Chapter 522
Chapter 522: Just Look at the Contract, Right? (2)
Claude momentarily addressed Ereness again, who seemed to be malfunctioning.
“No, it seems you’re not getting it… The Great Chief is supposed to work with us for ‘30 years.’”
“W-what?”
Ereness stuttered, taken aback by the unexpected situation. This absurd experience was a first for the noble Elf Great Chief.
Claude shouted with fervor.
“Why? Because that’s what we agreed upon!”
“……”
“You can just look at the contract!”
Thud thud thud!
A wooden vine unraveled from the ground and sprouted up. Soon enough, it spread wide and retrieved a scroll.
Swish!
Ereness, with a panicked expression, opened the contract. And finally, she saw it.
In tiny letters, it stated ’30 years.’
“W-what is this…?”
Ereness whipped her head around to glare at Ghislaine. Ghislaine shrugged and widened her eyes, looking innocent as if she didn’t understand at all.
‘Come to think of it…’
Ghislaine had hastily skimmed the contract and signed it. It meant she was just as confused about the situation.
‘There wasn’t such a phrase in the first contract that I read. Could it be…?’
That Claude fellow had been chatttering on next to her, distracting her completely. He had mentioned some strange scribbles and insisted on drafting a second contract.
She remembered she hadn’t even read the second contract due to her headache and had merely signed it.
That was when he surely pulled a fast one.
Ereness shouted towards Claude.
“Did you just con me?!”
Claude also shouted back, showing his innocent face.
“No, you saw the contract yourself! Did I threaten you with a knife to sign it?”
He wasn’t wrong. Ultimately, it was her signature that sealed the deal. But she simply couldn’t accept it.
“T-this guy…”
Who would have thought there would be a human who would scam a noble Elf Great Chief? In all her long life, this was truly her first such incident.
Ereness could hardly contain her rage and began to gather her strength.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The entire castle started shaking under the weight of her aura. Just then, the knights waiting outside rushed in.
“Are you alright, Great Duke Zuanhaaaaaaa!”
The northern villagers taking residence in the capital were all hyped up to serve the Great Duke.
Ghislaine rubbed her forehead and waved her hand to dismiss the knights.
“Ugh, everyone, stop being so rash. Ereness, cool it for a moment. If you get that worked up here, the castle will collapse.”
“Ugh, ugh…”
Ereness calmed her energy and glared at Claude.
In truth, if she wanted to, she could easily disregard such a contract. She had the power and authority to do so.
And to be honest, it could be considered a scam half the time.
She could have asked Ghislaine to nullify the contract for her. No, she was actually planning to do that.
But there was the issue of Claude’s incessant murmuring in the corner.
“I knew it would come to this. You keep talking about how the Great Nature guarantees it, yet you don’t even recognize your own signature on the contract? They say there’s no one to trust in this world… even the Elves… mumble mumble mumble.”
“Ugh, ughhhh…”
Her head was starting to throb again. That guy sure talks too much. It was driving her crazy.
Regardless, it was a fact that her signature was on the contract, so it couldn’t be completely ignored. It was akin to breaking a promise made with the Great Nature.
She couldn’t allow the rumor to circulate in human society that the Elf Great Chief had signed a contract and failed to uphold it.
That guy would definitely exaggerate it with his annoyingly charming mouth.
“Ughhh…”
Ereness clutched her head.
‘30 years!’
While it wasn’t a long time for her, she couldn’t be held up for 30 years during this busy period.
Humans were truly… a cruel species. Especially that Claude.
It seemed ever since she first laid eyes on him, a murky aura of death surrounded him.
Sweating profusely and rolling her eyes, Ereness struggled to speak.
“Just… just give me a break.”
Claude, sensing her weakened energy, quickly approached.
“Break? What does that mean?”
Ereness shut her eyes tightly and said,
“Give me some leave.”
“Of course, that I can do. You’re a distinguished merit of this kingdom.”
With that generous answer, Ereness opened her eyes and looked at Claude.
‘That jerk…’
Suddenly, Claude seemed much bigger. He was looking down at her with a wickedly triumphant smile.
Surely, living in the human world has made him bitter. She realized again why her ancestors had warned her against humans.
Ereness, glaring at Claude, replied,
“You will face my wrath in 30 years.”
Claude nodded with a carefree smile.
“I’m just following the principles, but if the Great Chief is dissatisfied with me, feel free to do as you wish. I’m always ready to accept whatever comes.”
‘Sure, if I die 29 years in, that’s just fine. I don’t want to live as a slave for over 300 years.’
That was Claude’s honest thought.
Ereness bit her lips and dramatically turned away. She had to go fill out the leave paperwork.
The approving authority for that leave was Chief Officer Claude.
*
Ereness received her leave (?), left the castle to take care of some business. Many people came to see her off, but Parniel followed her quite a distance.
“Is something happening? You don’t need to see me off this much.”
In response to Ereness’s words, Parniel suddenly brought up something unexpected.
“They say the heart of a Saint is the Will of the Goddess.”
“I know.”
In truth, it was a phrase created to justify the erratic behavior of the Saint so that the church could maintain authority.
However, Parniel seemed to genuinely believe it. She smiled widely and said,
“I felt like I wanted to fight you since the first time I saw you.”
“I have no interest in fighting you. Such meaningless things are beyond my concern.”
“I know, but… I get the feeling we will definitely fight someday. My heart keeps telling me that. I just wanted to mention it.”
“……”
Ereness stole a glance at Parniel. The two once again glared at each other.
After a moment, Ereness shook her head a few times and turned away, saying,
“I hope that never happens. I really don’t want to kill you, the ‘Saint.’”
The emphasis on the title seemed quite deliberate. Parniel replied with a smile.
“I genuinely want to see what a real fight is like with you.”
Ereness said nothing and walked away without looking back.
Parniel stared at her as she faded into the distance. Once Ereness was completely out of sight, Parniel murmured softly.
“If you are that ‘Elf’ mentioned in the church’s secret transmission…”
*
The Kingdom of Turian, a land besieged by the endless surge of monsters from the Shadow Mountain Range.
Ghislaine had been active in Turian’s fortress, Ironcliff, and afterward, Kaor and the Hunters secured a vast amount of leather to send to Ruthania.
Such was the extent that Kaor earned the nickname “Leather King of Ironcliff.”
Before the civil war broke out in Ruthania, Ironcliff had succeeded in holding back the monsters, but now it stood empty. Other fortresses faced similar fates.
“Kaahhhhh!”
“Kuoooh!”
The crazed monsters screamed as they raced through the empty fort towards the heart of the kingdom.
However, their path was blocked by a region filled with blue smoke, preventing them from reaching their destination. A rift had formed along the way leading to the capital.
A bizarre situation unfolded where monsters rushing down from the Shadow Mountain Range clashed with the Cracked Beings.
Thanks to this, some of the rifts were momentarily left alone, but not all rifts were like that.
“Hold them back!”
“We have to hold on at all costs!”
“Damn, why are there so many coming out!”
Soldiers fought diligently to prevent the incursion of rifts.
The Kingdom of Turian had mobilized only the strongest to deal with the rifts. It was up to the other soldiers to hold the line until their reinforcements arrived.
While encouraging the exhausted soldiers, the commanders couldn’t hide their grim expressions.
“Ugh, this is serious. We lack supplies and support.”
“The situation around the castle is all about holding back the monsters.”
It wasn’t just the rifts that posed a problem. The nobles who had long been plotting rebellion in league with the Salvation Society were also a concern.
As those nobles raised troops and sparked rebellions across the land, their military strength became diluted.
Thanks to the monsters, the situation was somewhat better than in other kingdoms, but the Kingdom of Turian was still caught in turmoil.
“Avoiding the kingdom’s destruction is becoming impossible.”
Every commander thought the same.
The Kingdom of Turian had never been that strong a nation to begin with. How else would they gather even the criminals fleeing from other nations and turn them into Hunters?
They were already struggling just by fighting the monsters.
Thus, the Kingdom of Turian couldn’t even join the Allied Forces, as they lacked the power to send any support.
The soldiers were growing increasingly weary. They fought endlessly against both the rifts and the rebels.
If only they could eat their fill, that would be one thing, but the kingdom’s finances had already run dry.
‘I’m struggling…’
‘It feels like dying would be better.’
‘Why was I born into this world…?’
Initially, they had held onto hope. They awaited a hero to come and save them.
But now, even that dream felt lavish. It was no different from living without the ability to die.
Despair is contagious. Such an atmosphere rapidly spread throughout the kingdom.
Everywhere, people began to take their own lives, and more were surrendering to the rebel nobility.
Thus, the Kingdom of Turian was slowly heading toward ruin.
Just then, a man appeared.
A man with black hair and abyss-like black eyes. His skin, as white as snow, seemed as if he had never seen sunlight.
His stunningly beautiful face, as if crafted by the gods, bore not a trace of laughter. So cold in expression, no one dared to approach him.
Swish…
The man drew out his sword. A piercing blue light swirled around the blade.
The elderly attendant following him lowered his head slightly and asked,
“Your Highness, are you really going to leave this tower?”
“I am not a prince. Do not address me as such.”
“…Yes.”
The man was the long-hidden heir of the kingdom.
He had shown extraordinary talent in swordsmanship since childhood. His physique was so robust it was said to have been blessed by mana.
Even without learning the Mana Circulation Method, mana had naturally built up in his body since birth. After growing a bit older, he had even reformed the royal mana circulation method to suit himself – a genius indeed.
But he had been abandoned by the royal family. His father had hated him dearly.
From the moment he was born, the King would erupt in hatred whenever he caught sight of him. People merely speculated that it was due to the Queen dying while giving birth to the Prince.
Not wanting to incur the wrath of the King, everyone avoided and silenced the man. As ominous rumors spread day by day, more and more people began to regard him with unease and unwarranted hatred.
There were even several attempts on his life. Assassinations permitted by his father.
Though the man survived every ambush through his remarkable abilities, his heart too had closed off.
Having passed the position of heir to his half-brother, he confined himself in the royal tower.
He met no one and built no bonds with anyone. He spent his days quietly reading books and practicing swordsmanship within the tower.
That was the only way for him to live peacefully.
Thus, after all this time in silence, the man finally resolved to step into the world.
The only attendant who had cared for him, the old man, expressed his worries.
“The King will not remain idle.”
“I do not care.”
They spoke of monsters swarming everywhere. No matter how severed his ties to the world, he couldn’t simply ignore that news.
He just wanted to save people.
So, he stepped out into the world with nothing but his sword. The man entered the rift alone and fought.
Kaaah!
The Cracked Beings couldn’t hold him back. They disintegrated into dust upon contact with his sword.
However, even a single man couldn’t eradicate all those Cracked Beings at once. He got injured, returned to rest, and repeatedly went back into the realm of rifts.
The soldiers who had formed the barrier watched him and clicked their tongues.
“He’s gone mad.”
“Why is he doing something so insane?”
“It’s clear he’s skilled, but he won’t last long like that.”
No army that recognized his identity offered to help him. Everyone was too unsettled to want to approach him.
Some even thought it better for him to enter and die. Knowing him to be the abandoned prince of the royal family.
Yet, the man, though left alone, was unbothered. He had always been solitary; nothing would change.
He simply fought silently against the rifts.
Fighting and fighting, again and again, his body drenched in blood and his strength fading.
He continued to battle for days on end.
Watching this, soldiers were eventually moved one by one to gather beside him. They healed his wounds and offered him food.
Kaaah!
Then, at the climax of an all-day battle, he finally severed Equidema’s neck.
Before the blue mist dissipated, he dragged Equidema’s corpse out of the rift.
To give hope to everyone.
It was indeed a great achievement. No one had ever cleared a rift alone in this continent.
The soldiers, awestruck by his extraordinary feat, knelt before him.
He was known in Ghislaine’s past life as—
The Savior.
And…… the first of the Seven Greats of the Continent.
The Greatest Sword.
