The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 79

“Ugh, ugh….”

Elroine, an Elf, ran through the forest.

Numerous demons were chasing after her.

Each one was an Elf’s natural enemy, imbued with the magic of annihilation.

“Is this… is this how it ends….”

Erengor, the Elf leading the Elven race, bit her lip.

It was fortunate that Basolorde hadn’t come after them himself, but the situation was still the worst.

“Ugh…!”

Just then, Elroine, who was in the rear, stumbled and fell to the ground from the demons’ attack.

“Elroine!”

“Damn it! Everyone, stop!”

At the same time, the Elves who were running away turned around.

They were precious members of their race. They couldn’t leave even a single one behind.

Because Elves never abandon their kin.

“Heh heh, those foolish pointy-ears.”

“Kill them all now!”

The demons stirred up their demonic energy and rushed towards the Elves.

The magic of annihilation bestowed by Count Basolorde was like a deadly poison to the Elves.

Their victory was assured as soon as the magic of annihilation touched the Elves.

“Blue Magic Tower First Division, begin training.”

However, just before the Elves and demons collided,

magic spells poured out from behind the Elves.

KWAH-AH-AH-!

The magic that passed over the Elves’ heads annihilated the demons.

“W-Why is the Empire attacking us!”

The few remaining survivors ran away, glaring at the mages, but the mages of the Magic Tower didn’t care.

Protecting the abandoned forest was the order of Perma, the Lord of the Blue Magic Tower.

“T-Thank you. Humans.”

Erengor caught her breath and thanked the mages.

“You’re welcome. It just so happened that it coincided with the Blue Magic Tower’s training. But, do not go outside the forest. Our training is only conducted within the forest.”

“…”

Erengor looked at the mages of the Magic Tower.

They only cast magic at the demons, not the Elves.

And, they even warned them not to go outside the forest.

They were protecting them under the guise of training.

‘Why are the humans protecting the Elves…?’

But, she couldn’t understand why the humans were protecting them.

Humans antagonizing demons was a dangerous act that could lead to war between the Empire and the demons.

“A-Are you Rael?”

Just then, Reine hurriedly ran to the mage.

At her words, Chiron, who was at the front, replied.

“Do you know Sir Rael, a friend of the Blue Magic Tower?”

“Yes. Yes. Did Rael help us?”

“That is something we cannot disclose. We are in training.”

Reine was convinced after hearing Chiron’s words.

Rael.

He was the one who helped them.

“Reine. Rael? Do you know him?”

“Did you call the mages?”

“Rael. That person is….”

Feeling the approaching Elves, Reine carefully spoke.

“Reina. He’s Reina’s friend.”

“Reina…?! Reine! What are you talking about! How dare you utter the name of a traitor!”

“…Wait. Keln.”

Just as Keln was about to express his dissatisfaction, Erengor stepped forward.

Leading the Elven race, she turned to the Elves and said.

“Basolorde said it himself. He said that he doesn’t even know how the foolish Elves are managing to stay alive.”

Erengor had been constantly thinking about Basolorde’s words.

It was a problem she hadn’t even considered until now.

What exactly was the reason the Elves were staying alive?

“Reine. If you’re hiding anything about Reina, tell us everything.”

“…”

Reine clenched her fist and pondered.

Reina didn’t want the clan to know that she was sacrificing herself.

The foolish Elves would surely start a war with Basolorde.

‘I’m sorry… Reina. I can’t bear to see you struggling anymore.’

But, Reine decided not to hide the truth any longer.

She didn’t want her beloved Reina to be called a traitor by her own kind.

“…Reina is not a traitor. She simply wishes that the Elves would no longer die.”

Reine slowly told the Elves the truth about Reina.

As her words continued, the Elves began to widen their eyes one by one.

“N-No way. There’s no way an Elf could think like that.”

Keln grabbed Reine’s shoulders, trembling.

“Keln. What do you think is the reason Basolorde hasn’t attacked the Elves until now? If he had moved himself, the Elves would have already been annihilated.”

“T-That’s….”

It was strange.

Until now, Basolorde had only sent his subordinates, not moving himself.

It was the same now.

Demons imbued with the magic of annihilation were moving, but Basolorde remained still.

“Reina can sacrifice herself because she is an Elf. Reina loves her kin more than anyone else.”

Elves are Elves who love their kin dearly.

Because Reina was stronger than any other Elf, she was delaying the clan’s destruction with her sacrifice.

“Reina….”

Keln, a warrior of the Elven race, gripped his sword tightly.

He was only frustrated and disappointed by Reina’s betrayal, and didn’t think about the reason and her inner thoughts.

“Damn it…!”

A single Elf was sacrificing herself to save the Elven race.

Now that they knew the truth, the Elves couldn’t stand still.

“…We can’t stay like this any longer. Erengor!”

He looked at Erengor with his sword in hand.

“…Yes.”

Erengor also opened her eyes wide.

The Elven race never abandons their kin, no matter the situation.

“We’re going to fight Basolorde. We can’t pass the Elves’ affairs on to humans.”

It was a disgrace to pass the clan’s affairs on to another race.

They had to correct what was wrong, even if it was from now on.

*

Basolorde, the Count of Alheim, looked at the abandoned forest.

The demons imbued with his magic were chasing the Elves.

“What are those things?”

Basolorde frowned.

They were about to catch the Elves, but suddenly human mages appeared and attacked the demons.

“To think that inferior races… are protecting their pride.”

He was making an official visit by requesting the Empire as a noble of Alheim.

It could be a problem for the mages of the Magic Tower to attack the demons.

“I’ll have to deal with it myself.”

Basolorde spread an evil aura and walked into the forest.

What he promised was only about the Elves.

He didn’t promise to kill human mages.

‘I’ll show the power of the demons to the inferior races.’

Each individual was weak, and they were like cockroaches who barely survived by sticking together.

To the demon Basolorde, humans and other races were equally disgusting.

“Basolorde!”

However, just as Basolorde was heading into the forest,

an Elf ran over.

“An Elf. What’s wrong?”

“What are you doing? You made a promise!”

As soon as Reina saw smoke rising from the abandoned forest, she ran into the forest.

And she felt uneasy and chased after the magic of annihilation.

She hoped it was a misunderstanding, but Basolorde was standing in front of the abandoned forest.

“I should be the one saying that. What are you talking about?”

“Y-You promised not to touch the Elves!”

Reina made a promise with Basolorde.

A promise that neither the Elves nor Basolorde would attack each other first.

Because of that promise, Reina was able to endure the pain.

“Yes. I am clearly not touching the Elves.”

Basolorde kept his promise as a noble of Alheim.

“What?”

“I clearly promised that I wouldn’t touch the Elves. Am I attacking the Elves right now?”

It was other demons who were attacking the abandoned forest.

Basolorde’s magic surrounded the entire forest, and all the demons were imbued with the magic of annihilation, but Basolorde remained still.

It meant that he kept his promise.

“B-Basolorde…!”

Reina trembled and clenched her fist.

He had been deceiving her from the beginning.

“Don’t worry. Elf. It’s more efficient to kill the others, but I’ll keep you alive until the end…. Hmm?”

Basolorde turned his head.

He felt the magic of nature at the end of the forest.

“Oh, no.”

The Elves were walking out of the burning forest.

They hadn’t run away.

“Why. Why….”

Reina was startled and ran to the Elves.

The pain in her chest was getting worse, but this was not the time to worry about that.

“Go back now! You can live if you go back now!”

“Reina!”

“Reine…?”

Just then, Reine walked over and hugged her tightly.

She could barely feel the energy of nature from Reina’s body.

Her power as an Elf had weakened as she was eroded and eroded by Basolorde’s magic.

“I’m sorry, Reina. We’re going to fix what’s wrong from now on. Because our Elven race never abandons our kin.”

“R-Reine. What are you talking about.”

Reina felt uneasy and looked around.

She felt warmth, not fear, in the eyes of the Elves looking at her.

“Everyone, stop it. Please…. You’re going to die by Basolorde. You’re all going to die….”

Reina shook her head at that fact.

She didn’t want to see any more Elves die.

“Reina. I won’t allow you to take responsibility for the clan alone.”

“E-Erengor.”

The Elves hid Reina behind them and stepped forward.

“Elves are born from the World Tree and return to the World Tree together.”

The same was true for the Elven warriors, led by Keln.

They burned with fighting spirit towards Basolorde and drew out the power of nature.

“W-Why….”

Reina knelt on the floor, watching that scene.

She just wanted to save the Elven race.

But, all the pain she had endured until now had become meaningless.

The Elves who opposed Basolorde would all die, and her efforts would be in vain.

“Basolorde…! Why…!”

Crack-

Reina clenched her fist and struck the ground.

Her nails were bent and dug into her flesh, but she didn’t stop punching.

If she didn’t express this anger, she might gouge out her own eyes.

“Reina.”

Just then, a man walked in front of her.

He looked down at Reina and sighed.

“That’s how the world is. If you’re naive, you’ll get taken advantage of.”

“…Rael!”

Reina looked up and glared at Rael.

She couldn’t forgive those words, no matter how much it was Rael.

“I’m sorry, but no one will care even if you cry now. There are only guys like that who are trying to rip you off in the world.”

Rael shook his head and looked at Reina.

No one would care even if she lived like that in this messed up world.

“W-What do you want me to do….”

Reina bit her lip with tears in her eyes.

She was a young Elf.

She had lived for 150 years, but mostly in the World Tree Forest.

Reina just didn’t want the Elves to die, and this was the only solution she knew.

“I-I just didn’t want to see the Elven race die anymore…. I just wanted to save the Elven race… Why, why did it turn out like this….”

Reina shed tears and struck the floor.

Rael, who was watching the scene, approached her.

“So, are you going to give up like this?”

“…Rael.”

Reina knelt down and grabbed Rael’s leg.

Her body collapsed as if she was prostrating herself.

“Please, please help me. For the sake of the Elven race, fight with me….”

“Okay.”

Reina looked up at Rael’s words.

She wondered if she had misheard, but he held out his hand to her with the same expression as usual.

“Just one word, and I’ll help you.”

“R-Rael….”

“…I didn’t like that demon bastard from the way he looked.”

Rael turned his body, leaving Reina alone.

At the end of the forest, Basolorde was confronting the Elves.

He was a demon with a huge body that emitted an unpleasant magic.

Step. Step.

Rael slowly moved towards him.

“R-Rael!”

Reine, who had closed her eyes, ran towards him.

Rael pointed at Reina while looking at her… and then lowered his hand.

“I’ll kill that bastard, so please take care of Reina.”

“Ah, Reina….”

After Reine ran to Reina,

the Elven warriors approached him.

“You bastard….”

“Long time no see. Was your name Keln?”

The Elven warrior Keln looked at Rael and raised his sword.

“The Elven race handles the affairs of the Elven race internally. Don’t interfere. Human.”

Rael raised his sword instead of answering.

Swish-

“Keuh…!”

At the same time, a line of blood flowed from Keln’s neck.

‘I didn’t see it at all….’

If Rael had wanted to, he would have died just now.

Keln swallowed hard at that fact.

“I don’t really care if you guys die or not?”

Rael was annoyed.

Seeing that kind-hearted Elf crying, he felt inexplicably angry.

In any world, the one who gets taken advantage of is at fault, but not as much as today.

If he didn’t kill that demon bastard today, he would definitely regret it.

“So don’t touch me.”

Step. Step.

Rael stared intently at the demon confronting the Elves.

A disgusting smell emanated from the large demon.

“These days, even demon bastards are acting like nobles. It’s the end of the world.”

“…Human?”

Basolorde looked at the human in front of him as if he was curious.

The magic of annihilation he possessed was more fatal to humans than just demonic energy, as well as to Elves.

However, the human in front of him didn’t seem to be in any pain at all.

“To dare to challenge me alone, you are arrogant. Inferior human.”

“Tsk.”

Rael clicked his tongue and raised his sword.

Yeah. Maybe that’s right.

Rael longed for a peaceful life.

He would feel that way now, and he would feel that way tomorrow.

But, he didn’t want to have any regrets in that life.

Rael took a step forward to not regret it.

“Thousand Slaughter Sword First Form. Ipcheon [A powerful sword technique].”

A sword aura blazed on Rael’s sword.