Ed subjugation battle (4)
?- ‘Stop meddling.’
This was what Elvira’s older sister said as she lifted Elvira’s cheek.
It is the most vividly engraved memory of Elvira, the Anniston family’s bad girl.
By the time he came of age, he had already opened his eyes to reagent combinations and improving magic engineering supplies.
My childhood was when I was a troublemaker who stayed in the laboratory of the Anniston family mansion and exploded three or four times a day… It’s not that distant past for her.
The Anniston family was not wealthy, but as a renowned alchemy family, her sisters were also well-versed in all kinds of alchemy.
However, compared to Elvira, who had already created her own system and was completely fascinated by the world, most of her talents were on the axis of ordinary talent.
This was the reason why I couldn’t sit still whenever I looked at inefficient reagent combination formulas, magic engineering supplies improvement formulas, or formulas containing useless ingredients.
In her family, there was no one with more talent and passion than her, so everything was overlooked in her eyes.
Whenever I had time, I would just look at the sisters’ research results and complain or point out imperfections.
Beyond the research results, it goes beyond the alchemist’s attitude toward life, values, and enthusiasm for research… People around her could not bear to see her growing inferiority complex as they watched her talk and talk about herself and her philosophy.
God gave her natural talent and passion, but did not give her the appropriate behavior and conduct.
In fact, it was too harsh to expect such adult manners from a young girl.
Eventually, her pent-up inferiority complex exploded when her older sister, Deella Anniston, failed the Sylvania entrance exam.
When she saw Elvira tilting her head as she disassembled the magic engineering supplies she had brought for the entrance exam, one by one, Diella, who had been overwhelmed by Elvira’s talent, could not hold back her emotions and ended up slapping her in the face.
There is nothing wrong with Elvira.
However, it is also true that they failed to consider Diella, who was heartbroken.
– ‘Do you always feel like you are the protagonist of everything in the world?’
Diella Anniston pushed and broke all the reagent bottles on the test table, tore up the research scroll, and spoke through gritted teeth.
– ‘Sounds good, you…’ You don’t have to try to understand ordinary humans like us.’
– ‘sister… ‘
– ‘Okay, unleash your abilities to your heart’s content. As a human being born with a mediocre talent… ‘I’m going to live a mediocre life.’
After that, Diella completely quit alchemy and went to the imperial capital Cloeron to learn accounting and management.
His appearance in the Anniston family became extremely rare, and soon it became difficult to see him even once a year.
Now, for her, alchemy is… It is nothing more than a trigger that makes you ruminate on memories of failure.
That’s probably why he didn’t want to return to his home, which was filled with all kinds of alchemy devices.
Even though she was young, Elvira knew for sure.
You are not at fault.
Diella got angry and screamed at Elvira, and gave up on her path… It is completely due to her own sense of inferiority.
Elvira’s meddling was always in the right direction. Efficiency of magic flow, cost-effectiveness of combination materials, efficiency of reagents, etc… The right answer was always to do as Elvira said.
So, there is no way to change one’s attitude toward life because of Diella’s sad eyes.
Quite the contrary. It just gets stronger.
Eventually, Elvira entered Sylvania and became the head of the pension department…
I even earned the disgrace of being a busybody because I grumbled at people who couldn’t do their part and meddled countless times… Elvira didn’t stop though.
It was her way to prove that her path was right, even if it meant being stubborn.
A thought that suddenly occurred to me was whether Clevius would also agree with that opinion.
*Ominous magical power rose from the flowing blood.
Clevius hung his upper body and took a deep breath, looking up at Tailley with creepy eyes.
Tailly also has no intention of backing down. If the other person does not try to resolve the issue through dialogue, he will just pick up the sword himself.
“for a moment! stop! You two shouldn’t be like this… !”
Elvira quickly got down on the floor and raised her upper body and shouted, but the energy of the blood sword technique was already lingering in Clevius’ body.
There is no middle ground in Clevius Nortondale’s blood swordsmanship.
Once started, the blood sword technique gradually eats away at Clevius’s spirit.
The madness that engulfs the mind only increases as time passes.
There is no opponent who has not shed blood in front of him. Even Lucy Mayril had no choice but to tolerate at least a small scratch… It is a swordsmanship that borders on madness itself.
“Just shut your mouth and stay there.”
Clevious’s power is completely different from his usual appearance.
After overpowering Elvira with just one word, he kicked the floor and rushed towards Tailly.
The sword was beyond the point of being fast. I just can’t see it.
Taily blocked Clevious’s first sword strike with almost sensibility. He blocked the invisible sword with just his fighting senses.
I didn’t stop it after seeing it, nor did I predict it. There had to be a sense that was almost precognitive.
Even after blocking Clevius’ sword strike, Tailly gritted his teeth in embarrassment.
The two eyes of Clevius, swords clashing right in front of him. That eye light is revealed right in front of your nose.
It is not a human, but a beast.
There was still a little bit of reason left, but little by little, he was shedding his human mask and becoming a ghost.
“Clevius… ! Without even knowing your situation… .”
“I don’t know the circumstances, but… ”
The clashing blades were shaking and trembling. The power struggle between them was a whistle, but the speed itself was completely superior to Clevius.
Just like that, Clevious twisted his body and delivered a roundhouse kick to Tailley’s abdomen.
Although it was such a big move, it was so fast that Taily couldn’t even catch it.
“Wow!”
As it was, Tailley was hung on the iron bars that served as the outer wall of Elte Company.
My breathing stopped for a moment, and a huge shock rushed up my back… There was no time to struggle in pain.
When I looked up, Clevius had already jumped and was right in front of me.
The sword was about to be swung. The series of bends and strikes at the waist cannot be seen.
It was just a strike like lightning. When I came to my senses, I felt like an attack had already occurred.
Taily avoided a direct hit with her amazing reflexes, but she couldn’t help but notice bleeding from her shoulder where the sword had grazed her.
Frowning and clutching her shoulders, Tailley adjusted her posture.
The iron cage that was hit by Clevius’ attack instead of Tailly… It shattered with a loud noise.
“… “I know what you were trying to do.”
It felt clear to Clevious.
It was only for a moment, but Tailley tried to cut Elvira down.
Of course, I didn’t feel any killing intent. However, inflicting fatal injuries was also a deadly blow.
If so, there are no more extenuating circumstances at that point.
Clevius stabs himself again in the opposite shoulder with the dagger he pulled out from his waist.
With a popping sound, new bleeding occurs from Clevius’s shoulder. As more blood flows out, more and more magical power begins to reside in his body.
Clevius twisted his body grotesquely and then fell limp again… I flinched and trembled once.
──If you face the Nortondale family’s sword master, be sure to win with one blow.
This is what Mike, a senior professor in the combat department, told before combat practice.
As long as you live, you continue to become stronger, and as long as you die, you continue to become stronger.
The ghost that is drawn to blood and gradually accumulates more magical power… The more it converges towards death, the more insane the monster becomes.
If you try to win by undermining your enemy, you will end up getting your own throat cut.
So, before the monster craves more blood, quench its thirst and end it before it turns into a complete ghost.
Clevious Nortondale’s blood sword technique is a madman’s technique that becomes stronger as the smell of death approaches.
The speed of that moment when you are truly on the verge of death, when you lose your life with just a single sword strike… Neither a rare genius magician nor a veteran swordsman who has experienced many hardships can follow him with his eyes.
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu… ”
Tailly barely managed to get up while leaning on the iron bars… I see the scene in front of me.
The marble yard of Elte Company under the moonlight.
A blood-eating ghost stands there.
The option of quick resolution has long since disappeared. The Sword Demon, who was greedy enough for blood, looked at Tailly with creepy eyes…
Then he was already running into Tailley’s arms and stabbing the knife into her shoulder.
It happened in that split second when I closed my eyes and opened them.
*
“We must stick to Princess Fenia’s side.”
This is my first time entering Lortel’s villa in person.
It’s not as flashy as my cabin, but it’s still quite spacious, and the furniture inside is much more luxurious.
It’s better protected against cold, and there are magic equipment that circulates the air inside, so it’s quite comfortable.
Even at this level, it feels like living at a regular home rather than at a camp. Certainly, if you have money, there are no inconveniences no matter where you live.
“This case involves a power struggle within the imperial family. “If it gets involved with the Ross Taylor family, things could get even bigger.”
After entering the villa, I first lit a bonfire and secured a light source by pushing a small amount of magical power into magic engineering supplies found here and there in the room.
When the lights come on, it feels cozier than I expected.
Lortel and I sat side by side on the antique wooden chairs in the central part of the villa.
Lortel was already exhausted due to the physical exhaustion of being held, and having run a marathon in the middle of the night.
When I roughly brought him some water, he said thank you and gulped it down. He put down his robe hat and rested his arms on the table to catch his breath.
“Princess Fenia?”
“okay. “At least he is someone who will take our side in this conflict.”
“well. This is not the Ross Taylor family’s business, but the Elte Company’s business… ?”
“The Ross Taylor family is also connected in a larger sense.”
“still… ”
The prediction is the same as to what Lortel wants to say.
“Princess Fenia will not be pleased with me.”
“How much of a confrontation have you set up?”
“Princess Fenia probably thinks that I will stick to Princess Selaha.”
When I looked at him in bewilderment, Lortel immediately added an additional explanation.
“When senior Ed lost his mind at the Ross Taylor Mansion, I made a plan to steal his recruits from the Elte Company.”
“what?”
“I didn’t want to leave you to someone else.”
Because he spoke without hesitation, I couldn’t come up with an answer right away.
“That means… ”
“You didn’t necessarily hide it. Me and Princess Fenia… “It’s like oil and water.”
It was like that in the scenario, but even if you think about it beyond that, Fenia and Lortel are actually people who walked with only the opposite view, as if they were drawing a picture.
“I don’t approve of Princess Fenia that much either. She doesn’t want to bow her head to that person. I wish I had tried to find another way… ”
“still… If the situation has come to this point, it is not the time to separate hot and cold rice. “You have to think about your situation.”
In the end, I am the only one who can persuade Lortel.
I pushed the chair, stood up straight, and looked intently at Lortel.
“If I have more time, I might be able to find another route, but right now, the person behind Dune and Slog is Princess Persica. “The only person who can compete with her authority is Princess Fenia.”
These are two people who could never become closer even if they were beaten to death.
In the end, there was not a single focal point that could unite the two as one force.
“Even if it’s just to see my face, hold hands with Princess Fenia first.”
“… Even just looking at your face… ?”
Lortel dried all the sweat from his face and slowly looked into my eyes.
My serious face is reflected in Lortel’s bright eyes.
Princess Fenia is a human being who is like a villain to Lortel Kecheln.
Watching the relationship between the two makes you believe in fatalism that never existed. Beyond the distance between the dogs and the garden, the human texture itself does not match.
The background you grew up in, your values, the way you lead a group, the way you achieve what you want, and the way you carry out your will.
It’s all about bringing two completely opposite people together… In the end, there is no other way than appealing to emotions.
“That’s why they say that if you like them first, you lose.”
Lortel cupped his face and stuck out his lips.
“If it is a contractual relationship based on necessity, it is an unavoidable law. Temporarily joining hands with hostile forces is not uncommon in the world of Sangdo.”
“okay. Thank you for thinking positively. Anyway, all I have to do now is catch Dune.”
Dune Grex, wearing a turquoise beret and merchant attire, always smiling frivolously.
In fact, I knew well that even that frivolous appearance was an act, but I never thought it would be this elaborate.
“If I were to stab you in the back rather than someone else’s, it wouldn’t be a plan prepared for a day or two.”
“but… I was thoroughly briefed on all logistics flows within the Elte Commercial Building. “I reviewed it again at the beginning and end of each day.”
Lortel’s handling of work is solid.
If the operation had been carried out in a one-dimensional way, it was clear that Lortel would have found out.
However, no matter how busy and hectic I was, I was able to do something outside of Lortel’s field of vision…
“First of all, I can’t escape my eyes with the logistics or funds that are organized within the Chamber of Commerce. “I can be confident about this.”
“then… “Outside the commercial meeting…?”
“If you say it’s outside the Chamber of Commerce, it’s inside Aken Island. 80% of the financial flows within Aken Island circulate within the living quarters. The same goes for the living area because it is my area… ”
That’s all, Lortel didn’t finish his sentence.
I just trembled at the corners of my eyes as if something suddenly occurred to me.
“In addition to the living quarters and the academic buildings, there are places where the funds from the Chamber of Commerce reached.”
“… “Where are you?”
“Here you go.”
It was so small that it didn’t bother me.
At best, it is a matter of building a small villa for one person to live in. This is an embarrassing level of work compared to the numerous businesses carried out by Elte Trading Company.
In fact, since it was close to Lortel’s private work, one staff member was in charge of it.
I remember. The company employee who came to the camp to survey the site, arrange materials, and produce design drawings to build Lortel’s villa… It’s Dune Grex. I also left a bottle of distilled liquor as a gift.
“No matter what, it’s a matter of superiors, but weren’t you supposed to have been briefed on the funds and current status of the construction of this place?”
“that’s right. There were no particular problems with the construction itself… However, while I was away at Old Deck on vacation… “The construction site of this villa must have been managed by Dune Grex, right?”
Lortel pushed the chair aside and stood up.
I adjusted the hem of my robe and walked towards the small door next to the bed. When you open the antique wooden door, there are stairs leading to the basement.
“… here is?”
“It’s an underground space created to be used as a wine cellar.”
Saying that, Lortel quickly walked down the stairs.
As I followed him downstairs, Lortel was whining and trying to open the basement door. Lortel doesn’t have the key yet.
“I was thinking of asking Mr. Bell to bring some wine and store it in the cellar. Ugh, ugh… ! However, the start of school was approaching and the construction of the villa was finished, but Dune did not give me the key to the cellar.”
“I think I know roughly now. “Get out of the way.”
I grabbed Lortel’s arm and lightly pushed him to the side. After securing some space, he pushed the door open with his shoulder.
The sturdy basement door did not budge. In the end, when I turned my attention to Lortel, Lortel brought out his magic and broke the entire basement door.
– Kwaaaaang!
The underground space, which was said to be reserved for wine storage, is revealed in the dust.
“… ”
“… ”
Lortel and I had to stand there blankly for a while.
The wine cellar is filled with… It was a mountain of gold coins.
It’s not just a penny or two. Even if you look at it, it is a huge amount of gold coins.
In addition, valuable items managed within Elte Trading Company, expensive magic engineering supplies, and crucially… . Numerous premium distilled spirits were piled here and there.
It was said that Dune Grex had a habit of manipulating the trading company’s books and embezzling metallurgy whenever he got the chance.
If you work with shrewd merchants, you can easily meet a few such quiet people. As long as you are sure about getting the job done, you can turn a blind eye to stealing a few pennies due to self-interest.
However, if even that was just an act.
The image of Dune, wearing a beret and organizing documents at the working committee table, overlaps. Its sharp eyes are like those of an eagle that is eager for its prey.
Even a third-rate embezzler who touches public funds due to self-interest and greed is just a character he created.
Even collecting rare foreign liquor and pretending to be a rich man was all part of Yoo In-soo’s actions.
If you say that Lortel Kecheln was remembered as ‘a competent, but third-rate conman who tries to get his own interests out of the back of his hands’, and was perceived as one of the employees who are easy to use and throw away.
like that… If I was trying to make the other person fall into the illusion that I was in complete control.
It was all said in the subjunctive mood, but the evidence was spread out before my eyes.
Even the calm Lortel was speechless for a moment and could only remain silent with his pupils dilated.
──The funds and goods that Dune had embezzled over those long years… Every single one of them is located in this basement.
Dune… He saved it all without spending even a single penny.
why?
To blame it all on Lortel’s embezzlement.
If you embezzle a large amount of money at once, it will be too obvious and Lortel will immediately stop you.
Leaving behind evidence of metallurgy and embezzlement over a long period of time… . I wait and wait for that time of rebound to come someday.
The reason why Lortel Kecheln ordered the construction of a villa was probably because he wanted to experience simple camp life together.
Dune Grex took that opportunity and staged the villa to look like a secret storage place for Lortel’s separately embezzled funds. The ledger work is probably already finished.
There is no better justification for removing him from the position of head of the company.
How many years have you spent in the dark, how much have you sharpened your sword?
Even though countless opportunities passed by, how long did it take to seize a clearer opportunity?
The opponent is the colossus Lortel Kacheln.
If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to hit after that. Dune was well aware of that fact.
A tower of gold coins piled up beneath Lortel’s villa.
If the imperial army invades like this, judging by the circumstances alone, it wouldn’t be strange if the new soldiers were immediately detained… It was such clear evidence.
*The Sylvania branch building of the Elte Company at night.
In that garden, the sword saint Tailly and the sword spirit Clevius are fighting. The noise from the battle echoes all the way to the commercial building, but few people are hearing it properly.
– Kang! Kaang!
Ziggs Eiffelstein is sitting on a wooden chair and polishing his sword at the second floor entrance.
He looks relaxed, but his expression is serious.
There were all kinds of weapons around. From the rapier that I brought with me, to the large long sword, small dual-wielding daggers, bow, gauntlet, mace, and spear…
The sight of Ziggs polishing his weapons one by one is like a wild beast raising its teeth alone in the wild.
– Kaaaaang! grasp!
Yenica Palover is sitting alone in the luxurious VIP waiting room on the third floor, drinking tea.
The atmosphere is unusual.
The spirits around her are nervously watching her. Her face doesn’t look right.
In front of the huge window in the VIP waiting room, I was just sitting with my back to the front and looking up at the moon.
A feeling of fear of unknown origin flows from her back, buried in the shadows.
– Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!
At the end of the hallway on the 4th floor, in the hall, is Tracyana Bloomriver, wearing a robe and holding a cane.
A combat mage who uses high-level magic and has extensive duel experience against close-quarters warriors.
He is the head of the magic department in the 4th year, the highest level, and even in close combat where a warrior has an advantage over a wizard… This is an opponent that you have already mastered.
And out onto the rooftop, traces of Ed Ross Taylor’s escape remain along the chase route leading to the back door of the store. You have to run along it for a while towards the northern forest… Finally, we can catch Ed Rothtaylor.
To reach Ed Rothtaylor, each and every one of them must break through all the layers of ridiculous levels of force.
Trials are like a huge wall.
Only a wall that you can’t even think of jumping over can be called an ordeal.
Tailley’s life has always been a series of trials. So, from the ordeal of wondering if this is possible… She endured the pain, gritted her teeth and survived.
Taily McLaure falls, screaming in pain.
After being pushed by Clevius’ sword and rolling on the floor… I finally regain my composure and look up at the midnight beast again.
The blood-mad swordsman’s eyes shine under the soft moonlight.
Tailly closes her eyes.
I have lived my life believing that there is no hardship that cannot be overcome.
Did you say that trials that cannot kill me only make me stronger? However, this does not change the fact that it is painful.
Still, the reason I was able to stand on my feet was only because of Ayla. That’s why Tayley McLaure never falls.
He barely stands up, leaning on his sword. The body is already half ruined.
There are still many trials remaining. Still, Tailly never gives up.
I widen my eyes and look clearly at the terrifying Sword Demon.
Life returns to his eyes. The magic of the Sword Seongsik flowing through the body… I start to control Taily’s body again.
Taily McLore, the Sword Saint of Trials.
Leading a body full of blood, wounds, and energy draining… He stands up again.
