Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: New Expansion Pack, ‘Endless Gorge’
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Clang.
The sound of the severed lower section of armor falling to the floor.
And then, silence.
Shnk.
I sheathed my sword and turned my head.
"Hmm."
I scratched my face.
A blue light shimmered around her waist, right where my sword had passed through.
I thought I had cut her for real, but it seems I only managed to slice through the armor. A Master's protective aura isn't so easily pierced. Should I be relieved?
Well, I did swing with the assumption she had something like that. It's the ability I envy most right now. Come to think of it, the 'Ancient Hero' had a protective aura too. If I had something like that now, things would have been less painful.
I watched her back, fidgeting with my fingers for no reason.
"...I won, right?"
In stark contrast to the storm of clashing swords just moments before, I asked timidly.
If she refused to accept the outcome, then a true battle against a named opponent would begin. I would have to hammer away at that powerful defensive barrier, her protective aura, until it shattered.
But this was a duel, right? I did win, didn't I?
"......."
Just as my cheeks began to puff out in response to Eleonora's silence, one of her knees touched the ground.
Thud.
Then, her sword plunged into the floor.
With her back still to me, a small voice, audible only to me, escaped Eleonora's lips.
"Twenty years have passed since I first held a sword. In all that time, I never once questioned my family's swordsmanship, or my own."
Hearing her emotionless, monotonous muttering, I scurried over to Eleonora's side.
"They called me a once-in-a-generation genius. In my mid-twenties, I became the youngest Master in the history of the empire. Swordsmanship was merely a training method to accumulate mana in my body. The modern training regimen measures progress based on how much mana one can store and manifest as a tangible aura."
She lifted her hands, staring at them as she let out an empty laugh.
"Was I never a swordsman, but simply a ki practitioner?"
"Eh...."
My mouth fell open.
Seriously, what am I supposed to do if she's already spiraling into self-denial?
Sure, I crushed her by the rules of the duel, but in a real life-or-death battle, I would have been cut down several times before I could land a blow on Eleonora. To properly break through her protective aura, I would have had to manifest the Hero's power.
"Hey, miss, hey! Eeek!"
I grabbed the dazed Eleonora, shook her, and forced her drooping head up.
Eleonora's vacant eyes met mine.
I held her face and spoke firmly.
"How much real combat experience do you have?"
"Huh?"
"You've gone outside the castle walls in your own territory to subjugate monsters in the east, right? When did you start fighting out there?"
"Uh, umm. I think my first time was when I was nineteen. So, about six or seven years."
"Really? I started fighting for my life when I was eleven, maybe twelve. That means I've been at it a year or two longer than you. There were days I fought dozens of battles, from dawn till dusk. My frequency of real combat is probably overwhelmingly higher, isn't it?"
"Wh-what."
Eleonora looked bewildered. She couldn't seem to comprehend that this tiny girl, who looked sixteen at most, had been through countless life-or-death struggles.
Of course, I had my own crazy days.
There was a time when my body was broken, I had lost everything I'd built, and I was so overwhelmed by the shock of losing my comrades that I no longer clung to life. Even after returning here, I was trapped within the framework of a game, shackled by the limitations of stats, and there was a time I was weak.
I gave a small smile.
"You just lack real combat experience and time. With a bit more experience, a bit more time, you'll become even stronger. You probably also need some time to go back and review the basics, one by one."
"...Who are you, departed soul?"
She was completely lost in confusion. She called me a departed soul.
Fiddle, fiddle.
I reached out and touched her face. She didn't resist. Was it from the wasteland winds? Her skin was a bit rough, but she was still quite pretty. Her braided, blue-green hair reminded me of Melissa. I placed a hand on her forehead, too. Hmm, I'm no doctor, but she doesn't have a fever and doesn't seem sick.
I hadn't planned on telling her, but if I left her like this, she might collapse from the mental shock. I didn't want to have nightmares about being the reason one of the empire's pillars became a wreck. I needed to make her understand that she had lost to someone worth losing to.
How should I introduce myself?
I scratched my face and gave an awkward smile. Then I whispered in her ear.
"Umm... someone from your family's past. An ancestor's companion, let's say?"
I didn't have the confidence to explain it convincingly myself. Fortunately, when I brought Eleonora before the emperor, the story seemed to sort itself out.
Thud!
"Matriarch...! Are you truly the companion of the forgotten hero of House Roeid...!?"
Eleonora prostrated herself before me, touching her head to the floor. I waved my hands in alarm.
"I-I'm not that great of a person...!"
Thud, thud!
Eleonora kept bumping her head on the floor.
I'd just saved her from dying of self-loathing, and now it seemed she was trying to die by bashing her head on the floor in front of me.
The emperor is right there. Is she allowed to do this to me?
The emperor was simply smiling. I guess it's not a problem?
I kept glancing over at the gathered players. This kind of attention was overwhelming.
"Get up, please! Eeek, stop it!"
I threw my whole body against Eleonora to stop her.
Up.
Lift.
"Gasp."
Eleonora suddenly stood up, slid her hands under my arms, and lifted me. My body, a good 30 centimeters shorter than hers, was instantly airborne. Dangle, dangle. She's so strong.
"So small and cute, yet so strong."
Struggle, struggle.
"E-eeek! Put me down! You just called me Matriarch, didn't you?"
"Ah, my apologies. I acted without thinking."
Eleonora set me down, cleared her throat, and blushed.
What's with this woman?
Melissa used to lift me up like this sometimes, too. She's not even a direct descendant, but she's acting just like her.
I also told Eleonora her ancestor's name.
'Melissa von Roeid'.
The name of the forgotten hero of House Roeid was reclaimed by 'Eleonora von Roeid'.
"Sob, the lost name of my ancestor... bestowed upon this unworthy descendant...!"
She was so overcome with emotion that she shed tears.
"I told you because I see your potential for growth. From Master Melissa, across a thousand years, to Master Eleonora. You must become a splendid swordsman who doesn't tarnish the title of Master."
"If you ever visit the Roeid Duchy, you must stop by our estate. All the knights of our house, myself included, wish to receive your teachings, Matriarch."
"I'm a pretty busy person, so I can't stay for long."
Eleonora continuously wiped her tears, expressed her gratitude again and again, and then left the training grounds.
"Rain! Why did you have such a dangerous duel without saying a word to me...!"
"I'm sorry."
Faced with Chris's stern expression, I fidgeted awkwardly.
"Haa... you nearly gave me a heart attack. I know you're strong, Rain, but please think about my feelings too, okay?"
Chris's expression quickly softened, and she smiled at me. Her smile made me feel better too.
"And."
Chris suddenly glared at the spot where Eleonora had disappeared.
"That woman, lifting you up without permission? Next time I see her, I'll kill her for real."
"Gasp."
It seems she couldn't hear the conversation but saw the action. I was just glad Chris hadn't started launching Yin-Yang Orbs at the platform on the training grounds.
For the sake of the descendant's well-being, I had to calm Chris down.
I held out my arms to Chris.
"Here, here!"
"Hmm?"
"You can lift me up too, can't you?"
"Kuhuk!"
Chris's trembling hands slipped under my arms.
Lift.
"Hehe, good job, Rain. Your duel today was amazing. Well done, I'm proud of you."
My body was lifted by Chris's hands as she grinned like an idiot.
She showered me with praise.
What is this situation?
From my slightly elevated viewpoint, I looked around with a blushing face. I wanted to cover my face, but it wasn't easy in this position.
In the midst of it all, my eyes met Skada's. The look in her eyes was unusual. Was it because I'd shown too much today? It was a look that wanted to know more about me. It somehow reminded me of how Chris used to look at me.
"Ah, me too, me too!"
Before I knew it, Beimerung had joined in, clinging to me and helping to lift me up.
My cool display for the players gathered here was short-lived; I was now being bounced around like a child, and I couldn't help but grimace.
This is all that descendant's fault.
I'm a former Hero.
*
Astria Online's new expansion pack, 'Endless Gorge'.
The thirty days announced by the emperor's world quest passed by quickly.
Today was the day of the expansion's final patch.
After seeing Chris off to work, I was sitting alone on the living room sofa when I happened to check the time.
Ten minutes until maintenance ends.
I'll be able to log in to the game in just a little while.
I hadn't been just lazing around, either. The day after the imperial castle banquet, I received a call from Hana Games.
I let out a deep sigh.
"Another commercial shoot."
Following the 'Land of Severe Cold' expansion, I was now set to film the commercial for the 'Endless Gorge' expansion as well.
Since it's filmed while logged into the game, it's not tiring, but a hassle is still a hassle.
However, the money deposited into my bank account brought a smile to my lips.
With all my debts gone, any money I earned from now on was pure profit. This financial abundance put my mind at ease. I could even order expensive food for myself without Chris having to buy it for me. If I kept saving, I could even achieve my dream of getting my own sweet room in the heart of Seoul.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, epic music began to play from the TV I'd left on out of habit, and the image of a beautiful white-haired girl appeared, with castle walls in the background.
The commercial I was in.
"Hah!"
Staring blankly at the ad, my face turned red, and I quickly shut off the TV.
It's still embarrassing to watch a commercial I'm in.
Just then, it was time for the servers to open.
I thought about reading the patch notes first, but maybe I should just log in.
[Welcome to Astria Online]
Woooong.
Along with a strange floating sensation, an unfamiliar city landscape appeared before my eyes.
This was the Roeid Duchy.
Beyond the walls of this city, the wastelands and gorges filled with ferocious monsters would be the stage for this new expansion.
And today, there was one more strange thing.
"Huh?"
A faint green veil was floating before my eyes.
It seems to have appeared after today's patch.
What is this?
[Safety Filter]