Upon encountering the name Edelflat Cohenulf, Ivan’s thoughts transported him to the frigid front line of a winter night in a coniferous forest, recalling his early days in the Royal Guard—a period of inexperience.
***
Embarking on missions with foreigners evoked a distinct feeling in Ivan. Their complex names amused him. Despite having resided in this otherworldly realm for 20 years, foreign nomenclature proved more challenging than that of Krasilov.
Humans are adaptable creatures, yet after more than a decade in this fantasy-Russian world, foreign names posed a greater difficulty.
Unlike Krasilov’s widely-used nickname, Vanka is the preferred name for him. Even prior to that, Ivan was not a challenging name. However, when addressing foreign entities, particularly the nobility, uttering names seemed to cause his tongue to stiffen.
“Captain Cohenulf.” (Ivan)
It was a deep forest. A winter night with snow falling in the coniferous woods, and the scent of blood permeated the air.
Ivan stepped forward with tension and a hint of fear. Over a decade in this hellish world, yet facing the front lines in the wilderness still instilled fear.
Nevertheless, he moved forward. As part of the Royal Guard, fear shouldn’t be his motivation.
“You’re here, Ivan?” (Edelflat)
“Yes. Based on the reconnaissance…” (Ivan)
“No need to say. No more remnants in this forest. I know.” (Edelflat)
“Yes?” (Ivan)
“Elves have keen ears, Ivan. Occasionally, if we listen carefully, the sounds we hear go beyond the material world. The forest tells me. There are no more demons.” (Edelflat)
What nonsense is this? Are you a dryad?
Ivan quietly lowered his head and muttered under his breath. (Internally. Elves have sharp ears.)
“Seems like you’re full of discontent.” (Edelflat)
“Misunderstanding.” (Ivan)
“Ah. I can hear you. ‘If you’re so sure it’s safe, why did you spend two hours scouting in this cold’?” (Edelflat)
“…” (Ivan)
Even beneath thick gloves, Ivan carefully clenched his delicate hands, struggling to keep his mouth shut. He refrained from yelling at this monster, who could easily cut a person’s throat more effortlessly than breathing.
It wasn’t out of fear. He was a member of the Royal Guard, and the Royal Guard never felt fear.
“I needed time for meditation.” (Edelflat)
“Meditation… What do you mean?” (Ivan)
“Yes. Facing the true end of martial arts. A silent night, in the forest. A moment to face the corpses I’ve borne witness to and the fleeting moments before succumbing to sleep. It’s the realization that I too can end up like them, just a moment away from standing in front of someone stronger than me.” (Edelflat)
Certainly, signs of senile dementia.
It’s freezing. Once he returned to the camp, he only thought about sitting by the fire, thawing his body, and roasting a nutrition bar.
Silence? It’s winter now. The winter on the Northern Front is harsh. Storms of snow always rage around this time. Like now.
So, the wind rustling through her ears and the sound of snow striking the coniferous forest can never be the requirements of a silent and sacred night.
Ivan was tense.
‘If a mad elf with dementia is a master of the sword, can I really stop them?’
Being a practical person, he quickly realized it was impossible. He gathered his hands and replied politely.
“Unlike a mere mortal like me, an elven martial artist would find enlightenment in such serene place. It might be better for you to return to camp and soothe combat fatigue.” (Ivan)
“All right, if you insist. A nighttime stroll can be a good experience.” (Edelflat)
Such a lunatic elf.
Ivan, a 21st-century cultural citizen who disliked racial discrimination, didn’t harbor hatred towards elves. (In contrast, in this uncivilized world, elves belong to the hated race.)
However, being a human, it was difficult to endure the rising anger whenever witnessing such madness displayed by elves.
Of course, he had to endure it. Unlike logic and law, here, force dictated truth. Nonetheless, it was an uncivilized world.
***
Ivan diverted his thoughts from his conscience.
Is there dementia treatment in elven medicine? If they have longevity, it might be possible, considering their species endures centuries of aging. (No.)
Ivan looked at the list with a worried expression.
Edel, the one-eyed.
Flowing obsidian locks reminiscent of animal fur, coupled with piercing golden eyes akin to a bird of prey. The courageous lady would grin, recounting how she cunningly tossed one of them towards the dragon in the midst of a surprise attack.
In reality, when the legion she led was exposed to the dragon’s ambush, she faced the dragon alone and survived with one eye lost.
It was a remarkable feat. No one in this world dared to face them alone, that’s common sense.
Edel was a person who actually achieved such an extraordinary feat. Her legion succeeded in escaping with minimal losses.
Her other nicknames, such as ‘Rising Knight’, ‘Queen’s Warrior’, and ‘Legacy’. Others, like ‘The Condemned,’ are secondary.
“Edel is participating.” (Ivan)
“Yes, it appears so, senior. Nice to see her again after some time. So, is she really competing to marry the princess?” (Dmitri)
“No chance she’d do that. Who’s behind her?”
“What?”
“Edel wouldn’t fill out a participation form herself. Whose representative is she?”
“It was Graykencos, sir.” (Dmitri)
“Veolgrin…”
Ivan frowned.
Elpheira wouldn’t suddenly decide to ruin this tournament, so this ultimately meant Veolgrin’s suggestion.
Does Veolgrin have a reason to intervene in this country’s affairs?
Is he searching for traces of Alexander? If so, it could be somewhat understandable.
If they were part of Alexander’s faction, which was almost certain in the case of Elizaveta’s relatives.
“Is there any other decree from Her Highness?”
“None.”
“I see.”
The last order the princess gave was ‘overwhelmingly win.’ Just one sentence.
So, that’s how it should be.
A skilled agent would formulate various plans to prepare for failure in an operation, secondary objectives, and contingencies.
But not for the Cleansup Unit operatives.
In case of failure, what can be achieved to minimize losses? Not that.
In the face of a threat of failure, how can success be ensured? Only that is considered.
Everything else is secondary. For the Cleansup Unit, except death, there is no failure. Until they die, they haven’t failed, and if someone wants to ultimately thwart their mission, they have no choice but to kill them.
They received such training.
Ivan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and immersed himself in thought.
Two days left.
Devising a way to defeat Cohenulf.
***
“Complete… completed… it’s completed.”
A white flame erupted.
Elpheira, with dark circles under her eyes, sank down as if her energy had been drained.
Borrowing wisdom from her father, reverse-engineering ancient artifacts, checking each spell she had already mastered, and reconstructing operational logic—finally, it was completed.
“Can you hear, can you hear me?” (Elpheira)
– I hear you well. It’s amazing. (Edelflat)
Before her eyes stood a full-body plate armor with elegant lines. Amidst the numerous chaotic magical engineering components scattered around her, it stood alone, radiating light.
Some high-level spells were embedded in that armor. How many magical stones powered that armor?
“It, it’s only operational for exactly two days. Would you like to test it in a trial run?”
– No need for that. (Edelflat)
The armor nodded with a creaking sound. It had no expression, and the visor was deeply pressed, but somehow, Elpheira felt that the armor was smiling.
– Indeed, Veolgrin, the daughter of that skilled engineer. Amazing. If this technology had been completed just 20 years earlier, you could have saved many people. (Edelflat)
“Oh, it’s an exaggeration! It can only operate for a few days… It was designed with only short-term combat in mind, so it was possible.”
– Even humble. You’ve inherited only appearance and talent from your father. Blessed. (Edelflat)
Among elven magical engineering technologies, there is something called ‘telecommunication.’ It’s a commonly used technology among elves, and with a bit more skill, it can project somewhat ‘blurry’ traces even at a distance.
Even to distant places. It’s an advanced spell that can connect terminals from this land to faraway Kalion.
And if you install more magical terminals and manipulate their directions differently, a new horizon opens up.
By controlling the input and output syntax of vocalization, you can selectively input and output specific stimuli.
In simpler terms:
It means she can create a golem that can be remotely controlled in real-time. Although there is a slight delay in seeing the blurry traces, and due to the inherent clumsiness of golems, precise manipulation is impossible, and on top of that, it can only be used for about two days.
Anyway, she alone managed to create an environment where someone in Kalion can operate in Krasilov.
– There’s a bit of delay in the movement. (Edelflat)
“That couldn’t be helped. I’m sorry.”
– No, this is more than enough. With this, writing a paper shouldn’t be a problem for an immediate graduation degree. Why are you worrying about such things? (Edelflat)
“Hehe, thank you…”
A great knight, renowned in the arrogant Cleansup Unit as the ‘problem solver,’ who has never been defeated even once in hundreds of years.
Under her achievements, a destiny that follows is unfathomable. Her life itself could be classified as a history book and a tactical manual.
Such a presence warmly smiles at young elves like her.
Elpheira lowered her head with a tired expression, a mix of the excitement typical of scholars who achieve significant academic accomplishments and the exhaustion from days of laborious work during nights.
Because of this, she didn’t catch the small whisper digging into her ears.
– I wonder how much that little one has grown. I’m looking forward to it. (Edelflat)
Edelflat Cohenulf manipulated the unfamiliar metallic body, lifting the longsword with a smile.
It happened in the late night on the eve of the tournament.
***
The festival had begun.
As if to erase the chaos that had covered Frechenkaya in the past few days, Elizaveta splendidly organized a banquet, inviting nobles, and satisfying the citizens with plenty of food.
And finally,
The tournament was held.
