Future Knight

Chapter 63

“My younger sister’s name was Matana. She was the most beautiful elf in our village, comparable to Lady Arteon. However, Matana had one flaw: she was born with significantly lower intelligence compared to other elves. By the time she reached adulthood, her intelligence was that of a five-year-old child.”

Kang Chan shook his head in disbelief at Elradian’s words.

It was hard to believe that the child of Arteon, the greatest mage on the continent, had an intellectual disability.

Elradian continued speaking, ignoring Kang Chan’s reaction.

“But Matana grew up beautifully, loved by everyone in the village. Humans who saw her at that time revered her as the goddess of the elves… Perhaps her untouched purity made her grow even more beautiful.”

Recalling Matana’s beauty, Elradian gulped down his beer roughly.

Suddenly, he smiled bitterly, then spoke with a cold expression.

“But a tragedy befell that innocent and beautiful Matana, a tragedy that should never have happened.”

“What kind of tragedy was it?”

“Matana, who had gone out to play alone outside the village, was kidnapped by orcs and suffered an unspeakable assault as a woman.”

“What? An assault? And you say it was by orcs, by that Urkanta?”

“Yes, Urkanta. That half-chewed insect of an orc is the lord of the orc tribe…”

Recalling the vivid scene of the day Matana was kidnapped, Elradian’s hands began to tremble slightly.

“When we finally found Matana, she had already been defiled horribly by the orcs… Nemitz and I lost our minds with rage, and we didn’t leave a single orc alive there. Not a single one…”

“That’s unbelievable.”

The thought of an orc like Urkanta, who had pushed him to the brink of death, assaulting an elf woman made Kang Chan feel nauseous, as if the alcohol he had consumed would come back up.

“How could it be orcs, of all beings…”

“Perhaps those wretched beings, who were despised by all races, felt resentment towards us elves, who were revered for our beauty by all races.”

“So, what happened to her?”

“Fortunately, she was rescued from the orcs and returned to her family safely, but that was not the end of her misfortune.”

“…?”

“She was not alone.”

“Not alone? You mean… is that even possible?”

“Throughout history, there have been many half-elves born from humans and elves, but that was probably the first time in elf history that a half-elf was born from an orc. We all hoped such a tragedy would not occur. But sadly, the child born had the appearance of an elf but the skin of an orc, a green elf.”

“A green elf! No way?”

Hearing the mention of his archenemy, the green elf, from his master’s mouth, Kang Chan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Yes, that was the day your enemy, Green, was born.”

Kang Chan sprang up from his seat and shouted.

“Are you saying that the one who killed Jaina was Lady Arteon’s granddaughter?”

All eyes in the tavern focused on Kang Chan as he shouted, but he paid no attention to the stares.

“Calm down and sit down.”

“…”

Kang Chan struggled to suppress his uncontrollable anger and slowly sat down.

“Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that she is my enemy.”

Kang Chan’s eyes were filled with cold hostility.

“I have no intention of stopping you. She is not only your enemy but also the enemy of all elves. No, it would be more accurate to say she is the enemy of all races on the continent. Anyway, that cursed green witch was born that day, and Matana was exiled from the village with the child. Nemitz began to change from that point on. How heartbroken must he have been as a brother to send his only beloved sister into exile? The fact that the incident ended with exile was only possible because Lady Arteon was the head elder at the time. If the law had been followed strictly, neither of them would have left the village alive.”

Kang Chan spoke with a fierce look towards Elradian, who was speaking bitterly.

“Then, that green witch, who was just a baby at the time, came back for revenge?”

Elradian nodded slowly and spoke in a more somber tone.

“That’s not all. I don’t know how she grew up outside, but she seeks revenge not only on us elves but also on the humans, orcs, and dwarves who make up most of the continent.”

“What kind of life must she have lived to become like that…”

Having experienced an unfortunate childhood himself, Kang Chan felt a tinge of sympathy for her, who must have had a childhood as miserable as his own.

Even so, she remained his unchanging enemy, and feeling sympathy for an enemy was an excessive luxury.

Not wanting to hear more about her, Kang Chan shifted the topic to the second woman.

“Then what happened to the woman he loved?”

“The woman he loved…”

Elradian paused for a moment before speaking slowly.

“The woman he loved died.”

“Died? Who did such a thing?”

“The one who killed the woman he loved was me.”

Kang Chan couldn’t close his gaping mouth upon hearing that Elradian had killed the woman Nemitz loved with his own hands.

“He loved a woman he shouldn’t have loved. A Dark Elf woman.”

“…”

“After losing his sister in such a manner, Nemitz never wanted to stay in the village. He must have hated them… His kin who exiled his beloved sister to her death, and his mother, Lady Arteon. He lived alone for hundreds of years, far from the village. Then one day, she came to him. That Dark Elf woman who changed his life completely… And I had no choice but to…”

Elradian’s voice began to tremble severely as he spoke, and Kang Chan held his master’s hand.

“That’s enough, Master. I think I understand roughly what happened.”

Seeing his always proud master in such a state of turmoil pained Kang Chan. It was clear that Elradian deeply regretted what had happened that day.

“Master, it’s very late.”

“Yes, it is… very late.”

Early in the morning, after escorting Elradian to his lodging, Kang Chan walked towards his own. Arteon was drinking alone on the terrace at the highest point of the Dwarf palace.

She looked at her cup, recalling the distant past.

“Matana… Nemitz…”

No matter how much she called their names, her beloved daughter Matana and proud son Nemitz were no longer with her.

Still, she called their names from the depths of her heart.

“…”

Her solitary figure, pouring another drink, looked incredibly lonely and forlorn.

—

## 20. To the Battlefield

As the molten metal, heated to a glowing red, poured out like a waterfall, intense heat and steam rose like dense clouds.

The loud clanging of hammers echoed throughout the expansive workshop.

This giant workshop, already heated from early morning, was the War Factory, the pride of the Dwarves.

The weapons and armor produced here were the highest quality on the continent, considered the finest wherever they went.

“Is this it?”

“Yes, would you like to take a ride?”

Kang Chan nodded vigorously.

He was excited to board an unfamiliar combat machine, his expression slightly flushed.

Kang Chan climbed into the massive 8-meter-tall Gigantes, learning how to secure himself in the chair with the help of the Dwarves.

Looking around the cockpit, Kang Chan found himself greatly impressed with the combat machine.

The interior of the Gigantes had a classic charm, quite different from the simple interior of Zaid.

Although it was somewhat cluttered and rough compared to Zaid, every small component exuded a craftsman’s touch.

“How is it? Quite different from the ones in your world, right?”

“Yes, but it feels much more heartfelt.”

The Dwarf elder smiled a warm, friendly smile at Kang Chan’s words.

“Then let’s quickly form the pact with the Golem.”

“Yes.”

Having already received an explanation from Elradian, Kang Chan performed the pact with the Golem without difficulty.

This involved cutting his palm to draw blood and placing it on the Gigantes’ crystal sphere, infusing it with mana to form the pact with the Golem.

By pledging his blood and mana.

Kang Chan took out the dagger given to him by Elradian and cut his palm.

Then, he placed his wounded hand on the crystal sphere and infused mana into the Maglight Furnace.

The Maglight Furnace emitted a bright light once, then started throbbing like a human heart.

It felt as if the engine was being started.

“It’s done! Now this Gigantes is yours. Now I’ll explain how to operate it.”

The Dwarf elder further secured Kang Chan to the Gigantes’ seat and began to explain the controls.

“Don’t be nervous and listen carefully! Even though you have formed the pact, it’s too much to expect you to move it immediately! Moving the Gigantes using the mana from the Maglight Furnace requires a lot of effort! So, don’t rush, just learn the basics of how to ride it!”

Amidst the noisy clanging in the workshop, the Dwarf elder shouted his explanation, and Kang Chan nodded enthusiastically with a flushed face.

“The basic principle is to inject the mana from your body into the crystal spheres on both sides of the seat to connect with the Maglight Furnace, the heart of the Gigantes! Only then can you use the stored mana to move the Gigantes! But it’s not as easy as it sounds! Even the top sword experts on the continent spend years of hard effort to become a Gigantes owner! So, you’ll need to put in a lot of hard work… Hey? Are you listening to me?”

Seeing Kang Chan quietly concentrating his mana on the crystal sphere, the Dwarf elder clicked his tongue.

“Hey! If you try to move it recklessly, it could be a disaster!”

Though the workshop was spacious, if the massive 8-meter hunk of metal Gigantes were to fall, it would be a major catastrophe.

However, Kang Chan was surprised to find the feeling of connecting his mana to the Maglight Furnace was not unfamiliar.

The control method was similar to that of his beloved Red Rabbit, differing only in that the signals were transmitted via electricity in one and mana in the other.

As he became gradually accustomed to the controls, Kang Chan opened his eyes.

Two green lights flickered inside the Gigantes’ helmet, and at that moment, Kang Chan became the enormous 8-meter giant.

When Kang Chan looked around the workshop from his elevated viewpoint, the Gigantes followed his will and moved its head as well.

Next, when he raised his hand and extended it forward, the Gigantes’ hand mirrored his movement, stretching out in front of him.

The Dwarf elder was utterly astonished by this sight.

“H-how is this possible!”

The elder was so shocked he couldn’t close his mouth.

Usually, knights who reached the level of Sword Expert would take at least a few weeks to several months to communicate with the Gigantes. But this human had synced with it immediately upon riding.

『I will take a few steps.』

“W-wait a minute, you!”

Despite the elder’s attempt to stop him, Kang Chan paid no attention and moved the Elven Knight.

The Gigantes, slowly freeing itself from its restraints, began to shake the ground as it started to leave the War Factory.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Dwarves who were diligently forging stopped and shook their heads as they watched the departing Gigantes.

“Tsk, tsk… In times when we are short of even a single axe, giving such a thing to a human, what on earth is Lord Cracksion thinking?”