Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy World of SSS-Rank: King of the Void-Chapter 47: The Herald of the Unnameable [3]

Ellegaard was direct.

"At first, we thought you could travel with us because the rest of our journey wouldn’t be a big deal, but we didn’t take into account that the Shadow Idiots would pull this rumor out of nowhere just to ruin everything. Now we have to make sure it isn’t true—only then will people calm down again."

"Looks like that’s how it’s going to be, after all..." Jeanne said, fully understanding what the elf meant. She gave Mitsuki a faint, comforting smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I’m sorry, Mitsuki, but we won’t be able to continue the swordsmanship lessons for a long time. I have to go with Ellegaard no matter what."

"I... I don’t know what to say."

"You don’t need to say anything, rookie, because it’s not worth taking you somewhere we know you’ll die no matter what you do. Nemoria isn’t a game, and it’s more than just a land tainted by the Ash Curse. In fact, you were far too lucky not to die before we found you, and enough people already died during the catastrophe. So it’s best if you don’t risk your pathetic life and just go your own way."

"Listen to what Miss Ellegaard is telling you, Mitsuki Kirishima," Aslan added. "Her words may be cruel, but there isn’t a single lie in them. Though I would also add that your weakness is not only physical, but mental as well."

’Mental weakness? Me?’ He looked down, refusing to accept that as truth. He was certainly physically weak, but he had grown stronger in just a few weeks. If he trained more, he could be useful in battle—but there was no time. ’It’s not like I ever promised to stay with them, but... what am I supposed to do if I end up alone from now on?’

A memory struck him as he thought about it: the image of a blue sky on a beautiful sunny day over the high school rooftop, followed by the memory of the darkness of his room in front of his PC screen.

That made a knot form in his throat, preventing him from refuting what Aslan had said. Moreover, the slight disturbance on his expression from the memory had already given him away.

He wasn’t ready.

Lulú held a cloth in her hands as she listened in silence. She showed a bit of pity toward Mitsuki, who had gone quiet. The boy was usually quiet when Jeanne and Ellegaard weren’t around, but this time, his silence was painful.

"We’re really sorry, Mitsuki, but with how things turned out, it’s better if you stay here for a while," Jeanne said. "Maybe you can go back to your original plan of exploring the world on your own. You already have your guild badge—that makes a lot of things easier."

Aslan set his teacup on the table and looked Mitsuki in the eyes, but he avoided him instantly. The old man showed a hint of disappointment, but in a calm, understanding tone, he said:

"If you decide to continue on your own, perhaps we’ll meet again someday. Let’s hope fate is on our side."

Ellegaard stood up.

"So, rookie, it’s best if you just stay quiet where you are. Don’t forget to practice the magic I taught you. Your perception of prana has improved as well, but don’t neglect it. That’s all."

"But I..." Something wasn’t right. Somehow, he felt overwhelmingly suffocated. "I have no idea where I’m going to go..."

"That’s your problem now, kid. Just do whatever you want. We can’t waste any more time here with you. Right now, we have more important things to deal with before the news reaches the king of Amaria."

Jeanne and Aslan followed her, which made Mitsuki look at them with a lost expression. He tried to raise his hand to grab Ellegaard by the shoulder, but stopped himself before doing so.

His breathing trembled, and the same uneasiness from that day at the guild struck him again. He felt dizzy, lost, and sudden dark memories filled his vision, overlapping that darkness with reality. Shadows of the past stared at him from where those people stood—broken smiles, judging voices.

Trembling, he stood up. His voice, fragile yet strangely determined, came out with force in the form of words.

"I... I want to go with you!" He clenched his fists tightly and swallowed hard, nervous. His breathing shook too much, as if the effort of finally saying what he wanted had cost him years of his life.

Ellegaard turned to look at him. She frowned and gripped her magic staff tightly. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"What?"

Mitsuki couldn’t back down at this point. With the shadows of his memories whispering in his ears, he said:

"Even if the chance of me being killed is almost certain, I want to go with you. Please... let me go with you."

"Mitsuki..." Jeanne murmured.

Aslan sighed with his eyes closed, shaking his head. Then, Ellegaard walked up to him until she stood right in front of him and looked him in the eyes—something Mitsuki, as always, avoided by looking away.

"Say that again. Say that you want to die."

"That’s not what I—"

Before he could finish speaking, he received a strong blow to the head that forced him to his knees. He was dazed for a few moments, during which he managed to lift his gaze, noticing blood dripping from Ellegaard’s staff. Instinctively, he touched his forehead with his hand, staining his skin crimson and realizing that the blood was his.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Jeanne protested, but she was stopped by Aslan, who stepped between her and Ellegaard.

"You mustn’t, princess. This is something Mitsuki Kirishima needs to understand."

Jeanne clenched her fist tightly. "But she... again..."

"I know," Aslan replied.

There was something only they knew about this elf. She wasn’t cruel because she liked being cruel—she was simply clinging to an old belief of hers, something they had seen a few times before; something Jeanne herself had once been forced to experience in her own life.