Chapter 170

Chapter 170

After returning to the Temple, we handed back our equipment and met with Mr. Effenhauser to discuss what had happened.

Even the usually calm and collected Mr. Effenhauser looked regretful after hearing what we had gone through.

“It was a hasty decision on my end,” he said. “I shouldn’t have sent you there.”

The two of us, mere students, had annihilated a gang of bandits, wandered around a land cursed by a cursed sword, and had eventually retrieved the sword itself.

While Ellen and I informed him of everything that had gone on, we minimized the story about the mage, Rellia, since we had decided to keep Rellia’s abilities a secret. Although Ellen couldn’t understand Rellia, it seemed like in the end, Ellen had come through with a favorable impression of her.

The Temple did not know much about the situation at the Egxian base, or within the Dark Land as a whole. The higher-ups believed that everything would be fine since many adventurers had been dispatched there, but they hadn’t considered that the adventurers themselves could be a threat.

Most people who hadn’t been to Egxian would think that way. After all, while Ellen and I knew we had to be cautious of the adventurers, many things were unbelievable even when seen with our own eyes.

Had the Temple authorities known the reality of it, they would have never let us go there.

Still, they had done the best they could. They had initially intended to assign Mr. Effenhauser as our supervising teacher and to travel with us, but when we declined, they had even provided us with a Teleportation scroll to escape in case of emergency.

“And that’s the cursed sword that you mentioned?”

“Yes.”

I placed the sword, wrapped in a rag, on the table. I also warned Mr. Effenhauser not to touch it directly, just in case.

Mr. Effenhauser silently stared at the cursed sword.

“You’re telling me you weren’t affected by the curse?”

“Yes, I’ve had a few speculations as to why... Perhaps I have some... innate resistance to this sort of magic or curses.”

‘It’s too hard to explain. It is what it is.’

There was no other way to explain it. Attributes like these were powers that physical scanners couldn’t detect.

“Alright, I’ll request an analysis from the relevant department within the Temple. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they know it’s a very dangerous item. Of course, it belongs to you. If the Temple decides that it’s safe for you to use it, we won’t interfere with your possession of it.”

As long as it was deemed safe, the Temple would willingly allow me to use the cursed sword in any way I saw fit.

It was a sinister item, but it was clear that it possessed significant power.

“If you need psychological counseling, let me know.”

Since we had gone through a horrific experience, Mr. Effenhauser thought we might need counseling, but neither of us decided to receive psychological counseling.

Mr. Effenhauser was almost astounded to hear that Ellen had awakened her Mana Reinforcement ability on her own, since it was generally considered impossible.

Watching his shocked reactions to our accomplishments was rather amusing.

Of course, Ellen had to receive some follow-up treatment for her deteriorated physical condition, as the injuries were beyond the healing capabilities of ordinary priests.

The person who administered the treatment to her was a completely unexpected person.

“It’s like releasing a dragon in a narrow alley, Ellen.” T/his chapter is updated by nov(ê(l)biin.co/m

“... Pardon me?”

“Very well. Even if you stumble on your first step, what does it matter? The important thing is that you’ve taken that first step, so you can be considered to have started walking now.”

Ellen looked perplexed.

“Now... breathe in deeply... and exhale... Feel the energy of the universe...”

It was the person who I suspected was a yoga master, or maybe even a hypnotist.

It was no other than the mana management training instructor—the one who taught the class in which students seemed to fall asleep and wake up only to realize the class was over.

Apparently, there was no one on the entire continent who could match him in internal mana management and operation. In other words, he was a master among masters. Though he wasn’t necessarily a Swordmaster, he was some kind of master in his field.

A Master of Masters...

That basically made him a Grandmaster, then.

Anyway, the Grand Yoga Master guy performed something akin to energy healing on Ellen.

In the first place, the injuries caused by Mana Reinforcement were not injuries that anyone would normally sustain. In martial arts terms, it was akin to something like internal energy deviation. If you were not at a certain level, you wouldn’t even be able to sustain such injuries.

Naturally, therefore, finding someone capable of healing such an injury would be extremely difficult.

However, there was someone at the Temple who was the perfect person to be able to treat it. It dawned on me once again how impressive the Temple’s human resources were.

Ellen looked quite relieved after the treatment was done.

“What about Mana Reinforcement? Did he say anything about it?” I asked Ellen.

I tried not to think about it, yet despite the lack of any guilty feelings, the horrific images still flooded my mind.

That was why we avoided talking about the Dark Land, and as a result, why we hardly spoke at all.

Even though we had been together constantly since our return, except when we slept, we barely talked.

Our conversations were just limited to:

“Want to eat?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s exercise.”

“Sure.”

That was pretty much it.

However, it wasn’t just that we were talking less; there were also some other changes.

Ellen treated me a bit more casually than before.

She leaned on me occasionally, and even laid her head in my lap during a training session, claiming she was tired, before eventually dozing off.

It felt nice to be closer to her, but... It was a strange feeling, almost like we were a married couple who no longer communicated at all.

***

Although many things had happened, only two weeks had passed since the beginning of the vacation.

We had spent just over a week in the Dark Land, yet so many things happened that changed both Ellen and me forever.

Thinking it was about time that Eleris returned, I went to her shop and found her sitting there.

“Your Highness?”

“Yes?”

Eleris had shed her disguise as Rellia and returned to her true form.

“You’ve worked hard,” I told her. “I’m sorry for what you went through.”

“It’s fine, Your Highness. Although it wasn’t enjoyable... it was a meaningful experience,” Eleris said.

She smiled sadly. “That girl. She must be related to Ragan Artorius, right?”

I paused for a moment. “She’s his younger sister.”

“I see.”

The younger sister of Artorius, the one who killed the Demon King...

And the son of the Demon King who killed Artorius...

Eleris seemed conflicted about whether such a relationship should even exist.

“She seemed like a nice girl; upright, strong, and kind,” Eleris said as she quietly took my hand. “I sincerely hope that you and that girl do not end up in a tragic relationship, Your Highness.”

“Yeah.”

Even though she said that, Eleris had a look on her face that suggested that she was witnessing a story with an inevitable ending.

“Sarkegar... He must never, ever know about this.”

If Sarkegar found out, he would do everything in his power to harm Ellen. I wasn’t sure about Loyar, but she hadn’t caused Ellen any harm after I’d told her to leave her alone.

The relationship between Ellen and I, no matter how strong, was as fragile as glass, at risk of shattering with the revelation of a single truth.

“Make sure Loyar keeps her mouth shut.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And deliver this to her as well.”

I placed the backpack I was carrying in front of Eleris. It contained the jewelry and valuables we had brought back from the Dark Land, as we intended to sell them through the Thieves’ Guild.

I didn’t know their exact value, but they had to be worth a significant amount. I had brought not only my share but Ellen’s as well, since I knew she wouldn’t be able to sell them on her own. Even if she could, she would find it bothersome.

Combining this with Eleris’s own share, we would be free of any financial issues for a while.

“While you’re at it, look for a place in a basement, or one that doesn’t get much sunlight. What’s the point of earning money if you don’t spend it?”

“I-Is that... really okay with you, Your Highness?” Eleris trembled with joy, clearly delighted by the mere thought.