Without a doubt, Cluna could be considered the greatest foe.
With my current abilities, all I could do was either run my mouth or make myself look as strong as possible with Time Stop. My opponent was a monster who had lived for hundreds of years.
Of course, ordinary words wouldn’t even scratch the surface. She had the justification of wanting to take her family with her. Although I had justification as the Commander, in the face of the current annihilation of the Royal Knights, her reason for wanting to take her family would resonate much more strongly than my own. So, I abandoned the idea of persuasion.
Instead, I chose to provoke my opponent and set the stage. Simply put, I proposed deciding things through a duel. Thankfully, she accepted it right away, perhaps due to her confidence in her own abilities.
“I can’t believe I didn’t even react, against a human no less.”
“……”
“Such movements are beyond my imagination. Has it really been hundreds of years since I’ve been caught off guard like this…?”
Cluna said with a kind of lament. Thanks to this, I realized just how remarkable this woman really was. After all, she had claimed to have fought since the demons appeared.
My experience and skills wouldn’t even allow me to come close to her level. But fortunately, I had Time Stop, which is equal for everyone. Thanks to that, I barely managed to win.
As I sheathed my sword, I took a step back. An opponent of her caliber wouldn’t press me to fight again just because I put my sword away. Besides, I didn’t want to fight again, anyway.
“Surprisingly, you’re retreating so willingly.”
“I can’t help but understand the heart of a parent worrying for their child.”
“Isn’t that rather pathetic? One could easily criticize you for not being able to separate public and private matters.”
“How could I criticize that? The heart of a parent thinking of their child.”
Of course, if it got too extreme, I’d have to criticize it, but there was no need to say that right now. Clara, who had been stepping back, finally approached us.
“See? That’s our Commander.”
“It seems you’ve acknowledged the current Commander.”
“Yeah, the Commander is really strong. And… there’s something different about her compared to the races I’ve seen until now.”
I couldn’t pass off Clara saying I was strong so easily. But still, thanks to Clara holding Cluna’s hand and persuading her, I felt Cluna’s heart slowly beginning to change.
“I was wondering why a human was acting as the Commander. It seems this level of skill and character is overflowing.”
“This level isn’t really that impressive.”
In reality, it was quite extraordinary. But I couldn’t strut around with my chest puffed out. Here, humility earned points. Cluna smiled with a smirk.
“Too much humility can be poisonous.”
“Right, Commander. No one in the last hundreds of years has been able to break through my mother’s magic and catch me from behind, right?”
“……Magic?”
“Yes, I’m a swordsman, but also a magician and simultaneously an archer.”
Cluna explained that she had pretended to respond to my provocation while using magic to limit my movements. If I had moved just one step, the magic would have activated right away.
At that moment, chills ran down my spine, from head to toe. If I had gone on a scouting mission without realizing this, I would have fallen victim to magic right away.
“Your versatility is beyond imagination.”
“Of course! My mother is a warrior who has fought since the time of the Hero!”
“A hero? You mean that first Hero?”
“That’s just a story from many years ago.”
I could only be astonished at Cluna’s bashful expression, slightly tinged with crimson. Monsters had existed long before the demons descended from the demon realm.
And there was a hero who defeated those monsters. People revered and respected him, calling him the Hero. This was content found in the records available in the game.
In fact, the first Hero even directly appeared in the game. If you activated the DLC, a dungeon called Grave of Beginning opened up, where players could meet and fight the first Hero in person.
And if you fought the first Hero and gained his recognition, your skills and stats could be greatly enhanced. But that was something to check later. There was something more important than that now.
“Cluna, I have a proposal.”
“What kind of proposal?”
“How about joining the Royal Knights?”
“Excuse me? Joining the Royal Knights?”
Cluna, of course, and even Clara, who was listening beside her, showed surprised expressions. It was out of the blue, but honestly, she was someone we desperately needed right now.
In this world, magic holds an overwhelmingly significant weight. It’s the only means of countering the blood magic used by demons. But no magician? That would be a suicidal act.
In fact, in the game, if there was no magician, even the strongest party could be annihilated in an instant. In other words, a magician is like a last resort for humans.
But if a magician was better at wielding a sword than most knights and could also provide support from a distance with archery while conserving magical power? That was practically character power up to a whole new level.
“Thank you for your words, but I have things to do…”
“That’s right! My mother has things to do as a Guardian!”
“Then Cluna, I’ll ask directly.”
I was aware that I was being unreasonable. But to somehow revive the Royal Knights, I needed talented individuals. So I would recruit her even if it meant being pushy.
“Are those things more precious than your child’s life?”
“……!!!”
“Probably not. Despite the potential problems, you’ve come all the way here leading your forces. Am I wrong?”
“……What are you trying to say?”
Thank goodness. Honestly, I was bracing myself for a slap in the face. Cluna responded as if she was willing to listen. There were no more tricks. Here, we would confront each other head-on without holding back.
“Your daughter needs you to protect her directly.”
“And please protect me from the back too while you’re at it!”
*
[What are you drawing so intently?]
Back in her rookie days, she asked a fellow adventurer. He loved to draw, doodling on any paper he could find.
Of course, regardless of his love for it, he wasn’t particularly talented at drawing. Nevertheless, when she asked him, he thought for a moment before handing her a paper he had drawn on.
[Here you go. This is a gift for you.]
[It’s just a doodle. I don’t need it.]
[Doodle… Still, I did my best to draw this…!]
[Alright! Just take it! I’ll take it!!]
The only time he showed weakness in any situation was when his drawing was dismissed. It was oddly fascinating and entertaining, so she unconsciously kept belittling his drawings. The responses were amusing. Then, one day, she wondered why he had given her the drawing and boldly asked him.
[But why did you give me a drawing?]
[Are you asking about something that happened decades ago now?]
[It was just a short time ago.]
[For you, as an elf, it probably was.]
However, the man she met again was completely different. His skin was cracked like the bark of an ancient tree, and his once-bright eyes faded like flowers about to wilt. She already knew.
She understood that a human like him and an elf like herself couldn’t stay together. For an elf, a fleeting moment was enough, while for a human, life consists of beginning and ending. He smiled and spoke.
[Even if I die as time passes, my drawing can remain by your side forever, can’t it?]
[But in the end, you still return to nature.]
[That’s right. But I will live on as long as you don’t forget me.]
[You probably won’t fade from my memory for a lifetime.]
Everything had been a first. She tasted human food, experienced the sorrows of war firsthand, and even competed against dwarves who weren’t on good terms with her, saving each other’s lives.
For her, that time was just a blink of an eye. Yet, it became the most precious time she could ever possess. With that thought, he chuckled and said,
[Someday, set off on an adventure again.]
[I don’t want to anymore. I don’t want to go through such experiences any longer.]
[That’s exactly why.]
[…What?]
[New adventures, new connections. They will pile up and ultimately keep you from feeling lonely.]
Then, the next day, he died. His expression in the coffin was unbelievably serene, as if he were just sleeping. It seemed like if shaken awake, he would rise again.
From that day on, she retreated into the forest. The feeling of loss she felt was unimaginably painful. It scared her so much that she didn’t want to lose anything anymore. She didn’t want to hurt anymore.
But for some reason.
“Your daughter needs you to protect her directly.”
The reason she saw his figure in that man.
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