The Flying Elf
Someone else was coming.
I still hadn't found a way out.
Having given up on the handcuffs, I shot to my feet.
This time, it was a woman.
Long hair, striking features, and... pointed ears?
Elves existed here?
At the same moment, the door opened.
She, too, bowed her head the instant she entered.
"Sword Saint Eisenhardt. It is an honor to meet you."
Sword Saint?
I glanced around the room again.
There wasn't a single sword in sight.
Next, I looked down at my own body.
...Honestly, it didn't seem like much.
For an old man, he was solidly built. His back wasn't hunched, and his shoulders weren't rounded. But that was all. There wasn't much in the way of noticeable muscle.
If he was called the Sword Saint, maybe he used some kind of mind-sword technique. In that case, neither a blade nor a strong physique would be necessary.
Still, it was useful information. I appeared to be the Sword Saint.
My heart gave a small leap.
Well, if I had to possess an old man, being the strongest in the world at least balanced things out a little.
Satisfied, I nodded to myself.
But more importantly—
"..."
"..."
How long was she planning to stay like that?
The woman remained frozen in her bow. Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, making the posture look even more uncomfortable.
Whoa. A green waterfall.
This wasn't the time for that.
I considered the situation seriously. Should I speak?
I'd been keeping my mouth shut for a reason. First, the knight from earlier hadn't found my silence particularly strange. Maybe he'd been too distracted to notice, but I suspected the original owner of this body hadn't been much of a talker either. The state of the room alone suggested as much. No lively, cheerful person would keep a place like this.
It was a guess, but it was better than having no plan at all.
Second, silence worked in a pinch. I didn't even know who I was supposed to be. Opening my mouth without that knowledge could only cause trouble. All I had was the fact that I was the Sword Saint. I didn't even know the proper speech patterns. Why risk it?
So I stayed silent.
Still, why was she just standing there?
Was it some kind of salute? Did I need to acknowledge it before she could straighten up?
The knight earlier had risen on his own, though.
For now, I'd keep quiet. Maintaining an imposing silence seemed safer than fumbling and making things worse.
...She looked exhausted.
If I wasn't mistaken, her head was starting to tremble slightly up and down.
Just as I was debating whether to speak after all, the knight from before appeared behind her. He approached from far down the corridor, his footsteps steady. The moment our eyes met, he bowed his head—more deeply than before, somehow.
Fortunately, unlike the woman, he lifted his head on his own and moved to stand beside her with quick steps. Then he spoke the words I should have said.
"Raise your head."
"...I was told it was a matter of courtesy."
"..."
He looked at me as if he had nothing more to say. Through those dry eyes, it almost felt like words were being conveyed. Maybe that was just my imagination.
After a brief hesitation, I opened my mouth.
"Raise... your head."
I nearly added the honorific out of habit, but caught myself in time.
Only then did the green-haired woman lift her head.
She looked every bit the elf I'd imagined—beautiful face, long ears. They weren't that long, though.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, she casually brushed her hair over her ears. Feeling awkward, I turned back to the knight.
He took that as his cue and began to speak. His explanation was long-winded and overly detailed, but the gist was simple.
My condition seemed improved today. My eyes were clearer than usual, and seeing me walk around of my own volition had moved him deeply. In light of that, by imperial decree, she would examine my current state.
"I accept with gratitude."
I had only one choice. It was the Emperor's command, after all.
I had plenty of questions—what exactly would she be checking, and what did "state" even mean—but there was no way to ask. My only real concern was whether she'd notice I'd been possessed. It seemed unlikely, but I couldn't be sure.
I watched the elf's face carefully as she approached and placed her hand on my forehead, murmuring something under her breath. It wasn't desire—just an instinctive reaction. She held my life in her hands, after all. I had to stay alert.
Praying nothing would go wrong, I stayed quiet. Then her closed eyes flew open, wide with shock. The green concentric rings of her irises were filled with alarm.
"...Is there a problem?"
I was grateful the knight spoke for me again.
Why was she reacting like that? Her eyes had grown so large it was almost frightening. Even I was starting to feel uneasy.
But the elf didn't answer. She simply kept murmuring, then suddenly staggered and rushed out of the room—ignoring the knight entirely.
"I must go as well for a moment."
"...Do as you must."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them. The knight's reaction was intense. His eyes widened just like the elf's had, and he executed a crisp salute before turning on his heel and leaving. Even his pivot was perfectly precise.
So their military etiquette was similar here.
Peace returned at last.
I sat on the bed and adjusted my position. I must have been an incredibly powerful person.
"I see."
"Your master..."
In a bright study, two women stood at the center. One was the green-haired elf from earlier.
"I may have misread it. But... the Symbol has rusted...!"
"Hush."
The other woman also had green hair, though lighter in shade. Her ears were longer, and her beauty was on an entirely different level—enough to make one wonder if she belonged to another race altogether.
She closed the book she'd been reading and sent it floating into the air.
"So... that's what you're saying."
Her tone was half amused, half sorrowful.
"I thought the Inner Demon—his dementia—had been cured, but it was simply over. With nothing left to burn, it's only natural."
"..."
"A kind of extreme remedy. Cruel, in its own way..."
The woman addressed as "master" rose from where she'd been lying in midair. Still floating, she made her declaration.
"I should go see him."
"Yes. He should still be in that room—"
"No. To the Emperor."
"Ah..."
Faced with the apprentice's speechless expression, the master smiled again.
"Rest well. Even if it's only half, glimpsing the Sword Saint's Symbol must have been exhausting."
"I will."
The master left the study and arrived at the place Moritz had reached earlier—the chamber that held the empire's mind. She greeted the two knights flanking the door warmly, then lowered herself to the ground.
"The Imperial Chief Mage requests an audience."
"We greet the wisest among us."
The doors opened simultaneously.
Without replying, she walked inside.
Hmm...
I'd been looking forward to this.
The room was impressive, and everyone treated me with the utmost respect. They even called me the Sword Saint. So when I saw the meal tray being wheeled in from afar, my expectations had risen—quite a bit, actually.
Maybe it was strange to care about food in this situation, but what could I do? I cared.
The meal I received was shocking.
A single pristine white plate.
And on it?
"White porridge...."
I was so disappointed the words slipped out loud. Good thing no one was around.
It felt like hospital food.
Silverware... I supposed?
Regardless, I picked up the gleaming spoon. Since it seemed like a Western-style meal, I figured it might be soup rather than porridge and took a bite.
"...!"
Two bites. Three. Four...
"..."
I finished it all. It hadn't even taken a minute.
It looked bland, but the taste was anything but. The first impression was a clean, pure sweetness paired with the rich savoriness of cream. Then came umami and a bright acidity. Finally, a warm, indescribable aroma spread through my mouth.
I stared at the plate and made my decision.
I'd lick it clean.
After all, there was no one around—
At that moment, my Qi Sense flared.
Something was approaching at high speed from far away.
But my tongue was already touching the plate.
I licked it as quickly as possible and set it down.
In that instant, I truly felt like the Sword Saint. Before I could even register what was happening, I'd completed the action and lowered the plate.
The door opened at the same time.
My Qi Sense had warned me, but she really was flying. Light green hair, light green eyes, radiant beauty, and long ears.
A flying elf.
She felt like an entirely different class from the previous woman. Even without her appearance, there was something about her that made the air tingle. My instincts were on guard. It was as if my body was preparing for battle of its own accord—though all that amounted to was a slight tensing of my muscles and sharpened senses. Still, it must have been enough to prove I was the Sword Saint, because the woman's eyes widened slightly before she drifted backward.
When I simply stared at her, unable to find words, the flying elf gave a faint smile.
"So it really is true."
"..."
What exactly was true?
I was getting tired of them talking among themselves like they knew something I didn't. Of course, they had no idea I'd lost my memories, so it couldn't be helped.
"Your memories really are gone, aren't they? That's why your Symbol is halved."
"..."
She'd known and still teased me?
That stung a little.
More importantly, how had she known? And what would happen now that she did? Had the possession gone undetected?
What did "halved" even mean?
I tried to gather more strength in my body, but it wouldn't obey. It felt as though some kind of limiter had been placed on me. As I frowned, the woman drifted closer again.
"How far back have you regressed? I heard you managed a short conversation, and your speech patterns were similar... so perhaps your younger years?"
Once again, I faced a choice.
The first option was to fight. I'd subdue the flying elf before me and escape this place. Until a moment ago it had been uncertain, but her reaction had confirmed it—my body still remembered how to fight.
The flying elf was clearly a mage. A strange confidence welled up inside me. I could do this. I could escape and live quietly somewhere far away. That was option one.
The second was this.
"I have no memories. None at all."
"Oh my."
(Elf, Luniere)