Dancing with the Elf (6): Eyes Open
His eyes fluttered open. The sky was blue, the meadow vibrantly green. And this familiar curtain half-obscuring the heavens—
"You're awake?"
"...Princess."
Beyond the curtain, she gazed down at him with a smile. Most people looked unattractive from below, but this woman—as always—was beautiful no matter the angle.
"What are you thinking so deeply about?"
"......"
"Obviously, it was a dream. For me to emerge unscathed like this."
In that instant, visions flashed before his eyes. The execution platform—
"No bad thoughts allowed."
"Ugh."
The princess grabbed his head from both sides and pressed firmly.
"Only good things. Let's think about the future."
"The future..."
"Like, we lost this time, but if we get stronger and fight again, we'll win!"
"I wasn't outmatched with the sword."
He pushed himself up, focusing on the sensations flowing through his body.
"If I could just produce aura, I could've parried it endlessly."
He clenched his empty hand as if gripping something, filling it with inner aura, then manifesting a blade of shimmering gray aura over it.
Bzzzz.
He slashed the air. The phantom before him split left and right, its upper and lower halves cleaved diagonally.
"Aura is what's lacking."
"The body just lacks mana. Everything else is already complete."
"Oh? Really?"
The princess knelt, tilting her head.
"You don't think it's truly lacking?"
"Of course. And here's why..."
He thrust the blade's tip downward and knelt before the princess.
"The one who taught me this sword... was none other than you, Princess."
"......"
"The sword you taught me can't be anything but perfect."
Before them, a phantom shimmered like a doll.
Gray Gibraltar swung his sword in the training hall. Blood streamed from his hands gripping a blade too large for his frame, but the red-haired master wielded her real sword relentlessly, teaching him right up to the brink of death.
"Even the Gibraltar Margrave, who abandoned everything for thoughts of rebellion."
In the center of the capital's grand training grounds, Gray Gibraltar thrust his spear. The white-haired veteran in heavy plate swung his aura-infused spear wildly, forcing Gray to his knees.
"Even Winchester Grand Duke, who indulged his selfish desires before everyone under the guise of the future."
"The Empire's Eight Divine Generals were the same."
A green-haired swordsman swung her blade, a giant with glowing hair hefted his axe, and myriad weapons flew toward Gray Gibraltar from behind.
"And among them, the sharpest, most refined, and strongest sword was always yours."
At the end of the fray, a woman with flowing silver hair gripped a single blade.
"From the start, you remade me, Princess. You placed in my hand the sword that suited me best."
"Yes. I did."
"Thanks to you, I defeated them all. Though I never reached the Emperor, the sword that felled the Eight Divine Generals can't be wrong."
"Do you really think that?"
The princess looked at him earnestly.
"Look at it objectively. Through my eyes, my voice."
As always, this woman embodied his subconscious.
"You'd dismiss it as wrong if you concluded it yourself, but words from my voice? That's what you deem the 'truth,' right?"
"......"
"Does traitor Gray truly believe the Imperial swordsmanship he learned is the answer?"
"...No."
It was the truth for some.
"For traitor Gray, whose form was already shaped by Gibraltar's sword, your way was the answer."
The princess smiled faintly.
"Swordsmanship not for killing, but to prove strength. You refined and purified it to fit me."
"Does it still suit you now?"
"No, not at all."
That was the truth.
"I'm not even a full traitor yet. No need to cling to swordsmanship learned for the Empire's future."
"Exactly. This is a sword for domination, not for anyone in particular."
The princess grasped the aura blade he'd planted in the ground.
"A sword's swing must carry intent. To protect someone, or to rule them. What will you swing yours for now?"
"To kill one man."
He clasped her hand.
"Because that's the path to protecting you."
"...Then you'll have to learn."
The princess extended her free hand, stroking his hair.
"Work hard."
The world tinted red. Clutching the princess and his sword, he made a vow. A dream, yes—but will became reality.
"Shall I take you as my master, Platinum Lord?"
"Waking words like that... not bad at all."
Opening his eyes, he saw Platinum Lord Ipheria staring down at him intently from the side.
"So, what did it feel like facing her directly?"
"A sense that no refined original from centuries can be surpassed?"
"Wrong."
Thwack.
The Platinum Lord chopped his forehead with the edge of her hand.
"Your sword is already complete. And it's undoubtedly derived from mine."
"......"
"You suspected as much. Yes. Considering your concerns, it might seem that way."
The Platinum Lord closed her eyes, her face pained.
"In the end, the elves perish, and their legacy becomes humanity's."
"That's..."
"No need for words. Sometimes, one blade cuts clearer than a hundred."
"The one who taught me the sword didn't say that."
"......"
The Platinum Lord scowled fiercely.
"What did she say?"
"Better to express things honestly and clearly than beat around the bush."
"And you think you can spit that out to me now?"
She pointed to her own throat, then at him.
"You don't fully trust me yourself—holding back, swallowing words. Yet you think you can just blurt it out?"
"The elves will fall."
"......"
"Nine human masters will raid the Elf Forest, and in the process, every elf will die."
One caveat, just in case—a little insurance.
"Of course, this isn't a spoiler. Call it a curse. Sour grapes from a loser beaten in a sword duel."
"...And Erwin?"
"She'll die."
Half-elf or not, her lifespan mirrored a human's.
"I know Erwin will die. What matters to me is how."
"I didn't see it myself—just heard. She'll be executed."
She flinched.
"Erwin Chairwoman helped me immensely, but that help came from her vast capital. The Empire won't let that wealth slip away."
"Impossible."
"What's impossible, my lady?"
"Even if Ipheria Industries crumbles, Erwin can't die. Even if—"
"Erwin Chairwoman is a mother too."
"......"
"All just predictions."
If someone utterly unkillable dies, the only explanation is they chose death willingly.
"Even the continent's strongest swordsman—should she lay down her blade and choose death—anyone could kill her."
He'd seen it already.
"Even if the whole world turns enemy, even if she could shatter the execution ground, seize her sword, and slaughter tens of thousands on a whim."
"Because she's human."
"A matter of the heart."
"...Humans are complicated."
The Platinum Lord rose from her chair and walked toward the wall.
"500 years ago, before Nostrum existed, traitors already walked among us."
"Sudden history lesson?"
"Just listen."
"...Yes."
He straightened and opened his ears.
"Rule-breakers left the guardian lands for the gorges beyond. There, humans warred endlessly—fighting, envying, clashing."
"The Empire unified them."
"The first traitor was named 'Tersian'."
"......"
"Fear not. Traitor Tersian is long gone from this world. I killed him."
"That..."
"He brought pollution beasts to raid our lands. Humans dealt with the beasts; I arrived and slew the traitor."
That was 300 years ago.
"Afterward, I realized I needed influence in the Empire. I sent like-minded humans to found Ipheria Merchant Company."
"Merchant company...?"
"Yes. It started as a small shop in a provincial city. 300 years is a long time."
"......"
Indeed. Hoard one plot of land for 300 years, and the profits alone would be immense. Especially when the Empire bled assets in wars—Ipheria likely hunted the vampires lurking behind it all.
"A question, Platinum Lord."
"Ask."
"The Empire seems allied with vampires, yet Ipheria built vast capital without toppling it—instead forging close ties."
"......"
"Weren't traitors to be killed without fail?"
"They must be."
"Then why did the company grow so intimate with the Empire...?"
"......"
The Platinum Lord scratched her head.
"To explain would take 300 years of history..."
"Shorten it. Three sentences?"
"One. Humans ultimately ran the company. Major betrayals: six. Minor ones: countless. Once, they even seized over 30% of shares."
Ah.
"Two. Many forest elves yearned for human life and left. Traitors didn't end with the first progenitor. They kept emerging from the Elf Forest too. Unlike our static, plant-like woods, the dynamic, animal-like human world was fatally alluring."
Oh.
"Three. The biggest reason, actually."
The Platinum Lord placed a hand on her chest, face grave.
"Given enough time, the Empire will fall. Vampires will naturally perish. Crushed by the capital they love."
"......Capital?"
"Money crushes them."
She spread her arms wide, head thrown back.
"Over ages, humans will realize that serving under Ipheria as golden thralls yields greater value than as vampires' bloodspawn."
"......"
"Better to build homes of gold, hunt vampires, enslave them, and wield golden whips than suck blood eternally with borrowed power."
"Setting that aside, wouldn't that require immense wealth...?"
"The Empire's power lies with the imperial family, but Ipheria grips the nation's capital tight."
Aaah.
"Dynasties and empires shift every few centuries, but capital endures. I believe a new order will rise—not of bloodlines, but capital."
"Um..."
"And in that world, vampires will have no place."
"So, in short."
"The Empire and vampires are aligned, so you'll destroy the 'Empire' itself—vampires included?"
"Not a bad deal. For the kingdom... or you."
"Er, well..."
"I've never physically ventured into human realms, especially the Empire, but after 300 years of close watch..."
The Platinum Lord smiled with conviction.
"To dominate humans, secure capital. Only then can you sever their vampire ties. I thought vampires would just ally elsewhere, birthing new realms even after the Empire's fall."
Conviction turned to doubt.
"Until I saw your sword."
Then resignation.
"Erwin's a mother too. Yes. She handed it all over—for her daughter. Centuries of my golden lineage."
Soon.
"That's my girl. For her daughter, she'd do anything. Yes."
Resignation and sighs yielded to understanding.
"Thank you. And thanks to you, I have another chance to correct my failures."
"Another?"
"When pollution beasts breached from the tainted lands, I heard nothing in the Elf Forest. Then a human from the kingdom navigated the maze to us."
"A Nostrum royal, perhaps?"
"Yes."
As expected.
"Ignorance would mean inevitable failure ahead. Now that I vaguely know, I can't fail."
"Yes. Naturally."
Failure despite knowledge proves one must fail—through incompetence or inaction.
"Rise. My best is to raise you."
"You'll teach me your sword?"
"Of course. What you learned derives from me ultimately. Even if branches bear new fruits, the root remains."
The Platinum Lord seized a sword from the wall.
"Your technique is solid. Fill the greatest gap. What do you think you lack most?"
"Mana."
"Yes. Mana. Skill means nothing without it."
Shrrk.
She swept aside the curtain veiling the window.
"This place holds the world's purest mana."
Beyond the window stretched a vast lake, its waters sparkling turquoise.
"From now, I'll flood your body with mana. To the limit. If the vessel overflows, I'll shatter it, mend with aura, expand it."
"......"
"Can you handle it?"
"Can you handle it? That's a given."
He must.
"As much as needed."
"Good. Then."
The Platinum Lord smiled faintly.
"Undress. All of it."
"......?"
"To claim nature's mana, become nature itself. That's the way."
"......"
Simply.
"No ulterior motives."
To grow strong, anything goes.
"All for toppling the Empire."
He became one with nature.