Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: The Brighton Heir
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“Our elite elves are more than enough to clean up the remaining ones.”
“Yes, then let’s hurry.”
After the [Death Knight] fell, Ervehim and I immediately returned to the site of the earlier battle.
The fight with it had dragged on so long that I’d started to worry.
Fortunately, I could breathe a sigh of relief the moment we arrived.
“Oh, the top ranker’s here?”
Thompson waved at me as if he’d been waiting.
I glanced around. Demon bloodstains were everywhere.
Roughly enough for about 100,000 of them.
If their corpses didn’t vanish upon death, there wouldn’t have been any room to stand.
“Ah, these bastards just kept coming no matter how many we took down.”
“But you’ve cleared them all?”
“Would’ve been tough without the elf army. Most of them were weaklings anyway.”
Thompson and Barundel nodded sincerely, but that didn’t stop it from being astonishing regardless.
‘Way beyond expectations?’
My comrades seemed even stronger than I’d thought.
Otherwise, even with a million-elf army, victory would’ve been a stretch.
A single demon outmatched ten elf soldiers, after all.
Proof of just how tremendous their performance had been.
“But how’d it go over there?”
“Oh, yeah. It’ll be wrapped up soon. The village is totally wrecked, though.”
“⋯The village? Must’ve been no picnic on that end either.”
“Our elder had it worse than us.”
“The elf elder?”
Thompson turned toward where Ervehim had been.
She was already surrounded by soldiers.
“Elder...!”
“How did your arm end up...!”
From the voices, they’d noticed her mangled right arm.
Honestly, I was just as thrown.
‘How does using it once wreck you that bad?’
The elves had a secret technique passed down through generations.
Only elders could use it, and while the effect varied, it was typically used to fire incredibly powerful arrows.
Arrows strong enough to kill even a legion commander in one shot.
But.
‘It didn’t pack that punch.’
The arrow Ervehim fired hadn’t reached that level.
It merely inflicted a major wound on the [Death Knight].
Nearly got us in trouble because of it.
And on top of that, her right arm was completely shattered?
I’d seen elves use the technique countless times, but never with backlash this severe.
“Hold on.”
I left Thompson mid-conversation and approached Ervehim.
Rustle, rustle.
The elves tactfully stepped aside.
There she sat, perched on a tree trunk with a blank expression.
‘Acting tough.’
That level of injury had to be excruciating right now.
Her arm was burned to a crisp.
She might never use her right arm again.
An archer elf down to one arm.
No need to explain how dire that was.
“How the hell did this happen?”
“⋯⋯.”
Ervehim shot a glance at the surrounding elves, signaling them to back off, then spoke.
“Humans wouldn’t understand. The succession didn’t go properly because of circumstances I can’t discuss. That’s why there’s this backlash from just one use.”
“Circumstances you can’t discuss? Like what?”
“If I could say it, I wouldn’t call it something I can’t discuss, would I?”
I’m trying to help, and she’s being prickly again.
As that thought crossed my mind, Ervehim continued.
“Anyway, shouldn’t I be the one asking questions?”
“What’re you talking about?”
“How do you know about that power?”
“Ah, haha... That?”
I laughed awkwardly and casually turned away.
“Oh man, I should help out over there.”
A low voice came from behind.
“Don’t think you can slink away with that lame act, human.”
“⋯⋯.”
Damn.
I’d ended up facing the exact situation I’d wanted to dodge.
***
We wiped out every last remaining demon.
Alvheim had truly become the pure land Ervehim wished for.
Yet even in this moment of triumph, I was racking my brain.
“⋯⋯Ugh.”
I was heading to Ervehim’s dwelling because the postponed time had finally come.
“What excuse can I even give?”
The elf secret techniques were passed down in strict secrecy.
My knowing about it was undeniably suspicious.
Especially since I wasn’t even an elf.
I had to come up with something convincing.
‘Think... think!’
But humans are animals that ponder, and in the end, I found my answer.
‘This is it.’
She’d buy this reason for sure.
Buoyed by confidence, I drew up my mana.
Ervehim’s home was at the top of a massive tree, unreachable without [Teleport].
Knock knock.
I landed lightly in front of her door and rapped cautiously.
“Come in.”
Her voice came from inside, as if she’d been expecting me.
She was inside, wrapping her right arm in bandages.
“The healing salve isn’t working? I thought elves were experts at that.”
“Ancient history. Elf medicine research wrapped up decades ago. We’re a pure warrior race now.”
“Oh... really?”
“The more I see you, the stranger you get. You know about our healing prowess but not that era’s long over?”
“Haha...”
My offhand comment had only fueled her suspicions, but it was fine.
This doubt would be resolved within the answer I’d come up with anyway.
“Go on, make your excuse. What’s your real identity?”
“Well...”
I organized my thoughts and spoke.
“I’m actually a descendant of the Brighton family.”
“⋯⋯Brighton?”
The Brighton family.
One of the old noble houses that’s now gone.
And notably, they were on incredibly good terms with the elves.
I’d invested heavily in that affinity.
Oh, and for reference, the family’s last head was me.
More precisely, the ‘zombie swordsman’ I’d raised was the last head.
Which made this a lie only I could pull off.
“Ever heard of them?”
“⋯⋯I have. Plenty. But I heard that family died out?”
“I have my own unspeakable circumstances. Anyway, glad you know it. I learned of the secret technique from the seventh elf elder, Elder Rahila. Well, more precisely, I heard it secondhand from her.”
“⋯⋯Elder Rahila? You’re saying she personally revealed its existence?”
“Yes.”
“⋯⋯.”
Ervehim seemed about to accept it for a moment, then shook her head.
“No, impossible! She’d never disclose that!”
“How can you be so sure? You’ve never even met her.”
“⋯⋯.”
Ervehim clamped her mouth shut, at a loss for words.
Which made sense—she really hadn’t.
Rahila died while I was progressing the main story of [Devil Fantasy].
Fighting a demon legion commander in the demon world.
And the reason I knew this in such detail...
‘Because she was the first companion I recruited myself.’
She’d been a fixed party member of my zombie swordsman.
Anyway.
“You’re not denying it, are you?”
“⋯⋯Fine, I’ve never met her in person.”
Rahila had been away from Alvheim for ages, adventuring with me.
Elves live over a century, but Ervehim wouldn’t have seen her.
I leveraged that, fleshing out the story more convincingly.
“I heard Elder Rahila adventured with our family head before. They were apparently quite close.”
“⋯⋯Yeah, that’s the story I heard too. They even went on an expedition to the demon world. Where she... became one with the leaves.”
Became one with the leaves.
The elves’ euphemism for death.
Like ‘became a star.’
“Yes, so our family head knew about the elf secret techniques. Impossible not to after all those battles.”
“⋯⋯So your family head spread the elf secret techniques?”
“Not spread... he just told his descendants. Hoping that if he failed, one of us would succeed in the demon world expedition. In alliance with the elves.”
“Huh...”
“I’m the only descendant left, so probably the only one who knows now.”
“⋯⋯.”
Ervehim shut her mouth tight again.
Her expression showed she was mostly convinced.
As long as I didn’t slip up here.
Then.
“Wait.”
Ervehim raised her hand, as if something had occurred to her.
She glared at me with suspicion.
“I heard he was a swordsman. But you’re a mage, aren’t you? No matter how much time passes, a family’s roots don’t change.”
“⋯⋯.”
Shit... that was close.
‘Didn’t expect her to bring that up.’
Good thing I wasn’t just any mage.
“Yeah, roots don’t change. But you’ve seen it already, haven’t you?”
“What are you...”
Instead of answering, I drew up my mana.
The [Sword of Light] formed in my hand.
Whoosh!
I swung it slowly.
Exactly as I’d seen on the screen countless times.
Whoosh!
The first form of the swordsmanship I’d customized myself as the zombie swordsman character.
Whoosh!
Second form.
Whoooosh!
Third form.
“T-That’s...!”
With each technique, Ervehim’s jaw dropped further.
Of course, I’d never used it in person, so it was a bit clumsy, but enough to fool her.
“Such beautiful swordsmanship!”
⋯Ah, she doesn’t know this technique.
“Right, now I get it. Your roots are in swordsmanship, not magic! You learned magic out of necessity to survive as the heir of a fallen house?”
“Haha... Yeah, something like that.”
“Oh ho.”
A bit embarrassing, but I’d successfully duped Ervehim.
No more reason for her to suspect me.
And an unexpected bonus came my way.
Pat!
“⋯⋯What?”
Ervehim suddenly bowed in the elves’ unique posture.
Their way of expressing regret.
And as I thought.
“To think I failed to recognize the descendant of such a noble figure... I’m truly sorry. Will you accept my apology?”
Ervehim offered a heartfelt apology.
“⋯⋯I’ll accept it, so get up already. You’re an elder, for heaven’s sake.”
“Thank you. Truly, thank you!”
She sprang up with exaggerated emotion and suddenly pulled me into a hug.
“And now you’ve done us another favor. Yoo Han of the Brighton family. You are now a benefactor and friend to our elf kin!”
In an instant, we’d gone from sworn enemies to allies.