Book 1 Chapter 538
538.
Berkyah glared at Leo with a distorted face.
Seeing his crimson eyes, her heart stirred.
It was clearly because she had caught a glimpse of the grey eyes she knew.
There was only one person who had looked at her with such eyes.
And although she had spent a long time with him.
Even within all those years, it was only for a single moment.
Berkyah bit her lip tightly.
‘Master Kyle.’
It couldn't be.
For her master’s shadow to emerge from the boy before her was an absurd notion.
Leo, watching Berkyah, closed his eyes.
‘What should I tell her?’
There was much to say.
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t come back.’
That would be the first thing he should say among all that needed to be conveyed.
‘I’m sorry for making you bear everything.’
A sincere apology that he must convey, though she might not accept it.
‘You didn’t have to bear everything.’
The sorrow of a master.
‘It must have been so hard.’
Though he had never understood a parent’s heart.
It was the comfort Deid and Raina would have offered him if he were in Berkyah’s situation.
There were countless things to say.
But they wouldn't come out, lingering in his mouth.
None of it would bring comfort to Berkyah.
Berkyah had braced herself for her masters not returning.
She would have borne the burden even if her masters had told her not to.
She understood the hardship of that path and walked it.
Leo knew better than anyone what emotions Berkyah carried as she bore the weight of the world.
Leo wished Berkyah wouldn’t become like that.
He wished she wouldn’t follow in their footsteps.
Even so, it was the path Berkyah had chosen.
‘The path Berkyah set her heart on and headed towards.’
Offering feeble words was an act that desecrated Berkyah’s will.
For that reason, in a way, he also understood why Berkyah was so distorted.
‘She must hate the world.’
She would resent the world that took away those she loved.
‘She won’t tolerate those who live in that world.’
She would be unable to forgive those who live by trampling on the sacrifice of her precious ones.
But that was only one of the causes of Berkyah’s distortion.
An emotion that should have been cast off the moment life ended.
And Berkyah, of all people, would have been able to cast it off.
What truly drove Berkyah mad.
It was Berkyah herself, her own being.
She couldn't forgive herself for burning with hatred for the world her masters had saved.
She hated herself for harboring resentment towards those for whom her masters had borne burdens.
She hated herself to the point of madness for being consumed by those emotions and leading a friend to death.
‘That’s why she must have wanted to destroy herself.’
And due to that resentment, she was resurrected as an undead.
Only after facing her like this.
Leo could understand Berkyah's emotions.
Leo's hand tightened.
“Don’t look at me.”
He understood her with eyes filled with pity and sorrow.
“Don’t look at me like that!”
Berkyah let out a furious scream.
That act of trying to understand her was utterly intolerable.
No one could understand her.
‘No, no one *should* understand me!’
The more she stared into Leo’s eyes, pitying, sorrowful, and understanding her, the more her reason collapsed.
Leo closed and reopened his eyes at her state, then opened his mouth.
There was something he absolutely had to say now.
Leo had a premonition that Berkyah would rampage the moment she heard these words.
But.
He absolutely had to say it.
“Berkyah.”
“Eek!”
Berkyah bit her lip.
Someone came to mind from those eyes looking at her.
That voice calling her was terribly similar.
So she didn't want to see it.
So she didn't want to hear it.
But.
She couldn't shake it off.
Because the person in front of her resembled the person she had desperately wanted to see.
“Ahhh.”
Leo looked at his groaning disciple and conveyed what he absolutely had to say.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“……!”
“I won’t blame you. I understand you. You… absolutely did nothing wrong.”
“Ahhh!”
These were the words she had desperately wanted to hear.
Berkyah clutched her head.
And shook her head wildly.
“No. No! No!”
Yet, these were also the words she truly didn’t want to hear.
“Don’t spout such nonsense! I did wrong! I am the one who defiled the masters’ names more than anyone!”
She didn't even want to be forgiven by her masters.
Even more so!
Her sin was not light enough to be forgiven by some unknown person.
“Aaaahhh!”
*CRASH!*
Berkyah kicked off the ground and charged at Leo.
The building collapsed from the impact.
*KWA-GA-GA-GANG!*
Berkyah’s hatred and resentment surged towards Leo.
At that moment, Leo drew his sword and swung it at Berkyah.
“Huh?”
At the sight, Berkyah let out a blank gasp.
A simple downward strike.
But…
That downward strike brought back a memory from long ago.
***
Under a gloomy, ash-grey sunset.
A young elf girl was swinging a sword in an open field.
Sweat beaded on her delicately shaped chin. Her whole body was already drenched in sweat.
Her hand gripping the sword trembled slightly, and heavy breaths escaped her continuously.
From top to bottom.
The downward strike, the first thing taught to those learning swordsmanship.
A simple and concise movement.
It was a stance anyone, even those who hadn't learned swordsmanship, could imitate.
But doing this simple downward strike with all one's might, from dawn before sunrise until sunset, was a different story.
Moreover, the girl wasn't solely focused on the downward strike.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
With each downward swing of the sword, the surrounding air was pushed away.
Amidst this, Berkyah’s lips moved ceaselessly.
In front of Berkyah, Kyle sat on a low wall, legs crossed, reading a book.
At that moment, Berkyah, who had been reciting runes, stopped speaking for an instant.
Berkyah's face turned pale, and her sword faltered for a moment.
“Good job. Very good.”
Kyle’s sarcastic voice made Berkyah’s hand tremble violently, and her breathing grew even more labored.
She tried her best not to look at Kyle.
But not looking didn’t mean she couldn’t hear his voice.
“You stopped the magic, so your wrist flew off. And since your wrist flew off, you couldn’t hold the sword, so your neck flew off, I suppose.”
Kyle asked with a faint smile.
“Do you have two lives?”
“I-I-I-If you swing a sword all day and memorize complex magic formulas… I-I-I might make a mistake.”
“So, I’m asking. Do you have two lives?”
*Flap-*
Kyle turned a page.
The book was none other than Berkyah’s own grimoire.
A grimoire recording the magic formulas she could use. All mages possessed one.
“And what’s so complex about this?”
Berkyah’s eyes quivered. Her patience was reaching its limit.
“Are you an idiot?”
“KYAAA-A-A-A-ACK!”
Finally unable to endure it, Berkyah raised her sword and lunged at Kyle.
The outcome was obvious.
But she couldn’t stand it without doing this.
Kyle nonchalantly kicked Berkyah away.
Berkyah’s strength drained as she rolled brutally on the open field’s floor.
Watching Berkyah, Kyle closed the grimoire, tossed it to her, and said, “Come out at the same time tomorrow.”
“KIIIIIIIIIIK!”
Berkyah’s eyes rolled back, and she began to throw a tantrum.
However, Kyle left without even a glance in her direction.
***
“Ooh-ooh, my cute disciple. You had a tough day again today, didn’t you? Say ah~.”
“Ah~”
Berkyah grinned and opened her mouth.
Luna put a forkful of food into Berkyah’s mouth.
Berkyah chewed and asked, “Who cooked this today…?”
“I, I specially made this health food for Berkyah! Isn’t it delicious?”
“It’s delicious.”
Berkyah replied with a smile, her eyes gradually becoming dull and lifeless.
“Look at those adorable chewing cheeks. My disciple is so cute! It’s like looking at myself at this age!”
Luna bounced in her seat like a giddy old woman, looking at her young disciple.
Hearing Luna’s words, Arion, who was nearby, widened his eyes.
“Were you completely different at thirteen? I wouldn’t think so?”
“What do you mean by ‘I wouldn’t think so’?”
“Hieeeeek?!”
Arion gasped and ran away, seeing Luna swinging a frying pan with a terrifying smile.
Watching them, Berkyah diligently ate the food Luna had made with her fork.
What was this called? A traditional elven dish with a long history, was it?
Berkyah knew. Luna hated her own kin.
More precisely, she hated elven history and traditions, and people bound by them.
Berkyah also hated such things.
Not just Berkyah. Many young elves were orphans in this era.
Most of them hated elven history and traditions.
There’s a saying that even a fallen rich man lasts three years.
High elves were the same.
High elves, who valued long history and tradition above all else, were generally better off than most ordinary elves.
There were no such elves in Gadsthlon, but there were certainly many in other cities that maintained their lineage.
Berkyah had seen them several times.
And they despised orphan elves, treating them as dirty and lowly.
Yet, they never offered a helping hand.
Simply because they weren’t noble or virtuous enough by their standards.
Berkyah looked at the traditional elven dishes placed before her.
Even so, the reason Luna made this dish for Berkyah was probably because Berkyah was an elf.
History and tradition are, after all, roots.
Even if those who bear those roots are corrupt, the essence itself won’t be corrupt.
‘Or maybe it’s just to show that traditional elven food is tasteless.’
Berkyah chewed her food, her face even more vacant than before.
In fact, the dish itself probably wasn’t tasteless.
The problem was clearly the person who cooked it.
But Berkyah didn't particularly complain.
Until a year ago, going hungry or eating food scraps was a daily occurrence.
Compared to then, now was heaven.
“By the way, when can we teach Berkyah again?”
Arion, who had escaped from Luna, sat back at the table and muttered.
At his words, Berkyah’s ears perked up.
Life returned to her dead eyes.
Her eyes, hazy like a dead fish’s, became clear like a lively fish’s.
“Me too! I want to learn new sword techniques from Master Arion again!”
Berkyah said with a bright smile.
“I want to learn new magic formulas from Master Luna too!”
Watching Berkyah, who was speaking excitedly, her eyes sparkling, Luna and Arion looked at each other with troubled expressions.
“Not yet.”
“Yeah. Train with Kyle a little longer.”
“Why? Master Kyle doesn’t teach me sword techniques or magic! He just makes me repeat the same things over and over!”
Berkyah shouted, her voice full of complaints.
Arion looked at Berkyah, came next to her, and met her eyes.
“It’s not that Kyle isn’t teaching you anything. I can teach you sword techniques, and Luna can teach you magic. But we have limitations in teaching you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re a Spellblade.”
Luna, who was watching from behind, calmly affirmed Arion’s words.
“You use aura and magic simultaneously. Arion and I can’t teach you that method. We can teach you the basics of magic and swordsmanship, but only Kyle can teach you the basics of being a Spellblade.”
Of course, Luna and Lisinas were also dual classes, using magic and summoning spells together. Dweno was also a warrior who used aura and a mage.
But even so, their level as dual classes was different.
Dual classes were inevitably intermediate beings.
Therefore, they had to combine their abilities to use power beyond their limits.
And regarding that, no one could follow Kyle, who was an ‘All Class’.
That’s why, a little later than Luna and Arion, he became Berkyah’s last master.
But at those words, Berkyah’s shoulders slumped.
She knew.
She knew it was important to build a strong foundation, even if it meant being slow to get strong now.
Luna and Arion emphasized that even more than Kyle.
But…
“I want to get strong quickly and fight alongside my masters!”
At her words, Arion smiled gently and stroked Berkyah’s head.
“You don’t have to.”
“Huh?”
“Because we will create a peaceful world where you don’t have to risk your life on the battlefield. You don’t have to do that.”
Berkyah blinked.
Luna smiled bitterly at her expression.
‘Arion’s words are sincere.’
Of course, Luna also wanted that for Berkyah.
But…
‘It’s hard.’
Luna looked out the window.
A hateful, dark red night sky stretched out before her.
‘Even if we end the era of disaster with our own hands, Berkyah will have to fight.’
Arion, also born in the era of disaster, wouldn’t fully understand it.
But…
‘Still, I don’t want Berkyah to stand on the battlefield.’
Luna looked at Berkyah, who was still confused, with eyes similar to Arion’s.
That’s why she asked Kyle to teach Berkyah.
Because Luna, Arion, and Kyle clearly had different mindsets about life.
‘That damn guy isn’t dreaming of the future.’
So, their approach to teaching was fundamentally different.
They would become a shadow and protect Berkyah.
Berkyah would naturally follow, seeing their backs leading the way.
But Kyle was different.
“My way, or yours, might be wrong, Arion.”
“Huh?”
Arion’s eyes widened, and Berkyah looked at Luna as if something was strange.
“Berkyah, what kind of person do you want to be?”
At Luna’s question, Berkyah puffed out her chest.
“A hero like the Great Heroes.”
“Living like us isn’t the only answer. Especially in a new era.”
Luna crossed her arms and looked at the ceiling.
“Your life will be more complicated. You’ll need to be self-reliant. Whether that’s the ideal you desire, or the future you’ll live.”
Kyle was clearly thinking of Berkyah when they weren’t around.
“Perhaps that’s what you need more, Berkyah.”
‘Because the more you’re blinded by bright light, the more you’ll lose your way.’
Luna swallowed the rest of her words.
***
*CRASH!*
Berkyah, directly hit in the head by a simple downward strike, slammed straight into the ground.
The surrounding buildings were already devastated.
Screams echoed from all directions.
*Thud - Thud -*
Leo walked through the dust towards Berkyah, who was prostrate on the ground.
And calmly said, “Get up.”
*Thump-Thump-*
“It’s time to learn what you didn’t finish. You damned disciple.”
“What?”
Berkyah, who was getting up, looked blankly up at Leo.