t entirely cheerful.

Outside the tavern, Edelene felt refreshed by the cool air of the underground cavern, clearing her mind.

Edelene cast her gaze towards Kang Chan, who had brought her outside. Receiving her gaze, Kang Chan turned to look at her.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Th-that…”

Edelene wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Seeing her hesitation, Kang Chan turned his eyes towards the stalactites on the ceiling and spoke.

“Leaving suddenly feels a bit sad, doesn’t it?”

“Yes… I feel a bit sad too.”

“Is that why you came to see me?”

Edelene quietly nodded at Kang Chan’s question.

“Well, those who need to leave must do so. I will be leaving here soon as well.”

“Where to?”

Hearing that Kang Chan was leaving for somewhere, Edelene looked at him.

“To the battlefield….”

“The battlefield?”

“I am going to the battlefield to seek revenge on that witch for Jaina.”

“Jaina… do you mean from that time?”

Edelene remembered the name Jaina.

The night Kang Chan forcibly sent back the Phoenix.

She was the woman he said he couldn’t protect.

“Yes, she was the woman I loved. I will continue to love her forever, even until I die….”

Edelene knew that the reason he had been so sorrowful was because of the death of his beloved.

However, hearing him say he would love another woman forever made Edelene feel a deep sense of jealousy towards that woman, despite knowing she was no longer in this world. She felt a sense of relief, for which she felt sorry towards Kang Chan.

She thought about how wonderful it would be if she could receive his love.

Just the thought made her heart pound as if it would burst.

“So, you’re going to the battlefield to avenge her?”

Kang Chan quietly nodded at her question.

“It’s a foolish thing to do. She would never want you to be in danger.”

Edelene, who had begun to develop feelings for him, wanted to stop him from risking his life for revenge.

But her earnest plea couldn’t shake Kang Chan’s firm resolve.

“Anyway, I have no reason to live without her. She is my everything.”

“Th-that….”

Tears welled up in Edelene’s eyes at his words.

His resolute decision left no room for her to intervene.

Having never shed tears for a man before, she couldn’t control her emotions.

“Why are you crying?”

“I’m not crying; I just got dust in my eyes.”

Not wanting to show him her tears as the princess of a great empire, she quickly turned her head and spoke to Kang Chan.

“I will leave tomorrow at noon. Then….”

As she was about to leave after saying that, Kang Chan grabbed her.

Although his rough touch made her heart pound again, his words were not what she had hoped for.

“Wouldn’t it be better to leave with Jaizen?”

“T-tell him I went back first because I wasn’t feeling well.”

After replying with her back turned, Edelene shook off Kang Chan’s hand and returned to her lodging. Watching her retreating figure, Kang Chan gave a bitter smile.

When Kang Chan re-entered the tavern, Elradian and Jaizen were still engaged in a heated debate about swordsmanship.

“Sir, I may look young to you, but I’ve been through quite a lot myself.”

“Really?”

“Hahaha!”

“He says he’s been through a lot! Hahaha!”

Jaizen, who had just turned twenty, spoke of his experiences in front of Elradian, who had lived for over 800 years. The dwarves listening to their conversation rolled on the floor laughing.

Jaizen’s ears turned red with anger at their reaction.

“Why are you all laughing at me? I may look like this, but I’m the youngest member of the Visman Empire’s Royal Guard!”

The dwarves knew well that the Visman Empire was the strongest country established by humans. The Royal Guard was a prestigious position reserved for the best swordsmen in the empire. However, the dwarves couldn’t help but laugh again at the young lad claiming to be a member of the Royal Guard.

“Hahaha! The youngest member of the Royal Guard!”

“Come on, kid! Tell that joke to your mother!”

“Are you saying you’re a knight of the Helrainer Order?”

“Yes! That’s right. I am a knight of the Helrainer Order.”

If he had worn his armor, he could have shown the proud symbol of the Helrainer Order, but unfortunately, Jaizen was wearing an ordinary tunic.

“If you’re a knight of the Helrainer Order, then I’m one of the five greatest swordsmen on the continent!”

One of the dwarves, claiming to be one of the five greatest swordsmen, jumped onto the table, brandishing a fork and mimicking a sword, causing the dwarves around him to clutch their bellies in laughter.

“Hahaha!”

“These dwarves don’t believe a word I say, do they? Let me show you!”

Jaizen, drunk and angered by the dwarves’ mockery, drew his sword and unleashed an aura sword.

A bluish aura instantly emanated from Jaizen’s longsword, gradually condensing into a denser and sharper edge.

The chilling sight made the dwarves spit out their beer.

The dwarf who had been mocking Jaizen fell backward with his chair.

“Gasp! An aura sword!”

“It’s real! He’s a real sword expert!”

As Jaizen unleashed his fearsome aura sword, the tavern quickly descended into chaos.

Jaizen pointed his aura sword at the now pale dwarves and spoke.

“Do you still doubt my qualifications as a knight of the Helrainer Order?”

With the terrifying aura sword aimed at them, one of the dwarves swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty.

“W-we never said you weren’t qualified. It was just a joke, a joke! Right?”

“Y-yes! It was a joke, a joke! Ahem!”

“Where were we in our conversation?”

“You were saying Jordan let out a terrible fart in the cramped mithril mine, weren’t you?”

“Ah! Yes! So, at that time….”

As the dwarves around them quietly slipped away, Jaizen retracted his mana from the aura sword and sat back down.

“I’m sorry. I got angry….”

“No need to apologize. I knew you were extraordinary, but you’re even more impressive than I thought. Achieving that level at twenty is truly remarkable.”

“You’re too kind.”

Jaizen blushed, feeling embarrassed by Elradian’s unexpected praise.

‘If only we had such talent among the elves….’

Kang Chan was already an astonishing talent, but the human before him possessed immense genius as well.

While Elradian looked at Jaizen with regretful eyes, Kang Chan spoke to Jaizen.

“The princess has returned to her lodging. Shouldn’t you go check on her?”

“What? When did she leave?”

“We just parted outside. She said she wasn’t feeling well and went back early.”

Upon hearing that Edelene was unwell, Jaizen’s expression changed drastically.

“Sir, I’m sorry! I must leave now!”

“Go ahead.”

As Jaizen hurriedly left, the tavern grew quiet again, and Kang Chan and Elradian clinked their glasses together.

Kang Chan cautiously asked Elradian, who was slowly savoring his beer.

“Master, what kind of elf was Nemitz?”

Elradian’s expression turned somber as he stared at the golden beer in his glass.

“Do you really want to know about him?”

Kang Chan nodded seriously, knowing that Nemitz would be his greatest obstacle in his quest for revenge. He needed as much information as he could get.

‘Yes, it’s not something that can be hidden forever.’

Since Kang Chan was already entangled with Nemitz, he felt it was his right to know about him.

Elradian decided to share the past about Nemitz with his student.

He would also talk about the woman Kang Chan considered his mortal enemy.

“Where should I start…?”

Elradian, reminiscing about the past, took a deep gulp of his beer.

“He was a kid who only knew about the sword from a young age. Before becoming a Dark Elf, he was the most elf-like elf you could imagine.”

“How did he change into what he is now?”

“Our elf race, unlike other races, undergoes mental growth before physical growth. As we grow mentally, our physical form changes to match our inner self.”

“Is his current appearance the result of such a change?”

“Yes, his current appearance is an example of that transformation.”

“So, the Dark Elves are…?”

“Even though we may kill each other, we’re still of the same bloodline. Though we call them renegades or fallen elves, the truth is, we’re fundamentally the same.”

“How can the same race change so drastically into two extremes?”

In response to Kang Chan’s puzzled question, Elradian waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s not a complicated process. An elf who grows with bright and beautiful thoughts becomes a fair and radiant elf. Conversely, an elf consumed by anger, madness, and lust becomes a sinister Dark Elf with black skin, reflecting those dark emotions.”

Kang Chan nodded, finally understanding the day Jaina had suddenly become beautiful and mature.

“I see. Then what caused him, who was once so promising, to become a Dark Elf?”

“There were two major incidents.”

Kang Chan’s eyes widened at the mention of two incidents.

“Two?”

“Both involved women.”

“…”

Elradian, after wetting his throat with more beer, continued.

“One incident involved his only sister, and the other involved the woman he truly loved. Do you know why I stopped you when you tried to tell Lord Arteon that you had learned the Thunderstorm Dual Sword Technique?”

“I don’t.”

“Because Nemitz’s mother is Lady Arteon.”

“What!?”

Kang Chan’s voice was so loud that the dwarves, who were quite drunk, turned their heads towards him.

“Ah, sorry.”

Kang Chan apologized awkwardly, and the dwarves turned back to their merrymaking.

“Are you very surprised?”

“I never imagined he was Lady Arteon’s child.”

“It’s understandable. When he became a Dark Elf and left the village, Lady Arteon was so heartbroken that she couldn’t eat for a month. Both of her beloved children left for places where she could never see them again.”

“What happened to his sister?”

“Nemitz’s sister?”

“Yes.”