Chapter 30

Chapter 30

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Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: FusionX

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Without a doubt, Cluna could be said to be my toughest opponent.

With my current skills, all I could do was either bluff or use time stop to make myself look as strong as possible.

But the other party was a monster who had lived for at least a few hundred years.

Naturally, any ordinary speaking skills wouldn’t even come close to matching her.

Moreover, she also had the justification of bringing her daughter back.

Of course, as the commander, I also had justification.

But now that the Royal Knights had been annihilated, the justification of taking her daughter back was much more relatable than the justification I had as the commander.

So I gave up on persuading her.

Instead, I chose to provoke her and put on an act.

Simply put, it was the logic of deciding through a duel.

Fortunately, the other party seemed to be confident in her skills.

She accepted right away.

“To think I couldn’t even react, and against a human at that.”

“...”

“Your movement surpasses imagination. It’s been hundreds of years since I was caught from behind...”

Cluna spoke as if lamenting.

Thanks to that, I realized that she was an amazing lady beyond imagination.

Well, she said she had been fighting since the demons appeared.

Not only in terms of experience but also in terms of skill, I couldn’t even follow her toes right now.

But fortunately, I had time stop, which was equal to everyone.

Thanks to that, I barely won.

I put my sword back into its sheath and stepped back.

For someone of her caliber, she wouldn’t urge me to fight again if I put my sword away.

I didn’t want to fight again either.

“You’re surprisingly retreating first without hesitation.”

“I can’t help but understand the feelings of a parent worrying about their child.”

“Aren’t you going to say it’s disgraceful? You could criticize me for not being able to separate public and private matters.”

“How could I criticize the heart of a parent worrying about their child?”

Of course, if it gets too excessive, it has to be criticized.

But there’s no need to say that here and now.

Clara, who had been standing back, finally approached at that moment.

“Did you see? That’s our current commander.”

“It seems you’ve acknowledged the current commander.”

“Yeah, the commander is really strong. And... he has something different from the races I’ve seen so far.”

I couldn’t ignore the part about me being strong.

But thanks to Clara holding Cluna’s hand and persuading her, I felt Cluna’s heart slowly changing.

“I wondered why a human was acting as the commander. With this level of skill and character, it’s overwhelmingly clear.”

“This much isn’t really a big deal.”

Actually, it was a huge deal.

But I couldn’t stiffen my neck and brag about it here.

Here, I score points by showing a humble attitude.

Cluna chuckled and said,

“Even humility can be poison if it’s excessive.”

“That’s right, Commander. In the past few hundred years, there hasn’t been a single person that penetrated Mother’s magic and caught her from behind, right?”

“...Magic?”

* * *

[What are you drawing so intently?]

When she was still a novice, she asked a comrade she was adventuring with.

He loved to draw and always scribbled pictures on paper whenever he had a chance.

Of course, apart from liking it, his drawing skills weren’t that great.

Anyway, when he heard her question, he thought for a moment and then handed her the paper he had drawn on.

[Take this. It’s a gift from me to you.]

[It’s just a scribble. I don’t need it.]

[A scribble... But I did my best to draw it...]

[Okay! I’ll take it! I’ll take it!!]

The only time he would get discouraged was when she insulted his drawings, even though he always moved forward firmly without being discouraged in any situation.

It was both interesting and fun to see that.

Without realizing it, she always ignored his drawings. Because his reactions were funny.

Then, suddenly wondering why he had given her the drawings, she went to him directly and asked.

[But why did you give me the drawings back then?]

[Are you asking about something that happened decades ago?]

[It hasn’t been that long.]

[For an elf like you, it wouldn’t be.]

However, when she met him again, he had a very different appearance.

His skin was cracked like the bark of an old tree. His once-intelligent eyes were withered like a flower about to die.

In fact, she knew.

The fact that she, an elf, and he, a human, couldn’t be together.

For elves, a fleeting moment was enough time for humans to start and end their lives.

He smiled and opened his mouth.

[Even if time passes and I die, the drawings can stay by your side forever, can’t they?]

[But in the end, you’ll return to nature.]

[That’s right. But they can live on forever. Until the moment you forget me.]

[I’ll probably never be able to forget you.]

Everything was a first for her.

She tried human food and experienced the pain of war firsthand.

She even competed with dwarves, with whom she had a bad relationship, to save each other’s lives.

For her, that time was nothing more than the time it took to blink an eye. But it became the best time of her life that couldn’t be replaced by anyone else.

At those words, he chuckled.

[Go on an adventure again someday.]

[I don’t want to anymore. I don’t want to have this kind of experience anymore.]

[That’s exactly why.]

[...What?]

[A new adventure, a new bond. Those will accumulate and accumulate, and in the end, they will make you stop feeling lonely.]

And the next day, he died.

The expression on his face in the coffin was unbelievably peaceful. As if he were just sleeping.

It seemed like he would wake up again if she shook him.

From that day on, she shut herself up in the forest.

The sense of loss she experienced for the first time in her life hurt more than she had imagined.

She was so afraid of it that she didn’t want to lose anything anymore.

She didn’t want to be in pain anymore.

But why?

“Protect your daughter by your side directly.”

Why did she see his image in that man?

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