Chapter 58: Like a Moth to a Flame (5)

 

Gallias’ expression twisted at the choice Berg had made.

 

He couldn’t understand his foolish decision.

 

What could be the reason for rushing in, knowing he couldn’t win?

 

“...”

 

Well, if it was just about the reason, he could guess.

 

Just by looking at the person Berg was protecting with his back, he could know the reason.

 

Arwin was just staring at Berg’s retreating figure, even letting go of her cold expression.

 

Gallias understood it was for Arwin, but that didn’t make it acceptable.

 

Especially since Arwin wouldn’t die because of this.

 

And it was not like Berg had feelings for Arwin.

 

He could have simply closed his eyes and let this day pass. Risking his life here... No matter how he thought about it, Gallias couldn’t accept it.

 

Especially he, who valued life above all else, felt this even more.

 

Still, he tried endlessly to understand Berg’s decision.

 

Could it be to prove his bravery to his wife?

 

... No, Berg wasn’t someone who would make such a foolish choice.

 

Was he hiding his true power?

 

... No, absolutely not. Gallias could tell that much.

 

...So, was he really charging in, thinking he could win?

 

“...Ha.”

 

Or perhaps, he was not retreating, knowing full well he couldn’t win?

 

The last hypothesis seemed the most credible.

 

Perhaps he had a similar experience a long time ago.

 

Engaged in such speculations, Gallias tried to understand Berg.

 

Meanwhile, Berg slowly raised his sword.

 

His expression showed no hint of hesitation.

 

The atmosphere was entirely different from their previous duel.

 

It felt as if the space itself was being sliced open just by the aura he emanated.

 

“....!”

 

The elders took a step back, recoiling from his overwhelming presence.

 

There was no one who wouldn’t fear when faced with the possibility of death.

 

Especially among the elves.

 

Gallias also felt his blood boil in response to that daunting energy.

 

A tingling tension climbed up his arm from the hilt of his sword.

 

He found himself wondering when he had last engaged in a one-on-one fight with life at stake.

 

It must have been decades at least.

 

He had fought boss monsters and participated in wars, but a one-on-one duel had been a long time coming.

 

It felt considerably different from their training duel.

 

Every single sword strike could now be a fatal blow.

 

Not even a single mistake was permissible.

 

It wasn’t something that would just end in a bruise or a broken bone.

 

It was a gamble with life on the line.

 

The tension was different in real combat, right from the start.

 

Gallias felt his palms growing sweaty.

 

He tried not to acknowledge this feeling.

 

Losing to a human who had only held a sword for less than a decade was inconceivable.

 

The difference in skill was overwhelming; what remained was a matter of will.

 

-Thwack!

 

At that moment, Berg kicked off the ground and charged.

 

Gallias could now feel that Berg was serious.

 

He had hoped, optimistically, that Berg might be bluffing till the end.

 

However, he too had no choice but to raise his sword in the end.

 

His eyes were locked onto Berg’s blade.

 

Even as he charged, Berg changed his grip on his sword, concealing his first attack.

 

Gallias remained focused to the end.

 

Soon, Berg closed the distance between them.

 

-Bang!

 

A sound too immense to be merely the clash of steel reverberated throughout the cave.

 

The resonating vibration of the swords reached a peak in killing intent.

 

Gallias inverted his sword to parry Berg’s initial attack and, with fluidity as natural as flowing water, commenced his first counterattack.

 

Dozens of clashes ensued.

 

To outsiders, it might have looked like a straightforward fight, but the two were endlessly engaged in a psychological battle.

 

To disguise his attack, Gallias slightly twisted his waist, and in response, Berg sent his next attack in the opposite direction.

 

When Gallias tried to lure Berg into a favorable position, Berg sidestepped and vacated the spot.

 

-Slash!

 

Yet, the difference in their full strength was clearly revealed.

 

-Clack!

 

While the overall battle remained the same, Gallias began to win the smaller exchanges.

 

-Thud!

 

Berg’s arm, wrist, face, abdomen, chest, and so on...

 

Gallias’s sword continued to leave shallow marks.

 

Despite this, the elven swordsman was still astonished by the human’s strength.

 

How could someone who’d only trained with a sword for a mere decade possess such skill?

 

He claimed his teacher was Adam, but could that really be all?

 

Might he have trained somewhere else?

 

Where was he from?

 

A myriad of questions arose in Gallias’ mind.

 

Above all, the unorthodox nature of his swordsmanship was his greatest advantage.

 

While the form was beautifully orthodox, the framework supporting it was odd.

 

The gaps between each sword strike seemed instinctively filled.

 

While long years of training generally lead one to rely more on that experience than on instinct, Berg appeared to trust his own instincts more than anyone else.

 

And it was paying off.

 

Even if Gallias thrust his sword in a direct line, Berg’s sword would somehow block it at the last moment.

 

When Gallias tried to unbalance him by feinting a swing towards his eyes, Berg didn’t even react, as if he already knew he wouldn’t be hit.

 

These weren’t things one could learn.

 

Who else would refuse to dodge when a misjudgment could result in blindness from a margin as fine as a single petal?

 

Most peculiarly, the more they crossed swords, the more awake Berg’s instincts seemed to become.

 

The real battle felt different from the sparring.

 

Even more so now than before.

 

A courage, almost like madness, emanated from someone who had crossed the line of life and death countless times.

 

That oppressive weight increasingly burdened Gallias’ shoulders.

 

Through their earnest swordplay, he learned that Berg had not had an easy time of it.

 

...Gallias wondered if, based solely on the experience of crossing the line between life and death, Berg might surpass his own experience.

 

Of course, he still didn’t feel like he was going to lose, but that single grain of unease was growing larger.

 

-Clang!

 

Once more, their swords clashed and rebounded, and Gallias shifted his sword to his left hand.

 

At the same time, Berg’s left foot slid to the outside of Gallias’s left foot.

 

His footing was compromised, and a perfect opportunity opened for Berg.

 

But Gallias wasn’t just going to let it happen.

 

Swiftly, he thrusted his left-hand-held sword towards Berg’s face.

 

-Whoosh!

 

But again, Berg turned his head, dismissing the attack.

 

As if to say that such a blow would not be fatal, and therefore didn’t matter.

 

A deep cut remained on Berg’s cheek, but he continued his swing as if unfazed.

 

Ignoring the pain, Berg pressed forward with such momentum that a groan escaped from Gallias.

 

“Guh...!”

 

Bending his knees to buy time, Gallias barely managed to block Berg’s sword.

 

Maintaining the block, he then pushed up and pushed Berg’s chest with his shoulder.

 

Berg, having lost his balance, staggered.

 

Gallias attempted another swing in that direction, but Berg swiftly pivoted on his left leg, making a full turn to regain his balance and distance himself.

 

Another lengthy bout passed by.

 

The distance between them widened again, affording a brief moment to catch their breath.

 

Gallias gazed at the battered Berg.

 

Blood soaked him through and through.

 

It was unbelievable that he kept coming despite his condition.

 

Gallias offered counsel once more.

 

“...Let’s call it quits. You know you can’t win.”

 

“...”

 

“You’re already a mess. With a lifespan as short as yours, you should be preserving what time you have. Talent like yours doesn’t come around often!”

 

It was sincere.

 

Although there were moments of crisis, Berg had not yet managed to beat him.

 

Gallias remained relatively unscathed, while Berg was becoming increasingly ragged.

 

“Then stand aside. I don’t want to do this either.”

 

“...”

 

Gallias came to realize he couldn’t persuade him.

 

Berg’s refusal to compromise was no lie.

 

Despite his injuries, there was no change in his eyes.

 

Gallias glanced at the elders.

 

They showed no signs of wanting to stop the duel.

 

The only exception might be Ascal.

 

Only Ascal looked at Arwin with a pained expression.

 

Arwin had not seen such an expression on Ascal; she had been focused on Berg.

 

For a moment, Arwin took a deep, empty breath and closed her eyes tightly.

 

Looking ahead, Gallias saw that Berg was already charging at him as if it were a matter of course.

 

-Clang!

 

Through the clash of their swords, the aura emanating from Berg shifted once again.

 

It became more savage, even more barbaric.

 

There was no retreat.

 

It seemed like Berg had not even considered the risk of rushing in so recklessly.

 

Yet, at the same time, his movements contain a sort of faith that couldn’t be merely dismissed as foolish.

 

Gallias soon spotted an opening in the wildly advancing Berg.

 

Not in a moment of balanced offense and defense, but in a mutual attack situation.

 

Drawing from years of experience, Gallias sensed that he could strike Berg faster.

 

...It was unfortunate, but this ends here.

 

However, at that moment, Berg spat something out.

 

A spatter of blood-red fluid flies toward Gallias’ eyes.

 

“Argh!”

 

Caught off guard by such a move for the first time, Gallias’ sword speed slowed. In that split second, realizing his own blade would arrive too late, he retracted his sword and bent his neck back.

 

-Slash!

 

But it was already too late.

 

Gallias felt a searing pain on his forehead as he widened the distance between them once more.

 

“Haah...”

 

As he exhaled, he could feel blood streaming down his face.

 

He knew without even touching it.

 

His forehead had been deeply cut.

 

The loose strands of falling hair were proof of that.

 

It was the first successful attack that Berg had landed.

 

His vision was obscured by trickling blood.

 

Taken aback by an attack he had never experienced before, a surge of panic arose within him.

 

Further amplified by the fear that he could lose his life.

 

“...This is completely unexpec—”

 

-Thwack!

 

But the spilled blood served as a signal for Berg, who charged in even more ferociously, no longer receptive to conversation.

 

He lunged forward with even more ferocious movements, like a beast that had spotted a vulnerability.

 

It was the movement of a predator that had claimed many lives.

 

“Ugh...!”

 

Struggling to compose himself, Gallias managed to defend against Berg’s incessant sword strikes.

 

In this pressured state, there was no room to counterattack.

 

He could barely manage to defend himself.

 

His vision was impaired by the blood flowing from his forehead.

 

Gallias was using all his strength to keep his composure.

 

If it were just a matter of swordsmanship, he wouldn’t lose.

 

He hadn’t lost up until this point.

 

His momentum had merely wavered momentarily due to the unexpected spatter of blood Berg had ejected.

 

The elders’ expressions grew increasingly disconcerted, and Gallias continued to be pushed back.

 

The echoing of sword strikes filled the cave, deafening his ears.

 

Amidst those emotionally turbulent circumstances, Gallias kept thinking.

 

...Maybe this moment could be the one where he crossed the line he had always wished to cross.

 

Again, a leap—perhaps the moment had come to catch up to Gale’s skill level.

 

The other person’s extraordinary talent was not to be taken lightly.

 

Focusing on that thought, his concentration became even sharper than the blade of his sword.

 

Time seemed to slow down, and even details he hadn’t noticed before came into view.

 

The swirling dust.

 

Scattered droplets of blood.

 

The flickering blade of Berg’s sword.

 

The trajectory of each sword strikes.

 

The expressions of the spectators.

 

And even the beads of sweat trickled down Berg’s forehead.

 

Because Gallias was experiencing real-time obstruction of his vision, he focused on that sweat droplet.

 

Berg charges again, swinging his sword.

 

The drop of sweat that had formed on his forehead slowly trickled down, reaching his eye.

 

Simultaneously, his eyelids blink to close.

 

Gallias seized the moment, dramatically ducking his body.

 

Berg’s sword swished over his head.

 

Blinking, Berg lost sight of Gallias momentarily and hesitated.

 

Without waiting, Gallias gathered all his strength into his sword and swung it upwards from below.

 

Just before the sword made contact, Berg again, with his beast-like instinct, lifted his chin to dodge the strike.

 

-Cling!

 

But it didn’t matter.

 

The duel was over.

 

Berg’s sword slips from his grip, spinning through the air.

 

It landed with a loud clang on the distant stone floor.

 

“Whew...”

 

As the fight concludes, Gallias exhaled a long sigh of relief.

 

Soft exclamations from the elders behind him reached his ears.

 

Time, which seemed to have slowed, finally resumed its normal pace.

 

Everything speeded up again.

 

“It’s over, Berg—”

 

-Bang!

 

At that moment, a horrifying noise accompanied a flicker in Gallias’s consciousness.

 

When he came to his senses, he found himself lying on the cold stone floor, Berg straddling him, a blood-spattered face swinging fists down.

 

-Thud! Thud!

 

His sword slipped from his hand amid the assault.

 

He tried to grip it again but found he couldn’t muster the strength.

 

With his arms limp, Gallias covered his face.

 

Elders behind him cried out.

 

“This... You coward!”

 

Finally, Berg’s clenched lips open.

 

The composure of the one who seized the victory came out.

 

“This is all I’ve learned...”

 

However, Gallias realized the mistake was his own.

 

Years of primarily sparring had made him forget.

 

In a life-or-death fight, it was not the presence or absence of a sword that was important.

 

He had failed to break Berg’s will, which meant he hadn’t neutralized him and the fight wasn’t over.

 

His mistake resulted in an endless barrage of fists pummeling his face.

 

Gallias felt his consciousness fading once more.

 

He may not have lost in a swordfight, but he had been defeated in combat.

 

That much, Gallias knew for certain.

 

“Stop!!!”

 

*****

 

“Stop!!!”

 

The bloodied fist halts in mid-air.

 

“Enough now...! Do you intend to beat him until he’s dead...!”

 

Looking toward the source of the shouting, I saw it was Ascal who was yelling.

 

“Any more fighting in this sacred space is unacceptable...!”

 

Gallias coughed and spat out blood.

 

Had the situation been different, I wouldn’t have wanted to push him this far.

 

Even the other elders couldn’t say a word, overawed by the Ascal’s momentum.

 

Perhaps they were keeping silent due to the kind of person they had seen me to be.

 

Ascal exhaled a ragged breath, glanced at Arwin, and then spoke to me.

 

“...Vice-captain, we got it. Take Arwin and leave.”

 

Finally, the elders drew a sigh of relief and started to protest.

 

“Ascal...!”

 

“By trying to preserve our traditions now, we stand to lose even more, Elder...!”

 

For a moment, the eye of the scolding elder meets Gallias’.

 

Seemingly unable to give up, he opened his mouth again.

 

“...What this human has done to us...!”

 

“-This human.”

 

Ascal cut off the elder, preemptively covering for my actions.

 

“...Was merely trying to protect my daughter. Though his methods were foolish and disrespectful, he did so based on his own standards.”

 

I locked eyes with the elders.

 

Only then did they seem to sense my potential danger in the situation, having defeated Gallias.

 

I had no intention of escalating things further, but if matters did go awry, I’d have to make another choice.

 

Ascal offered me a direction.

 

“Vice-captain, if you are to take my daughter to the outside world, I would like you to act just as you did today... Therefore... Therefore, let’s consider this matter closed. As of today, it’s as if nothing happened. Understand, vice-captain?”

 

For some reason, Ascal’s resonant voice, even in this tense situation, diffused all emotions and eased the stiff atmosphere.

 

“Arwin has paid her dues; the World Tree would understand if we let this one incident slide. Also, although it was short, she had already said goodbye.”

 

At the same time, I found it curious how Ascal seemed eager to conclude matters abruptly.

 

Was he doing this because he no longer wanted to see the fight, or because I defeated Gallias?

 

Would he have said the same thing had I lost?

 

Throughout the battle, Ascal had been the only one wearing a pained expression.

 

I had noticed his eyes drifting toward Arwin a few times as well.

 

Perhaps this was an opportunity for him to take Arwin’s side.

 

Or maybe there was an entirely different reason.

 

Perhaps he didn’t want rumors about this incident to spread.

 

“...Vice-captain, take Arwin and leave. We will also forget about this.”

 

“...Can I trust you?”

 

“...I swear on the World Tree.”

 

But whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.

 

There was no need for me to refuse when Ascal himself said he’d consider this matter closed.

 

My objective had already been achieved.

 

Yet, I remained vigilant.

 

Tossing Gallias’ sword far away, I picked up my own.

 

I spoke to Gallias, who lay on the ground.

 

“...Gallias, I have no personal grudge against you.”

 

“...I know.”

 

Gallias responded, covering one eye with his arm and spitting out a mixture of blood and saliva.

 

“...You taught me a lesson.”

 

I sheathed my sword and approached Arwin.

 

Her previously cold expression had vanished, replaced by a worried look, as if she couldn’t believe she could trust me.

 

“...”

 

Neither of us exchanged words.

 

I simply scooped my hands under her back and legs.

 

This time, Arwin offered no resistance.

 

Lifting her up, I headed for the passage.

 

My eyes met those of the elders first.

 

Out of courtesy, I offered a bow.

 

That was for a clean conclusion...

 

But they stood frozen in place.

 

Given their long lives, they must value tradition deeply.

 

And someone like me, who broke that tradition, could hardly be a welcome sight.

 

I passed by Ascal next.

 

For a moment, Arwin and Ascal exchanged glances.

 

I also bowed my head to Ascal in greeting...and moved on.

 

“...Thank you.”

 

As I passed by him, Ascal whispered in a barely audible voice.

 

Perhaps he was thanking me for saving Arwin.

 

Even though Arwin had called his actions hypocritical, they felt sincere in that moment.

 

What the truth was, I didn’t know.

 

But I wanted to believe it was genuine.

 

I headed outside with Arwin in my arms.

 

Every part of my body creaked.

 

I had survived yet again.

 

It wasn’t as if I’d gone in thinking I would defeat Gallias.

 

But still, I couldn’t back down.

 

My feet wouldn’t allow me to abandon Arwin and walked away.

 

Perhaps it was the distant nightmare, where something was taken away from me, that had spurred my body into action now.

 

The hand I had so easily let go back then might have been pushing me forward now, like lingering regret.

 

From a distance, I saw the mouth of the cave bathed in bright sunlight.

 

I felt Arwin’s ears tremble slightly.

 

For a moment, I had been so preoccupied with myself that I forgot about her.

 

“...Are you okay?”

 

A little belatedly, I asked her.

 

Arwin blinked her anxious eyes... and whether she lost strength or not, she rested her head on my chest.

 

****

 

Arwin couldn’t come to her senses due to the immense shock.

 

The image of Berg, who kept charging at Gallias despite his injuries, appeared in her mind.

 

He did all this for her, a woman he had been married to for barely a day.

 

It was foolish, no matter how she thought about it.

 

True to the characteristics of humans she’d only read about, he was reckless and wild.

 

There was no honor in the way he spat blood at Gallias and swung his fists even after losing his sword; it was even cruel.

 

“...”

 

But she couldn’t look away from it.

 

Her heart pounded stronger than ever before.

 

Berg shook the space she had been unable to escape from for over a hundred years with his willpower alone, all in just a day.

 

It was as if he had given shape to everything she’d ever wanted to do.

 

Was this how all humans were, or was it just Berg?

 

As an elf, she couldn’t comprehend how he’d overcome his fear of death. How could he act this way when he was not even going to live a fraction of her lifetime?

 

After defeating Gallias, Berg approached her.

 

Despite his extensive injuries, he took care of her before anyone else.

 

Arwin couldn’t do anything in his arms.

 

The strong smell of blood wafted from him, a scent she had never experienced in her 170 years of existence.

 

Everything about him was alien to her. The fact that they were different races was painfully apparent.

 

And so, Berg, who had pulled herself from the clutches of the elders, continued to head outside.

 

“...Are you okay?”

 

“...”

 

At some point, Arwin found herself unable to answer him.

 

She couldn’t understand what the hell he was saying, especially since he was the one more grievously injured.

 

Feeling drained, she rested her head on his chest.

 

This was the first time she had ever done such a thing in her long life.

 

For the first time, she leaned on someone.

 

For the first time, she accepted someone’s help.

 

And so, they stepped out of the cave.

 

“...”

 

Bright sunlight poured down, and birds chirped in the distance.

 

A landscape teeming with green life filled her vision.

 

It was the moment she had waited for her entire life.

 

The moment when she was free from all her duties.

 

There was no longer any reason to be entwined with the World Tree, no reason to feel its pain.

 

...But what consumed her thoughts was not the freedom she had anticipated.

 

Instead, her curiosity about this human surged.

 

He was something mysterious that she had never encountered before.

 

He was a person from the outside world.

 

Only now did he fully enter her sight.

 

Arwin’s mind was a whirlpool of complexity.

 

She took a long time to sort through her thoughts, all the while standing still in his embrace.

 

Finally, the most fundamental question was raised in her mind.

 

“...Why... why are you doing this for me?”

 

It made no sense. He had no reason to like her, let alone act like this for her.

 

There was no reason to spill his blood, to risk his life.

 

It would be easier to believe if he answered that it was due to his cruel nature.

 

If he enjoyed fighting, if he enjoyed violence, then she could understand.

 

If he had no knowledge of death, no fear of it, then she could understand.

 

From her perspective, it had been a reckless battle with nothing to gain.

 

However, the answer Berg gave as he turned his head to wipe off the blood trickling down his shoulder was far from what Arwin had expected.

 

“...We’re married, aren’t we?”

 

“...What?”

 

At his response, Arwin again found herself at a loss for words.

 

She was so stunned that she couldn’t say anything.

 

She wanted to understand him.

 

“...Just because...”

 

“...”

 

“...Just because of that? Because we’re married?”

 

Was he lying?

 

But Berg answers with a laugh, as if the question itself was absurd.

 

“Just because?”

 

Cradled in his arms, Arwin looked up at Berg, who was covered in blood.

 

“What better reason could there be?”

 

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –