242nd time
Elves of Alfheim242? Elves of Alfheim #2
“Brother Savage, you must know that I came to this continent in search of the sorceress Elfriede.”
Kalidur’s bald head, shining under the dark moonlight, came closer and closer to me.
But what was strange was that there was no sound at all, such as the sound of footsteps or the sound that should be felt when a person approaches.
The guy walked like a snake crawling on the ground.
In the past, I just didn’t think much of it and let it go.
Having hung out with high-level guys like Hippolyta and the Skeleton Knight, I could vaguely tell that this Kalidur guy was a very skilled fighter.
These guys are fighters who use only a sword as a weapon without any other tools, so if we were to use their metaphors, it would be no exaggeration to say that they have achieved a fairly high level of martial arts skills.
When a guy like that closes the distance, I can’t help but feel nervous.
“… So, you came here to talk about Elfriede with me?”
“You could say so, or you could say no. But one thing is certain: the lesser being is not the enemy of his brother.”
Paget-paget-.
You’re not my enemy.
As he spoke, a pressure that felt like it was piercing my skin was emanating from Kalidur.
It feels like the carbonation in the air is exactly what it would feel like if I could absorb the cola into my skin.
Hippolyta and the Skeleton Knight often said that it was important to read the opponent’s spirit during training. A truly strong man could tell the difference in his opponent’s skill level even before fighting.
At the time, I actually thought it was just the exaggeration that is unique to this world, but maybe because my lower abdomen was pierced by a strange hand that day and my various senses were awakened, I was able to feel this strange feeling vividly.
This is what is meant by speculation or murder.
Itchy, itchy-.
I had a hard time explaining it to him, saying it was something about cola, but when I calmly realized it, it was a similar feeling to having numb hands and feet due to poor blood flow.
“You said you had no intention of becoming an enemy, but now you’re exuding such a fearsome spirit. Are you asking me to believe you or not?”
“Oh, so that’s what happened. I was curious to see how far my brother had come, so I ended up doing something a bit rude. I didn’t know you would read my spirit.”
Sssssss-.
Kalidur’s expression, shrouded in darkness, was still unreadable, but the spirit that had been radiating from him soon diminished and disappeared as if a switch had been turned off.
“You little brat, you were ignoring people.”
“When we first met, and when we met again, there was this same energy. At the time, I thought it was just a normal state because I didn’t care. I guess you’ve been through a lot of training since then.”
“It’s just, it’s just like that.”
“Then how about sparring with Sosang? Although Sosang’s level of enlightenment is low, he might be able to offer a little advice to a brother who has come from a land of barbarians.”
Is it Dalian?
“Okay.”
I sat up from my cross-legged position. My body was already trembling at the thought of having to stay quiet for a few days.
They say that gym-goers suffer from an obsession with losing muscle mass if they let their bodies rest for a few days, and that was exactly what happened to me.
Because I, who had been training with Hippolyta and the Skeleton Knight every day, was just playing around at home, I felt like I was committing a great sin, and I had a strong feeling that my experience points were decreasing while I was resting.
In the meantime, I had no reason to refuse if Kalidur, who was a considerably strong fighter, would mentor me.
“I’ll try to be moderately considerate, so feel free to treat me comfortably.”
However, I couldn’t help but feel a little hurt by my pride, not knowing whether to say that I was being treated kindly or ignored.
Stand with your heels together and your feet together at an angle, place one hand on your waist and the other hand towards you, and wiggle your palms.
That appearance is exactly like that of a master fighting against a commoner.
Maybe you are provoking me.
Because of that, I felt a moderate amount of motivation along with overflowing power, which was nice. Maybe Kalidur was aiming for this and provoking me.
As I was meditating for a long time and stretching my body, I started to rotate my neck and wrists. Kalidur, who was shrouded in darkness, continued to speak as if he found it quite unexpected.
“You don’t have to use the club on your waist, do you? It looks like a really great item. It feels like our mother world tree, a blessed sacred tree.”
“But, I don’t show my club to just anyone. Let’s fight hand to hand.”
“Then you can come anytime.”
“Even if you don’t say it-.”
Pabat-.
I kicked the dirt off the floor and threw it at the guy.
My strong force lifted the park floor, sending shards of rock and sand along with weeds flying towards Kalidur like shotgun pellets.
“It’s a good surprise.”
It was a little bothersome that Kalidur’s voice was relaxed, but it was clear that the onslaught of sand and gravel had somewhat dampened his demeanor.
I didn’t miss the moment and swung my fist with all my might towards the guy’s face.
Pot-.
But the fist came out of nowhere and struck down on the guy’s palm, causing him to lose his balance and stagger.
Because of that, I bent down deeply as if I was going to fall to the floor, and then I saw something fairly large approaching me, cutting through the air.
Suaaaak-.
It was Kalidur’s knee.
This guy is showing off his merciless moves by slamming my palm down, causing my body weight to shift downwards, and then trying to kick my face with his knee.
If I get hit like this, my nose might break.
It worked.
As I was thinking that, the guy’s knee stopped just before my nose.
“I think this will do. I tried to imitate Dermode’s Dark Fist. It might come in handy someday.”
I don’t know what Dermode’s secret weapon is.
“What the hell-.”
Anyone can see that the result is my complete defeat.
There was no room for excuses.
I knew it would be a long one, but I didn’t know it would end in such a short time.
“They’re no match for me.”
I thought we could keep sparring for at least a few minutes, but this is pretty much a first strike.
So, as I was spitting on the floor and feeling defeated, Kalidur shook off his dusty clothes and spoke.
“Don’t be too discouraged. The body of Sosung has been trained with a special purpose since birth. I think that there are probably only a handful of people in this world who can defeat Sosung.”
“I see.”
It’s one of the few in the world.
Normally, you might have thought he was full of boasts, but strangely enough, his words had a mysterious quality that made even his lies sound plausible.
Are religious people different? This is why people fall for religious sermons.
Knock, knock-.
Kalidur, who shook out all of his clothes.
Only then did I begin to see the guy’s face, illuminated by the moonlight. As usual, his expression was emotionless, almost cold and indifferent.
“No matter who the opponent is, if it’s someone who looks like a human, there are very few times when a small being will lose. However, a small being cannot use its power against anything other than a human being. That’s how a small being was created.”
“Really? Well, there’s something like that. With your level of skill, you should be able to slaughter beasts and monsters.”
“That is the bane, the restriction placed on me. In the language of the continent, it could be called an enchantment.”
Is this an enchantment placed on a human?
Enchantments applied to weapons or equipment had special restrictions and were more effective in certain situations.
For example, the axes of loggers were sharper than swords, but only for cutting down trees.
Similarly, Kalidur seemed to be a guy who only showed great strength in one-on-one combat. Come to think of it, he was just struggling against the Stomps at the logging camp without being able to use his strength.
“What a huge weakness.”
“However, it is because of weakness that one can become strong. In order to surpass a certain level, this is an important law… . Most people do not realize it.”
“I think Hippolyte said something like that too.”
Hippolyta is extremely weak to moonlight and other similar properties.
It’s because of the moonlight allergy she suffers from.
When I asked her if she could do it, she seemed quite surprised but refused.
The reason was that “A person can further improve their skills if they have at least one fatal weakness.”
It seems that most experts who have reached a certain field have similar ways of thinking and thus say similar things.
“So you’re really strong against humans? Didn’t you lose to that guy, that holy warrior, last time?”
I narrowed my eyes slightly as I looked at one of Kalidur’s feet. Perhaps an aftereffect of their last fight, the guy had something like a solid cast wrapped around his leg, reaching up to his knee.
Kalidur says.
“That was the case back then. She was a stronger woman than I thought. It was because I had been enjoying meat and pleasures for so long that my body was weak and could not overcome it.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, now that I’ve seen your skills, I feel a bit more at ease. There was something I wanted to ask you for.”
“To me? A request?”
“Yes. The little monk settled in this city in pursuit of the sorceress Elfriede, but he was unable to find any trace of Elfriede. He was busy traveling to various places during that time… .”
Kalidur’s eyes were staring into space. There was no change in his gaze or expression, but I could tell that he was lost in his own reminiscence.
I asked.
“You’re not asking me to catch Elfriede for you, are you?”
“In fact, you could say the opposite.”
“The opposite?”
I couldn’t even guess what this Kalidur was going to say. Every time I saw him, I felt like I couldn’t tell what he was thinking beneath his cold, expressionless face.
*
*
*
Kalidur’s explanation was short and concise.
He was dispatched to capture Elfriede, but if Elfriede is captured, he must return to Alfheim.
Kalidur did not want to leave this continent yet, so he hoped that Elfriede would not be captured.
“no-.”
This kid, isn’t this complete dereliction of duty?
I had a vague feeling when he said he was abstinent from sex. It was clear that this guy also had some kind of strange quirk that is unique to people in this world.
A meat-eating, savage son of a bitch.
“What are you planning to do by staying on the continent?”
“There is still someone here who has not been defeated. Until you defeat that person, you must remain here.”
“Really? By any chance, the Temple of Venus?”
I thought of the Templar of Venus who had cleanly broken Kalidur’s leg. She was a strangely dressed woman, wearing a pointed armor that resembled a mace and a restraint over her mouth.
Was her name Psyche? The holy priest and the saintess were so unique that I could never forget them once I saw them, so the memory of that time was still vivid in my mind.
“Indeed, you are a quick-thinking brother. I don’t know how you knew, but it is you, the woman from the Temple of Venus.”
“That’s right. She was a very strong woman.”
“Do you know anything about her, brother?”
Do you know anything about Psyche? Not really. All I know about her is that she broke Kalidur’s leg.
Anyway, it seems like Kalidur wants revenge on Psyche. That’s why he doesn’t want to leave this continent.
“So, what should I do?”
“Nothing much. Just meet the messengers from Alfheim this time and talk to them. It would be better if you tell them to wait, as Kalidur will take care of things.”
That was an easy task.
“So, what’s the return for me? The commission.”
“Unfortunately, I have nothing. However, I may be able to teach you something, even if it is just a little. I may be able to give you some insight into the release of Alfheim’s speculation.”
It’s a speculative release.
I thought back to when I first met Kalidur today, and the kind of energy he had been radiating toward me. If I could do that, I wonder what could be better.
Will I also have the King’s spirit?
As I was imagining myself knocking out the bad guys with just my spirit, Kalidur added a few more words.
“The release of energy is the most basic way to use energy. Since the inner workings are solid, I think my brother will be able to learn it quickly. It seems like he has a good teacher.”
“Okay, I guess I have nothing to lose.”
“I am glad you accepted my request.”
“So, how many days do you think it will take to beat that girl?”
“I don’t know about that either. This is the first time this has happened… Oh, brother, do you know much about women? If so, could you accompany me to the temple of Venus tomorrow?”
“I?”
“If you look through the eyes of a brother, not mine, you might be able to discover a woman’s weaknesses.”
“Yeah, that’s what it is.”
There was something to do at the Temple of Venus anyway. I had to meet the saint and receive my reward for the mission I had performed while fighting those steel monsters last time.
Shit, I’m getting pissed when I think about it. Are these guys trying to steal my pay? This is absolutely unacceptable. If they don’t pay me the interest, I’ll at least swear at them and leave.
With that feeling, when the next day dawned, I went to the Temple of Venus with Kalidur, and there I was able to find someone Kalidur had pointed to.
“That’s the woman over there.”
However, where Kalidur pointed, there was an ordinary woman sitting at the reception desk, neither a templar nor a saint.
“Sval, who is that?”
“Her name is Hersi. Isn’t she someone you already know…?”
“No, what the heck is this?”
As I was flustered by the unexpected appearance of the person, a woman sitting at the reception desk yawning as if she noticed the commotion looked in our direction.
“Ah, Mr. Kalidur!”
“… .”
As I watched the woman smiling brightly and waving her hand and the contrastingly cold reaction of Kalidur, I felt like I knew something.
A man who is obsessed with women and cannot return to his own world.
This guy is just like me.
[Work Review] Today was a long day… I’ve stockpiled two copies of Michuri again…!! I’m going back to regular serialization…!!!
The subtitle of this episode is none other than the Elves of Alfheim…!!!
If you’ve been brave enough to follow along this far, I think you’ll be able to guess what kind of episode is about to begin…!!!
Now that I’m out of the heavy abyss, I’m feeling relatively refreshed…!!!
