Chapter 29
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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What kind of situation was this again?
I shut my mouth.
Because that was the only thing I could do.
Of course, I had heard about her mother during counseling.
But I didnât expect to meet her this soon.
However, no matter how you looked at it, it didnât feel like a normal family reunion.
Rather, it was closer to the feeling of prey encountering its natural enemy.
Clara was looking at her mother with a very tense expression.
On the contrary, Claraâs mother was also looking at Clara.
But unlike Clara, her gaze was very cold.
Cold enough to give even me, who was next to her, the chills.
Unless oneâs sense of perception was hopelessly lacking, one could immediately tell that the relationship between the mother and daughter was unusual.
The one who broke the silence first was, of course, the mother.
âI heard about it. The Royal Knights were annihilated, right?â
âThey werenât annihilated! Weâre still here!â
âThatâs what the world decided to call annihilation.â
It was true.
One didnât necessarily have to use the term annihilation only when everyone was dead.
Objectively, the current Royal Knights had fallen to the point where they couldnât function properly.
So it was correct to say they were annihilated.
Not only the commander and deputy commander, but even the members, only 3 of them survived, and one of them had even deserted.
Haha, I only recited it once, but it was more of a mess than I thought.
âThe Royal Knights were veteran knights, even if they were rotten. Honestly, Iâm just glad that you came back alive.â
âAre you looking down on me now?â
âIâm just stating the facts.â
âYouâve always been like this, Mother! Always trying to put me down!â
The conversation between the two was parallel.
Clara was at an age where she had just entered puberty in elven years.
However, her mother also had many oppressive aspects.
In fact, while conducting several counseling sessions, Clara always talked about needing to be recognized by her mother.
From a third-person perspective, it could be seen as an obsession.
It didnât seem to be at the level of gaslighting.
But it was undeniable that it was abnormal family education.
As expected, she didnât listen to Claraâs words and continued.
âNow that the Royal Knights are annihilated, thereâs nothing you can do. Itâs dangerous, so letâs go back to the forest now.â
âNo, I wonât go back.â
âWhat?â
âThereâs something I have to do. Until I fulfill that duty, I will never go back!!â
Claraâs voice was trembling with fear.
But as if to hide that fear, Clara shouted with all her might.
Then the elves showed surprised expressions.
On the contrary, I nodded my head next to her, as if impressed.
Of course, thatâs how it should be.
I was worried about what would happen if she just followed her mother.
Here, as the commander, Iâll step up and persuade...
âDonât tell me, did you just raise your voice at me?â
âUrk?!â
âHuh?â
âThat canât be, right? You, who lack but are kind, wouldnât raise your voice at me, your mother, like that, right?â
Excuse me?
Your head is twisting at a dangerous angle?
I knew elves were flexible.
But no matter what, having your chin and crown form a left-right symmetry is a bit much.
Iâm not kidding, for a moment I thought she was a real ghost.
Clara, who saw that appearance, also turned pale.
âIâll prove it. Or do as you please.â
âVery well, we can settle this cleanly without any lingering issues.â
Fortunately, this time she accepted my provocation.
No, to be precise, it would be correct to say that she herself wanted it too.
Anyway, she must also have considerable pride in her own skills.
âMy name is Cluna, the mother of this young daughter here. And Iâm the guardian overseeing the Forest of Eden.â
âGuardian?â
âItâs a position that oversees the guardians. You can see it as one of the highest leaders in elven society.â
Clara.
Please tell me these things a bit earlier next time.
* * *
Death always comes suddenly.
It started with her husband first.
Although it was a political marriage, they were definitely a married couple.
And their relationship was very good.
However, that relationship eventually broke.
On the day the demons first appeared on this land, she lost her husband.
Just because her husband happened to be there when the gate opened.
It wasnât anyoneâs fault.
It was just bad luck.
Cluna rose above her grief.
Because if she didnât stand firm, it was clear that her daughters would also crumble.
She had two daughters.
Among them, the eldest daughter was born with a talent that was not wasted on the words âonce-in-a-generation genius.â
Her daughter always told her that she would become an excellent guardian too.
[I want to become an excellent guardian like you, Mother! So I want to protect you and my younger sister with my own hands!]
[Thatâs a wonderful dream. I will also do my best to help you.]
[Thank you! Mother!]
But her eldest daughter couldnât keep that promise.
She, who had been an excellent warrior, always going ahead and fighting to protect her comrades, eventually encountered demons and died in battle.
The last time she saw her daughterâs corpse, it had torn limbs and traces of her intestines being rummaged through.
According to the doctor who examined the corpse, she had been alive until the end.
She died while experiencing the pain of having her limbs torn and intestines rummaged through while alive.
Those around her mourned her daughter as an honorable warrior.
But what good was that?
In the end, everything ends when you die.
All that remains is sorrow and despair.
That realization soon led to an obsession with family.
She strictly forbade going outside the forest.
She even made it impossible for them to have any interest in weapons, including swords.
Despite controlling them so strictly, her last remaining daughter eventually left the forest on her own and became a Royal Knight.
She had gone to a place where even Cluna couldnât do anything about it.
Someone said,
How obsessed must she have been for her daughter to run away on her own?
It was true.
It was not the love of a normal family.
Rather, it was closer to a delusion.
But still, it didnât matter.
No matter what anyone said, as long as she was alive and well, that was enough.
Because as long as youâre alive, you can do anything.
So she led her troops out of the forest.
Under the pretext of bringing back her daughter who had been stationed at Lionheart Fortress, where the Royal Knights were stationed.
And she kept waiting.
It wouldnât be long now.
âYouâre slow.â
A blade had come close to her neck at some point.
âEven at drawing your sword.â
A cold voice came from behind her.
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