Ed Subjugation War (3)
I used to agree with the saying that trials make people stronger.
However, a life filled with trials rather confines people in darkness. Whatever is appropriate is important.
The same thought occurred to me while watching the life of Tailley McLaure.
It’s cool, but I don’t want to live like that.
I think it wasn’t just me, everyone thought similarly.
The life of a hero who overcomes numerous trials and proves his worth in the end is shining…
but at least I don’t want to live like that.
Is there anyone in the world who would gladly accept the ordeal itself?
Even if there is a decided ending where I win in the end, I just want a peaceful life.
In a way, it was natural to feel that way.
That’s how difficult Tailley’s life was.
*Only the sound of an owl hooting occasionally dispersed through the bushes.
I was running through the forest, dragging Lortel’s wrist.
The only source of light is a small light magic created by Lortel. However, the road is already fully known in my mind. This is why you can move quickly even in the dark.
Lortel followed my steps, moving forward without hesitation, lowering his body to avoid bumping into rocks or twigs.
“Go towards my camp and Bell will be waiting for you.”
“This late?”
“I gave you advice in advance.”
“When on earth does that maid sleep?”
I heard that he basically sleeps 3 hours a day and takes an hour’s nap whenever he has free time during work.
Anyway, Bell is a superhuman who can stick his tongue out at most people. I wonder if I have to do that to be able to achieve the title of chief maid at that age.
“The only person who has the key to your villa in the camp is Bell, so I asked him to open the door in advance.”
“Then I guess I just have to wait at the villa for now. I can’t tell exactly how the situation is going, but…” “The
Elte Company building is probably in chaos right now. First, we have to go back to the camp and check. there is.”
Saying that, I climbed over the large tree root and lifted Lortel’s wrist up.
Lortel may have been physically exhausted, but without saying a word, he was guided by my touch and moved.
“Is Belle Maia a trustworthy person?”
Suddenly, Lortel asked that question.
This was another unexpected question, so I stood for a moment and looked toward Lortel.
“You mean Bel Maia?”
“Isn’t there a possibility that she stuck to Dune?”
“You’re suspicious of Belle too.”
“Senior. I am a person who doubts everyone except you.”
The leaves rustled and swayed in the dark night wind. When we stand side by side in the middle of the northern forest with no one around at midnight, it feels like we are floating in outer space, just the two of us.
“It’s inevitable that I am this kind of person.”
“…”
“I don’t trust Belle Maia to my core. I know she’s a good person, but that’s only when I was an employee.”
Lortel’s expression shining through the hem of his robe… is not very bright.
Perhaps it is because of the series of urgent situations, but his sinister and sly appearance as always is not revealed.
This is Lortel Kecheln, who smiled effortlessly no matter how difficult the situation was.
But when you’re alone with me… I wonder if even that mask will quickly be put down.
“The human mind is like a reed, so if you push for a contract with better terms, you can easily abandon a business partner that has been with you for over ten years. I have seen too many people like that.”
“If you put it that way, isn’t it the same for me?”
“That’s right. But… I’m tired of doubting and doubting.”
Even though Hansi had to run quickly, Lortel stood in place, holding my sleeve tightly.
When I turned around, Lortel spoke quietly under a soft magical light source.
“I have lived as a merchant since I was young. I have seen many great merchants who hold enormous power and rule over people. Do you know what the characteristics of those who have survived on the Tower of Gold Coins for such a long time are?”
“I do not know.”
“It means that they take great care of their people. Once I am convinced that this person is mine, I embrace them and take them with me until the day they go to the grave.”
Lortel’s childhood begins in Oldeck, a harsh commercial city.
A time when he was wandering around the slums, a time when he was living in an orphanage, a time when he was a low-level employee of a commercial company, a time when he was living as the successor to a great merchant, and a time when he became a great merchant and controlled a huge amount of gold coins.
From floor to ceiling.
The numerous human figures I saw while clenching my teeth as I climbed the steep uphill path.
Since his life was as a merchant, most of the people he saw on his way up the mountain must have been lost in the madness of incomprehension.
Lortel must have always kept his bright eyes wide open and tried to make a careful decision.
“I realized it too late after I rose to the position of assistant manager of the company. I… don’t have ‘my own person’…”
Whether you become the chairman of a large company, a famous politician, or the commander of a military unit.
Regardless of the era, it was the same for those who reached the top of the group to seek out their own people.
The existence of a person who stands by one’s side, free from self-interest, is more precious than gold to leaders who are always forced to be lonely.
One day, while walking around Sylvania Bachelor in the middle of the night, Lortel’s story felt even more poignant.
She said that to her, the bustling streets of Gyosu-dong in broad daylight felt no different from the quiet scenery in the middle of the night.
I must have always felt the same way when I was sitting in the office of Elte Company.
The reason you feel lonely even in a crowd is because there is no one you can connect with.
Look at Lortel’s expression.
Lortel Kecheln, the deputy head of the association, wore several layers of sinister and sly fox masks. This is the true face of the girl who became cold-blooded and led the company in the end.
Was it because I thought it was just the two of us in a dark forest with no one around?
It was only then that I could see the appearance of a girl of that age, looking down her gaze forlornly.
Lortel Kecheln yanked the sleeve of my clothes, grabbed the collar around my neck, and brought his face in.
Lortel’s bright eyes were right in front of my nose.
I was startled by her uncharacteristically weak expression, but Lortel spoke without paying any heed.
“Please be mine.”
As if he was finally relieved that there was no one around to spy on him.
“I’ll be that person too.”
Just like that… he ended up revealing the bottom of his heart.
“Nothing is free in this world. This is an interdependent contract.”
“You are making a ridiculous suggestion, Lortel.”
The corners of Lortel’s lips turned downward, as if my reaction sent a burning sensation down his spine. It was a sight that made me doubt my eyes. This is Lortel Kecheln, who looks like he is about to cry.
Not anyone else, but Lortel Kecheln.
It’s not like I’d get such a good reaction, so I continued the story right away.
“…I’ve already been yours from a long time ago.”
There’s no way I wouldn’t know the importance of finding and taking care of your people.
Same goes for me.
Once I am convinced that this person is mine, I stick with it until the end, even if it means some loss of interest.
There are real interests that cannot be replaced by financial relationships. This is a fact that most people realize through experience.
I’m already the one shaking my head at Dune’s suggestion.
“You say that, aren’t you mine?”
That’s why I question Lortel.
Although we talk about loneliness in a crowd, Lortel and I have already known each other for almost two years.
At that level, wouldn’t they already know everything there is to know about each other?
“…”
There are cases where there is a sudden change one day, but in most cases, human values and the environment change slowly and gradually.
It is the law of human change that when you open your eyes, you have already changed a lot without even noticing it yourself. Like a frog in a boiling pot being slowly cooked alive.
Therefore, recognizing change is always bound to be late.
From the poor slums to the top of Elte Chamber of Commerce.
Isn’t the kid who used to walk wearing shabby bedding now walking down the corridors of the store wearing a merchant’s robe embroidered with gold thread?
Even though that moment may seem like an ordinary moment, if you look back on your past steps, you have come higher than you thought.
The same goes for the concerns of discussing loneliness and being a person.
I wandered and longed for my person for so long, but when I came to my senses, my person was right in front of me.
It’s not even the 10,000 won bill I found in my pocket… It seems so pointless that I’m humming to myself, wondering what kind of rice cake this is.
Still, the change itself did not disappear, so Lortel Kecheln ended up sniffling.
“…”
“…Hey, why are you suddenly crying…?”
“It’s noisy. It’s my first time sobbing in front of others.”
The humid voice makes even me embarrassed.
In fact, there is no way that the bare face underneath the mask can be anything special.
Although he has lived his life with a sly face, showing off the appearance of a sinister merchant, in the end, Lortel Kecheln is no different from other people.
Lortel came into my arms like that and had to stand still for a while.
*The fight between Elvira and Tailly was heading towards a long battle.
Elvira has the battlefield itself under her control, but that doesn’t mean she has the means to directly harm Tailly.
Tailly’s natural physical strength is excellent, but it has been strengthened through continuous training.
It would be nonsense to defeat him with physical strength, and Elvira is not good at combat magic to shock him with magical means.
In the end, it becomes a fight in which he continuously reduces his physical strength using alchemy knowledge and magical engineering supplies.
– Kaaak! Woe!
Tailly swung his great sword horizontally and attacked Elvira, but was pushed back by the magic engineering item ‘Shock Enhanced Wave Ball’.
Elvira blocked her vision with a smoke reagent and tried to increase the distance between her and Tailly, but Tailly, who gritted her teeth and withstood the impact, came back into range.
“You can’t stop me with these leftover tricks…!”
“I guess you’re right!”
Eventually, Elvira’s judgment exceeded Tailley’s expectations. Rather, it burrowed into Tailly’s arms.
If you close the distance with Taily, you will be overpowered in an instant.
Tailly was momentarily taken aback, but that doesn’t mean she can kick away the opportunity that came her way.
The moment the great sword’s trajectory was turned in Elvira’s direction, Elvira took out a reagent bottle from her bosom, not even caring that her shoulder was brushed by the sword.
‘Red Flame Flower Reagent’
As Elvira spoke a small spell, a huge flame bloomed within her arms.
Not only Tailly but also Elvira are in the sphere of influence.
“Ugh!”
The moment Tailly gritted his teeth and withstood the heat, the reagent was poured into Tailly’s left hand, which was holding the great sword.
“Kaaak!”
It’s not a big flame, but you’ll definitely get burned if you stay still. When Taily let go of the sword handle in shock, Elvira kicked the sword away.
Tailly lost her sword momentarily. However, it is not enough to lose a close fight with Elvira. In the first place, Tailly was a boy who used to fight bare-handed before he picked up a sword.
That was the moment when Tailly tightened his fists.
Elvira snuffed out the flame on the tip of her head and extinguished it, then tightly grasped her bleeding left shoulder.
The blood flowing out turned Elvira’s left arm red. It wasn’t a deep wound, but there was some bleeding.
When Tailley saw that, she couldn’t help but gasp for a moment.
He hurt Elvira with his own hands. I suddenly become aware of that fact and blood begins to flow to my head again.
“Elvira.”
Instead of throwing a fist, Tailly opened her mouth.
“There’s no reason to do this. Just… get out of the way…”
But Elvira spoke as she took out two bluish reagents.
“Be loud and go for it Tailly.”
“What on earth did that man, Ed Rosstaylor, say? He’s doing it this way…!”
Tailly spoke with her head down.
“I don’t want to fight with you. I just want to… save Ayla.”
“You have a long mouth, Tailley.”
Elvira dropped two reagent bottles on the floor and broke them. The magical energy rising from the reagent glows bluishly around Elvira’s body.
Just like that, Elvira took out two rabbit-shaped hairpins from the back of her head.
The back of Elvira’s loose hair was blowing in the night wind.
“Are you going to fight with your mouth? Get serious.”
“…”
Tailly was sitting on the dirt floor, quietly looking at Elvira.
There is no will to fight. However, if Elvira attacks you, you have no choice but to deal with it.
No matter how precious Elvira is, she cannot be more precious than Ayla.
That’s why… Taily gathers magical energy into her body.
― Hwaaaaaaaaa!
Elvira’s hairpin grew huge and two huge rabbit familiars appeared.
Although it looks like a rabbit, its ugly, bulky molars and creepy red eyes are unusual.
Each ministry was created by mixing the characteristics of a wolf and a rabbit.
It was the moment when Elvira was about to draw out her magical power and even manifest elemental magic.
– Get it!
– Quagga gagagak!
From then on, it all happened in an instant.
Taily McLaure is a boy who lives every moment. The same goes for the effort you put into training.
His swordsmanship has also grown a lot, and he is now quite a famous powerhouse within the school.
Elvira knew that too, so she was seriously waiting for him to come out.
I didn’t know how serious Tailley would be at this level. In any case, he is not an opponent to beat, at least not as someone who specializes in combat. I knew it well enough.
Elvira’s role… is simply to make Tailly sincere.
That’s why I became sincere to some extent. You have to do that much for the other person to show sincerity.
However, Tailley’s sincere sword attack… Elvira couldn’t even follow it with her eyes.
A fleeting moment felt like eons.
Is it long enough to close and open your eyes once?
The two rabbit familiars… were all split in two.
It’s strange. There is no sword in Tailley’s hand.
Tailley’s great sword, rolling around on the floor, is clearly in sight. However, the rabbit familiar was cut into two pieces neatly, as if it had been cut by a sword.
Finally, the third strike.
Only then did Elvira realize.
A mythical swordsmanship invented by Luden, the first swordsman, and passed down to those born with McLore blood. Geomsungsik.
Among those ancient techniques include numerous sword techniques. Using swordsmanship without a sword… ‘Heogeomsul (虛劍術)’.
It was a part of magical swordsmanship that cut down the opponent by forging the raised magical power.
There is no point in realizing that fact too late.
Tailley’s third sword strike, which opened its eyes wide in the darkness… was already flying towards Elvira’s main body.
There is a trace of determination on Taily’s face as he clenches his teeth.
Anyone who threatens Ayla’s life, even Elvira, will be cut down. There was even nobility in that decision.
– Kaang!
However, the sword strike did not reach Elvira.
The sword strike that did not reach the end… disappeared, leaving only a small wound to Elvira.
This is because the sword of another man who came in the middle of the attack was deflected away.
― Hwaaaaaaaaa!
There is a fishy smell of blood.
darkness of night. Inside, there is a monster with red eyes.
Elvira, who had closed her eyes tightly, soon turned her gaze forward again.
Elvira, who was lying on the floor, could only see her back.
If you look up along the bleeding sword face… a swordsman with a grim expression comes into view.
“What… are you doing now? Taily.”
A man who was bleeding from his shoulder was glaring at Tailley, exhaling the night air.
At that moment, Elvira quickly took a breath and raised her voice.
“Clevius this is…!”
“It’s noisy. Be quiet, Elvira.”
He was a man who was always suffering under Elvira’s hands, but with a single word, he stamped out Elvira’s voice and suppressed it.
It proves that the demonic energy flowing through his body is completely different from the usual Clevius.
Tailly slowly lifted the great sword… and faced Clevius. With his upper body hanging down like a zombie… he is absorbing magical power from the blood flowing along the sword held in one hand.
It’s a rumor that Taylor McLaure has also heard once or twice. It was quite famous in this area.
A sword spirit lives in the Nortondale family.
There were not as many people as expected who saw with their own eyes the truth of those terrible rumors.
*
“I left the villa door open.”
When we returned to camp, Belle had lit a bonfire and had the villa all cleaned up.
Lortel and I were just warming up by the campfire when we arrived.
It was as if he was camping or something… He seemed to be dazed, alone, with his palms in the heat of the campfire.
“…Somehow this camp has the power to make people slack off.”
After finishing all the work, he looks at the fire and zoned out.
She seemed embarrassed to have been caught showing off her loose side, which was quite unusual for Belle, so she spoke with an embarrassed expression on her face.
“If you stay inside the villa, we will report to you whenever someone comes from outside or something unusual happens.”
“Thank you Belle.”
After saying that, I led Lortel by the hand and entered the villa.
Leave the bell outside and wait for a change in the situation inside the villa. Meanwhile, by exchanging information with Lortel, you have to deduce what kind of trick Dune was up to.
Dune will be overwhelmed just trying to deal with Tailley’s rampage at the business meeting. I have quite a bit of time to spare.
It’s safe to say that Tailly will never reach this point anyway. The opponents prepared are too harsh trials for Taily to face alone.
It is said that the life of the protagonist overcomes any hardship and moves on, but there are degrees to that.
Thinking like that…I led Lortel into the villa.
Somehow, I get my Elte Company back.
That was the number one goal.
