Future Knight [EN]: Chapter 19

Future Knight Episode 19

These Iron Golems, called Gigantes [a type of large, powerful construct], were created by humans, mimicking the ancient giants who were once the most terrifying weapons bestowed by the gods. They were war machines of such fearsome power that humans nearly monopolized the entire continent.

And now, arrayed before me, were the Gigantes, masterpieces created by the elves and dwarves in collaboration, imitating those human Gigantes.

Crafted by the best mages and artisans, their performance was undoubtedly beyond question.

“Everyone, please come down. We have prepared a small feast for you after your long journey.”

“Oho! I shall drink the elves’ fruit wine after a long time. Hehehe!”

At the mention of alcohol, the dwarves were practically drooling.

“We have prepared the most potent fruit wine from our village. Please drink as much as you like. Come, come this way.”

“Just a moment, we’ll be down soon.”

When Craxion’s Gigantes knelt, the other Gigantes also knelt in unison. The sight of 50 giant Gigantes kneeling in succession was magnificent.

As the dwarves descended from the Gigantes and disappeared, guided by Arteon, the Lord of the Elves, Eladion, left alone after the departure of Gafeld von Craxion, the Lord of the Dwarves, stroked the leg of the Gigantes that Gafeld had ridden and whispered softly.

“An alliance of those who have the technology to create the body but do not know the magic to breathe life into it, and those who know the magic but do not have the technology to create the body, is a contradiction from the start.”

After staring up at the Gigantes for a while, Eladion called out to Kang Chan without turning his head.

“How long are you going to hide?”

“…….”

Hiding in the forest, Kang Chan hesitantly revealed himself, feeling a bit guilty.

“Why were you hiding there?”

At his master’s words, filled with a hint of doubt, Kang Chan quickly replied.

“I was carefully following them as they headed towards the village, Master.”

Eladion’s expression brightened at his disciple’s sincere concern for the elves.

“Good lad. Well, in a way, it’s a good thing. There was something I hadn’t told you yet.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know what these are?”

“I do not. They are just giant steel giants.”

“Yes, that’s right. Giant killing machines made of steel.”

“Killing machines?”

Eladion slowly turned his head and looked at Kang Chan with sad eyes.

“It seems our farewell is near, disciple.”

“What are you suddenly saying?”

Kang Chan, surprised by his master’s sudden bad news, rushed over and knelt at Eladion’s feet.

“A great war that will determine the fate of our race is about to begin. There are still mountains of things I haven’t taught you, and I am truly sorry.”

“Y-you said war?”

Kang Chan’s face was filled with surprise at the word war.

‘Is there war even in such a peaceful place?’

In Kang Chan’s eyes, the elves were people who lived a life seemingly without laws or conflict.

Therefore, they seemed very far removed from war.

But war was reality.

The giant steel giant before his eyes was telling him that.

“Yes, that is why these killing machines have come to our elven forest.”

“I will follow you too! Master!”

“No, there is no need for you, who is not an elf, to risk death for the elves. I am grateful for your heart.”

“You, the elf Master, saved me, and you, the elf Master, taught me swordsmanship. How can you say such a thing?”

“We are not going on a picnic. It will be a very difficult war where everyone might die. Yet, do you truly want to follow me?”

Kang Chan opened his mouth with a determined look.

“I will follow you to the end, Master! Even if that end is death.”

Eladion, slightly moved by Kang Chan’s serious words, looked at Kang Chan with affection.

“Good! Then, starting today, it’s intense training. It will be a completely different, rough training than before. Are you prepared?”

“Yes, Master!”

Eladion’s eyes were filled with pride as he looked at his disciple, but Kang Chan’s eyes were filled with a completely different light.

‘War…….’

Kang Chan, who had lived as a soldier from birth to the present, felt his heart burning again at the single word war.

* * *

While the forest elves and dwarves were working together to prepare for war.

The human kings who ruled the Erkanndor continent gathered in one place, raising their voices, blaming, and slandering each other.

When the Carmel Principality was in crisis, they each only tried to minimize the damage to their own countries.

So, they only provided a small number of troops and military supplies while being mindful of the surrounding countries, and they simply hushed it up as if it were someone else’s business.

In the end, the Carmel Principality was destroyed by the enemy in just three days, and after that, Arjan and Sempron, which were adjacent countries starting with Carmel, were also destroyed by their hands within a year.

While the green elves were running rampant, all they did was build their walls higher to protect their own countries and territories, hire mercenaries, or train farmers, only increasing the number of troops under their command.

Now that they were in dire straits, they belatedly gathered like this, blaming each other and panicking.

It was then.

Emperor Hellainer Dean Fromfel III of the Visman Empire entered, pushing open the huge doors of the conference hall.

Then, as if nothing had happened, a suffocating silence flowed through the conference hall.

In the stillness where even the sound of swallowing could be heard, the emperor of the empire looked around the conference hall with arrogant eyes and shouted.

“The lowly mongrels are eyeing our Erkanndor continent, trusting only in their numbers. How long will you continue to engage in mere armchair discussions!”

At his roar, none of the kings could argue and held their breath.

“From now on, the structure of the Continental Allied Forces will change in the name of me, Hellainer Dean Fromfel III, the Emperor of the Visman Empire!”

He slowly crossed the conference hall and sat in his chair.

It was a chair specially made for him, and it was at least twice as large and splendid as the chairs of the other kings.

“Lord Sachsen, show what you have prepared.”

The conference hall became noisy again at the mention of Lord Sachsen.

Duke Lumiel von Sachsen.

He was one of the ten Sword Masters well known in the human world, and he was the undisputed strongest in the human world, representing the human race among the five great martial gods representing each race.

When Duke Sachsen unfolded a huge parchment on the huge circular table in the conference hall, the detailed Erkanndor continent was revealed.

“Duke Lumiel von Sachsen will now serve as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Allied Forces and conquer them. If you have any complaints, raise your hand.”

No one objected to Emperor Hellainer’s words.

That’s how powerful the Visman Empire was on the continent, and everyone feared him.

The emperor smiled bitterly as if enjoying those eyes.

“Then, knowing that everyone agrees, we will begin the strategy meeting. Let’s begin, Duke Sachsen.”

“Hello, I am Duke Lumiel von Sachsen, in charge of the Visman Empire’s Imperial Guard. From now on, we will begin a military conference regarding the combat organization and supply of each country.”

As he grabbed the baton, everyone’s attention was focused on him.

After a brief self-introduction, Duke Lumiel Sachsen moved his baton around and began a strategy meeting with the kings of the continent.

Then, each king’s mouth was wide open with dissatisfaction due to the huge monetary losses and military damage they had to bear.

However, unable to express their dissatisfaction in front of the Emperor of the Visman Empire, they had no choice but to remain silent like mutes, and Duke Sachsen’s military conference proceeded smoothly.

* * *

“Hey! I heard you’re going to war with Lord Eladion?”

“Yeah.”

“Aren’t you crazy? Are you dying to die?”

“I would have already died if the elves hadn’t saved me anyway.”

“But.”

“Don’t worry. I’m definitely not going to die.”

Kang Chan stroked Jeina’s head, finding her cute for worrying about him, and Jeina, her face reddened, roughly shook off Kang Chan’s hand.

“Hmph! Who’s worried about a shit-stain like you? Just don’t hold the innocent elves back.”

Kang Chan’s face turned ashen at the word shit-stain.

It was the biggest dark history of Kang Chan’s life.

“I told you… never to bring up that incident, right?”

‘Oops!’

Jeina covered her mouth as Kang Chan’s words trailed off.

“Jeina, can I see you for a moment?”

“S-sorry. Can’t you just forgive me once? Kyaak!”

“Where are you running off to!”

Jeina, terrified by Kang Chan rushing at her, began to run away.

“Hey! Won’t you stop there?”

“Shit-stain, bleh!” [making a face]

Kang Chan wasn’t angry at all inside at Jeina’s cute bleh, but he pretended to be angry.

“You’re in for it if I catch you!”

Just as Kang Chan was about to run with all his might to catch Jeina, someone suddenly popped out and blocked his path.

“Who are you?”

“Are you still doing these childish things?”

It was none other than Keremion who blocked Kang Chan’s path.

“What?”

Kang Chan’s anger boiled over at Keremion’s words, full of ridicule, but he endured it, as he was the master’s favorite disciple and a senior in terms of seniority.

“Never mind whether I do childish things or not, just say what you came to say.”

Keremion’s eyebrows twitched at the human’s attitude, which was coming out crooked.

“I came to tell you not to be presumptuous and stay quietly in the village with that child and do childish things like now.”

“What?”

Kang Chan’s expression crumpled like he had chewed on a bitter melon [something extremely unpleasant].

“Don’t meddle in the elves’ business, being human!”

As Keremion shouted, Kang Chan’s crumpled face slowly changed into a distorted smile.

“Why are you so interfering in other people’s business? And to be honest, you’re going to the battlefield and risking your life for the elves, so what’s the complaint?”

“If you go to the battlefield with your skills, you’ll only hold our elves back.”

“I beat you, wouldn’t I be more helpful than you?”

Keremion’s killing intent rose from his entire body at Kang Chan’s words, which were mocking.

“You caught me off guard and won, and you’re still talking about that story from a year ago! Good! If you’re confident, take my sword once again. This time, I’ll show you everything.”

“You didn’t do your best that day? Then I can be serious this time too.”

“Ugh! What?”

Keremion glared as if to kill.

But Kang Chan easily brushed off his gaze with ease.

“I’ll make you regret accepting the duel to the bone.”

“Will it really be so?”

As the atmosphere rapidly changed more and more harshly, Jeina, who had returned, intervened between the two and dissuaded Kang Chan.

“Wait a minute! Mister, you can’t fight him!”

“Why, Jeina?”

“Mister, you can’t fight Keremion! Right now, he has passed the intermediate Sword Expert test that emits a completed Aura Sword [a technique where the user channels their inner energy into their sword].”

As Jeina barely spoke while watching Keremion’s mood, Keremion glared at Jeina.

“Can you be quiet and get out of here?”

Keremion rebuked Jeina with a cold tone and a fierce look, and Jeina, frightened, shrank back, and Kang Chan’s gaze became even fiercer as he watched that scene.

“A man rebuking a woman, aren’t you ashamed?”

“You’re hiding behind a woman and talking tough. Do you humans think you have the right to say such things?”

“I heard from Lord Eladion why you hate me, no, humans. But I don’t think this situation is a situation to make excuses for me?”

Keremion’s face flinched as if surprised when Kang Chan said he knew his story, but soon changed his expression and ridiculed Kang Chan.

“You know, but you’re saying such things, aren’t you ashamed to say it yourself?”

“Of course I’m not ashamed. Because I’m clearly different from those guys. Of course, I don’t not understand your feelings, but I don’t think it’s right to hate all humans for that reason alone.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You and those guys are all the same! Humans are all cowardly and disgusting races!”

“…….”

Kang Chan, feeling that the grudge in Keremion’s heart was too deep, sensed that the conversation could no longer proceed.

“I didn’t know you were such a narrow-minded and petty guy, but I don’t think I can talk to you anymore. Follow me! Let’s settle this with swords as you wish.”

“That’s the most welcome sound I’ve heard.”