F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 253: Goodbye, Gray

"Well then, since everything’s over, this princess shall take her leave. Farewell, elder."

Elara had only been here for a week, at most, so her sentiments towards Nando weren’t too deep.

The old man was an acquaintance of hers, at best. The Veshari didn’t make too much of a lasting impression on her, either.

A part of this, however, was the fact that they were enemies. Sigrun wouldn’t make the mistake of harboring any goodwill towards her.

She only took note of the worrywart and Daru, as she might be interacting with them often in the future as top-rankers.

As for whether the interactions would be cordial, though, was still up in the air.

Elara hadn’t officially joined The Ivory Enclave yet, but from what she heard from her family, the Seven Sword Guilds weren’t exactly on good terms with the government.

She could only hope that she wouldn’t have to cross swords with the two young gentlemen in the future.

It would be quite unpleasant.

Still, if it did come to that...

A cold glint flashed in Elara’s eyes as she met Daru’s gaze, then she smiled elegantly.

"I’ll take some liberties and call you Daru, alright? So...Daru, if you ever find whatever faction you’re joining lacking, you can always find this princess in Antariel. I’ll be able to keep some doors open for you."

Caleb clenched his jaw, but he chose to hide his displeasure.

Daru was his!

’Wait, no...that came out wrong...I meant ours! The government’s!’

Caleb shook his head. The moment he came to, Elara was already disappearing into the clouds, and Lesha was already on the third step.

"Take care, old man..."

There were a lot of words she wanted to say, but it wouldn’t mean much, would it? If fate allowed, she would see the old man again, but if not, then at least she had already said what had to be said.

The old man was the only human she would never be willing to draw her sword against.

"I will. You too, brat. I’ll stay here for a while, so if you find a way, don’t hesitate to give this old man a visit. Oh, and bring proper food if you do. I’m tired of all the bitter crap here."

Lesha nodded before turning to Daru.

Her feelings were in chaos.

On one hand, she found the younger human bladeborn’s straightforward nature quite likable, but on the other, she knew he would be a fierce enemy that would reap many Veshari lives in the future...and she was unsure whether she could stop his blade.

She chose her kin in the end, drawing her sword and pointing it coldly at the humans.

"Daru...I’ll make you regret saving me. And you...you lucked out this time. Had the portal not opened in the reprieve, I would’ve made sure you were never leaving."

Caleb only sneered.

"Heh, keep dreaming, snake. I’ve long uncovered your true nature. Your "mistakes" that always led to the death of a human never convinced me. Had you not been convenient to keep around, I would’ve disposed of you myself. I’ll see you in Vigrheim. There, you and your clan will pay in blood."

Lesha didn’t respond, locking eyes with Caleb before sneering. She then turned to leave.

Daru’s heart sank.

He...didn’t notice a single thing until the end. It seemed as though Lesha and Caleb were good friends who trusted each other deeply.

Who knew they’d been watching each other all those times?

Perhaps that was why Caleb always refused to team up with Lesha, knowing that things could escalate quickly and their chances of leaving Limbo might take a painful hit if one of them perished before the decisive battles?

They had been planning to make the other stay for eternity all along!

Nando sighed and shook his head. He knew.

If only...if only there were a way to stop the senseless trials... Why were they being pitted against each other, anyway?

Was it for mere entertainment?

He couldn’t make sense of the entire darned thing. Everything was fun until the two realities began mixing up.

’A century...their trials are young...’

The moment Lesha disappeared, Caleb sighed, too.

He would be lying if he said he hated the Veshari with a passion, but at the same time, he couldn’t say he didn’t, either.

In any case, they would be enemies from now on. Perhaps time would sort these chaotic sentiments...

"Well then, Daru, see you in Neo-Earth. I’ll contact you." Caleb gave Daru a tap on the shoulder, stepped on the stone stairs, and looked Nando’s way.

"Old man, don’t do unnecessary things, please...just wait for us. We’ll definitely come back and help you complete that quest of yours."

"Yeah, don’t worry. Go."

Caleb wanted to repeat his warning over and over, still a bit anxious that Nando would break his promise.

But he held himself back. He could understand why the old man would sneak out in the past. Now, however, there should be no reason for him to.

So, Caleb began ascending the stone stairs, boundless excitement replacing the anxiety and crashing upon him like a tidal wave halfway through.

He was back...he was back!

There, near the end of the staircases, Caleb broke into a sprint, disappearing into the clouds.

Daru was the keyholder. It was only natural that he was the last to go.

Since there was nothing he could say that had not already been said by those who had stayed in Egress far longer than he had, he bid Nando a regular goodbye.

They would be seeing each other again, anyway.

"See you later, old man."

To his surprise, the snarky Nando actually broke out into a tender smile.

"Yeah, thanks, brat...for a lot of things."

Daru smiled faintly, nodding and donning the Oni Mask before ascending the stone stairs. As he did, he looked back, a strange, unexplainable feeling welling in his chest. The ashen expanse grew smaller, and smaller...and smaller still.

The old man’s lonesome figure eventually became as tiny as an ant.

Then, the clouds consumed him.