11 – Growth(2)

Time passed quickly in the dark elf city, Diria.

Through Arion’s introduction, I began learning swordplay from the best swordsman in the city.

The dark elf swordsman’s name is Balus.

As a dark elf who lived for a long time, his swordsmanship contained a depth equal to his years.

Although I could not acquire all of his sword skills in just a few short years, I still swung the sword with the determination to do so.

Except while sleeping and eating, he never let go of his sword.

Balus also always clicked his tongue when he saw me like that.

They had high technology thanks to their overwhelming lifespan, but that didn’t mean they were shedding blood like crazy every day like me.

“… Excellent. “Let’s leave it at that for today.”

“Still more-”

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“Rest is also important. “I heard that if you overwork your muscles like that, you will actually lose them?”

I was about to swing my sword more, but I put it away after hearing Baelus’ words.

I definitely swung the sword for too long. If you don’t get nutrition now, your strength will decrease.

“You said you were taking revenge, right?”

“… yes.”

Five years have passed since I first received help from Arion.

As an adult, I had grown in height and muscles incomparably compared to 5 years ago.

At the same time, the lines on his face became thicker and more masculine, and he now looked like he had almost completely taken off his boyish appearance.

The blonde hair, which was always slicked back and neatly organized, was semi-permanently dyed black using a dye made by the dark elves.

Thinking about the time I met them again, I no longer raised my hair and didn’t fully reveal my face. I lowered my bangs to slightly cover my eyes.

“If you think about that kid five years ago, he’s great now. “There is probably no better swordsman than you among humans.”

“We still need to get stronger. Compared to Master… ”

“Hey. I’ve lived for 800 years, so you can’t compare me. And there was something that couldn’t be achieved even with a sword like this. “Revenge is not complete with a single sword.”

“… “I will keep that in mind.”

His advice was vague, but always helpful.

Surely, in order to get revenge, it might be difficult to simply become stronger.

However, it was clear that this sword technique would never be used in vain.

As he said, we have reached a level that cannot be surpassed on a human level.

“You said there was a woman who abandoned you, right?”

“… yes.”

Since I spent a lot of time with him, I also told him about Yuna and Syria.

I had forgotten about them for a while, but now that it was getting closer and closer to leaving this place, I couldn’t stop thinking about them again.

“I heard humans are scary after all. How can you fool your emotions so easily? “Maybe because I live a short life, I am able to act out a variety of emotions.”

“… ”

It was a fact that was still difficult for me to accept.

Because he got engaged to me and played my best friend, he smiled at me like nothing happened right up until the last moment.

It felt creepy that he was laughing like that in front of me while he was preparing for betrayal behind my back.

The more I got to know her, the more I thought there was no such innocent and cute girl. If it was all just an act, how scary of a woman would Yuna be?

Maybe all Helian royal families were like that.

And the same was true in Syria.

I thought there was nothing I didn’t know about her as she was my childhood friend, but how was she able to act so convincingly?

Of course, it may have been the duke’s choice to lead the betrayal, but it was creepy that his attitude toward me did not change even after learning of that fact.

No, she teased me even more after I got engaged to Yuuna.

In fact, did it mean that I didn’t have any particularly good feelings until now? How much have you looked down on me all this time?

“I always say, control your emotions well. “You shouldn’t be ruled by your emotions.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The more I thought about them, the more I got goosebumps and felt betrayed.

I shook my head and dismissed my thoughts about them. Nothing will change if I think about them now.

“Rest. “Don’t just train at night after eating.”

Balus tapped me on the head and left.

There was no response to his last words.

It was clear that if I stayed still for even a moment, thoughts about them would haunt me again.

Swinging the sword until I fell asleep from exhaustion had now become a daily routine.

Another three years passed like that.

***

Taaak-

“… !”

I perfectly blocked Baelus’ attack and struck away his wooden sword.

Even though it was only a sum, it meant that he had won.

“… That’s great. “I really didn’t know that I could do it in this short period of time.”

“Thank you. thank you.”

“I think it’s time to say goodbye. “I thought it would take at least 20 years.”

It meant that it was time to leave this city.

The timing was also appropriate. If we delayed it any longer, we would have less time to prepare outside.

Since I had been receiving information about the situation on the continent through the Dark Elves, I thought now might be a good time.

“Arion.”

“That’s amazing. “I never thought it would be achieved so quickly.”

“It’s still not enough, but as you know, the life given to humans is short, so I’m going to leave now.”

“… is it.”

Arion smiled forlornly with an uncharacteristically regretful expression on his face.

“One thing before you go. “Take off your clothes.”

Arion lifted a pen made of magic stone and began to draw something on my left breast.

“done. Now you too are part of the clan.”

It was a tattoo that all dark elves had.

It may have been treated technically, but no matter how much I rubbed it with my hands, it did not come off.

“If you have this, you can enter and exit the city at any time without being affected by the barrier. “Please stop by sometimes.”

“… thank you “I will definitely come back.”

A place I have become attached to for 8 years.

And the fact that I was recognized by them and that I now had to leave felt bittersweet for some reason.

If it weren’t for this city, if it weren’t for the help and teachings of the dark elves, I probably would have been a wreck by now.

It was thanks to the dark elves, including Arion, that I was able to stand up again.

“… There is no need to come back. Go to Pythos. He also said he had one last thing to give.”

I headed to Pythos’ blacksmith shop.

Pythos is one of the best blacksmiths in the Dark Elves.

It is said that his work was priceless before the Dark Elves disappeared from the continent.

“Pythos.”

“oh. You’re here, Ben. “Please wait a moment.”

He came out holding a sword in its sheath.

It was a basic scabbard with no special decoration, but it already exuded elegance.

“It’s a gift. You’ll need at least one sword. In fact, if you have this sword, you don’t really need any other swords. Although it has many functions, this sword neither rusts nor dulls. It can truly be said to be a masterpiece. Ha ha ha ha ha!”

Sereung-

As he called it a masterpiece, the energy felt from the sword was extraordinary.

On the outside, it looked like an ordinary long sword, but it seemed to have been carefully processed with magic stones and resonated with mana.

This meant that it was not just a sword, but a sword with many possibilities.

And since Pythos himself said that it had many functions, it was probably not an ordinary magic sword.

“Try to learn how to use it yourself.”

“thank you. really… ”

“hey! Thank you. Go and give those damn people a beating. And live well. Don’t swing your sword so gloomily like you do now. “That’s enough, Ben.”

“… thank you.”

As we were close, I could tell how much he thought of me.

Although I was betrayed by the one I loved and lost everyone, I was so thankful that I was able to create a good relationship with the Dark Elf.

If it weren’t for them, I would have been ruined long ago.

I was so grateful for the efforts of the dark elves who knew this and took care of me knowingly or unknowingly.

“Then go!”

I said goodbye to Pythos one last time and left the blacksmith shop.

He also greeted the rest of the dark elves.

During the eight years, I received a favor from all the dark elves that I could never repay, and it was to thank them.

I felt very sorry for receiving so much and not being able to do anything for them, but the dark elves did not care about that.

It’s just that they really helped me with good intentions. Because my situation seems similar to theirs.

That was all the story, but I was so thankful for it. Just knowing that I had someone who loved me warmed my heart.

Perhaps, I was able to treat them sincerely because they were not human.

“Then, let’s go.”

Finally, after receiving the rest of my luggage from Arion’s house and a few pennies from him, I set out for the dark elf city.

There was no such thing as a grand send off for everyone to come to the entrance of the city, but I felt more comfortable that way.

I had already said hello to everyone and it would have been better for me to leave quietly.

After eight years, I stepped back into the world of humans.

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