〈 Chapter 104 〉 Vacation
*
As it turned out, Freira’s assignment was finished sooner than expected, and vacation had begun.
Some students returned briefly to their hometowns during the break.
Having participated in mock battles while receiving education, they must have accumulated a lot of fatigue. They needed to relieve some of that fatigue during this vacation to handle the second semester schedule.
But I didn’t have that luxury.
There was something I had to do during this vacation.
For that reason, even though Elsie had nowhere to return to, Yusera also stayed behind at the school instead of returning to her corporate job.
“Damn, I shouldn’t have stayed.”
Borrowed trials while the school was relatively empty.
Inside, Yusera rolled on the ground, uttering words mixed with regret.
Then she looked at me with resentful eyes.
“What, why? Should I add more?”
But with just one word from me, she returned to a calm state.
It seemed she was well-tamed.
On the other hand, Elsie was another story.
‘Did Gwen raise a monster?’
Her stats were definitely similar to Yusera’s, but there was a significant difference in their mental resilience.
Utilizing the fact that physical fatigue within the trial disappears once you exit, she was pushing herself to the limit.
Especially, the training she was currently doing was related to her trait, Optical Modulation.
Her skill, Optical Modulation, was a type of magic that alters her appearance using light mana.
Usually, that was the extent of its optimal use, but if developed further, as she had been following me around recently, it would also be possible to make part or all of her body invisible.
The problem was that, until now, it could only happen if she remained stationary.
Once she moved, she had to recognize her surroundings and refresh the modulation with every step.
Thus, it had been impossible to use during combat.
‘But…’
“High-ranking Hero Allen Pleuk is nothing special, huh?”
This crazy girl managed to pull it off successfully.
The sustainable time was only a fleeting second, but that one second was enough to clinch victory.
In the moment she vanished and reappeared, she swung her sword from my blind spot.
‘Sorry for not being anything special.’
Admittedly, compared to her and Yusera, my talent was indeed not that impressive.
Yusera’s talent went without saying, and Elsie’s Optical Modulation seemed weaker in combat compared to my ‘Night’s Shadow,’ but in the everlasting daylight of Leim Kingdom, the story was different.
That’s why I needed their help.
‘But there’s still a long way to go.’
It was an attack from Elsie that scattered my Wind’s Power by mobilizing the abilities of Breeze Bringer.
But Elsie’s swordsmanship still fell within the realm of my predictions.
As I neatly deflected Elsie’s blade, she tumbled to the floor.
“You did well in mixing things up. But if you make it too obvious that it’s a feint, then it’s no longer a feint, right?”
If she just corrected that, the attack from earlier could have been successful.
Of course, that’s easier said than done, but with her talent and effort, she should be able to reach that point.
“Then let’s call it a day.”
Even so, it’s a vacation, so pushing too hard wouldn’t be good.
No matter how much mental fatigue can accumulate, the physical fatigue was nonexistent within trials.
And I also needed personal training as well.
“What? Is it already my turn?”
As I approached, Freira, who had been watching us from a distance, grumbled.
But it seemed she didn’t actually dislike it that much.
“I look forward to working with you today.”
*
“By the way.”
Freira, who had been closely observing my swordsmanship, asked.
“Are you really thinking of going to the Leim Kingdom?”
I nodded.
“Of course, I should leak some false information too.”
Totally ridiculous destinations wouldn’t work.
I should make it somewhat related to where their operation is occurring.
That wouldn’t fully deceive them, but they wouldn’t be able to ignore it either.
“Ultimately, you’re going, huh? Do you know what’s happening there?”
“Of course. That’s why I need to go. If I can’t succeed there, there won’t be another opportunity.”
“That’s…”
But after glancing at me for a moment, she continued.
“You know something, don’t you?”
She must have surmised something from my actions.
Finding out about and killing the 71st Demon King ahead of time and almost immediately heading to Sakh to make contact with Libero made it evident that I held quite a bit of information for whatever reason.
“If that’s the case, leave the false info part to me.”
“But you decided to give up your position as Demon King, didn’t you?”
“It’s fine, I think I can keep the deception going for about two more years. At least during that period, I want to be helpful to my apprentice.”
If she wanted that, I had no intention of stopping her.
For her, it was only now that she had finally found a slight goal.
Moreover, it was undeniable that she was the most suitable person for that task.
“Thank you for taking care of it.”
“Thanks? It’s just that I’m disappointed I can’t follow you myself.”
“No, that place is simply too dangerous. There’s no reason to feel disappointed just because you can’t follow.”
Then she tilted her head.
“But you were planning to take them along, weren’t you?”
“Them?”
“Yusera and Elsie. Were you planning to take them along too?”
Initially, that was the plan.
Yusera could definitely be strategically useful, and Elsie would be able to handle herself sufficiently by graduation.
Depending on how operations unfolded in the Leim Kingdom, there was a good chance Elsie could turn out to be the joker pick.
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“If that’s the case… you haven’t told them yet, have you?”
That was quite a sharp observation.
I hadn’t yet said anything to them about where our next destination was.
“I haven’t told them yet.”
“When are you planning to tell them?”
“I should do it soon.”
As I had accepted them as companions, I had to tell them.
But I hesitated a little.
After all, taking them along on such a dangerous endeavor was weighing on my mind.
“Are you really going to be able to say it? Especially to Ershiarah.”
Ershiarah.
It seemed she was also aware of Elsie’s true identity.
However, I could not readily answer that question.
‘Should I reveal that the next destination is the Leim Kingdom to Elsie?’
After all, the Leim Kingdom had a deep connection to her.
Even after recognizing her efforts and accomplishments to accept her as a companion, I still felt hesitant to take her to the Leim Kingdom.
Would she be okay with me heading to the Leim Kingdom?
She was currently thinking separately about revenge against the kingdom and becoming my companion.
She had even said she didn’t want to rely on me any longer.
Revealing the destination of the Leim Kingdom to someone like her…
“Do you really think of her as a proper companion?”
“Huh?”
“What’s the issue? Until the mock battle, I thought you seemed like a decent leader, but here you are struggling over something so trivial.”
It wasn’t trivial.
“That was a mock battle. But reality is different from mock battles. In reality, if you die, that’s the end.”
“Is a leader not even able to bear that degree of responsibility? It’s natural for a leader to take responsibility for the lives entrusted to them.”
“Responsibility… I’m not sure. Confidence and arrogance are just a fine line apart. I’m honestly not sure if I can take responsibility for all their lives. To put it frankly, I think it’s realistically hard.”
Then I heard her click her tongue.
“So you’re a coward.”
“A coward?”
“Pathetically enough, I don’t want to bother with you, but considering the help you’ve given me, I’ll give you some advice.”
She raised her hand and pointed.
“Do you think the one you’re deceiving right now is who? Yusera? Elsie? Or is it me?”
She shook her head.
Then, pointing at me, she said,
“Don’t be mistaken. No one here is deceived by you. Whether you are Allen Pleuk, Sung Yoo-rang, or any other name, everyone believes in and follows you as a person.”
They believe in me as a person?
“You’re deceiving yourself right now. You’re foolishly mistaking that you’re using them.”
Am I deceiving myself?
“If I’ve said this much, you should understand by now, right? Think it over. Wait, is there even anything to think about? You should decide as soon as possible. They aren’t fools either.”
At her words, I looked at Elsie and Yusera, who were resting some distance away.
They were chattering away endlessly about who knows what.
It looked like a peaceful scene, but suddenly the words I had heard not long ago came to mind.
‘This does seem like the calm before the storm.’
It was something Rian, the Support Mage, had said.
Could that refer to the storm brewing between those two?
I had my doubts.
*
“What is that swordsmanship all about, anyway?”
While resting and observing Sung Yoo-rang’s swordsmanship, Yusera spoke.
At that, Elsie sighed and added, “It even seems more refined than before. Of course, the swordsmanship itself is impressive, but in terms of completeness, I used to feel it lagged behind Master Gwen. Now they seem nearly on the same level.”
Yusera turned her head in surprise at those words.
“Gwen? Are you talking about the Rose Knight?”
“Yes, she may have a fancy title, but she’s quite petite.”
“She must be an extraordinary person to be a master.”
Yusera looked a bit despondent hearing that.
Seeing Yusera looking down, Elsie said, “But still, you won’t reach that person anytime soon, so what’s the point? At least you can overpower her if you get a better relic.”
“The problem is that there’s no reason to do that. The risk of consuming a three-star relic is just too great.”
After responding, Yusera asked Elsie, “By the way, have you known Sung Yoo-rang for a long time?”
From the way Elsie interacted with Sung Yoo-rang and their conversations, it felt like she had known him for a while, or even like they were ex-lovers.
Of course, that was just her amplified misunderstanding…
“Yes, I had a brief time living with him a few years before coming here.”
That misunderstanding deepened as Elsie continued.
“He fed me warm food when I was drenched and starving, cleaned me up, and let me sleep in a cozy room. He bought me new clothes and even dyed my hair…”
She had already slipped into reminiscing, not noticing Yusera squirming uncomfortably.
“And then at one moment, he just left a letter and took off. Later I heard Master Gwen went through the same thing. He’s a habitual offender, you know? By the time we met again, I was determined to be of some help, but he ended up catching three Demon Kings…”
“Wait, what?”
“Catching three Demon Kings…”
“No, I meant, what do you mean by three Demon Kings?”
Then Elsie tilted her head and spoke.
“He caught three Demon Kings. Why?”
“Sung Yoo-rang caught three Demon Kings?”
“Could it be that you followed Allen without knowing that?”
Yusera turned to look at Sung Yoo-rang, who was chatting with Professor Freira from a distance.
Her face had turned completely pale.
“Allen? You mean Allen Pleuk? But he’s a High-ranking Hero.”
“Yep, that’s him. Sung Yoo-rang is basically a false identity for identity laundering.”
“No, then…”
Yusera realized that she had only known Sung Yoo-rang as an exceptionally talented individual in swordsmanship and information gathering without realizing that he was actually the High-ranking Hero Allen Pleuk who had defeated three Demon Kings.
If that was true…
“What is he after, going through all this?”
“What is he after? Did you not hear? He said he would defeat all the Demon Kings and save the world.”
“No, I know that, but what are the specific next plans…”
“I don’t know.”
Her words were filled with conviction, and Yusera reached an understanding.
“Certainly, he must have a plan. I trust him for now…”
“But as I said, he’s a habitual offender.”
For some reason, Allen looked serious, staring in the direction of the two.
Seeing him like that, Elsie said, “If he’s thinking about something foolish right now, then this time, I’ll make sure to correct it.”
*
