Chapter 25
Chapter 25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: A Coincidence for the Heroine (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* * *
***
The warehouse was charred black on all sides.
Beyond the half-collapsed wall, amid melted rebar and burned debris, two elves were searching for something.
They sifted through charred bone fragments and dug under collapsed rubble. Each gesture stirred up acrid smoke, and every step kicked up ash from the charcoal chunks.
The tedious search dragged on for a while, but they couldn't find what they were looking for.
Only after their bodies were covered in soot did the two elves stop and slump to the ground.
A brief silence followed, broken only when the floating charcoal dust finally settled. The silver-haired elf spoke first.
"Comrade Miridis. That's enough now."
"...Comrade Rime."
"We've searched this thoroughly, and nothing's turned up. The humans must have already taken it."
The silver-haired elf, Rime, spoke calmly, as if it were no big deal—just a lost item.
Miridis bowed her head at the sound of that voice. Her hands trembled faintly.
"My brothers... they'll blame me, won't they?"
"Comrade Miridis. You don't need to say that. Rua and Rgon came to Earth staking their lives on your ideals, just like you."
"But..."
"There's nothing wrong with wanting peace."
Rime brushed the ash from Miridis's shoulders and continued.
"If you break here, their deaths will have been in vain."
"...Thank you, Rime."
Rime didn't reply. She simply pulled Miridis into a silent embrace and patted her back until the trembling subsided.
A little time passed, and a breeze blew in from somewhere. It was warm, carrying the morning sunlight.
Had so much time already gone by? The two elves rose in unison, dusting themselves off.
"Let's search just a bit more, one last time."
"If that's what you want, comrade."
The two began rummaging through the burned warehouse again. Or rather, they were about to.
Just as they turned back toward the warehouse, someone appeared from beyond the collapsed wall.
Sensing the presence at once, the two elves whirled around, drawing their weapons.
"Who...?"
The elves froze, their expressions blanking out as they recognized the faces.
Emerging from behind the wall was a woman wearing an eyepatch and a man being dragged along behind her.
Both faces were familiar to the elves. The man was the human they'd fought just recently, and the eyepatch woman was...
"...Holy Sword, Freya Khan?"
"Oh, you recognize me?"
How could they not? The Earthling chosen by the Holy Sword, who had humiliated the Holy Kingdom beyond the dimensional gate. A celebrity like that was impossible to miss.
"...Why are you here?"
Without thinking, Miridis glanced at the human man panting heavily beside Freya Khan.
Was this a trap? Had the story about her brothers' bodies being in this warehouse all been a lie?
Contrary to her fears, she sensed no hostility from the pair.
If anything, there was even a hint of goodwill from Freya Khan.
"Shall we start with introductions? Elf princess?"
"...Princess? All elves are equal. Just because my father is the secretary general doesn't make me a princess."
"Ah, is that so? My bad. I'm not great with that stuff. So, what should I call you?"
"Miridis. That's enough."
Freya Khan glanced sidelong at Rime, who had drawn her sword with wary eyes—an unspoken question about her name. Rime didn't answer.
Freya Khan shrugged awkwardly.
"Anyway, Miss Miridis? You're headed to Lord Howe Island, home of the academy, right?"
"...How did you know?"
"It's all over the knight networks. They don't know it's you enrolling yet, but the news that an elf is joining the academy has already spread worldwide."
"..."
"Just in case, I figured I'd escort you safely to the academy. What do you say?"
Miridis narrowed her eyes, unable to comprehend.
"Why offer me this kindness?"
"I don't want even the slightest chance of you getting hurt and Demerond crossing the dimensional gate. Your father... well... you know."
Freya Khan couldn't quite bring herself to say, "Your dad's a psycho terrorist waiting for any chance to hit Earth."
Fortunately, Miridis seemed to understand, nodding awkwardly.
She pondered for a moment, then turned her gaze to the man standing beside Freya Khan.
"Were you chasing me for the same reason?"
The human man, Dung Beetle, met her eyes and let out a light sigh.
"Nah. I got dragged here."
"...Dragged?"
Freya Khan, who'd been listening in, chimed in.
"No big deal. I picked him up while tracking you two."
Picked him up? Miridis looked at him in slight bewilderment. Dung Beetle shrugged with a blank expression and asked her,
"Anyway, did you find the keepsakes?"
Keepsakes. At the word, Miridis's face darkened.
"...No. Not yet."
"Two superhumans and you still couldn't find them? Must be pretty small."
"Yes, two small necklaces."
Dung Beetle covered his mouth, rummaging through his memories. He recalled the day he revived in the warehouse—the maggots shouting about finding necklaces on the elf corpses.
Hey! Jackpot! There's a necklace on this elf corpse!
It had definitely been somewhere deep in the warehouse... Dung Beetle thought for a moment, then turned to Freya Khan.
"Senior."
"What senior? Call me master, I told you."
He ignored her nonsense and continued.
"...Could you wait 30 minutes?"
"Helping them find their keepsakes? Think you can do it in 30?"
"Yeah, should be plenty."
With that, Dung Beetle stepped into the ruins. He passed Miridis, who watched him with hopeful eyes, and Rime, who glared daggers, and stopped at what had been the center of the warehouse.
He recalled where the elf corpses had been. Fortunately—or unfortunately—the spot was buried under collapsed ceiling debris.
Dung Beetle turned his head slightly and held out his hand to the group watching him.
"Lend me a sword, anyone."
Surprisingly, it was Rime who tossed him one. She flung her sword right at him.
Whoosh. Dung Beetle caught the flying sword and swung it at the collapsed wall.
Boom!
The sword, infused with the surging mana of Wave Yang Art, shattered the half-burned concrete pile. Ash poured out from between the broken chunks.
Coughing came from behind him, but Dung Beetle ignored it and got to work.
Using the sword and mana like a broom, he swept away the ash piles and combed through the buried rubble.
His cleanup crew skills hadn't rusted; in under three minutes, he'd uncovered all the debris hidden beneath the ash.
'No luck here.'
Next spot, then the next.
On the fourth collapsed wall, as he cleared the ash and debris, something shiny caught his eye.
"Found it."
From the ash pile, Dung Beetle pulled out two gold lumps shaped like seeds. The chains had melted away, leaving only traces around them.
"Ah!"
The two elves' faces lit up at the sight of the necklaces. Dung Beetle handed the sword and the two keepsakes to the approaching elves, their expressions flushed.
"Thank you. This favor... I'll repay it someday."
Tears welled up in Miridis's eyes as she took the keepsakes. Clear tears washed trails through the white ash on her face.
Rime, behind her, couldn't hold back her emotions either, her eyes glistening.
Suddenly faced with two crying women, Dung Beetle couldn't handle the mood. He stepped back from the elves, waiting for them to compose themselves.
"Finding their keepsakes... You've got a good heart."
Freya Khan sidled up beside him and spoke.
'A good heart... If she weren't the elf princess, I would've killed her last time.'
Dung Beetle swallowed a bitter smile. He had his reasons for what he'd done, but it wasn't out of pure kindness.
He thought of the keepsakes' owners—the elves the princess called her brothers. He'd killed them.
The players.
Yes, these two elves shared his enemy. They were potential allies.
Someday, when he sought revenge on the players, this goodwill toward the elves would surely help.
As Dung Beetle mulled this over, Freya Khan eyed him curiously.
She smacked her lips and said,
"Hey, you really won't be my disciple?"
"...Sorry."
"Come on, why not? Because I swung at you out of nowhere?"
"Not that. I actually learned from it. It's just... personal circumstances."
Dung Beetle refused politely.
This was the third time already. Once at the bar, once on the way here, and now.
Freya Khan smacked her lips again, looking genuinely regretful.
"No matter how talented you are, self-teaching has limits... What a shame."
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry my ass... Hey, how about the academy instead?"
The academy? Dung Beetle frowned involuntarily.
"I could write you a recommendation letter if you want."
"..."
"Even if you're not my direct disciple, you won't waste your talent there. Plus, it'd be good for Miss Miridis to have a familiar face when she enrolls."
Dung Beetle forced an awkward smile, racking his brain for a polite refusal. Freya Khan sighed at his expression.
"Not even into the elf? Sigh, my senses are really dulling."
Fortunately, she didn't press further. Instead, she pulled something from her pocket and offered it to him.
"Take this, then."
It was a dagger the size of her palm. The blue-glowing blade was etched with dense script—not from Earth, but from beyond the dimensional gate.
"...What's this?"
"The sword art I used on you at the bar. This weapon holds its true essence."
A weapon containing a martial art's essence? Dung Beetle's eyes widened as he looked from the dagger to Freya Khan.
"Why give this to me...?"
"Just because."
"..."
"Kidding. You seemed like you needed it."
She placed the dagger in his hand and continued.
"Copying techniques by sight is impressive, but it'll poison you eventually. Your talent, body, and mana will grow out of sync."
It was advice from someone at an unfathomable level. Dung Beetle etched it into his mind.
"The dagger's sword art emphasizes balance. It'll keep the gaps from widening too extremely."
"...May I ask its name?"
"Do you know what I was called before Holy Sword?"
At her question, Dung Beetle recalled the name from a documentary.
"Comet Sword...?"
"You know your stuff. That's its name."
Dung Beetle gazed anew at the blue dagger. A dagger holding the Comet Sword's essence—an inexpressible treasure, a stroke of luck.
He tucked it carefully into his pocket.
By then, the elves had composed themselves, wiped their tears, and approached Freya Khan.
Freya Khan crossed her arms and looked at the two elves.
"So, what's it gonna be? Miss Miridis."
"...I'll accept your kindness, Holy Sword."
"Good choice."
The moment the two elves agreed, snap. Freya Khan flicked her fingers.
Three brightly glowing feathers materialized in the air and settled on the shoulders of Freya Khan and the two elves.
Confirming they were in place, Freya Khan grinned at Dung Beetle.
"See you later, kid."
"Yes, until next time."
Dung Beetle bowed politely. The elves blinked, not understanding the exchange.
"Wait, these feathers are..."
As Miridis started to ask, Freya Khan snapped her fingers once more.
Snap.
With that sound, the three vanished before Dung Beetle's eyes.
Just as abruptly as they'd arrived, they were gone.
* * *