Chapter 218: The dormant weapon, part 6
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Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
◆Rodje◆
Her mouth half open, Orlando looked at the massive soldier towering over her.
「That’s the ‘Boulder Soldier’, Orlando.」
「Thought so.」
「You’re a smart one.」
「No, you’re just dumb.」
「Hmph.」
The two elves thought about the last time they fought together — the war that had driven them away from home and forced them to go their separate ways.
「DIOOOOOON!!」
Creaking as it moved, the ‘Boulder Soldier’ extended an outstretched palm in their direction.
「Can I take this one?」
「Mhm.」
The magical weapon bent a finger and fired off red balls of energy. The elves split up, and Rodje darted towards her sister.
「How long has it been?」, said Marion.
「Hmm.」
Marion summoned her magic bow and notched an arrow.
Though the two sisters had often fought, it was usually nothing more than a clash of tongues. There was still a part of Rodje that wondered if her sister was serious. Marion had been one of the best archers in the entire forest, rivalled only by herself.
Rodje knew that her sister was still as good a shot as ever when the arrow came flying at her.
「Tch…」
She activated ‘Shadow Edge’, creating a sword out of magicka which she used to block the arrow.
「Hm? An elf, using dark magic?」
「You have no idea how hard I worked to improve myself after we were displaced.」
「Have you discarded your elven pride because we lost our home, Onee-chan?」
「If only pride alone had been enough to defend it.」
All of it had been more than a century ago. She had planned her revenge, then served it. The humans had been easy to pick off when they were alone.
Orlando, who she had left for dead, was now here in the flesh fighting the ‘Boulder Soldier’.
「DIGUOOO!!」
The colossus fired at Orlando, who easily sidestepped the attack and swung her large sword at it in return.
「My attack lands, you die. Easy as pie. Monsters are a little less predictable.」
Rodje had learnt that she was S-ranked during their brief reunion. From the way Orlando fought, it was clear that her rank was not just for show.
「Why do you go against Master?」, asked Marion as she watched the fight.
「I may have agreed to Van’s terms, but Lylael-sama is the only person I serve. If Van lays so much as a finger on her, it is my duty as commander of the cavalry to come to her rescue.」
「But I’m here. And that demon called Lylael too. You could just stay with us.」
Rodje shook her head.
「I tried really hard to see you as the real Marion」, she replied. 「But I know you’re not. I’ve pretended otherwise the whole time.」
「I am real. What’s the difference?」
「You’re exactly the same as you were the day I lost you. You haven’t grown, and nor have you deteriorated. A carbon copy of the Marion in my mind. That realisation hit hard after I was reunited with my old friend Orlando. ‘Resurrection’ can only go so far, I suppose.」
Marion shook her head with indifference.
「That’s enough. I don’t want this Onee-chan anymore. I’ll get Master to make me a new one.」
She notched three arrows and prepared to fire.
「That’s no longer…」
Rodje summoned a bow of her own, then an arrow made of dark magic. The sisters fired at the same time. Marion’s arrows undulated in Rodje’s direction like a triad of venomous serpents.
「Times have changed, Marion. Magical bows, magical arrows, the ways of the forest… they are all things of the past.」
Rodje’s arrow split into a myriad of fine particles. The incoming arrows, which flew through the dust, landed wide of the mark, lodging themselves in either the wall or the floor.
「Just… what is that arrow?」
「I call it ‘Chaff’」, explained Rodje. 「It greatly alters the trajectory of other projectiles. This type of arrow was used a lot by the Demon King’s Army during the Human-Demon War, which you didn’t live to see. You’ve never seen an arrow like this before, have you? Well, I invented it. It kills elves.」
「But why?」
「I am no longer an elf of the forest. I am Rodje Sandsong, Commander of the First Magical Regiment of the Demon King’s Cavalry. Do you look down on me for killing my own kind? Look at yourself, bringing outdated techniques to the battlefield.」
「Me?」
「Not only you, but elves as a whole. It was downright embarrassing. ‘Ways of the forest’ and ‘elven pride’ are all fine and dandy until you bring those lofty ideals to the battlefield and realise that everyone else is already miles ahead of you. So I decided to defend my own pride.」
They had stagnated, so it was only natural to be conquered — that was what Rodje had learnt from the catastrophe.
She heard cannon fire in the background, following which the entire building shook and parts of the walls fell away in pieces. Orlando’s large sword had struck true, cleaving one of the soldier’s arms in two. Though Rodje knew not of where she had learnt her techniques, she knew that they were not traditional either. Her friend’s fighting style had changed completely.
The ‘Boulder Soldier’ fell on all fours. Pillar-like structures extended from its elbows and knees and pierced the ground. It then opened its mouth, from which the barrel of a cannon appeared.
「DIGO –!」
With a blinding flash of crimson light, a ball of pure magicka was released from the cannon.
「Ei!」
Orlando struck it with her sword, splitting it into two balls which smashed into a wall. The wall remained intact, however, which was probably thanks to Lyla’s magic. The ‘Boulder Soldier’ seemed to have entered a recoil phase, which naturally made it a sitting duck.
「Orlando, too, no longer fights like an elf」, observed Marion.
「A hundred and fifty years have passed since your death, Marion. Both Orlando and I have changed, even if only a little」, said Rodje.
Finding an opening, she charged at her sister with ‘Shadow Edge’. Marion parried the attack with the dagger hanging by her waist.
「I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to protect you back then.」
「Stop it! I never wanted protection!」
Rodje was, of course, familiar with traditional elven techniques. She knew that her sister posed no threat when forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat like this. When she took a step back, Marion readied her bow again.
「You haven’t improved at all. It couldn’t be helped that we elves were ridiculed for our excessive self-isolation.」
If only I had known that back then, thought Rodje. Could we have avoided the disaster? Would I have been able to protect what I loved? My forest, my home, and my sister?
She cut her sister’s arrow in half with ‘Shadow Edge’.
「!!」
After that, she ran at her sister again and sent the dagger flying with a swing of her weapon.
「I’m glad we were able to meet again. I know this is selfish of me, but please forgive me.」
She looked into Marion’s eyes and steeled herself before she could experience a change of heart. After a moment’s hesitation, she finally sank her blade into her sister’s chest.
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