Chapter 123 - Broken rope (2)

Under the World Tree, where traces of a terrible nightmare remain.

An old knight arrived at a place where they were working to get rid of Nidhogg's body.

"Do you mind ifI take a look at this guy's body for a moment?"

"...Sure."

The elves, who had been tearing apart the dragon's corpse for some time, yielded with expressions of surprise on their faces when they saw the unexpected visitor.

August, a knight of the humans.

He was clearly a benefactor who protected the World Tree, but from the elves' perspective, he was also a difficult being to deal with.

"Thank you very much for this. There aren't many opportunities to observe a dragon's corpse."

A welcomed presence, but at the same time unpleasant.

The old knight, who had been investigating things all his life, simply responded with a smile to this familiar reaction.

"...Let's see. Let's start with the left eye."

August, who thought he had done all his work here, began to act like a retired knight.

To be precise, he was simply following things that piqued his interest.

"…As I said, I cut through to the inside of the membrane."

The traces of the sword that parted from Nidhogg's eyes flowed like waves and reached his armpits inside the body.

"This was a fatal blow."

And even the heart hidden inside.

August realized that this was the fatal moment that took Nidhogg's life.

"But it didn't stop there."

Although victory was assured, Vlad's sword did not stop.

The persistent wound continued along the fiber, as if bone and flesh were being peeled away, all the way to August's tail, from where he had cut it in half.

'…It didn't stop even though the end was certain.'

Even if swordsmanship originates from the same root, each swordsmanship has its own individuality when practiced.

And even in Vlad's sword that we see now, there was a strong latent personality in it that had not yet blossomed.

The name of the personality that August recognized was cruelty.

"This is the kind that hits the mark."

August stood up and scratched his head.

Among the human groups I have seen while performing many missions, there was none that was as difficult to judge as this guy.

The beginning was noble, but the end was cruel.

The young knight from the north wielding the imperial sword was as contradictory as the scars he could see before his eyes.

***

The sunlight streaming through the window is warm.

Sensing the unmistakable spring energy, Vlad quickly ruffled his hair.

"Can't you guys go home now? Please."

A small ball of fur fluttered over the table due to Vlad's hand movements.

A spirit that looked like a chick began to chirp angrily, but Vlad simply shrugged off his jacket, ignoring the young spirit's gesture.

"I feel refreshed now that everything's quiet."

Visible but not audible.

Vlad let out a sigh of relief, feeling like the stormy world of images had finally calmed down.

Vlad had been obsessed with the deep world in order to emit a more perfect aura, but after experiencing this incident, he realized that maintaining composure was also very important.

"…This medicine is really good."

After shaking off all the young spirits clinging to him, Vlad removed the bandages wrapped around his body and stuck out his tongue.

The scars on his palms from gripping the sword had long since disappeared without a trace, and the wounds he received in his fight with Nidhogg no longer required bandages.

"I'll have to ask for some more later."

Good medicine is like an extra life.

Vlad, who had lived with minor injuries all his life, recognized the value of elven medicine at a glance.

"I see. And is it already fixed?"

It was a silent, soundless room, despite being filled with small things begging to be seen here.

A girl entered the room, breaking the room's silence.

"I'm feeling almost better now."

"The wound was deep. There were cracks in the bones."

What the girl said was not an exaggeration.

If Vlad's wound had been treated normally, it would have taken at least a month to heal.

"Lie down quickly again. You have to stay here for another week."

Sometimes seeming too young, contrary to her appearance, but at other times having a virtuous look in her eyes.

The priestess of the World Tree, whose name he still didn't know, was too protective of Vlad, even setting aside the fact that he was a precious guest.

Anyway, the medicine is good.

"Can I get some more of this later?"

Seeing the girl frown incongruently, Vlad tried to change the subject.

"And is there any good medicine for coughs? Assuming there are no side effects."

The first person who came to mind when looking at Absilon with its light green color was Joseph.

His lord, who always suffered from coughs, always suffered from the cold northern air.

The elves would definitely have a medicine that would suit Joseph well.

Such precious medicine would definitely be a great gift on the way back.

"Medicine for coughs?"

The girl tilted her head and thought for a moment when Vlad asked her for medicine.

The girl's golden eyes in front of Vlad shimmered for a moment.

"…"

Vlad suddenly realized that the girl was looking elsewhere other than him.

It felt like she was looking further through her own eyes.

"…If you ask me, I'll give it to you, but it won't mean much."

Suddenly, the girl turned her head to the medicine jar and returned to the normal appearance that Vlad knew.

"The reason you were able to recover so early is because the vitality with which you were born was strong."

The girl shook her head apologetically.

"So no matter how good the medicine you take is, it won't be of much use to that person. That's how our medicine works."

"…That's okay."

She spoke as if she knew whom to give it to.

As Vlad listened to the girl, a strange feeling came over him.

He couldn't clearly understand something, but he felt like it made sense.

Tock Tock.

Vlad, who had been lost in inexplicable thoughts for a while due to the girl's mysterious energy, finally regained his senses when he heard a knock on the door next to him.

The girl, whose name is still unknown, led Vlad into a moment-to-moment fantasy atmosphere.

"Who are you?"

Unlike the girl who opened the door abruptly, it was a polite sound that announced his arrival.

Though he was a guest, waiting for Vlad, who opened the door as if he owned the room, was an elf with dark blue eyes.

"How have you been? I'm sorry I couldn't investigate because I was busy with work."

Leader of the Rangers. Varadis.

He was leaning on the threshold and smiling.

"Even if it's your own room, why don't you put on some clothes? There's a priestess here, but it's not appropriate."

Varadis's eyes looked beyond Vlad and toward the girl sitting on the bed.

A girl who welcomes Varadis, waving both hands as if she's here.

Varadis's eyes began to narrow in an instant when he saw that only Vlad and the girl were in the room.

"Well, I was applying some medicine…"

"Yeah. It might be because I'm having trouble moving."

Varadis, who entered despite not being told to, immediately picked up the jacket from the bed and handed it to Vlad.

"I haven't applied it all yet."

"You're fine. Anything's better than that."

Vlad took the jacket and looked at Varadis with rolled eyes.

"Did I tell you to hurry up and put it on?"

Varadis's expression was smiling but somehow slightly stiff.

And even the girl behind his shoulder returned to her normal eyes.

Vlad didn't know why, but their faces seemed to overlap in a strange way.

***

"The old knight requested an audience before you did. So, I think the elders called me a little late because they were dealing with that matter."

"Is that so."

Vlad and Varadis leave the building allocated to the guests and head towards the World Tree.

The eyes of the elves who saw them were wide open.

To be more precise, they all smiled happily as they watched the young spirits following Vlad.

"So I hope you don't feel too upset. The elders certainly haven't forgotten about you."

"You must have been busy. I understand."

Vlad recalled.

Old Geronimo, who had set up a magic circle to fight against Nidhogg's claws.

Vlad, who saw the elder elf collapse and vomit blood, could fully understand the embarrassment of the elves.

"Anyway, it's a pity that your sword and armor are broken."

The blow to the elves was certainly great, but for Vlad personally, the subjugation of Nidhogg was a great loss.

I lost my sword and armor, which can be said to be the foundation of a knight.

Even leaving aside the symbolism and protection they possessed, just the two items cost 20 gold.

"…Yes. I suppose so."

Vlad looked at the silver sword he held alongside Varadis's words.

The sword of the swordmaster that he couldn't bear to wear around his waist.

However, Vlad could feel that the weight of the sword had become much heavier than before.

The weight, which was quite different from when he faced Nidhogg, made Vlad very concerned.

"Come in."

The tallest building in front of the World Tree.

Varadis opened the door leading there and led Vlad inside with his outstretched hand.

"…"

Inside a huge building with sunlight shining everywhere.

Vlad took a deep breath, feeling as if he had entered the inside of a tree.It smelled of forest.

"Come up."

Stumps carved as stairs.

Stepping on them one by one, there was a huge door there.

"This is Varadis. We've welcomed guests from all over the world."

"Please come in."

Click-

A door that opens on its own without anyone pushing it with the permission heard from inside.

"…"

Upon entering, Vlad frowned for a moment as sunlight shone everywhere.

A huge space that felt familiar, yet overwhelming in its size.

Inside, the scattered eyes of the elders silently watched Vlad.

"Welcome. Knight of the humans. Vlad."

The elders' attitude towards Vlad is friendly.

The fact that he protected the World Tree despite being a citizen of the empire and a foolish human they couldn't help but hate was enough to change the attitude of the stubborn elders.

"We hope you've been comfortable so far."

"It was a comfortable night, as if I were at home."

A knight lay wounded, without his weapons or armor.

The elves' interest in Vlad up to now was not just mere courtesy, but extreme.

"Very well, then that's a relief."

However generous the treatment may be, it wouldn't be the total price of Vlad's kindness.

If Vlad hadn't protected the World Tree against Nidhogg that day, the only thing that would now resonate in Ausurin would have been sad cries, not the sound of a hammer.

"I heard you lost both your sword and your armor. Of course, we plan to offer sufficient compensation for it."

The elder, presiding over the meeting on behalf of the Great Elder, reached out and pointed to the weapons hanging at his side.

"That."

"It's armor. One is the armor you wear on the outside and the other is the armor you wear on the inside."

Vlad's eyes followed the elder's hand gestures.

Silver armor shining under the morning sunlight.

It was similar to the armor given to him by San Rogino, but it was sleeker and seemed lighter at first glance.

It was an armor that clearly showcased the characteristics of the elves, who valued agility.

"Still, there was one intact piece of the broken armor, so I attached it to the new armor."

Vlad's eyes followed the elder's explanation.

Chest armor portion on the left.

The inscription engraved there felt familiar to him.

"A knight who saved and protected children's lives. I think it's a phrase that really suits you."

From the fog-filled village to the World Tree here.

The young knight's steps always led to the same place.

"And the sword…"

You gave me the armor, now it's time to give me the sword.

However, the end of the elder's words as he spoke next only grew weaker.

A silver sword held by a young knight.

A sword that couldn't be replaced no matter how much they gave away.

The elders' eyes sank in confusion as they watched the Swordmaster's sword that had guarded the World Tree for a long time.

"You can take it if you want. Unfortunately, it's also a sword that we can't handle…"

The Swordmaster's sword was here to protect the World Tree.

And the young knight in front of them now is someone who is fully qualified to wield this sword, as he unsheathed that sword and protected the World Tree.

That's an undeniable fact, so it can't be helped even if Vlad says he'll take the sword here…

"I'll return it to you."

An unpredictable being.

A mass of possibilities and unforeseen events.

Slowly he was lowering the silver sword that everyone couldn't help but covet.

"…Why not?"

The elders opened their mouths wide as they watched Vlad slowly lower his sword.

The Swordmaster's sword was an object that not only humans but also elves couldn't help but covet.

"They say they don't like it."

"...What?"

"It says it doesn't want to leave here. This sword."

A silver sword that sticks as soon as you place it on the ground.

The elders and Varadis were speechless as they watched the silver sword stuck to the ground.

"If you're going to hand over your sword, make me a new one."

You don't need the best sword.

I just need my own sword.

I want a sword that can fully contain my will.

"I hope the sword listens well to what I say."

More than the countless stars floating in the night sky, the boy wanted the one weak star hanging in the blacksmith shop.

Only your own sword.

Vlad still missed his old sword.

The sword that was made from an elder's dream and bought with a girl's tears.

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