Future Knight

Chapter 50

“Sniff! Sniff! What is that smell?”

He had never heard of such a terrible stench in heaven before.

When he came to his senses and opened his eyes to look around, he found himself in a place that was all too familiar.

It was the cockpit of the Red Rabbit.

“Wh-what’s going on? Why am I still alive?”

In his confusion, he raised his arm and looked at it.

His hands had turned into white and smooth hands, resembling jade.

There were no calluses that were as hard as stone.

“How did this happen? Explain, computer.”

– I don’t know either.

Kang Chan was startled.

The bio-computer, which always spoke kindly in honorifics, had suddenly replied in informal language.

“Computer, why did your speech suddenly change?”

– Because I felt like it.

“……”

Kang Chan was at a loss for words at the computer’s absurd response.

‘The computer’s gone haywire, what on earth is going on?’

With a complicated mind, Kang Chan decided to open the hatch and go outside.

The massive hatch of the Red Rabbit slowly opened, and the dazzling sunlight poured into the cockpit.

Kang Chan squinted at the blinding light.

“Is it morning already?”

As he thought about how they had fought all night, fatigue washed over him.

In front of the Red Rabbit stood the Elven Knight.

It was in such a pitiful state that there was hardly a spot that wasn’t damaged.

On the hand of that Elven Knight, Elradian was performing mana training.

“Master……”

Seeing Elradian unharmed, Kang Chan felt an indescribable sense of relief.

He too was alive and well.

In front of Kang Chan, Elradian slowly opened his eyes and spoke.

“What have you been doing inside all this time? Huh?”

Elradian’s expression twisted as if he had seen something unsightly while looking at his disciple.

“What is it, Master?”

“I wondered why you hadn’t come out yet. So, it was like that……”

“What do you mean?”

“Fine, I understand you.”

“What?”

Kang Chan blinked and stared at his master, not understanding what Elradian was talking about.

“I heard that during wars, knights who suddenly need to relieve themselves often do so in their Gigantes cockpits. So, you don’t need to be too embarrassed.”

“W-what?”

Kang Chan couldn’t understand why his master was saying such things all of a sudden.

But as he looked around the dirty cockpit of the Red Rabbit, he understood what he meant.

“Y-you think I did my business in the cockpit?”

“I told you not to be embarrassed.”

“Absolutely not!”

As Kang Chan vehemently denied it, Elradian looked down at Kang Chan’s lower half and said,

“Then why are you only wearing that black vest without pants? Are you trying to show off your stuff to your master?”

“When did this happen?”

As soon as Kang Chan realized he wasn’t wearing pants, he quickly covered his important parts and ran into Zaid’s cockpit.

While Kang Chan desperately searched for his pants, Elradian looked at his cute butt and said,

“Goodness… whatever you ate, that smell is foul.”

“Ah, seriously! I told you it’s not true!”

Kang Chan washed his body, stained with waste, with the water stored in Zaid and changed into a spare spacesuit.

Then he sat down and began to perform mana training.

His mana hole was completely empty.

‘When did I use up so much mana?’

Kang Chan had never used this much mana before, so he was puzzled as he slowly inhaled mana through his mouth.

Kang Chan was astonished.

His mana hole had become more than ten times larger than before.

He couldn’t believe it.

How could his mana hole, which was previously filled, now hold more than ten times the amount of mana after just losing consciousness once?

Although he didn’t understand it, Kang Chan began to fill his mana hole with mana.

The speed at which this was happening was also markedly different from before.

This was because the mana being absorbed exceeded ten times the previous amount.

Kang Chan was momentarily bewildered.

‘What on earth is happening? What is going on with my body?’

Soon, shaking off his distractions, Kang Chan began gathering mana with a frightening intensity.

Then, Elradian, who was guarding him nearby, was startled and widened his eyes.

‘No! When did this guy’s mana breathing become so fast?’

Elradian, astonished by the momentum with which Kang Chan was absorbing mana, was shocked to see the flower-shaped mana blossoming above Kang Chan’s head.

‘Gasp! That, that is! Mana Flower!’

It was a symbol of a Sword Master, something only a Sword Master could achieve.

The fact that his disciple had risen to the rank of Sword Master was indeed a joyous event. But this was far too fast.

It hadn’t even been three years since he started learning swordsmanship.

‘How, how can this be…?’

But he had no choice but to believe it.

Indeed, his disciple had risen to the rank of Sword Master.

A moment later, Kang Chan opened his eyes, and they gleamed with a brilliant light.

It was a mysterious phenomenon that could only be seen in those with an extreme amount of mana within their bodies.

Soon, that energy was completely contained and disappeared, returning to the usual calm gaze of Kang Chan.

His eyes were as clear and transparent as glass marbles.

“Phew…”

Finishing his mana training, Kang Chan stood up and saw Elradian looking at him with a dazed expression.

“Master, is something wrong?”

“When did you become a Sword Master?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. You are undoubtedly a Sword Master.”

When his master called him a Sword Master, Kang Chan, who had not yet realized he had become a Sword Master, was bewildered.

However, recalling the strange phenomena he had experienced during his mana training earlier, he began to think that perhaps he really had become a Sword Master.

* * *

Jaizen was searching for Racion with the surviving elves.

After scouring the forest desperately, they finally found her.

But she was no longer among the living.

Her body had grown cold, her limbs severed in a gruesome state.

Judging by the scorched surroundings, it was clear that she had fought an immense battle with someone before she died.

“Ahhh! Lady Racion! Lady Racion!!”

The surviving elf rangers, holding her mangled body, wailed in grief.

Jaizen, watching them, clenched his fists tightly.

He had rushed to help her, but he had failed in his mission.

As a knight, failing to complete a given mission was nothing short of disgraceful.

While the elves were mourning Racion’s death, Yara, the one who had killed her, was desperately fleeing, bleeding heavily.

Although she had barely managed to kill Racion, she was not unharmed. Arrows shot by Racion were deeply embedded in her abdomen, shoulder, and thigh.

Though she had emerged victorious from the fierce battle with Racion, it was clear that if she stayed like this, she would soon follow her in death.

The dark elf assassins never took care of stragglers, so no one would come to save her.

Therefore, she had to escape this place on her own no matter what.

But unfortunately, fate was not on her side.

“Where do you think you’re going, you filthy dark elf!”

An elf ranger, who had survived, blocked her path.

His eyes burned with deep hatred, and there was no hope in Yara’s eyes.

She had no strength left to fight the elf ranger blocking her path.

“Keke… Is this the end for me? Glory to Blacklion.”

She accepted her death peacefully.

Just as the elf ranger drew his bowstring to kill her.

Someone rushed out of the forest with tremendous force and beheaded the elf ranger.

Slash!

The elf ranger fell, his head and body separated, without even a scream.

Yara couldn’t believe her eyes.

She had thought she was surely dead, but suddenly, someone had saved her.

She, who had always been at the forefront of abandoning stragglers.

But the situation was far from reassuring.

The one who had saved her was not a dark elf.

The figure, with a hood pulled deeply over his head, was dressed in the attire preferred by the elves of this place, and the sword he held was an elf’s saber, not the crescent blade or dagger used by dark elves.

Surprisingly, her savior was an elf.

Yara could not understand this situation at all.

However, one thing was clear: an elf had saved her.

Yara cautiously asked the figure,

“What do you want from me?”

“I want to help you. So, I hope you’ll help me too.”

“How do you want me to help?”

“I want you to take me to your world.”

“That’s absolutely impossible. Just kill me.”

“Why?”

“Hah! Do you think I would willingly reveal our stronghold to an elf like you?”

At Yara’s words, the elf let out a deep sigh and said,

“Sigh, an elf… heh.”

As he laughed softly, he removed the hood he had pulled down deeply over his face.

Surprisingly, he was not an elf.

He was a dark elf.

“Even now, you think I shouldn’t go there?”

“Are you a traitor to the elves?”

He nodded, and only then did Yara feel at ease.

“Congratulations on becoming one of us.”

At her words, he gave a bitter smile and said,

“Then can you guide me now?”

“Of course.”

With that, Yara, relying on him, began to escape to the city of dark elves, Darkdrow.

“There is a secret passage leading to the underground invasion route inside that cave.”

When Yara stumbled, dizzy from the heavy blood loss, he laid her down inside the cave.

Then, he took out a healing potion from his pocket and provided emergency treatment.

As she watched him, Yara’s face turned slightly red.

The elf healing her was incredibly handsome.

Moreover, the skill he showed when he killed the elf ranger was extraordinary.

Yara felt a strong affection for him.

“My name is Yara. What’s your name?”

When she asked his name, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Keremion, Faianen Mut Keremion.”