The entire warehouse was scorched black.

Beyond the half-collapsed wall, amidst the melted steel bars and charred debris, two elves were searching for something.

They rummaged through burnt bone fragments and sifted through the rubble. Every hand movement left behind the pungent smell of ash, and with every step, charred remains crumbled to dust.

The tedious search continued for a long while, but the object they sought could not be found.

Only after their entire bodies were covered in soot did the two elves finally stop and sit down on the ground, exhausted.

A brief silence followed, and just as the floating soot began to settle, the silver-haired elf was the first to speak.

"Comrade Miridis, let’s stop now."

“…Comrade Rime.”

"After searching this thoroughly, if it hasn't turned up, the humans must have already taken it."

The silver-haired elf, Rime, spoke calmly, as if it was no more significant than losing a simple item.

Miridis lowered her head as she listened. Her hand trembled slightly.

"My brothers… they will blame me, won’t they?"

"Comrade Miridis, there is no need to say such things. Roiragon also risked their lives for your ideals. That’s why they came to Earth."

"But…"

"There is no fault in wishing for peace."

Rime gently brushed off Miridis’s shoulder as she continued speaking.

"If you falter here, you will only make their deaths in vain."

“…Thank you, Rime.”

Rime said nothing in response. She simply hugged Miridis and patted her back, comforting her until the trembling subsided.

After some time passed, a breeze blew in from somewhere. It was a warm wind, carrying with it the feeling of morning sunlight.

Had that much time passed already? Without a word, both elves rose from the ground.

"Let’s search just a little more, one last time."

"If that’s what you wish."

The two began to search the scorched warehouse once again. Or at least, they tried to.

Just as they were about to head back inside, someone appeared from beyond the collapsed wall.

Sensing a presence, the two elves immediately drew their weapons and turned around.

"Who… is there?"

The two elves wore stunned expressions as soon as they saw the faces of the intruders.

Emerging from beyond the wall was a woman with an eyepatch, dragging a man behind her.

Both faces were familiar to the elves. The man was none other than the human they had fought just recently, and the eyepatch-wearing woman was…

“…The Holy Sword, Frea Khan?”

"Oh, you recognize me?"

It was impossible not to recognize her. The Earthling who had shamed the Holy Kingdom across the dimensional gate by being chosen by the Holy Sword. Who wouldn’t know such a famous figure?

"…Why are you here?"

Without realizing it, Miridis glanced at the human man standing beside Frea Khan, sighing heavily.

Could this be a trap? Was the information about her brothers’ remains being here all just a lie?

But contrary to her suspicions, there was no malice emanating from the two. In fact, Frea Khan’s demeanor seemed almost friendly.

"Shall we greet each other first? Princess of the Elves?"

"…Princess? All elves are equal. Just because my father is the secretary-general doesn't mean I'm a princess."

"Ah, I see? My apologies. I’m not very good with these things. So, what should I call you, then?"

"Miridis. That will suffice."

Frea Khan glanced at Rime, who was standing warily with her sword drawn. Her look seemed to ask, "What’s your name?" but Rime remained silent.

Feeling awkward, Frea Khan shrugged.

"Well, whatever. Miss Miridis, are you planning to head to Lord Howe Island, where the academy is?"

"…How do you know that?"

"The news has spread. While it’s not yet public knowledge that Miss Miridis herself is enrolling, the whole world knows an elf is set to attend the academy."

"…."

"Just in case, I was thinking I could escort you safely to the academy. How about it?"

Miridis squinted as if she couldn’t understand.

"Why are you offering me such kindness?"

"Because I’d like to prevent Demerond from crossing the dimensional gate in the event something happens to you. I’m sure you know what your father is like… no need for me to spell it out, right?"

Frea Khan held back from saying, "Your father is a crazy bastard who’ll terrorize Earth at the first opportunity."

Fortunately, Miridis seemed to understand her hesitation and nodded awkwardly.

After a moment of contemplation, she turned her gaze to the man standing next to Frea Khan.

"Did you chase me down with the same intention?"

The human man, Dung Beetle, sighed lightly as he met her eyes.

"No. I was dragged here."

"…Dragged?"

Before Miridis could react, Frea Khan interjected.

"Nothing serious. I just picked him up while tracking you two."

Picked up? Miridis looked at him, slightly bewildered. Dung Beetle shrugged indifferently and asked her,

"By the way, did you find the keepsakes?"

Keepsakes. At the mention of the word, Miridis’s expression darkened.

"…No. We haven’t found them yet."

"Two superhumans, and you couldn’t find them? Must be a pretty small item."

"Yes, two small necklaces."

Dung Beetle covered his mouth, trying to recall something. He remembered that on the day he was resurrected in the warehouse, the maggots had shouted about finding necklaces on the elves’ corpses.

—Hey! Jackpot! There are necklaces on these elf bodies!

It was definitely somewhere deep inside the warehouse… After a brief thought, Dung Beetle turned to Frea Khan.

"Senior."

"What senior? Call me teacher."

Ignoring Frea Khan’s nonsense, Dung Beetle continued,

"…Could you give me 30 minutes?"

"To find those keepsakes or whatever? Will 30 minutes be enough?"

"Yes, I think that should be sufficient."

With that, Dung Beetle entered the ruins. Passing by the expectant gaze of Miridis and the glaring eyes of Rime, he stood in what used to be the center of the warehouse.

He tried to recall where the elves’ bodies had been. Fortunately or unfortunately, the spot where the bodies had been was buried under the collapsed ceiling.

Dung Beetle turned his head slightly toward the others and extended his hand.

"Could someone lend me a sword?"

To his surprise, it was Rime who handed him a sword. Without hesitation, she tossed him the weapon she had been holding.

Catching the sword in mid-air, Dung Beetle swung it toward the collapsed wall.

Boom!

The blade, imbued with Pahyanggyul’s surging mana, shattered the half-burnt concrete heap. Ash poured out from the broken concrete.

Though there were sounds of coughing behind him, Dung Beetle paid no mind and focused on his task.

Using the sword and mana like a broom, he swept away the ash and debris, meticulously searching through the rubble.

His skills from his days as a janitor hadn’t gone to waste. In less than three minutes, he uncovered various remains hidden beneath the ash.

‘Nothing here.’

He moved on to the next spot, and the next after that.

On his fourth attempt, after breaking through another collapsed wall and clearing the ash and debris, something shiny caught his eye.

"Found it."

Dung Beetle retrieved two small gold nuggets that resembled seeds from beneath the ash. The necklaces had completely melted away, leaving only traces of them around the gold.

"Ah!"

The expressions of the two elves brightened instantly at the sight of the necklaces. Dung Beetle handed them both the sword and the two keepsakes as they hurried over to him.

"Thank you. I will surely repay this debt one day."

Tears welled up in Miridis’s eyes as she held the keepsakes. The clear drops of water washed away the ash piled on the items as they flowed down her face.

Even Rime, who stood behind her, couldn’t hold back her emotions and blinked away tears.

Dung Beetle, having unexpectedly made two women cry, awkwardly stepped back, giving them space to compose themselves.

"You found the keepsakes. You’re not such a bad guy after all."

Frea Khan, who had approached him at some point, spoke casually.

‘Not a bad guy, huh? If it weren’t for the elf princess, I would’ve killed them last time.’

Dung Beetle stifled a bitter laugh. Though there had been personal gain in his actions, they weren’t exactly driven by goodwill.

He thought of the owners of those keepsakes—elves that Miridis had called her brothers.

The Players.

Yes, these two elves shared the same enemy as him, a potential alliance in the future.

When the time came to exact revenge on the Players, the goodwill he had shown the elves would undoubtedly be of great help.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Frea Khan looked at him with a curious expression.

She licked her lips and asked,

"Hey, don’t you really want to become my disciple?"

"…I’m sorry."

"Come on, why are you so against it? Is it because I swung my sword at you?"

"That’s not it. In fact, I learned from you. It’s just a personal reason."

Dung Beetle politely declined once more.

This was already the third time. Once at the bar, once on the way to the warehouse, and now.

At this point, Frea Khan sighed, a bit disappointed.

"No matter how talented you are, if you learn on your own, you’ll hit a limit someday… What a shame."

"I apologize."

"Apologize, my ass… Fine. Then how about entering the academy instead?"

Academy? Dung Beetle frowned without realizing it.

"If you want, I can write a recommendation for you."

"…."

"Even if you don’t want to be my disciple, entering the academy will ensure your talents don’t go to waste. Plus, when Miss Miridis enrolls, it would be nice for her to have someone familiar around."

Dung Beetle gave a strained smile. He was already thinking of ways to politely refuse this suggestion as well. Frea Khan, noticing his expression, sighed.

"So, you’re not infatuated with the elf after all? Hah, I must’ve lost my touch."

Fortunately, Frea Khan didn’t press the matter any further. Instead, she pulled something from her pocket and handed it to Dung Beetle.

"Then at least take this."

What she handed him was a small dagger, no bigger than the palm of his hand. The blue blade was inscribed with dense characters.

They weren’t from Earth but from beyond the dimensional gate.

"…What is this?"

"The swordsmanship I used on you at the bar earlier. This weapon contains the true essence of that swordsmanship."

A weapon containing the true essence of martial arts? Dung Beetle’s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between the dagger and Frea Khan.

"Why are you giving this to me…?"

"Just because."

"…."

"I’m kidding. I’m giving it to you because you need it."

She pressed the dagger into his hand and continued speaking.

"Being able to copy martial arts just by watching is an amazing talent, but it’ll become a poison someday. Your talent, body, and mana will eventually stop working in harmony."

It was advice from someone who had reached a near-unattainable level. Dung Beetle took her words to heart.

"The swordsmanship contained in that dagger emphasizes balance. It will help prevent your abilities from growing too far apart."

"…May I ask the name of this swordsmanship?"

"Do you know what I was called before they started calling me the Holy Sword?"

At her question, Dung Beetle recalled the name of the swordsmanship he had seen in a documentary.

"Comet Sword…?"

"Exactly. That’s its name."

Dung Beetle stared at the blue dagger anew. A dagger imbued with the true essence of the Comet Sword. It was a priceless treasure, beyond words.

He carefully tucked the dagger into his coat.

By then, the elves seemed to have calmed down, wiping away their tears as they approached Frea Khan.

Frea Khan crossed her arms and looked at the two elves.

"So, what will you do, Miss Miridis?"

"…I will accept the Holy Sword's kindness."

"Good. You’ve made the right choice."

As soon as the elves agreed, Frea Khan snapped her fingers with a snap. Three glowing feathers appeared in mid-air and gently floated down onto the shoulders of Frea Khan and the two elves.

Seeing that the feathers had settled in place, Frea Khan grinned and looked at Dung Beetle.

"See you next time, kid."

"Yes, until next time."

Dung Beetle bowed his head. The elves, not understanding what the two were talking about, blinked in confusion.

"Um, what are these feathers for…"

Just as Miridis began to ask, Frea Khan snapped her fingers again.

Snap.

With that sound, the three disappeared before Dung Beetle’s eyes.

Their farewell was as light as their arrival.