Chapter 538
Chapter Title: The Lesson Continues
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538.
Berkkia glared at Leo, her face contorted.
His red eyes stirred something within her.
It was because she had caught a glimpse of the gray eyes she knew so well.
There was only one person who had ever looked at her with such eyes.
And though she had spent a long time with him.
It had only happened for a single moment in all those years.
Berkkia bit her lip hard.
‘Master Kyle.’
It couldn't be.
It was absurd to see her master’s shadow in the boy before her.
Leo closed his eyes as he watched her.
‘What should I say to her?’
There was so much to say.
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t come back.’
That would have to be the very first thing.
‘I’m sorry for making you carry everything.’
A sincere apology she wouldn’t accept, but one that had to be said.
‘You never had to carry it all.’
The sorrow he felt as her master.
‘It must have been so hard.’
He had never understood the heart of a parent.
But this was the comfort Dade and Reina would have offered him if he were in Berkkia’s shoes.
There were countless things to say.
But the words remained stuck in his mouth, refusing to come out.
None of it would bring Berkkia any solace.
Berkkia had been prepared for the fact that her masters might not return.
She would have shouldered the burden even if they had told her not to.
She had walked that path knowing how difficult it would be.
He knew better than anyone what was in Berkkia’s heart when she took the world upon her shoulders.
Leo had hoped she wouldn't end up like this.
That she wouldn't follow in their footsteps.
Even so, it was the path Berkkia had chosen.
‘The path Berkkia set her mind to.’
To offer her facile words would be to mock her resolve.
And for that reason, he could also understand why Berkkia had become so twisted.
‘She must hate the world.’
She must despise the world that had snatched away those she loved.
‘She can’t forgive those who live in that world.’
She could never forgive those who lived on, trampling on the sacrifices of her precious ones.
But that was only one reason for her corruption.
It was an emotion she should have cast aside the moment her life ended.
And it was a feeling Berkkia would have been more than capable of shaking off.
The thing that had truly driven Berkkia mad.
It was Berkkia herself.
She couldn't forgive herself for burning with hatred for the very world her masters had saved.
She hated herself for bearing a grudge against the people her masters had carried on their backs.
She loathed herself with an insane passion for letting that emotion consume her, leading her friend to their death.
‘That’s why she must have wanted to destroy herself.’
And because of that grudge, she was resurrected as an undead.
Only now, facing her like this.
Could Leo finally understand her feelings.
Leo’s grip tightened.
“Don’t look at me.”
He understood her, his eyes filled with pity and sorrow.
“Don’t you dare look at me like that!”
Berkkia shrieked, her voice raw with fury.
The very act of him trying to understand her was utterly unforgivable.
No one could understand her.
‘No, they must not understand me!’
The more she stared into Leo’s eyes—eyes that pitied her, grieved for her, and understood her—the more her sanity crumbled.
Leo closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and spoke.
There was something he had to say right now.
The moment she heard these words.
Leo had a gut feeling that Berkkia would go berserk.
But.
He had to say it.
“Berkkia.”
“Hngh!”
Berkkia bit her lip.
The eyes staring at her reminded her of someone.
The voice calling her name was painfully similar.
That’s why she didn't want to see.
That’s why she didn't want to hear.
But.
She couldn't bring herself to turn away.
Because the person before her so closely resembled the one she had desperately longed to see.
“Ah.”
Looking at his groaning disciple, Leo said what had to be said.
“You did nothing wrong.”
“……!”
“I won’t blame you. I understand you. You… did absolutely nothing wrong.”
“Aah!”
Those were the words she had longed to hear.
Berkkia clutched her head.
And shook it frantically.
“No. No! NO!”
And yet, they were the words she truly didn't want to hear.
“Don’t you dare say that! I was wrong! I’m the one who tarnished my masters’ names more than anyone!”
She didn't want to be forgiven, not even by her masters.
And especially!
Her sins were not so light as to be forgiven by some unknown person.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
*CRASH—!*
Berkkia shot off the ground and charged at Leo.
The shockwave from her launch caused the building to collapse.
*CRUMBLE—!*
Berkkia’s hatred and resentment were aimed at Leo.
In that instant, Leo drew his sword and swung it at her.
“Huh?”
The moment she saw it, Berkkia let out a dazed sound.
A simple downward slash.
But…….
That slash brought back a memory from a distant past.
***
Beneath a gloomy, sunset-tinged gray sky.
An elven girl was swinging a sword in an open lot.
Beads of sweat formed on the tip of her delicate chin.
Her entire body was already soaked in it.
The hand gripping the sword trembled finely, and ragged breaths escaped her lips without pause.
From top to bottom.
The downward slash, the very first thing any swordsman learns.
A simple, concise movement.
A posture anyone, even those who have never learned the sword, could imitate.
But to perform this simple slash with all one’s might from before sunrise until sunset was a different story entirely.
Moreover, the girl wasn't solely focused on the downward slash.
*Swoosh—! Swoosh—!*
Each time she swung her sword, the air around her was pushed away.
All the while, Berkkia’s lips moved ceaselessly.
In front of her, Kyle sat on a wall, legs crossed, reading a book.
Just then, Berkkia’s chanting of the Runes momentarily stopped.
Her face turned deathly pale, and her sword faltered for an instant.
“Good. Very good.”
At Kyle’s crooked voice, Berkkia’s hand trembled, and her breathing grew even more ragged.
She tried her best not to look in his direction.
But not looking didn't mean she couldn't hear his voice.
“You stopped the magic, so your wrist flew off. Your wrist was gone, so you couldn’t hold the sword, and your head got lopped off.”
Kyle asked with a faint smile.
“Do you have a spare life?”
“W-Well, if you swing a sword all day while reciting complex magic formulas, you might… make a mistake.”
“So, I’m asking. Do you have a spare life?”
*Flip—*
Kyle turned a page.
The book was none other than a grimoire Berkkia had written herself.
A grimoire recording the magic formulas she could use.
Something every mage possessed.
“And what’s so complex about this?”
Berkkia’s eyes twitched.
Her patience was reaching its limit.
“Are you an idiot?”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaak!”
Finally unable to hold back, Berkkia raised her sword and charged at Kyle.
The outcome was obvious.
But she couldn’t stand it otherwise.
With an indifferent expression, Kyle kicked Berkkia away.
Her body tumbled wretchedly onto the ground of the open lot, all strength draining from her.
Watching her, Kyle closed the grimoire, tossed it to her, and said.
“Be here tomorrow at the same time.”
“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiik!”
Berkkia’s eyes rolled back as she began to throw a tantrum.
But Kyle left without giving her so much as a glance.
***
“Aww, my cute little student. You had a hard day today, didn’t you? Say ah~.”
“Ah~”
Berkkia grinned and opened her mouth.
Luna placed a piece of food, speared on a fork, into her mouth.
Chewing, Berkkia asked.
“Who cooked today….”
“I, the great me, made a special restorative meal just for Berkkia! Isn’t it delicious?”
“It’s delicious.”
As Berkkia replied with a smile, her eyes gradually grew dull and lifeless.
“Look at these chubby cheeks! My student is so cute! You look just like me at this age!”
Looking at her very young disciple, Luna bounced in her seat like a fool.
Hearing her words, Ar-on, who was beside them, widened his eyes.
“You were completely different when you were thirteen? I find that hard to believe.”
“And what, pray tell, do you mean by ‘hard to believe’?”
“Hiiiek?!”
Seeing Luna smile murderously while brandishing a frying pan, Ar-on yelped and fled.
Watching this, Berkkia diligently ate the food Luna had made with her fork.
What was this called again? A traditional elven dish with a long history, was it?
Berkkia knew.
Luna disliked her own kind.
To be precise, she hated elven history and traditions and despised those who were bound by them.
Berkkia hated those things too.
And it wasn't just her.
In this era, there were many orphaned young elves.
Most of them hated elven history and traditions.
There was a saying that even a ruined rich family could last for three years.
The same was true for the High Elves.
The High Elves, who valued their long history and tradition above all else, were generally better off than most common elves.
There were none like that in Gardsrone.
But in other cities where their lineage was maintained, there were surely many.
Berkkia had seen them several times.
And they despised orphan elves.
They looked down on them as if they were filth.
Yet they never once offered a helping hand.
All because, by their standards, the orphans were neither noble nor pure.
Berkkia looked at the traditional elven dishes laid out before her.
Even so, the reason Luna made this food for her was probably because Berkkia was an elf.
Tradition and history were, after all, roots.
Even if the people who carried those roots were rotten, the essence itself was not.
‘Or maybe she just wants to let me know how bad traditional elven food is.’
Her face even more dazed than before, Berkkia chewed her food.
In truth, the food itself probably wasn't bad.
The problem was almost certainly the one who had cooked it.
But Berkkia didn't particularly complain.
Until a year ago, starving or eating garbage was a daily occurrence.
Compared to then, this was heaven.
“By the way, when can we start teaching Berkkia again?”
Ar-on, who had fled from Luna, muttered as he sat back down at the table.
At his words, Berkkia’s ears perked up.
Life returned to her dead eyes.
Her once dull, fish-like eyes became as clear as those of a living fish.
“Me too! I want to learn a new sword style from you again, Master Ar-on!”
Berkkia said with a bright smile.
“I want to learn new magic formulas from you too, Master Luna!”
As Berkkia’s eyes sparkled with excitement, Luna and Ar-on exchanged a look, their expressions troubled.
“Not yet.”
“Yeah. You need to train a little more with Kyle.”
“Why? Master Kyle doesn’t teach me swordsmanship or magic! He just makes me repeat the same thing over and over!”
Berkkia shouted, her voice thick with complaint.
Seeing this, Ar-on moved next to Berkkia and met her eyes.
“It’s not that Kyle isn’t teaching you anything. I can teach you swordsmanship, and Luna can teach you magic, but there’s a limit to how much we can teach you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re a magic swordsman.”
Luna, who had been watching from behind, calmly picked up where Ar-on left off.
“Using Aura while simultaneously using magic. Ar-on and I can’t teach you that method. We can teach you the basics of magic and the sword, but only Kyle can teach you the foundation of a magic swordsman.”
Of course, Luna and Lisinas were also dual-class, using magic and summoning together.
Dweno, too, was a warrior who used Aura and a mage.
But even so, their level as dual-class practitioners was different.
A dual-class was inevitably a jack-of-all-trades.
That’s why they had to fuse their abilities to use power beyond their limits.
And in that regard, no one could match Kyle, the all-class.
That was why he had become Berkkia’s final master, a little later than Luna and Ar-on.
But at those words, Berkkia’s shoulders slumped.
She knew.
She knew that building a solid foundation was important, even if it meant getting stronger would take longer.
Luna and Ar-on had emphasized that even more than Kyle.
But…
“I want to get strong quickly so I can fight alongside you, Masters.”
At her words, Ar-on smiled gently and stroked Berkkia’s head.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Huh?”
“We’ll create a peaceful world where you won’t have to risk your life on the battlefield. You don’t have to.”
Berkkia blinked her eyes.
Watching her, Luna gave a bitter smile.
‘Ar-on means it.’
Of course, Luna wanted that for her too.
But…
‘It’s not that simple.’
Luna looked out the window.
A hateful, crimson-black night sky stretched out before her.
‘Even if we end the Age of Calamity with our own hands, Berkkia will have to fight.’
Even Ar-on, who was born in the Age of Calamity like Berkkia, couldn't fully understand.
But…
‘Still, I don’t want to see Berkkia on the battlefield.’
Luna looked at the bewildered Berkkia with eyes similar to Ar-on’s.
That was why she had asked Kyle to teach her.
Because Luna, Ar-on, and Kyle had fundamentally different approaches to life.
‘That damn bastard isn’t dreaming of a future.’
So their teaching philosophies were inherently different.
They would become her shade and protect her.
Berkkia would naturally follow in their footsteps, watching their backs as they led the way.
But Kyle was different.
“My way and your way might be wrong, Ar-on.”
“Hmm?”
Ar-on’s eyes went wide, and Berkkia looked at Luna with a puzzled expression.
“Berkkia, what kind of person do you want to be?”
At Luna’s question, Berkkia puffed out her chest.
“A hero like the Great Heroes.”
“Living like us isn’t the right answer. Especially not in a new era.”
Luna crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling.
“Your life will be more complicated. You’ll need to stand on your own two feet. Whether that’s for the ideal you desire or the future you’ll live.”
Kyle was surely thinking about Berkkia when they weren't around.
“Perhaps that’s what you need more, Berkkia.”
‘The brighter the light, the more you’ll lose your way if you’re blinded by it.’
Luna swallowed her next words.
***
*BOOM—!*
Struck squarely in the head by a simple downward slash, Berkkia was slammed into the ground.
The surrounding buildings had already been reduced to rubble.
Screams echoed from all directions.
*Thud— Thud—*
Leo walked through the dust toward the fallen Berkkia.
And said flatly.
“Get up.”
*Drip— Drip—*
“It’s time to finish your lesson, you damn disciple.”
“What?”
Pushing herself up, Berkkia stared blankly up at Leo.