Chapter 538

Book 1 Chapter 538

538.

Berkyah stared back at Leo, her expression twisting with rage.

Gazing into his blood-red eyes, something shifted within her.

It was undeniably due to the faint shadow of the familiar grey eyes she recognized in him.

Only a single individual had ever directed that exact gaze toward her.

And even though she had shared countless years alongside him.

Throughout that entire span of time, it had occurred only during one fleeting instant.

Berkyah dug her teeth deeply into her lip.

‘Master Kyle.’

It was impossible.

The idea that the presence of her former teacher could manifest from the youth standing in front of her was completely ridiculous.

Observing Berkyah, Leo shut his eyes momentarily.

‘What words should I speak to her?’

There were so many things left unspoken.

‘Forgive me for failing to return.’

Out of everything he needed to communicate, that apology should take priority.

‘I am truly sorry for forcing you to shoulder the entire burden alone.’

It was a genuine confession he felt compelled to offer, regardless of whether she would ever forgive him.

‘You were never supposed to carry all this weight.’

Such was the profound grief of a teacher.

‘It must have been an incredibly painful ordeal.’

Even though he had never truly comprehended the depth of a parental bond.

This was the exact solace Deid and Raina would have extended to him had their positions been reversed.

An endless stream of thoughts rushed through his mind.

Yet the words remained trapped behind his lips, unable to find form.

Nothing he could say would truly ease the pain Berkyah felt.

Berkyah had already prepared her heart for the reality that her teachers might never come home.

She would have willingly taken up the heavy responsibility even if they had explicitly forbidden her from doing so.

Fully aware of the agony awaiting her on that trajectory, she had chosen to tread it anyway.

Leo comprehended more deeply than anyone else the turbulent feelings Berkyah harbored while sustaining the weight of existence.

Leo genuinely wished that Berkyah had never transformed into this state.

He hoped she would not replicate the tragic destiny they had left behind.

Regardless, this was the trajectory Berkyah had determined for herself.

‘The very destination Berkyah resolved to pursue with all her soul.’

Uttering empty phrases of sympathy now would only dishonor the fierce determination she possessed.

Because of this, he could inherently grasp why Berkyah’s spirit had become so severely fractured.

‘She undoubtedly despises this reality.’

She must carry immense bitterness toward a realm that stripped away the people dearest to her.

‘She cannot abide the existence of those residing within it.’

It would be impossible for her to pardon the masses who survived by stepping over the ultimate sacrifices of her beloved guardians.

Yet, that resentment accounted for merely a fraction of Berkyah’s internal corruption.

It was a sentiment that ought to have vanished the moment her mortal existence ceased.

And out of everyone, Berkyah possessed the strength to discard such feelings.

The genuine catalyst for her descent into insanity.

It lay within Berkyah herself, her very essence.

She detested herself for harboring such intense malice toward the universe her teachers had given everything to protect.

She loathed her own soul for resenting the very populations for whom her mentors had carried such heavy trials.

She was driven completely insane by self-hatred, knowing those toxic impulses had ultimately caused the demise of her close companion.

‘For that very reason, her ultimate desire must have been self-obliteration.’

And fueled by that unresolved bitterness, she had returned to the world as a reanimated corpse.

It was only by confronting her directly in this manner.

That Leo was finally able to unravel the true nature of Berkyah’s suffering.

Leo clenched his fist tightly.

“Take your eyes off me.”

He gazed upon her with an expression radiating profound sympathy and grief.

“Stop staring at me with those eyes!”

Berkyah unleashed an enraged shriek.

His attempt to empathize with her pain was completely unbearable to her.

Nobody in existence could truly comprehend her.

‘No, absolutely nobody is permitted to comprehend what I feel!’

The longer she looked into Leo’s sorrowful, understanding, and compassionate eyes, the faster her remaining sanity dissolved.

Leo blinked slowly as he witnessed her unravelling, and then he began to speak.

There was a crucial declaration that needed to be voiced immediately.

Leo instinctively knew that Berkyah would completely lose control the moment he uttered these syllables.

But.

It was something he was required to deliver.

“Berkyah.”

“Gah!”

Berkyah clamped down on her lip once more.

A certain figure flashed through her mind just from the way those eyes perceived her.

The resonance of that voice uttering her name felt agonizingly familiar.

Because of that, she refused to witness it.

Because of that, she refused to listen to it.

Yet.

She found herself utterly unable to dismiss it.

For the individual standing before her bore a striking resemblance to the soul she had yearned for with all her heart.

“Ah…”

Staring at his tormented pupil, Leo delivered the definitive truth he needed to impart.

“You bear no guilt for any of this.”

“……!”

“I harbor no resentment toward you. I truly grasp your pain. You… are completely blameless.”

“Aaaaaah!”

They were the exact sentences she had long craved to receive.

Berkyah grabbed her head in agony.

She violently shook her head from side to side.

“Stop it. No! Absolutely not!”

At the same time, they were the exact sentiments she dreaded hearing the most.

“Cease this ridiculous talk! The fault lies with me! I am the one who tarnished the reputation of my teachers above all others!”

She felt entirely unworthy of receiving absolution even from her own mentors.

And beyond that!

Her transgressions were far too immense to be absolved by a complete stranger.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

BOOM!

Berkyah launched herself off the earth, lunging directly at Leo.

The structure shattered instantly under the force of her movement.

CRASH-THUNDER-ROAR Silber!

All of Berkyah’s accumulated malice and fury erupted toward Leo.

In that precise split second, Leo unsheathed his blade and brought it down toward Berkyah.

“What…?”

Witnessing the movement, Berkyah let out a stunned breath.

It was a basic vertical slash.

However…

That specific motion instantly unlocked a distant recollection from her past.

Beneath a somber, slate-colored twilight.

A youthful elven girl was executing sword strikes within a wide field.

Droplets of perspiration clung to her finely chiseled jawline, her entire frame already soaked through with moisture.

Her fingers clutched around the hilt quivered faintly, and ragged gasps broke from her chest without pause.

Moving from high to low.

The vertical drop, the fundamental technique imparted to anyone initiating their training in the blade.

A straightforward and unadorned motion.

It stood as a posture that even a complete amateur could easily replicate.

Yet executing this basic vertical slash with absolute intensity, starting from the dark hours before dawn until the sun fully dipped below the horizon, was an entirely different challenge.

Furthermore, the young girl was not merely concentrating on her swordplay.

Swish! Swish!

With every descent of her weapon, the atmosphere around her parted with force.

Throughout all this, Berkyah’s mouth shifted without a moment’s rest.

Across from Berkyah, Kyle lounged atop a small stone ledge with his legs crossed, absorbed in a volume.

In that very second, Berkyah, who was chanting magical incantations, faltered for a brief interval.

The color drained from Berkyah’s complexion, and her blade wavered slightly in mid-air.

“Nicely done. Exceptional performance.”

Kyle’s mocking tone caused Berkyah’s grip to shudder drastically, her respiration turning even rougher.

She exerted every ounce of willpower to avoid glancing toward Kyle.

Yet averting her eyes did nothing to block out the sound of his commentary.

“Your spellcasting paused, meaning your hand just got severed. And because you lost your hand, you dropped your weapon, resulting in your decapitation, I assume.”

Kyle inquired while wearing a subtle smirk.

“Do you possess an extra life?”

“W-W-W-When someone handles a blade for hours while tracking intricate mystical equations… a s-s-slip is bound to happen.”

“Hence my question. Do you have a spare life?”

Rustle—

Kyle flipped to the next leaf.

The text he held was none other than Berkyah’s personal spellbook.

A tome documenting the specific arcana she was capable of casting, an item standard for any practitioner of magic.

“And what exactly is supposed to be intricate about this configuration?”

Berkyah’s gaze flickered with rage. Her self-control was pushed to the absolute brink.

“Are you naturally dim-witted?”

“AAAAAAARGH!”

Utterly incapable of tolerating another word, Berkyah hoisted her blade and dashed straight at Kyle.

The conclusion of such an attempt was predetermined.

Still, she felt she would burst if she didn’t strike out.

Kyle effortlessly struck Berkyah away with a casual kick.

Berkyah’s energy completely dissolved as she tumbled harshly across the dirt of the empty meadow.

Gazing down at Berkyah, Kyle snapped the spellbook shut, flung it toward her form, and commanded, “Be here at the exact same hour tomorrow morning.”

“SCREEEECH!”

Berkyah’s vision blurred with frustration as she began to thrash about in a fit of rage.

Nevertheless, Kyle walked away without granting her a single backward glance.

“Oh, my adorable little student. You had another exhausting day of training, didn’t you? Open wide, say ah~.”

“Ah~”

Berkyah flashed a smile and complied.

Luna slid a portion of nourishment directly into Berkyah’s mouth using a fork.

Masticating the bite, Berkyah inquired, “Who was responsible for preparing this meal today…?”

“I crafted this nourishing dish specifically for you, Berkyah! Do you find it tasty?”

“It is quite good.”

Berkyah answered with a forced grin, though the brightness gradually drained from her gaze.

“Observe those charming, moving cheeks. My pupil is just too precious! It reminds me precisely of my own youth!”

Luna shifted excitedly in her place like an over-enthusiastic elder, beaming at her young ward.

Catching Luna’s statement, Arion, standing just a short distance away, raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“You think you looked like that at thirteen? I seriously doubt that.”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘seriously doubt that’?”

“Yikes?!”

Arion yelped and bolted as he caught sight of Luna brandishing a skillet with a menacing grin on her face.

Observing their antics, Berkyah methodically consumed the meal Luna had provided using her utensil.

What was the name of this recipe? A classic elven delicacy possessing deep heritage, correct?

Berkyah was well aware that Luna felt immense disdain for her own people.

To be exact, she loathed the legacy and ancestral customs of elves, along with any individual constrained by them.

Berkyah harbored a similar aversion to those concepts.

And she was not alone; a vast number of young elves during this period grew up parentless.

The majority of them rejected elven legacy and ancient practices.

There was an old adage about the lingering pride of those who once held status.

The high elves perfectly embodied this mentality.

These high elves, prioritizing ancient lineage and standard rituals above everything else, typically maintained greater wealth than common elves.

While individuals of that sort were absent from Gadsthlon, plenty could be found residing in alternative settlements that preserved their bloodlines.

Berkyah had crossed paths with them on multiple occasions.

They universally looked down upon parentless elves, viewing them as unrefined and beneath consideration.

Despite their judgment, they never once extended any form of assistance.

Merely because the outcasts failed to meet their rigid definitions of nobility or purity.

Berkyah stared down at the customary elven platter sitting in front of her.

Nevertheless, the underlying motive for Luna preparing this specific meal was likely because Berkyah shared her elven heritage.

Heritage and ancestral customs ultimately serve as one’s foundation.

Though the individuals representing those foundations might be flawed, the core principle remains untarnished.

‘Then again, perhaps she just wanted to prove how unpalatable traditional elven cooking truly is.’

Berkyah continued masticating her meal, her expression growing increasingly blank.

In reality, the preparation itself was likely not poorly made.

The primary issue stemmed entirely from the individual responsible for its creation.

However, Berkyah chose not to voice any dissatisfaction.

Prior to the past twelve months, enduring starvation or scavenging for discarded leftovers had been her regular routine.

Contrasted with those dark times, her current circumstances felt like paradise.

“On another note, when will we be permitted to instruct Berkyah once more?”

Arion, having successfully retreated from Luna’s wrath, reclaimed his spot at the table and spoke softly.

Upon hearing his question, Berkyah’s ears twitched with sudden interest.

A spark of vitality flooded back into her dull gaze.

Her pupils, previously as clouded as a lifeless creature’s, sharpened with intense energy.

“I agree! I am eager to study advanced swordsmanship under Master Arion once more!”

Berkyah declared, a radiant grin spreading across her face.

“And I wish to acquire higher-tier arcana from Master Luna as well!”

Observing Berkyah’s enthusiastic outburst and gleaming expression, Luna and Arion exchanged a conflicted look.

“It is not time yet.”

“Correct. You must continue your practice under Kyle for a bit more time.”

“But why? Master Kyle refuses to demonstrate any actual blade techniques or sorcery! He merely forces me to execute identical motions repeatedly!”

Berkyah protested loudly, her tone dripping with frustration.

Arion turned his gaze toward Berkyah, stepping closer to look directly into her eyes.

“Kyle is not neglecting your education. While I can guide you in swordsmanship and Luna can instruct you in wizardry, there is a ceiling to what the two of us can offer you.”

“For what reason?”

“Because your true calling is that of a Spellblade.”

Luna, observing the exchange from the rear, quietly backed up Arion’s statement.

“You are meant to channel aura and wizardry in tandem. Neither Arion nor I possess the capability to guide you in that integration. We can provide separate foundations for blade and spell, but only Kyle can ground you in the core principles of a Spellblade.”

To be sure, individuals like Luna and Lisinas also operated across multiple disciplines, blending traditional sorcery with summoning methods. Similarly, Dweno combined his warrior aura alongside standard magical arts.

Even with that being the case, the standard of their hybrid disciplines operated on an entirely different plane.

Hybrid practitioners naturally occupied a transitional space between roles.

Consequently, they were required to weave their distinct talents together to tap into forces that exceeded normal boundaries.

And when it came to mastering that exact synthesis, nobody could compare to Kyle, who stood as an absolute ‘All Class’.

This was the reason why, following her time with Luna and Arion, he stepped in to become Berkyah’s final instructor.

Hearing this explanation, Berkyah’s posture completely deflated.

She understood the reality.

She recognized that securing an unshakable groundwork was paramount, even if it delayed her immediate acquisition of power.

Luna and Arion reinforced that core lesson with even greater intensity than Kyle did.

Nonetheless…

“My desire is to rapidly gain power so I can stand on the battlefield next to my teachers!”

In response to her declaration, Arion offered a soft grin and gently patted Berkyah’s hair.

“There is no need for you to do that.”

“What?”

“Our goal is to forge a tranquil era where putting your safety on the line in conflict is entirely unnecessary. You will not have to endure such things.”

Berkyah blinked in confusion.

Luna displayed a melancholic smirk upon seeing her reaction.

‘Arion truly means what he says.’

Naturally, Luna harbored the exact same aspiration for Berkyah’s future.

Yet…

‘Achieving that is highly improbable.’

Luna turned her gaze toward the pane.

An ominous, crimson-tinted darkness dominated the horizon outside.

‘Even if we personally bring a conclusion to this age of calamity, Berkyah will ultimately find herself drawn into combat.’

Arion, having spent his entire life within this age of calamity, likely failed to see the broader truth.

However…

‘I still fiercely desire to keep Berkyah away from the horrors of war.’

Luna stared at the bewildered Berkyah, her gaze reflecting the same protective warmth that Arion possessed.

That specific concern was what prompted her to request that Kyle take charge of Berkyah’s education.

For it was obvious that Luna, Arion, and Kyle approached existence with vastly distinct philosophies.

‘That frustrating man does not occupy his mind with idealistic tomorrows.’

As a result, their methods of guidance were starkly divergent.

Their own plan was to act as a shield and shelter Berkyah from harm.

Berkyah would simply keep pace by watching them pave the road ahead.

Kyle, on the other hand, maintained an entirely alternative perspective.

“The path you favor, or even my own perspective, could very well be flawed, Arion.”

“Pardon?”

Arion’s expression turned startled, while Berkyah observed Luna with an expression of deep bewilderment.

“Berkyah, what sort of individual do you truly aspire to become?”

Prompted by Luna’s inquiry, Berkyah proudly expanded her chest.

“An idol matching the legacy of the Great Heroes.”

“Following our specific path is not the sole blueprint for life. That holds especially true for the coming generation.”

Luna folded her arms over her chest, directing her gaze upward.

“The world ahead will be far more intricate for you. Independence will be mandatory, regardless of whether you pursue your grand ambitions or simply navigate the reality handed to you.”

Kyle was undeniably preparing Berkyah for a time when they would no longer be there to protect her.

“In the end, that resilience might be exactly what is required of you, Berkyah.”

‘For if you are overly dazzled by a brilliant radiance, you will inevitably stumble into darkness when it fades.’

Luna kept the remainder of her insights to herself.

BOOM!

Berkyah, receiving the full brunt of that uncomplicated vertical slash right upon her skull, crashed heavily into the dirt.

The local structures had already been reduced to mere rubble.

Cries of terror resounded from every corner of the vicinity.

Step… Step…

Leo advanced through the swirling haze toward the fallen form of Berkyah sprawled across the earth.

And muttered in a composed tone, “Stand up.”

Thud… Thud…

“It is time to complete the training you left unfinished, you troublesome pupil.”

“What…?”

Pushing herself up from the ground, Berkyah stared blankly at Leo in sheer disbelief.