Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Promise (2)
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Jamie couldn't make sense of what Darius was saying.
Not only had his grandfather Cherbil Welton come up out of nowhere, but the man who'd been trying to kill him was supposedly an old friend who knew Grandpa well.
He couldn't just take the words at face value, but at least he could tell Darius had no intention of killing him.
"Young Master!"
Siegfried leaped through the rift in space, blocking Jamie's path.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm... fine."
"You bastard!"
He channeled mana into his staff.
The space attuned to his mana began to tremble violently.
Han arrived late, circling behind Darius and aiming his spear.
He craned his neck to check on Jamie.
"You good?"
"Everyone's fine, so lower your weapons."
"Young Master?"
"Kid?"
"I said we're good."
At Jamie's insistence that all was well, the two men furrowed their brows.
Darius chuckled softly.
"The kid's the boss, huh?"
"Boss? What the hell!"
Han barked from behind.
Siegfried didn't react like Han. Instead, he looked at Jamie.
"Looks like I've been too soft on you, Young Master."
"What kind of talk is that?"
"Maybe that's why he got the wrong idea?"
"......Don't say weird stuff."
At Jamie's retort, Siegfried shrugged and lowered his staff.
Han hesitated before switching his spear back to the bell stick.
"Hm. Now we can finally talk."
"Talk?"
"Why's this asshole suddenly talking nonsense?"
Siegfried and Han stared at Darius in disbelief. They'd just been fighting to the death, and now he claimed it was time to chat.
Siegfried asked Jamie.
"What's the situation?"
"He says he's friends with my grandfather."
"......Pardon?"
"Huh?"
Jamie sympathized with their reactions.
No one would respond with "Oh, I see!" after someone attacked like they wanted to kill you, then suddenly claimed to be Grandpa's buddy.
Still, ignoring it and attacking felt off given his sudden attitude shift. It could be a ploy to lower their guard, but Jamie didn't think so.
'With that level of skill, why bother?'
Not to put it harshly, but even 3-on-1, he didn't think they'd win. At best a draw; at worst, defeat.
That was the kind of monster Darius was.
"I know it's sudden."
Darius rubbed his chin.
"But it's true. About ten years ago, not long after I became champion of the Dark Arena, I met Cherbil. And......"
He folded his sunglasses as he spoke.
"He asked me to pass on a certain technique if I ever met you."
Vena flapped her wings, focusing intently on her hearing. She doubled down on concentration to catch even the slightest sound.
'Her flying skills are still top-notch.'
Philion, gripped in her hand, felt the flow of the wind.
He'd sensed it before, but her flight talent was among the best Valkyries he'd seen.
"You still picking up elven energy?"
[Not far.]
Philion wasn't blatantly sensing elven energy himself, but he had a rough idea of the direction.
Vena accelerated toward the spot Philion indicated.
That was when it happened.
Kuuuung!!
A gust blasted down from above.
Her wings tangled in the sudden turbulence.
Vena's body swayed wildly in the unexpected wind.
"Whoa! What, what is it?!"
[Stay calm. Fold your wings and wall-run down.]
Following Philion's instructions, she tucked her wings and planted her feet on the side wall. It was only four stories up—nothing for a Valkyrie like her.
She leaped down lightly and looked up.
"......Who are you?"
It was a man in a robe.
He held a gnarled, dark brown wooden staff.
Even after the surprise attack, she asked cautiously, but he gave no reply.
[One of that elf-buyer's human underlings, maybe.]
Vena's eyes widened. She hadn't considered guards patrolling the area.
Too careless. Vena wrinkled her nose and assumed a combat stance. Dispose of him quickly. She lacked real battle experience, but she'd trained to the death with Philion.
Her pink hair faintly glowed red. Her wings unfurled again.
The mystery mage raised his staff too.
In the tense air, they launched at each other without a word.
"Where are the elves?!"
"Where are the elves?"
Just before colliding, they shouted those questions at each other.
Kuuuung!
Fierce winds whipped around.
Vena stared at the staff halted right in front of her face. Loaded with potent mana, it held enough power to smash her skull at any moment.
The mage was in the same boat. Philion's smooth blade stopped just below the mage's chin.
Had either not stopped, both would have died instantly.
They swallowed dryly and slowly lowered their weapons.
They glared wordlessly until Vena broke the silence first.
"......What did you just say?"
"You first. Aren't you one of the elf-buyers?"
The mage, Alex, squinted one eye.
He was the info specialist mage for Izaya's Frontier team. Searching the whole city to rescue Braha's kin, he'd heard elven screams and tracked them here.
Spotting Vena flying around like she was hunting something, he'd struck first. It had failed spectacularly, of course.
Vena eyed the mage suspiciously.
"You're not...... one, are you?"
"Hm."
Alex glared back before fully lowering his staff.
Vena sheathed Philion and asked again.
"You're here to rescue the elven slaves too?"
"Yeah. Kin of a teammate."
"Kin?"
"No need to dig deeper. Why are you looking for elves?"
"......Out of pity."
'......Not a lie.'
As the info guy, Alex kept an emotion-reading spell active at all times.
He was scanning Vena's feelings now. She was telling the truth. Skilled liars could fool it, but she wasn't that type.
'Lost contact with the team all of a sudden.'
He didn't know what happened to them, but his mission came first.
Besides, Vena packed serious power.
No clue how a young-looking girl got that strong, but if her desire to save elves was genuine, teaming up made sense.
Vena thought the same.
"Introductions later. Let's save the elves first."
"Agreed."
Not knowing each other's identities, they nodded and began searching together for where the elven slaves might be held.
'Pass on a technique to me?'
Jamie's face twisted.
Something about Darius's words rang off. His grandfather Cherbil Welton had passed away the year Jamie was born.
He'd died on Welton family land outside Hayes, and Jamie had never laid eyes on him once.
He'd heard a bit from his father, Count Welton. Sword Sage and the kingdom's strongest swordsman alongside him. The master who'd raised the current count to his level.
That was it. Nothing about his personality.
Jamie hadn't cared much, so he'd forgotten until now...
'For me?'
How could that be?
Jamie couldn't believe it. Some old man he'd never met asked Darius specifically to teach him a technique?
Before that, why not teach Count Welton?
"You look skeptical."
"Wouldn't you be? Would you buy it?"
"I'd struggle too."
Darius ignored Jamie's informal speech, just keeping a smile on his lips.
"Even back then, I thought Cherbil was spouting nonsense."
"......"
"How much do you know about your grandfather?"
"Just that he was strong."
"That's enough. Yeah. Cherbil was insanely strong."
Darius recalled first meeting Cherbil Welton.
"Let me think. It was about eight years ago, in Rang."
Rang was a major city in the neighboring Venti Dukedom, home to a Dark Arena.
"I headed to my usual tavern like always. Can't see, but my tongue's sharp as ever."
Darius stuck out his tongue and flicked it with a finger.
Siegfried grimaced in disgust.
"Anyway, Cherbil was drinking alone there. The moment I walked in... we instinctively sensed each other."
The Dark Arena drew the world's strongest fighters. Even master-class experts gathered there.
Darius had held the champion title there for over three years back then. Peak confidence in his abilities.
Confidence like he was the world's strongest.
That's when he met Cherbil Welton.
Without a word, they left the tavern for an empty lot and fought.
"Cherbil's sword was incredible."
'Spatial Awareness' excelled especially in duels. It was a big reason he'd reigned as champion for over a decade.
But Cherbil's blade pushed back the undefeated Dark Arena champ, Darius.
Not one-sided, though. If anything, Darius was slightly on the back foot in a close match.
"Amazing skill. His sword didn't just cut space—it pierced to the essence. The most dangerous blade I'd ever faced."
No victor emerged.
Continuing would have killed one, likely Darius.
They acknowledged each other's strength. They grew close after.
Cherbil had passed the countship to his son and was wandering the world. He stayed in Rang awhile.
Darius visited daily during that time. They sparred every meeting.
Spars that could kill either at any moment.
One day, Darius asked.
"Mister, why wander instead of chilling at home? With your skills, you could live easy in retirement."
"Kid. Home ain't always comfy. Everyone tiptoes around me there. No one treats me casual like you. Plus, power-hungry wolves show up daily wanting private chats. Annoying as hell—you wouldn't get it."
"Can't see, so yeah, no."
"Fair point."
Cherbil brushed off the potentially touchy joke easily.
"Anyway, getting old, wanted to see the unseen world."
"Unseen world?"
"Hit a wall. Without it, I'd be feasting at home like you said."
"Greedy, huh."
"You'd know as a martial artist. That's why I roam. Familiar places won't break walls. So I go everywhere my feet take me."
"Break it yet?"
Darius asked, and Cherbil smiled instead of answering.
"Show me!"
A sword sage like Cherbil had shattered his wall. But hadn't shown Darius the new technique yet.
Darius wanted to see it.
"One condition."
"Condition?"
"If you meet my grandson, show him this technique."
"Outta nowhere, what?"
Teach it to his grandson?
Darius wasn't even a swordsman. He understood swords somewhat from fighting them often.
Especially Cherbil's new move—obviously laced with single-strike sword mysteries. Welton bloodline exclusive. Hard to grasp even with spatial awareness.
Besides.
"You got a son, right?"
"He doesn't know this technique. Won't either. No plans to teach him."
Darius found it odd.
Cherbil explained.
"This technique's for my grandson."
"Grandson?"
"Yeah."
"Why not teach your son?"
"Not his path. And......"
"Why?"
"Never mind. Anyway, can you promise?"
Darius couldn't press further.
The mood was like that.
"How old's the grandson?"
"Not born yet. In his mom's belly."
Even less sense.
Cherbil said, "Don't try understanding—just accept it."
Then Darius felt like he'd stepped onto some grand current.
Cherbil demonstrated the technique born from his new enlightenment.
"The technique's name is......"
Darius finished reminiscing and took his stance.
Jamie, Siegfried, and Han focused on him.
Aura roiled, forming a sword in his empty hand. He still didn't grasp single-strike sword mysteries, but that perceived technique burned strong in his mind.
This was mere mimicry.
Frankly, no idea if the kid would get it, but he'd keep the promise to his friend from eight years ago.
⟨ Genesis Cleave (開闢) ⟩
The heavens split.