Ending Maker

Chapter 225: Sword Dance (2)

Cordelia just blinked her eyes at Jude’s comment, but Princess Leica was different.

Because she was genuinely surprised.

‘How did you know?!’

Even if you inherited Valencia’s sword, how did you know that the number of people in the sword dance in front of you, the Banquet of Spirits, was lacking?

Like what she had explained earlier, the swordsmen who participated in the Banquet of Spirits were taught and handed down the sword dance for each part individually.

The reason why six people had to perform a sword dance that was originally danced by seven people was because the part of the sword dance for the seventh swordsman was not properly handed down.

‘Ah, did Valencia also leave a record about the Banquet of Spirits?’

He had only seen the Banquet of Spirits today.

The movements of the seven swordsmen were said to be very harmonious.

And it was only passed down to seven people.

‘Wait. I didn’t tell him that this is the Banquet of Spirits though.’

Did he just figure it out from watching?

‘And he looks like he is sure of it.’

Princess Leica wasn’t particularly authoritative, but she was conscious of the fact that she was royalty and that she was also the crown princess.

She knew that it was not right to say such things in front of someone like her.

‘Do humans have a different culture?’

I don’t think it’s that different.

Especially when it comes to basic etiquette.

Princess Leica eventually ended her contemplation and decided to take her own approach.

“You are right. How did you find out?”

When she asked it openly, Midas and Vanessa heard her words because they were near her, so they also looked at Jude in curiosity.

The same was true of Cordelia.

Therefore, Jude alternated between Princess Leica and Cordelia before speaking.

“The fact that seven people are needed for the Banquet of Spirits is something that I learned from the records of Master Valencia. And… the sword dance in front of us is definitely beautiful, but there’s this sense of incongruity. A sense of incongruity that one person is lacking.

Moreover, I remembered you saying that it’s a dance to commemorate the elves’ communication with the spirits, so I thought that this was the Banquet of Spirits, and from that point of view, I was convinced that it was lacking one person.”

Princess Leica was in admiration of Jude’s reasonable explanation, while Cordelia looked at him reflexively.

‘Is that true?’

‘I’ll tell you more about it later.’

Because he only wanted to tell Cordelia the truth.

What he just said to Princess Leica was not exactly false as it was almost true, but the story regarding Valencia was a little different from the truth.

‘All right. You’ll surely tell me, right?’

‘Yes, I’ll definitely tell you.’

Cordelia smiled in satisfaction at Jude’s answer, and Jude looked back at Princess Leica with a strangely relieved face.

And it was at that moment.

“Then Jude, do you know the sword dance of the seventh swordsman?”

Midas, who was sitting behind Princess Leica, asked in an urgent tone.

“Midas?”

Princess Leica turned to her advisor in surprise.

Because in front of her, he always showered her with nagging, but in front of others, he was always serious.

Moreover, his voice, tone, and facial expression differed.

Because she also glimpsed some eagerness.

“Tell me, Jude. Do you know anything?”

When Midas asked again without even thinking of answering Princess Leica, Vanessa quickly cast a soundproofing magic.

Because many of those who were watching the sword dance had looked their way when Midas raised his voice.

In particular, it attracted the attention of Kelthur’s biological mother, Canaria Solfege, who turned towards them.

‘Jude, what’s wrong? Do you know anything of importance?’

Cordelia asked again with a glance when the atmosphere turned unusual, but for Jude, he didn’t have to guess why that happened.

He could somehow figure out on what had happened to the seventh swordsman’s sword dance based on Midas’ eagerness to know.

‘It was lost.’

The seventh swordsman’s sword dance was not handed down.

But a human who might know about that sword dance had appeared.

So Midas had asked in excitement.

‘He’s desperate.’

There’s something here.

Perhaps there’s something secret regarding the Banquet of Spirits.

“Jude, do you know anything?”

As disappointment spread on Midas’ face, even Princess Leica turned to Jude and asked with a strange expression, and Jude replied after some consideration.

“Please give me a moment to think.”

“Are you saying that you’re thinking of whether to answer or not?”

“No, I just need time to think about the seventh sword dance.”

Jude gave a rather vague answer and closed his eyes, so Princess Leica, Midas, and Vanessa naturally turned to Cordelia.

They seemed to be asking on what Jude was doing now.

“D-do you know about… the Memory Palace?”

As Cordelia began to explain about the Memory Palace while stuttering, Princess Leica stared at Jude as if she was looking at a very strange creature.

‘I know. I’m also amazed every time I see him do it.’

Cordelia spoke to herself before looking at Midas and Vanessa. The former found Jude to be interesting while the latter looked more desperate than before, but still hopeful.

And then.

The sword dance was still continuing, but most of the elves were looking at Princess Leica who was surrounded by a soundproof magic barrier.

On the other hand, Jude recited the mnemonic chant of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors instead of using his Memory Palace.

He dived down the surface of his consciousness, just like what he did when he opened the sixth door.

“Valencia!”

If you can hear me, please answer!

Show yourself like how you did back then!

Jude recalled the Sword Origin and called out Valencia’s name again.

And an answer came back.

The black surroundings changed in an instant, and a beautiful woman with long and platinum blonde hair appeared in front of him.

“My successor.”

The Elf Sword, Valencia.

Now that he saw her, she really looked like Princess Leica, or rather, it was Princess Leica who looked like her. In any case, Valencia had a lot of similarities with Princess Leica.

‘I think that Valencia is a bit prettier than her.’

Of course, Cordelia is prettier than them.

“My successor?”

“Valencia-nim. Can you see on what is happening outside?”

“Not really. Because I’m sleeping most of the time. Will you share me your memories then?”

At Valencia’s question, Jude quickly recalled his memories of the sword dance.

Then Valencia said with a very joyful face.

“It’s the Spirit’s sword dance! The tradition is still being continued, but it’s a pity that its form is incomplete.”

“You’re right, Valencia-nim. The elves seem to regret it too. Do you happen to know the sword dance of the seventh swordsman?”

“Yes, I know how to dance it.”

“Wow, really?”

“Yes.”

“Was Valencia-nim the seventh swordsman?”

Jude wondered if Valencia, who could no longer held a sword because of Sword Origin, was the reason why the sword dance of the seventh swordsman had stopped being handed down.

It was quite a reasonable theory, but he was wrong.

Because Valencia shook her head as soon as she heard him.

“No, I wasn’t a swordsman of the Banquet of Spirits.”

“Then how did you…”

Wasn’t the sword dance something that was handed down from one swordsman to another?

When Jude asked again, Valencia replied with an expression as if it was something natural.

“Because it’s swordsmanship.”

“Eh?”

“Swordsmanship.”

What do you mean?

Jude tilted his head for a moment but soon understood it.

Because it was swordsmanship.

She carefully watched it because it was swordsmanship, and even memorized how to dance it.

She figured out the sword skills necessary for the sword dance.

‘She really is a sword fanatic.’

It’s unfortunate that she can’t use dual wielding because she thinks it’s two-timing.

“Then, do you know how to dance entire sword dance of the seventh swordsman?”

“Yes, because it’s swordsmanship.”

“I-I see.”

This is why fanatics are scary.

If Cordelia had heard her thoughts, she definitely would have said that his Memory Palace was scarier.

“Anyway… it seems that it’s very important for the elves to resurrect the seventh swordsman’s sword dance. Do you know the reason why?”

“Yes, I can roughly guess why.”

“What’s the reason…”

“If you dance it, you’ll know why.”

Valencia giggled as she lightly blushed before speaking again.

“Do you want to learn it?”

“Yes, is it possible?”

“I’ll share my memories with you. Oh, of course, knowing it with your head is different from actually dancing it. You’ll need to practice it first, okay?”

At Valencia’s question, Jude thought about what to answer, but he just grinned afterwards.

Because his Cheonmujiche allowed him to be good at everything he did with his body.

It wasn’t even a problem to move his body accordingly as long as he had the memories on how to do it.

“Then close your eyes and concentrate. I’ll show it to you.”

“Yes, Valencia-nim.”

Jude closed his eyes.

The world turned black again, and in the meantime, only Valencia shined.

“This is how you do it.”

She seemed to be excited of the fact that she was dancing the sword dance.

Valencia was grinning with a glow on her face as she began performing the sword dance.

The seventh sword dance was beautiful and dazzling.

***

Jude opened his eyes.

And he thought.

‘It’s really beautiful.’

Valencia’s sword dance.

Frankly, he was ecstatic. Just by watching it made it difficult to breathe because his heart was pounding fast.

‘However, Cordelia is still the most beautiful.’

Cordelia was literally a goddess when she stood under the moonlight with her wet hair in order to summon the fairies.

‘Jude?’

Jude faced Cordelia who was puzzled as she tilted her head, and he smiled before he immediately looked back at Princess Leica and Midas.

“I can dance it.”

“Oooh, is that true? You can dance the seventh swordsman’s sword dance?”

“Yes.”

Jude answered confidently, and Midas turned to Princess Leica with a very excited look.

“Your Highness.”

“Don’t tell me… you want them to dance again but with Jude this time?”

“That’s right.”

She could see that a flame was burning on Midas’ eyes.

Therefore, Princess Leica nodded instead of thinking about it more deeply.

“All right. It’s been a long time since Midas has asked me to do something like this.”

Because for Princess Leica, Midas was a father-like teacher and an adviser whom she had relied on for many years.

So she now wanted to listen to whatever he wanted.

“Jude, can I ask you to dance it?”

“With pleasure.”

Princess Leica was satisfied with Jude’s answer again before she sent a glance to Vanessa, telling her to remove the soundproof magic barrier.

“The dance will be over in a little while. I shall tell them about it then.”

And a minute or so passed.

When the sword dance finally ended, the elves gave them a round of applause.

Princess Leica also stood up and clapped before stepping forward and saying.

“It’s an amazing dance. I can’t help but admire it every time.”

The swordsmen also smiled in delight at Princess Leica’s praise, and the elves loudly applauded again.

Especially Kelthur who enthusiastically responded, but his face seemed to be applauding Princess Leica rather than the swordsmen.

‘He must have really liked it.’

Princess Leica also affectionately looked at Kelthur before she immediately revealed her business.

“I’m sure you’ve heard some of it already. The story of how human heroes helped me defeat Jabberwock.”

Everyone’s eyes naturally focused on Jude and Cordelia, and Princess Leica talked briefly about their performances.

About Cordelia’s boldness in persuading the Fairy Queen and Jude’s bravery in defeating Jabberwock.

‘T-this is embarrassing.’

Fortunately, the negotiation process with the fairies turned into a made-up story because Princess Leica properly packaged it beautifully instead of telling them what actually happened. However, it was still embarrassing, so Cordelia’s face turned red.

And this appearance of Cordelia drew a pretty good response from the elves.

Because the embarrassed Cordelia, as Jude had always claimed, was very cute and adorable.

‘Of course, it’s not only that.’

It could also be seen as her being humble.

In any case, Princess Leica talked about the subjugation of Jabberwock, and praised the two before she continued.

“Count Jude August Bayer inherited the sword of Valencia, the Elf Sword. And surprisingly, he said that he knew of the Banquet of Spirits, the seventh sword dance that we had lost.”

At her words, all the elves looked at Jude in astonishment.

In particular, the swordsmen who did the sword dance seemed to be surprised.

“So I’d like to make a suggestion. Why don’t we perform the perfect Banquet of Spirits with the sword dance of the seventh swordsman added here?”

What she meant was clear.

Princess Leica turned to the swordsmen, and the swordsmen looked at each other before nodding their heads almost at the same time. The first swordsman, who was the representative, said as he bowed to Princess Leica.

“Rather, this is something we would like to ask for. We will follow the crown princess’ will.”

“Thank you for your willingness to allow it, even though other races are not involved in the Banquet of Spirits.”

Princess Leica softly responded and glanced at Kelthur and his biological mother, Canaria Solfege, before looking back at Jude.

“Jude, do a sword dance with me in the future.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Jude simply answered and stepped forward after taking the sword Midas gave him.

‘Umm, will it be all right?’

Valencia said that holding a sword is like having an affair. She won’t yell at me and say that it’s bad, right?

No, she wouldn’t have taught me the seventh sword dance if that’s what she felt in the first place.

‘And…’

For Jude, Cordelia was always the first place.

If Cordelia had heard him, she would get angry and ask what he was talking about, but she wouldn’t be able to control the corners of her mouth from rising.

Jude joined and naturally blended in with the swordsmen group.

Seven people would dance a sword dance that the six had done earlier.

Their group formation grew, and their movements also subtly changed.

But Jude was not worried.

To begin with, the Banquet of Spirits was a dance performed by seven people, so if they played their roles properly, they would be able to perform a sword dance more naturally than when six people danced.

“Then, let’s begin.”

When the first swordsman spoke, Princess Leica sat down, and the band began to play again.

‘At first, slowly.’

Seven swordsmen, including Jude, slowly raised their swords. They began to dance to the music.

“Oooh.”

“It’s true. It’s the real Banquet of Spirits.”

Voices of admiration spread among the elves.

There was perfect harmony when six people performed, but when seven people did, it changed.

The sword dance happening in front of them was truly in perfect harmony.

But it was too early to admire it.

The true value of the Banquet of Spirits was not just a perfect sword dance.

“Eh?”

Cordelia with her good senses was the first to notice it.

No visual changes had occurred yet, but she could tell because she was sensitive to the flow of mana.

The Banquet of Spirits was not just an ordinary dance.

It was a kind of ritual to activate a great magic.

And the change continued.

Therefore, the elves including Princess Leica also realized it.

“Oooooh!”

“It’s a spirit!”

“The spirits!”

They did not just admire it. The elves raised their voices in their immense surprise, and some of them even stood up from their seats.

Seven spirits had shared a vow to the descendants of Magellan, the magic kingdom.

Darkness spread.

It covered the glass ceiling and became a night sky.

Light rose.

The moon and stars shone through the night sky, and each of the dancing swordsmen were engulfed in a soft light as if a spotlight shone on them.

The Light Spirit and Darkness Spirit.

Other spirits also appeared one after another.

Green leaves bloomed among the trees that formed a part of the building, and a pleasant moisture spread across the banquet hall.

The Earth Spirit and Water Spirit.

And it continued.

Beautiful flames danced under the darkness.

A breeze from somewhere tickled everyone’s ears.

The Fire Spirit and Wind Spirit.

Six spirits appeared.

And the six of them were those who had interacted with the elves of the Forest of Eternity from the past up until the present.

So the elves swallowed hard in nervousness.

They felt their hearts pound loudly as they waited for the seventh spirit to appear.

And at that moment.

Just when the sword of the dancing Jude pointed to the sky.

Boooom!

The darkness broke at the roar. The glass ceiling shattered, and a harsh wind swept around.

Thus, the sky was revealed.

A bright light shone down the darkness that filled the banquet hall.

And everyone could feel it.

A mighty power was descending from the skies that was incomparable to the six spirits that had appeared earlier.

Light and Darkness, Wind and Fire, Earth and Water.

The six spirits danced and bowed down.

Excluding Jude, the six swordsmen unconsciously stepped back and bowed, and Jude who stood in the center of the stage, performed the final moves of the seventh swordsman.

Worship.

Homage.

An attitude that a person welcoming a king would show.

The music stopped.

The entire elven palace radiated light and gave off the magic power it had accumulated.

It was the price that was paid to call the king from the open skies.

Then the wind blew again.

A giant being finally appeared from that open sky.

“Aaah, aaaah!”

Most of the elves including Midas, bowed in admiration.

Princess Leica was also very surprised, and hesitated for a while before she bowed to greet the king.

The Banquet of Spirits.

A ritual to summon the seven spirits who made a vow with the elves of the Forest of Eternity led by the Prime royal family.

But the situation had changed a bit this time.

Because the seventh spirit, the King, who had not been called for many years due to the seventh sword dance being lost, had finally revealed himself.

[Do your remember the vow?]

A voice came from the sky.

It was so magnificent and divine that it seemed to shake the entire world.

Princess Leica struggled to catch her breath. As the crown princess of the elves, she raised her head and faced the Spirit King.

Wrapped in a rough wind, he looked to be very strong and was in the shape of a huge man.

But he was beautiful at the same time.

Cordelia automatically thought of Zeus in Greek and Roman mythology.

“We remember. O King of the Seven Spirits. Thou who art one with the storm.”

There were several spirits in the world.

In the days of the magic kingdom, Magellan, dozens of different spirits shared vows with the elves.

And one of them.

Among the seven spirits who continued their vows with the elves even after the destruction of Magellan, he was the one who lead the most powerful spirits.

The Spirit King of Storm and Lightning.

He looked at Princess Leica. He looked down at all the elves before opening his mouth again.

[I will continue the pledge. So I’m going to sign a contract with one of you again.]

All the elves became tense at the Spirit King’s declaration.

Midas and Vanessa looked at Princess Leica, while Kelthur’s mother, Viscountess Solfege, hurriedly glanced at Kelthur.

It was not an ordinary spirit but a contract with the Spirit King.

Depending on who got the contract, the next elven monarch might change.

Princess Leica slowly breathed.

She courageously rose from her seat, and Kelthur rose from his seat too, being unable to overcome his mother’s urging.

The first and second in line to the throne.

The elves swallowed hard in nervousness, and Midas glared at Solfege’s actions.

And a strong wind blew.

The Spirit King descended from the sky and stood at the banquet hall.

In the form of a giant, he passed by Jude. He went towards Princess Leica without even giving Kelthur a glance.

‘Ooooh!’

Midas clenched his fist.

Solfege looked very displeased, but there was nothing she could do.

And Princess Leica tried to calm her pounding heart.

She was honored that she bowed down again to the Spirit King who was walking towards her.

“O King of Storms and Lightning.”

She said in a trembling voice.

And the Spirit King passed by even such a crown princess.

In the first place, he had only been looking at one person the moment he descended.

[You are the child with the most beautiful soul among everyone here. Your soul is like a storm. Only you will be able to handle me.]

A pink-haired human girl stood among the elves.

Cordelia stared at the Spirit King in a daze, and the Spirit King smiled. He raised Cordelia’s chin with his big hand and asked her.

[Would you like to sign a contract with me? Beautiful girl?]

The Spirit King chose her.

Cordelia blinked her eyes and saw Jude. She unconsciously smiled when she saw Jude’s face that was both happy and a little angry.

‘Hey, it’s the Spirit King. Spirit King. It’s not a human.’

Jude furrowed his brows at Cordelia’s glance, and nodded as if it couldn’t be helped, and Cordelia tried to suppress her laughter.

Instead, she faced the Spirit King with a beautiful and bright smile.

“I will. O King of Storms and Lightning.”

She slightly felt sorry for Princess Leica, but there was nothing she could do.

The Spirit King had chosen her himself.

[From this moment on, the pledge has been fulfilled.]

The Spirit King answered with a smile and changed his appearance from a giant to a beautiful boy before he lightly kissed Cordelia’s forehead.

[My contractor, my girl.]

The Spirit King whispered.

But his words were heard by everyone.

Cordelia glanced at Jude, and awkwardly smiled when she saw his expression that she had expected.