READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 24 - A Coincidence for the Heroine
Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: ford53
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< Chapter 24: A Coincidence for the Heroine (5) >
“Shock!! Extremist Elf, Miridis’s Announcement to Enroll!”
When Freya Khan first heard the news that an elf had come to Earth to enroll in an academy, the most overwhelming feeling she experienced was absurdity.
‘What kind of nonsense is this?’
An elf enrolling in an academy on Earth? It would be a stroke of luck if they didn’t get kidnapped, let alone receive an education.
After Malta’s declaration, all ‘official’ disputes between Earth and the worlds beyond the dimensional gate had ceased, but… Earth was still Earth, and elves were still elves.
Humans couldn’t forget the elves’ vengeful terrorism, and the elves remembered the defoliants that had smothered their forests and the hydrogen bombs that had rained over the World Tree.
‘Did they want to become a symbol of peace?’
It was a plausible reason.
Why else would an elf, from a species brimming with superhumans imparting wisdom, bother to come to Earth and enroll in the academy?
Either they were insane, or they were dreaming of peace in a clumsy way… Or maybe it was a bit of both.
‘Well, delusions are free after all.’
That was the extent of her musings.
It didn’t matter to her whether the foolish elf became a symbol of peace or just died a stranger on Earth.
However, half a day later, she was appalled when she received what was essentially an order disguised as a request from the Australian government.
‘You’ll need to protect the elf princess.’
The identity of the foolish elf from the news was a direct descendant of Demerond Ipp Marx, his daughter.
‘That insane commie elf’s daughter? What in the world was the Korean government thinking by broadcasting this on the news?’
‘Do you think the Korean government did this knowingly? They wouldn’t be foolish enough to pull such a stunt on purpose… Probably.’
‘They don’t know? They still don’t know even now? We have no intention of informing them. Ha, they want me to find some pointy ears from scratch and act as a bodyguard too?’
Freya Khan protested at the absurdity. What kind of misfortune was this during her vacation?
‘It’s only been a day since the article was released. If we find her before she is tracked down, we can hand her over without any trouble.’
‘Blast it.’
‘We have a rough idea of her location. The problem is finding personnel who can protect the princess with minimal force. If we send our agents, it’ll become a diplomatic issue.’
‘So that’s why you called me?’
‘You’re the quickest power we can dispatch from Australia at the moment.’
‘Bullshit.’
‘I know it’s shameless of us to ask this of you. But we have to prevent another Sarajevo incident, don’t you think?’
‘Sarajevo?’
‘It’s just the worst-case scenario.’
The Sarajevo incident referred to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo over a century ago.
For modern people, it was better known as the event that triggered World War I.
The Australian government’s reasoning for bringing up Sarajevo was clear. If the pointed-ear princess were to be harmed or killed, there was a chance that the pointed-ears would wage war again.
‘You’ve got a nasty way of threatening people. Damn it, I’ll go because it’s dirty. Go.’
As soon as Freya Khan agreed, the Australian government handed over all the information to her as if they had been waiting.
Information about the elf princess and her companions, photos, and the last confirmed location.
Having memorized the scant information, Freya Khan headed straight to Korea without further ado.
From Melbourne to Incheon, 8,500 km.
She rushed through the sky, using all sorts of magical items she normally wouldn’t touch.
She was in a hurry, having even heard talk of a potential Sarajevo situation.
She left Melbourne at sunset and arrived in Incheon before sunrise.
‘Find two elves in this vast city?’
The government made it sound trivial, but Incheon was much larger than she had expected.
‘Do I have to resort to brute force?’
She could go around tracking mana with items capable of such, but time was the issue. Reluctantly, she spread her mana as far and wide as possible and blocked out all senses except the ability to feel mana.
According to the Australian government, both the princess and her entourage were superhumans likely to use mana. The moment the two elves discharged mana, she planned to track it.
It was a simple yet certain method.
Fortunately, not long after she spread her mana, she detected two violently moving manas.
‘I found them.’
In an alley called MacArthur Market, inside a dilapidated building.
It was a place that didn’t suit elves, but it was a plausible spot to hide.
She immediately flew to the location of the two superhumans and…
Encountered a strange guy who used elven sword techniques even though he wasn’t an elf.
***
“What, are you some kind of spy planted by elves on Earth?”
Freya Khan tilted her head.
“…I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Dung Beetle answered with a truly aggrieved expression.
Even Freya Khan, who had seen his swordsmanship, might’ve thought it was a great act.
“Ha, you really seem like a spy… But elves wouldn’t use human spies.”
She pondered for a moment before reaching behind her back. Mana wavered where nothing had been visible, and with the release of either an invisibility or perception hindrance spell, two scabbards appeared.
One was a white scabbard, so ornately decorated it could pass for a work of art, and the other was a plain black scabbard.
The twin swords that symbolized the era when she was known as Australia’s pride, before she earned the epithet ‘Holy Sword.’
Seeing the swords he had only seen in the media, Dung Beetle squinted to hide his emotions.
“Why exactly are you threatening me, Holy Sword?”
Instead of answering, Freya Khan drew her sword from the pristine white scabbard.
A longsword, about the thickness of two fingers, revealed itself.
Engraved with elegant swan patterns, the blade’s beauty contrasted sharply with the deadly aura it emitted.
“Kid, when someone like me does something, it’s not a threat but a lesson.”
She threw the sword with a smile.
Whirl—thud.
The white sword, tracing a long parabola in the air, stuck at Dung Beetle’s feet.
“Draw it.”
Dung Beetle was puzzled whether to look at Freya Khan or the white sword.
“…Should I draw it?”
“I clearly said to draw it.”
And with that command, Freya Khan’s mana surged.
Cling!
As Dung Beetle reflexively drew the sword, sparks flew before his eyes.
The realm where the hand is faster than the eye. Despite intercepting with the sword, an impact that felt like it would tear his grip apart surged through him.
In the next moment, the swords clashed again. Clang—metal against metal in a high-pitched sound, followed by a barrage of swift attacks.
Head, ankle, chest, knee, wrist, shoulder… The sword struck from all directions.
The onslaught was too fast to catch a breath. Dung Beetle pulled up all his mana, heightened his senses, and parried the sword strikes.
“I can see now, you’ve learned martial arts on your own, haven’t you? And you cultivated that murderous intent unknowingly.”
Freya Khan had the leeway to speak even as she was attacking.
It was to be expected. The gulf between the years she had honed her skills, the mana she possessed, and the level of martial arts she had refined was vast.
But…
‘Look at this?’
Dung Beetle’s sword began to catch up with hers. His defending hand grew more precise, and his breathing more relaxed.
Was he getting used to her swordplay? No, it was more than just getting accustomed.
Like fire engulfing logs, like a hawk swooping through the sky… he was instinctively absorbing the swordplay itself.
“Wow, this guy’s really something.”
The instinct of a warrior stirred within her. Alright, let’s see how far you can go.
Her sword sped up further.
The mana carried by the sword collided and erupted in a roar, pushing the atmosphere away, but Dung Beetle managed to follow even that speed.
Blood flowed from his gripping hand, and his body trembled from the lack of mana, but he did not lose focus.
At some point, after parrying more than a hundred strikes.
Dung Beetle’s sword outpaced Freya Khan’s.
Swoosh—
A white blade weaved through the air, splitting the atmosphere.
A stroke astonishingly similar to the first one she had shown him, and with that stroke, both of them stepped back.
Freya Khan from astonishment, Dung Beetle from exhaustion.
“Ah, that’s what it was.”
Freya Khan smiled at the nearly fainting Dung Beetle.
“Learning the form of a martial art instantly after seeing it… A blessing? Or could it be talent?”
She lifted her sword hand slightly. From her wrist up to her forearm, her sleeve was split open.
A testament to a fierce strike. If it had been slightly deeper, it would have split her arm.
“I took a hit.”
She admired sincerely, almost forgetting why she had come to Incheon, but her admiration wasn’t the end.
Dung Beetle, gasping for breath, pointed a finger at her eye patch.
The eye patch? Freya Khan reflexively placed a hand over it, and something slid off.
A few strands of chestnut-brown hair slid down her wrist. Dung Beetle’s sword had gone beyond the sleeve and reached her hair.
“Ha ha ha!”
Laughter erupted from her as she watched her hair fall.
She stepped forward cheerily towards Dung Beetle, patting him on the shoulder.
“This guy, I really like you, you know?”
“… ”
Dung Beetle looked at her baffled, unable to hide his astonishment.
Just a moment ago, she had been swinging her sword as if to kill him, and now she had flipped her attitude completely?
As expected, documentaries can’t be trusted. To portray such a madwoman as a paragon…
“…So, why exactly are you doing this?”
After letting out a sigh, Dung Beetle asked, and Freya Khan finally remembered her mission.
“Ah, right. The mission.”
She had enjoyed herself too much when she was supposed to be on a task. Her sole eye turned towards Dung Beetle.
“Have you seen any elves in the city?”
“…Elves?”
Dung Beetle furrowed his brows. Was this related to an elf issue?
“Hey, don’t think of deceiving me. That elven sword technique you displayed. You stole it while fighting an elf, didn’t you? It’s obvious.”
“… ”
Dung Beetle clammed up.
He couldn’t predict what this crazy expert intended by chasing after elves.
Considering she had swung her sword as soon as she saw the elven swordplay, it didn’t seem like good intentions were involved.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he tentatively spoke up.
“…May I ask what your intentions are with them?”
“I’m here to protect them.”
It was an immediate answer. Given how readily it sprang forth without hesitation, it didn’t seem like a lie.
“You might be suspicious because I started with a sword fight, but kid, I’m the Holy Sword. Do you think I’d come to this country just to slice up an elf?”
“… ”
Yes, now that I meet you in person, it seems you would indeed… The words rose to the tip of his tongue and then receded.
Seeing the doubtful Dung Beetle, Freya Khan waved her hand and said,
“That red-headed elf princess could start a war if she dies on Earth. So I came to make sure she doesn’t. End of explanation. Satisfied?”
She even knew about the princess. Dung Beetle finally understood the situation.
“Sorry for the initial attack. Think of it as the antics of an old lady and help me out. Whatever the case, we need to prevent a war, right?”
Her straightforward and uncomplicated attitude, yet willing to act for the sake of others, maybe she wasn’t entirely different from the person he had seen in documentaries.
Dung Beetle buried both relief and absurdity in his heart before speaking up.
“I met the elves… not long ago.”
Starting with that, he told his story, suitably embellished.
He left out everything about the area manager. After all, the process wasn’t important. It was enough to tell her that the elves had headed towards the burned-down warehouse.
“…So, the elf princess went to that burned warehouse, and you don’t know anything beyond that?”
After the explanation, Freya Khan confirmed the story once more. Dung Beetle succinctly explained again and roughly pointed out the way to the warehouse.
But…
“I don’t really get it even with the explanation. And there’s no map.”
“…”
“Can’t you guide me directly to that warehouse?”
She was more shameless than Dung Beetle could have imagined.
“It might not be much of a reward, but I’ll make you my apprentice.”
No, she was more insane than he could have imagined.