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EPISODE 308 – GRAND SWORD MASTER (1)
Elune Ivrea.
She was the head of the Ivrea family, one of the 12 families belonging to the Privy Council.
As a pure-blooded High Elf, she was a distant relative of Vincenzo Lombardi, another High Elf, and if one traced their family tree, she was Elio’s paternal aunt.
‘Grand Sword Master.’
She was the strongest swordsman among the elves who lived not only in the Shadow Forest but also throughout the continent.
But she wasn’t as old as one would think.
She was only a little over two hundred years old now.
Although she was very old by human standards, she was now in her early twenties by the standards of high elves who lived for a thousand years.
However, she was one of the only two Grand Sword Masters among the elves and considered by many to be the strongest elf.
The other, Eltharion Prime of the Guardians of the Holy Cross, was too old.
And in fact, it was meaningless to consider the ages of the swordmasters, except for cases in which their bodies had weakened due to old age, as was the case of Eltharion and the Lord Protector.
‘Because they could still grow.’
Sword Masters weren’t just products of effort.
Naturally, it was impossible for a person to become a Sword Master if they did not make any effort. But neither could anyone become a Sword Master just through effort alone.
According to Valencia’s explanation, Sword Masters were the only ones qualified to see the sword horizon.
Most people did not even know that the sword horizon existed, and even if they knew it, it was impossible to even see it.
The Grand Sword Masters were those who advanced towards the horizon.
So age did not matter.
Valencia had said that what mattered were not one’s experience and skill, but the presence or absence of enlightenment.
[That’s why my successor is a cheat.]
How were you able to see the horizon without achieving enlightenment?
In fact, the current Jude was not a proper Sword Master.
His basic specs were so strong that even a Sword Master couldn’t defeat him, and he had achieved that without even gaining enlightenment in the sword.
But now, he had truly become a Sword Master. He naturally climbed to the top like a serpent who climbed over a wall, and he was now advancing towards the horizon.
How was that possible?
Was it because of his Cheonmujiche?
Or was it because of something else?
‘Elune Ivrea.’
Jude focused on the person in front of him.
A barefoot woman looking at them with drowsy eyes, as if she was half asleep while sitting down.
In Legend of Heroes 2, she appeared together with Elio.
As an ally who helped in the battle against the calamity that befell the Shadow Forest.
‘In the game, she was killed by Duke in the end.’
A high-ranking demonic human of the Devil’s Hand.
Even if one excluded Landius, he was someone among the demonic humans who killed the most named characters in Legend of Heroes 2.
‘But why is she looking at me like that?’
The game’s Elune was a woman who had no interest in anything except for swordsmanship.
She found it bothersome to interact with others. She was so uninterested in other people that she couldn’t even memorize people’s names properly.
But the way she looked at them was strange.
Because her half-closed and drowsy eyes could not hide the curiosity inside.
“Aren’t you going to introduce yourselves? Like, I’m Elune.”
Elune said as she lied down on the ground as if she became too lazy to squat. Her crouched and swaying position seemed to be very natural.
“I am Count Jude August Bayer from the Sälen Kingdom. This is my fiancée, Countess Cordelia August Chase…”
“Scarlet Viper, descendant of the Rogue Master.”
Scarlet introduced herself after Jude, and Elune smiled faintly and muttered.
“Jude. Jude. Jude. Jude. Jude. Jude August Bayer. I memorized it. Who are the other ones? Cadellia? Vaikal? Well, it doesn’t matter if I don’t know.”
Scarlet frowned at her rude words, but Cordelia scowled because of something else.
She already knew that Elune was originally such an elf, so she did not really care if her name was not properly memorized.
But why?
Why are you so obsessed with Jude’s name?
Why?
Why are you trying to memorize it?
‘Come to think of it, even a Sword Master can be an erofu.’
It was like she had everything that was really bad (?).
Cordelia glared, but Elune continued with her words, looking only at Jude as though she was not interested at the others.
“I’ll tell you the important thing before I forget. Old man Vincenzo is very angry. Elio will probably… not see the sunlight for at least a hundred years.”
She spoke in a light tone, but what she said was heavy.
‘As expected, not all the elves joined their side.’
Vincenzo Lombardi was on the emperor’s side.
There was also the possibility that this was bait and Elune would attack them once they let their guard down and entered the Orange Gate.
But Jude did not think so.
Because it was none other than Elune.
It was absolutely impossible for her to do something troublesome that required a high level of acting skills.
‘If that had been the case, someone other than Elune would have been here in the first place.’
As Jude thought so, Elune opened and closed her mouth a few times before she spread her palms out and began to read something.
It seemed to be a cheat sheet.
“Oh yeah. Old man Vincenzo is coming to the Orange Gate. He wants you to tell him where the emperor is so that he can wait on the emperor. Please let us know and we’ll bring him over. The Privy Council also specifically sent the Shadow Knights. I’ll make sure that no one will be rude in escorting the emperor. I don’t know if all your doubts have been cleared up, but I hope that you will trust us. Phew, I’m done.”
Elune smiled brightly after reading, so even the glaring Cordelia and Scarlet couldn’t help but loosen their expressions.
Because it was such a pure and bright smile.
“We understand. We will trust the elves.”
When Jude responded immediately, Elune smiled once more and slowly sat up.
“Since what old man Vincenzo ordered me to do is finished, it’s my turn now.”
Elune was already standing by the time she finished speaking.
Everything looked so natural that it did not seem like she was moving despite them seeing her standing up.
She was like the blowing wind and the flowing water.
“I’ve heard of what happened.”
Elune’s outfit was very revealing.
Her arms were bare, revealing her white shoulders, and her skirt was so short that her thighs were all exposed.
But they didn’t think it was immodest at all.
She was just like a part of nature in her white dress.
“They said that you defeated Elio? That you completely beat him up.”
It came from the reports of eyewitnesses, and they weren’t wrong.
In front of the Wind and Lightning Flurry Strikes that contained the sword’s inner essence, Elio was one-sidedly cornered and lost.
“So I want to fight you too. Don’t you want to fight me too?”
In Elune’s green eyes, a faint but unquenchable flame of desire burned.
This was actually unusual.
Because Elune even found fighting against others as bothersome.
“What do you think? Won’t you fight me?”
Elune pestered like a child and took a step. And at that moment, Jude extended his palm forward and stopped Elune.
“I have conditions.”
Everyone paid attention at Jude’s words.
An offer and not a refusal.
An asking of conditions.
Cordelia’s eyes narrowed a bit while Scarlet looked back at the elves who had now filled the top of the wall.
And Elune asked.
“What is it? What do you want?”
“It’s not a hard condition. Just think of it as a cost for a match. Elune-nim must grant one of my wishes.”
At Jude’s words, Cordelia’s eyes narrowed even more, and Scarlet turned to Elune with an expression that seemed to say ‘No way?’.
You wouldn’t accept those terms for a fight, would you?
“Okay, let’s do that. So what else do you want?”
But it was Elune as expected.
She gave an immediate answer and did not even think much about it.
Therefore, Jude continued speaking with a very friendly yet gentle smile.
“Well, there are more conditions. There are always wins and losses in matches. So if I win, you have to grant me one more wish, and if I lose, you have to grant me one more wish.”
“Huh?”
It was Scarlet who spoke without realizing it.
No, wait.
The conditions are the same whether you win or lose?
Isn’t this a complete scam?
But this time, Elune nodded her head.
“Okay, I accept.”
“Then please sign here.”
Having said that, Jude approached Elune and took out a contract that he seemed to have prepared beforehand. He also had a red inkpad ready for fingerprint stamping.
He had already expected Elune to appear if the elves were not their enemies.
“Can you please stamp here?”
“Okay, I’ll stamp there.”
As Elune stamped her fingerprint without any hesitation again, Scarlet unconsciously swallowed her groan.
‘Hey, isn’t the space on the condition field blank?’
Are you saying that you can write anything there later?
This is almost like a fraudulent contract – no, it IS a fraudulent contract.
“Thank you.”
Jude said with an evil smile and rolled the contract paper before walking to Cordelia.
“Here.”
“Uuuuuugh.”
Cordelia had a rather disagreeing expression, but after accepting the contract, she asked in a low voice.
“Are you sure about this?”
After all, Elune was a Grand Sword Master.
At Cordelia’s question, Jude smiled and said.
“Are you worried?”
“No, I’m not.”
Jude smiled again at her blunt answer.
Scarlet next to them was troubled, but he did not care as he lightly pinched Cordelia’s cheek before turning around.
‘Grand Sword Master.’
A person who had reached the same level as First Sword whom he must face someday.
She was definitely strong.
But he never thought that he could not win.
Jude also wanted to fight Elune.
Because there were things he wanted to experiment with.
He gained new abilities when he opened the seventh door.
He obtained the ability to see through things when he opened the fifth door, and a mental defense ability on the sixth door.
The seventh door was the same.
It gave Jude another ability.
And one more thing.
Another progress he made when he opened the seventh door and met the female sage again.
“Shall we do it now?”
Elune held a sword in her hand.
It was a long and thin sword that appeared to easily break, but the light that only a Grand Sword Master could create turned it into a strong and mighty sword.
Jude nodded his head.
He stretched out his arms and opened the seventh door at the same time. The sudden opening of his energy shook the entire Orange Gate, so Elune knew then. She perceived it and rushed as a languid yet delighted expression filled her face.
He’s strong.
So I won’t hold back.
I’ll do my best from the start.
[My successor is such a scammer.]
Jude smiled at Valencia’s words and began.
Thunderbolt Twelve Steps.
The third step.
Black Lightning Covers the Sky.
When black lightning covered the world.
Jude disappeared from Elune’s sight.