Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Root of the Tree and the Source of Water
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Kyle Estor approached with a calm stride, little Roxanna cradled in his arms.
Leonne stared at the two of them with wide eyes. It wasn't strange for them to be here, but that line he'd just said—clearly recognizing her—was definitely off.
This was a dungeon. And those two were illusions within it. They shouldn't know about her, who wouldn't even be born for another two thousand years.
"I'm surely just an illusion, but even so, that doesn't mean I can't recognize my own blood, daughter. We're connected under the name Estor, so as long as your essence remains unchanged, there's nothing strange about me seeing you."
"Is that... how it is?"
"That's exactly how it is. Just like that child lying on your lap."
Leonne glanced down briefly. Enoch lay peacefully asleep, using her lap as a pillow. He wasn't an Estor, but she had her suspicions.
"You're not... mad that I taught him some basic meditation arts, right?"
"That's for you to decide. I wouldn't scold my daughter over something as trivial as sharing a few meditation techniques."
Phew. Leonne let out a sigh of relief. Even if it was just a dungeon illusion, she wouldn't have felt at ease cutting down her dad.
Oblivious to the rebellious thoughts budding in Leonne's heart, Kyle gently patted Roxanna's back as she nestled in his arms.
"Mm? Hehe, hello!"
"Uh, uh... hello."
[Whoa, is that Roxanna? The dissonance is no joke.]
Undine bobbed over and poked Roxanna's chubby cheek. The child's giggling laughter faintly evoked the prim Roxanna she knew, stirring a strange feeling.
"Yeah, it seems like there's about three thousand years between this and reality, but how am I doing in the real world?"
How does she know three thousand years have passed? Leonne wondered but didn't ask. Picking at every detail would never end. She just chalked it up to near-divine insight.
"...A bit of a problem cropped up."
"I see. You still haven't resolved it, then."
"Huh? You knew?"
Kyle nodded and set Roxanna down. He watched her play with Undine for a moment, then sat cross-legged before Leonne.
"Severing the seven emotions and six desires to reach the pinnacle—yet foolishly, you failed to sweep away the remnants of the path you once walked."
It meant her past attempt to ascend by cutting off emotions was the issue. Had the void left by those severed emotions caused the problem?
Kyle shook his head at Leonne's question.
"Not quite. I emptied all emotions back then, so there's no 'void' to speak of."
"But..."
"Your current state is just emotions sprouting anew atop that emptied vessel. That doesn't erase the fact that they were once emptied."
Kyle continued his explanation. The mental image that had once emptied emotions remembered that truth, and when new emotions filled it up, it would seek to empty them again.
"Can't you just control it to that extent?"
"If you could, there wouldn't be a problem."
"Fair enough."
Leonne frowned, convinced.
"Then what do I do? The problem arising means the emotions were already emptied once."
"Most likely."
"There's no way around it...?"
"There is."
Kyle held out his hand. Colorful crystals slowly floated above his palm. Leonne frowned as she gazed at them.
"Don't tell me I have to go on a treasure hunt?"
"Exactly. My emptied emotions must have taken root somewhere on the continent. Likely in the form of avatars, like fragments of myself."
"I've never heard of that..."
If they were avatars of the Sword God, the continent would have been in uproar. Even if weaker than the original, a single gesture could erase a kingdom. No one could miss that—news would have reached even her shut-in ears at home.
"They'd be dormant, so no issue there. And since you and I share the same roots, finding them should be no trouble."
"Ah."
Leonne breathed a sigh of relief. That didn't sound so bad.
"But contact will awaken them, so caution is needed. They're weaker than the original, but still dangerous."
"...Still, they're from Dad—maybe they won't attack?"
"Possible, or not. If it's something like rage, it might swing a sword the moment it sees you."
"Oh..."
That would be a real disaster.
Kyle stared at Leonne's grave expression, then chuckled softly and changed the subject.
"Well, don't worry too much. The real me will handle it."
"...He hasn't in five hundred years."
"What an incompetent fellow."
Kyle laughed it off heartily and glanced at Enoch.
"By the way, is this lad your partner?"
"P-Partner...? No, nothing like that!"
"Then?"
"Just... a disciple? Like a son."
"Hm."
Kyle nodded and beckoned to Roxanna. Her eyes sparkled as she toddled over and burrowed into his arms.
She really has an amazing affinity. They say fated partners sense each other instantly upon meeting—must be something like that.
"Daughter."
"Yeah?"
"Your eyes are full of affection."
"Hehe, sudden compliments?"
"But that's what worries me. You're kinder than anyone, which must have made it harder to forge something truly precious. Being born an elf would only amplify that."
"......"
Kyle stood, brushing the dirt from his clothes.
"As your father, here's one piece of advice."
Without fear, there is no courage. No one calls brave the one fighting a rabbit; courage is facing what terrifies you.
"You don't need to be fearless, but shunning happiness for it is another matter. Even if you're not unhappy, why turn away from a single step that could bring mutual joy?"
Kyle extended his hand. A sword had appeared in it at some point.
A single straight line, drawn slowly from above to below. Leonne's eyes trembled fiercely at the sight.
"Be happy, daughter. Though these words from a mere illusion may not resonate."
Ha ha. Kyle smiled faintly and vanished as abruptly as he'd come. Leonne gazed endlessly at his retreating figure, until it was gone from sight.
"...Thank you, Dad."
*
[So, what was it? Something amazing?]
Undine bobbed around, poking the cheek of Leonne, who still sat dazed.
"Yeah... it was amazing."
[Wasn't it just one sword swing? I didn't get it.]
Just as Undine said, it was a single sword swing. No profound technique, no earth-shaking power—just a simple stroke.
"The Root of the Tree and the Source of Water. It's the first form we learn in our family when starting sword training. The next one builds on it: Do Not Lose the Basics."
Leonne drew her finger straight down from above.
"I've been staring at the sky too much. Never thought to look at my feet."
The Root of the Tree and the Source of Water that Dad showed looked ordinary at a glance. A perfectly textbook basic form.
But if she tried to imitate it, she'd understand. No matter how many times, she couldn't even graze its essence.
"Swift, slow, still, moving, light, heavy, circling, crushing, changing, piercing, strong, weak, yielding, direct."
[W-What...?]
"It wasn't biased toward any one aspect. Not slow, not fast, not light, not heavy."
It held only the pure essence of a downward cut. It was every sword, and no sword at all.
"You know? Elves are incomplete by nature."
[...She's acting weird today. Jumping from one thing to another—what's she on about?]
"Like the biwing bird of legend, they become whole only upon finding their missing half."
A mythical bird with one wing and one eye, able to fly only in pairs. Elves are the same.
"You..."
Undine narrowed her eyes. The rambling and unusual aura reminded her of something.
"You saw it, didn't you?"
Beyond the massive wall called mortality blocking her path. She couldn't shatter it in one go, but now that she'd glimpsed it, one day she'd surpass it.
"Yeah. I get it now."
Leonne brushed Enoch's bangs aside with the hand that had been stroking his head. His pale forehead emerged, and she slowly leaned down.
Smack.
A kiss. Undine's expression twisted faintly at the sight. It felt stickier and more lascivious than usual—kinda gross.
"No way."
[...What?]
"I can't hold back."
[...Hold back what?]
"Enoch's getting me all hot and bothered day by day—that's the problem."
[.......]
"Enoch, you! Who's making who horny!"
Leonne pinched the cheek of the sleeping Enoch. Undine swallowed a sigh that nearly escaped.
[...Isn't that enlightenment? Sounds more like demonic possession.]
"Nope."
Heh heh—Leonne grinned wildly.
"Hehe, guess I gotta seduce him for real."
[Uh... yeah. Go for it.]
"What, you think I can't? I was a total player back in my prime."
[Sure, sure. Knock yourself out.]
Sigh, what an idiot.
*
"Ungh..."
My head throbbed like it might split. My left eye hurt like it was already shattered. Everywhere else felt somewhat okay, maybe.
"Enoch, you okay?"
I opened my eyes at Leonne's voice. She beamed at me.
"...Leonne?"
"Yeah? What's up?"
Leonne smiled brightly, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her blinking felt oddly deliberate. She was as pretty as ever... but I had no idea what she was doing.
"...You hurting anywhere?"
"W-Was I weird?"
"A little...?"
Leonne deflated.