Gradually, a look of having messed up slipped across Ilus's face.
“...How could I possibly know that?! What is this about S-Class??!”
Rather, this was the first time she had ever heard of it! Whether in various biographies or the records handed down through her family, ancestor Orubet was supposed to be A-Class! S-Class... Wait, wasn't that a legendary realm?! She had heard there were only a handful of S-Class beings in the entire world today, and they were shrouded in mystery with virtually no public records to be found.
“Oh dear, oh dear~, I really messed up! To think that man didn't even tell his own descendants! Could you just forget what I said earlier~?”
“How could I possibly forget that?!”
“Besides... how do you even know about this, Ilus? Was ancestor Orubet really S-Class?!”
Shulim desperately wanted to know how she knew. She was certain no one in the empire knew Orubet was an S-Class, because S-Class and anything below S-Class were entirely different worlds. That was a realm known as superhuman—a living natural disaster capable of destroying an entire nation single-handedly!
If her ancestor truly had been S-Class, the empire back then would never have treated him with mere modesty, nor would there have been a title like Guardian Knight bestowed upon him. The standing of an S-Class transcended mortal monarchs; conferring an inferior status upon a superior existence would have been absolute foolishness. The only explanation was that people back then had no idea.
“Mmm—, I know you must be very skeptical right now. After all, if even a direct blood descendant like you doesn't know, yet someone of a completely different race like me does, it sounds unbelievable no matter how you look at it.”
Ilus's words were blunt, but they captured precisely what Shulim was thinking.
“Still, whether you believe it or not, as a member of a long-lived race, I can guarantee that it's absolute truth. Because I saw it with my own eyes...”
Over the next while, Ilus unveiled to Shulim an unrecorded, true history concerning ancestor Orubet...
Over three hundred years ago, during the imperial turmoil, the elf Ilus—who had not yet opened a potion shop and was still traveling the world—came to the Pasara Empire.
According to her, it was purely a coincidence. She had only visited the empire to handle some business, never expecting to run into the turmoil, let alone accidentally witness that scene.
It was not long after Orubet had wiped out the rebel army alone with a single sword.
He tracked down the true mastermind behind the entire turmoil, and a fierce battle erupted between them. True to the strength of a man who had crushed an army single-handedly, Orubet swiftly annihilated the mastermind's subordinates and cornered the mastermind into a dead end.
Yet unexpectedly, driven to desperation, the mastermind decided to drag everyone down with him and unleashed a synthetic magical beast that was not yet fully under control!
Ilus did not explain in detail what kind of technology had created such a creature, only stating that it involved an extinct ancient civilization as well as the demon race.
However, one thing was certain: the synthetic magical beast's strength had reached S-Class!
Given the situation of the Pasara Empire at the time, facing an S-Class synthetic magical beast meant certain doom. In fact, perhaps not only the Pasara Empire, but many neighboring countries would have been destroyed as well, unless those elusive S-Class powerhouses made a move.
Although it was an act of desperation, when the synthetic magical beast was actually unleashed, the mastermind instead believed victory was assured, thinking Orubet would swiftly be obliterated by the creature.
But he was sorely mistaken.
Faced with a foe of despair-inducing might, Orubet not only refused to back down, but took the initiative to attack. And between life and death, he successfully shattered his limits and stepped into the superhuman realm of S-Class.
Most crucially, having just stepped into S-Class, Orubet immediately unleashed the spell known as the strongest Sixth-Tier magic—the Non-Elemental Sixth-Tier spell, “Body and Soul”!
Then, the synthetic magical beast that had inspired such despair moments earlier was completely overwhelmed...
After that, Orubet severed the mastermind's head and brought it back to Langard, presenting it before the sole surviving imperial royal family member. Only three days had passed since he had left after wiping out the rebel army.
During those three days, no one knew what he had gone through, and no one could have imagined that within those three days, he had already crossed into another world...
Because S-Class powerhouses held too immense an influence over the mortal world, Orubet refused the royal family member's entreaties to stay and left the empire.
As an eyewitness to the entire incident, Ilus had spoken with Orubet and established a rapport. Furthermore, both being seasoned travelers, they shared many common interests, so she remained in contact with Orubet for many years afterward.
Regarding what transpired with Orubet over the subsequent decades, she was one of the few people in the world who knew...
“...That's roughly how it went. Do you have anything else you want to ask? Ah, if you want to know what he did in the decades following, that's way too much to cover today, so save that for next time.”
“...”
Shulim silently picked up her teacup and drank it down in one gulp. Feeling her mind clear significantly, her churning emotions gradually settled.
It had to be said that in this brief period, her entire worldview had been thoroughly overhauled.
She had never imagined that behind what was already an epic history of her heroic ancestor lay such a shocking truth.
If she told her father about this, she wondered what kind of expression he would make...
“Thank you, Ilus, for telling me so much...”
Shulim thanked Ilus sincerely.
“No need to thank me like that. I merely told you what I know. If you want to thank someone, go thank that ancestor of yours—er, then again, asking you to thank him might actually be a bit much. After all, looking at the state of you descendants, he really was quite irresponsible...”
“...No, I don't harbor any resentment toward my ancestor. Without him, there wouldn't be the Hayeral family of today, nor would I exist.”
“...Well, that's true too.”
“More importantly, Ilus, let me pay you back first.”
Shulim took out a money pouch from her backpack and handed it to Ilus.
Ilus took the money pouch, glancing at the mithril sword Shulim had set beside her.
“This mithril sword of yours is damaged quite heavily. Just what kind of fierce battle did you go through?”
“...It was indeed quite a difficult battle.”
Shulim picked up the mithril sword and drew it.
The mithril sword, once pristine and gleaming, was now pitted and covered in notches.
“The opponent was B-Class, and for some reason, he was actually able to resist the effects of Dragon's Dream Incense.”
“Hoho~, you're finally willing to reveal what happened back then~?”
“Yes. You told me a lot, Ilus, so in exchange, I can share a bit with you.”
“Just a bit, huh...”
Ilus wore a very subtle expression.
Then, Shulim recounted the events of that incident to Ilus, leaving out all descriptions related to combat.
“Ehh—, Shulim, even though you look like just a child, you're quite experienced. I was curious before—just who taught you? That 'person' must really be extraordinary~. I'd love to meet them...”
As she spoke, Ilus cast an intensely probing gaze toward Shulim.
“Sorry, I can't tell you that!”
Shulim flatly refused.
“Sigh, what a shame—”
Ilus wore a "regretful" expression, but before two seconds had passed, she suddenly broke into a beaming smile.
“Say~, Shulim, you mentioned earlier that you handled this whole thing all by yourself, right?”
Rate on N.U.
