[personal profile] lucathia
Why look, what do we have here? Here's the summary of the third part of LSK 39. Gotta get this done sometime, right? Needless to say, spoilers abound. Read at your own risk. Like previous parts, I use lots of paraphrasing.

Please do not spoil others about anything. ♥

Chapter 3: Secret

Section 1: The Debt Left by Whom


It's finally the day Elaro's teacher will be returning. Elaro's happy about it because he has a lot he wants to ask his teacher. He's also worried about Hungri but believes that his teacher won't allow Hungri to be dismissed.

Elaro feels he shouldn't rely on his teacher because he should be able to hold his own at his current age already, but Elaro is quite troubled over how Hungri refuses to see him.

Currently, Elaro is heading to the palace. He smiles at the two royal knights guarding the door, but they don't respond to them. It's like his teacher always says. They are as stiff as stone and have become even stiffer after gaining a good king.

Elaro has gone to the palace many times before and has a good reputation. Even the stiff guards greet him courteously as they search his body. Dili, who is next to Elaro, doesn't get the same treatment.

Afterwards, the royal knights invite Elaro inside and even give him a small smile, unable to resist in the face of Elaro's warmth.

When Elaro enters, he immediately sees the king. The king is already over 50 years old, and his hair has grayed. He doesn't have a lot of wrinkles, but the wrinkles between his eyebrows are particularly deep, causing him to look habitually strained. However, Elaro knows the king well. The king currently doesn't actually look worried to Elaro, so Elaro feels relieved. He kneels and greets the king.

The king tells him to rise. Like always, the king doesn't say much. He has his two knights by his side, originally one young and one old, but now both are young knights. Not too far away also sits Elijah.

Elaro greets Elijah. "Marquis Elijah, long time no see."

Elijah laughs and comments that he bets Elijah doesn't want to see him at all.

Elaro responds by laughing, to which Elijah replies that Elaro should at least pretend that's not the case.

Elaro apologizes, "Apologies, Marquis Elijah, but I don't want to lie."

Elijah rolls his eyes and tells Elaro that there's no need for him to be so honest. Then, he takes out a stack of papers detailing a mission for Elaro. Elaro takes the papers, reads over the mission, but then apologizes and says he can't carry out the mission.

Immediately, the king raises his head and Elijah furrows his brows. Elijah sternly says that even the Sun Knight cannot refuse the king.

This stuns Elaro. Elijah's words are stern, but he also sounds worried while it is the king who is furious. Elaro is just about to explain when the queen's arrival is announced.

The queen and a little girl enter. When the little girl sees Elaro, she immediately rushes before him, yelling, "Brother Elaro!"

Elaro bends down and greets the princess. He refrains from patting her head like usual because of her current hairstyle where her hair is in two buns. The princess waits for him to pat her head, but then she realizes that her hairstyle is preventing him from doing so.

The king relaxes a bit with the arrival of the queen and the princess. He doesn't want to scare the two most important females in his life. His wife has gone through much hardship with him, and his daughter was their much longed for child (they were both getting old) who would also be his successor.

Elaro is grateful for the queen and princess's arrival, which has lifted the mood. He apologizes in advance and then picks the princess up. Years ago, the entire kingdom betted over when Princess Jasmine and Marquis Elijah would produce an heir and whether the child would be male or female, but then suddenly the king announced that the queen had given birth to a princess. Who knew how many people had gone bankrupt then?

Elaro's teacher had also lost a lot of money then. He even rushed over to Elijah and choked him until he foamed at the mouth, scolding him for being useless. He should have let him die from the Pope's schemes back then!

Elaro is quite curious about what had happened "back then," but his teacher claims it's nothing big, so Elaro hasn't inquired further.

Elaro apologizes and explains to the king that the Holy Temple is happy to carry out the king's mission, but he currently cannot leave the Holy Temple because the Twelve Holy Knights haven't returned yet. Elaro is standing in for the Sun Knight and cannot leave. Is it possible for him to wait for his teacher's return before leaving on the mission?

The king had already realized that this was most likely a misunderstanding since this was Elaro, not Grisia. He relaxes and looks at Elijah, who speaks and says that the Twelve Holy Knights should be returning within the day. It won't be too late to carry out the mission after that.

Elaro thanks the king for understanding. He makes a mental note to himself, adding this to his list of tasks. This is actually his teacher's duty and not the Holy Temple's.

His teacher owes the king 100 missions. The Judgment Knight was the one who wrote up the contract back then, in exchange for the king backing them up financially to seek the Demon King out. The Pope was the one who okayed the contract, and the debt would be repaid by the Sun Knight. Any complaints were ineffective before the Judgment Knight's darkened face.

The king has made use of these missions, with the only commonality among the missions being that they are all supremely difficult. Although the Sun Knight cannot leave the city, he still has many resources, so the king makes use of this.

After the 38th mission, the Sun Knight finally went crazy, refusing to acknowledge that he owed any debts. He pointed at the contract and claimed to be blind.

The king was angered by the Sun Knight's lie, but he was afraid to push the matter too much. It wouldn't do to trigger the rebirth of the Demon King over a piece of paper.

After that, the king could only seek out the Judgment Knight, the one who wrote the contract.

When the Judgment Knight received the king's orders, he had been busy then, so he sent Elaro in his stead to confront his teacher. However, the Sun Knight refused to listen. When Elaro sought out the Judgment Knight to relay this, the Judgment Knight had already gone out on a mission. With the king's mission pressing close and neither side refusing to give in, Elaro could only complete the 39th mission himself.

After that, the king relayed all missions to Elaro. The Sun Knight also discovered that his student was already capable of completing difficult missions like these and declared, "There's no student who assigns his teacher missions!" He refused to accept any missions from Elaro, so Elaro could only complete the 40th mission, the 41st mission...

His teacher tells the Judgment Knight that if a contract written by the Judgment Knight must be honored by the Sun Knight, then a debt owed by the teacher can totally be paid by the student!

At that time, Elaro had to cling onto the Judgment Knight to prevent him from punching the Sun Knight, otherwise the Demon King could surface again. Elaro quickly claimed that he is very willing to complete the missions, that this has nothing to do with his teacher, etc.

Judgment Knight had given Elaro a deep look. Then, he turned and punched the Sun Knight before he left and dropped the matter.

From then onwards, Elaro started visiting the palace frequently. He became acquainted with Marquis Elijah, often played with the little princess, even becoming her beloved big brother, and he also gained the queen's doting love since she doesn't have a son.

The king also likes Elaro since he's a serious and responsible child (though he still doesn't cut him any slack with the missions). If not for the fact that it would be problematic to adopt the future Sun Knight, Elaro would have been adopted by the king.

Back in the present, Elijah asks Elaro if the Holy Temple has decided when the new holy knights will succeed their teachers. It's not like Elaro is all that young anymore. Elaro answers that the time hasn't been set yet because his other companions are still young. The king remarks that it's important to set a time. It doesn't mean succession has to happen right away. A set time will give them resolve, a goal to work towards.

Elaro agrees, but within his heart, he worries. After all, he is the only one whose age is much older than the rest. He does not want to rush anyone.

The princess wants Elaro to eat cakes with her in the garden, but he is currently busy. She doesn't complain, but she does hug him tightly and smells the fragrance from his body. It's not one that can be detected if you're not close in proximity with him. She really likes this fragrance, so whenever he's around, she tries to get close to him.

The king and queen see Elaro and the princess getting along very well, like siblings. The queen smiles and invites him to tea whenever he finishes his mission.

On their way back to the Holy Temple, Elaro takes long strides, making Dili have to hurry to match his pace. The sun is very strong (it's noon time), and Elaro cannot let himself be under the sun for more than five minutes, so he hurries his pace. As much as he can, he walks under roofs. Whenever there are no roofs, he tries not to be exposed to the sun for more than ten seconds.

Dili has always found this habit of Elaro's to be strange. He doesn't seem to be the type to care about how fair his skin is, but it is true that Elaro's skin is fairer than most girl's. It isn't as fair as the current Sun Knight's though. Dili, however, feels that a bronze look would suit his captain better.

Elaro notices Dili's attention and becomes nervous because his teacher is returning today. If his outer appearance doesn't pass, he'll be in trouble and be forced to at least apply facials for ten days. He's already almost out of money to buy oils... That makes him remember he needs to restock.

He skipped his facial the day before because he had run out of his oils. (He has to apply his facial today or else!)

Elaro tells Dili to stay put. He needs to buy something.

Dili knows that Elaro is leaving to buy "that thing." Ronalyn has also received similar orders before (of staying put while Elaro goes off to buy something). Ronalyn's guess is perfume since he has smelled it on Elaro before. You just need to be very close to smell it. Dili feels somewhat conflicted. It doesn't seem to match his captain's personality. They wonder if they should give perfume to Elaro on his birthday. Ronalyn says it's a flower fragrance.

Back in the present, Dili is currently conflicted again. Should he buy a rose fragrance, or a lavender one for his captain? The store clerk says these two are currently the most popular, and it should smell good too... on females. He feels weird thinking about smelling these fragrances on his captain though. He thinks that maybe he'll visit the perfume shop with Ronalyn to try to figure out which fragrance his captain gives off.

Meanwhile, Elaro is on his way to the shop. He checks to see that he is alone since his teacher has always warned him not to let people discover that the Sun Knight applies facials. Because if all the women in the city fought with them over the materials for creating the facials, the price of the materials would go up! Their salary was already low enough! His teacher claims that if the price were to go up any further, he would rather go back to being the Demon King.

At first, Elaro thought his teacher was exaggerating too much, but then Elaro personally experienced how little his salary is. He has to use his own money on missions because the Pope doesn't give any reimbursement, and then the cost for the materials for his facial went up. After such an experience, he even sometimes feels like becoming the Demon King's subordinate.

It's a good thing he has Ludia. Both her healing spells and her salary help a lot.

He often has to ask Shuis for money too. Shuis never refuses him. One time, he could not help but ask Valica for money too, but Valica looked at him suspiciously. Elaro swore to himself that he would never ask Valica for money ever again, not unless he had no other choice. Three months later, the king assigned him two missions at once, and Elaro had no choice but to borrow money from Valica again.

Elaro often finds himself "with no other choice," and he always goes on the missions by himself because he can't reveal to the others why he's going on these missions. He feels pressured with all these things he has to do. If he can reveal to Dili and Ronalyn the matter behind his facials, he could ask to borrow money from them...

However, after thinking about how he would have to reveal to them that he does whole body facials (which is why he needs money), he decides not to tell them after all.

At the store, the clerk greets Elaro, thinking that he's here once again to buy oils for his sister. The oil Elaro picked is one of the most expensive. He really regrets going with this fragrance.

Flashback. Elaro's teacher asks him what the Sun Knight's first duty is. Elaro answers, "to gain followers!" However, he's wrong. His teacher says it's to whiten himself. Grisia claims that Elaro's skin is dark and feels like sand. He complains and pinches Elaro's cheeks. However, he recalls that Elaro is an orphan. This sobers him. Grisia asks Elaro how they got by. Elaro explains that they could eat fruit during the summer, and he would trap little animals. Sometimes kind hunters would let him borrow a bow, and he would be able to hunt and exchange the prey for bread. Winter was when it got cold.

Grisia stays silent for a while. Then, he pulls out a bunch of bottles and asks Elaro to pick one, as what all Sun Knights did.

Elaro immediately identifies one of the bottles as the fragrance he always smells from his teacher. Grisia explains that scent is lavender. It's one of the cheapest. Suddenly, Elaro picks a bottle up and exclaims that he likes that smell the best.

Grisia is stunned and tries to make sure that one is the one Elaro likes the most. Elaro answers that he only likes that one.

Grisia mumbles that at least it's slightly less expensive than the "rose" scent that his teacher uses.

Grisia tells Elaro. "You must remember that 'you' yourself chose this! Don't blame me later on!"

Now, in the present, Elaro wishes his teacher had prevented him from choosing that fragrance. It was really too expensive.

He buys three bottles even though the price went up again because of a poor harvest.


In a nutshell:
Elaro visits the king with Dili. We discover that Judgment promised the king that the Sun Knight would complete 100 missions for him. This was how Judgment convinced the king to mobilize troops to go after the Demon King in volume 8. However, after 38 missions, Grisia refused to do anymore. Unable to convince his teacher to change his mind, Elaro ended up completing the 39th mission. From then on, Elaro became responsible for all of the missions. Because he's done so many missions and is often in contact with the royal family, he is on good terms with the royal family and is even like an older brother to the princess. Both the king and the queen like him very much and would have liked to adopt him, except it would be strange for the king to adopt the Sun Knight. Currently, the king wants to give Elaro a mission, but Elaro cannot accept right away because the Twelve Holy Knights are not back yet and Elaro cannot leave the Sun Knight position empty. On his way back to the Holy Temple, Elaro takes a detour to buy more supplies for his facial. This causes his vice-captain Dili to wonder about what he's buying. Dili recalls Ronalyn's guess – perfume. At the shop, Elaro wonders yet again why his teacher hadn't stopped him from picking such an expensive material. He really wishes his teacher had stopped him.

Notes:
-Elaro takes over the missions with the "39th" one.
-Elijah's status has gone up! (From marring Princess Jasmine, most likely)
-the queen had a hard time getting with child. The line of succession nearly went to Elijah and Jasmine's possible child. Now, the young princess is the next in line. (Grisia lost a lot of money betting at the time)
-Elaro actually jokes around with Elijah
-the royal family adores Elaro and nearly adopted him
-Elaro is like an older brother to the princess
-Elaro always gives off a fragrance
-the type of oil Elaro picked for himself is one of the more expensive ones (most expensive is rose)
-lavender extract is much cheaper (what Grisia uses)
-Ludia always gives half of her salary to Elaro. Elaro often borrows money from Shuis and tries not to borrow too much from Valica (because Valica is much more suspicious about his reason for borrowing money)

Lucathia's thoughts:

I loved getting a glimpse into Elaro's relationship with the royal family, and I like that we finally got to see what Judgment promised the king in volume 8. That was a plot thread I was hoping would be explained! Elijah seems much more confident here than in the main LSK story when we were seeing him through Grisia's eyes. Elaro is also on much better terms with the royal family than Grisia was. But poor Elaro... You are truly too kind! ;___; Just because Grisia utterly refuses to complete the missions anymore doesn't mean you should pick up his slack for him... Sigh. Really can't win against Grisia, huh? And goodness, Judgment ended up hitting Grisia, haha. XD; I was laughing super hard at Dili's confusion over his captain. Oh Dili. If Elaro hadn't become Grisia's student, you bet he wouldn't care at all about staying out of the sun or smelling nice. Dili and Ronalyn think Elaro uses perfume, omg. XDDDD *imagines them giving perfume to Elaro* OMG. XDD The flashback to the time that Grisia showed Elaro all the different scents he could pick was adorable. Poor Elaro for picking the most expensive one...

Section 2: What Kind of Fragrance


Elaro puts away the three bottles he just bought in his pocket. His heart feels heavy, yet his pocket is light... Now he needs to complete the king's mission, but the transportation fees alone would be expensive. Should he borrow from Ludia? He can't! He just borrowed from her last week. She probably only has enough money left to buy food for the holidays. Should he borrow from Shuis? No he can't... Last month, Shuis already gave him his salary for the month after too. Could he really only borrow from Valica now? No, he recalled that the Leaf Knight just bought new condiments. That can't have all been out of the Leaf Knight's pocket.

It seems that Elaro has no choice but to ask to borrow money from his teacher. His teacher would probably lend him money... right...

Suddenly, Elaro hears a commotion from faraway. He immediately grips his sword, but then he wonders if the teachers returned. Today was the day they were scheduled to return. It would not be strange if the crowds suddenly started clamoring because of the presence of the Twelve Holy Knights.

However, he realizes that they would have gone directly to the Holy Temple via a teleportation circle. They would not have traveled through the city. Elaro hears Dili calling out for him. Without hesitation, Elaro runs in that direction. Once Elaro arrives at the scene, he blocks off three enemies with one swing of his sword. At the same time, he urges the public to back away.

Elaro yells for Dili to be careful. Instead of heeding Elaro's warning, the warning actually breaks Dili's concentration. After Dili is injured, Elaro grabs the enemy, only to realize it's an undead creature. What was strange was that the creature held no weapon.

Dili's injury is not very bad, so Elaro is able to concentrate on the enemy. He interrogates the undead creature, who replies that the Lord sent him to kill them. This puzzles Elaro, but he has no time to question further. They get into a quick battle.

Flashback. Grisia tries to teach Elaro how the Sun Knight must fight. Grisia explains that Elaro must get into a long battle before defeating the enemy, but before Grisia is even done saying that, Elaro has already killed his enemy. They try again, Grisia tells him to move slower, but the same thing happens again. And again. Elaro heard his teacher's words, but he can't help it. This was how the Judgment Knight and Hell Knight instructed him in the way of the sword. It's almost like a reflex...

Grisia exclaims that he really hates sword experts.

At the age of 15, Elaro gained a spot on Grisia's list of hated sword experts, but even though Grisia claimed he hated sword experts, he is actually quite proud of Elaro (and loves sending him off on missions). It's already been 7 years since Elaro has started going on missions. He probably even has more experience than some holy knights who are already 40.

Since it's difficult to render an undead creature unconscious, and it's also hard to interrogate them since they're already dead, Elaro decides to dispatch the undead creature. He easily accomplishes this. It's not a very strong undead creature, making Elaro wonder if the Lord is truly behind this. The Lord would know that an undead creature of this level would not pose any problems for Elaro. Was someone pretending to be the Lord? Or did the Lord really send the undead creature?

After the battle, Elaro scolds Dili for his weak fighting ability. How could Dili have let himself get distracted in battle like that? If the enemy had been any stronger, Dili would have died!

Dili sobers. He knows his fighting abilities are not as good as Ronalyn's. He mostly takes care of administrative work. When Elaro sees blood dripping down Dili's arm, he becomes even angrier. He commands Dili to switch duties with Ronalyn for the time being. Dili will be responsible for training the platoon. Ronalyn will help with paperwork.

Elaro tells Dili not to be ashamed to ask for help just because Dili is a little older than the others. Don't be afraid of losing. Losing to companions is better than losing to an enemy and losing his life! Dili realizes his own foolishness.

Elaro never ever wants to hear news of his vice-captain dying on a mission.

As Elaro studies the undead creature, he feels that something is off. The public cheers for the Sun Knight even though he finished his battle so quickly and they were not able to see much. Since the city has been so peaceful, there are not very many battles in the city. Any kind of battle is worth seeing. The public keeps cheering. "The Sun Knight is so strong!" "As expected of the Sun Knight!" Elaro tries to explain that he's not yet the Sun Knight, but their voices drown him out. It is just like his teacher said. The public doesn't really know what generation Sun Knight each person is. They only care about the person having golden hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Elaro gives up on explaining and instead displays the trademarked Sun smile. The crowd cheers even louder.

Suddenly, someone exclaims that something smells nice. It must be a gift from the God of Light! It must be the favor of the God of Light!

Elaro almost wants to cry. "The bottles broke. No wonder I thought something was off..."

Dili is startled. Bottles? Then, he exclaims, "Violets!" He identifies the scent he smells.

This startles Elaro. Has Dili discovered that he buys violet extract? He always tells the shop owner that he's buying it for his sister, but he can't use the same excuse at the Holy Temple. Everyone there knows that Ludia doesn't smell like violets.

Dili says never mind, but secretly he is very happy. Now he knows what to buy for his captain as a present!

Elaro decides to patrol a bit more. He sends Dili back to the Holy Temple to find Adair and to borrow ten platoon members from him. Elaro wants 1 current sun knight and 2 future sun knights per team, patrolling the city.

When Elaro returns to the Holy Temple, he asks if the Twelve Holy Knights have returned. They have not. This unsettles him. They should have returned by now. They usually return earlier rather than later.

Adair approaches, asking about the undead creatures spotted in the city. Elaro explains that the undead creature said that the "Lord" sent them. Adair wonders how that would be possible. Elaro asks after the teachers. Adair replies that they have yet to return. If they still didn't return by the next day, he will ask the Pope to send him over via a teleportation circle.

Elaro wants to go with Adair, but Adair tells him he must stay. With the Twelve Holy Knights gone, Elaro is now the head of the Holy Temple. Adair will go with Vidar instead. Elaro relaxes a bit after hearing Vidar's name. Outside of the Twelve Holy Knights, the vice-captains Adair and Vidar are the ones with the most power. With them around, Elaro feels much more at ease. However, Adair admonishes Elaro, telling him that no one can help him lead the Holy Temple. Elaro is the head, not Adair. Elaro, on the other hand, feels that Adair has plenty of power to lead the Holy Temple. He's the vice-captain of the current Sun Knight after all. Still, Adair does not let up. He tells Elaro to be prepared. If something happens, Elaro will become the leader. No one can help make his decisions for him. Elaro feels Adair is being overly serious. Adair was just going over to see how things were!

Adair tells Elaro that he cannot treat this lightly. In preparation for the worst case scenario back during the time when they had to evacuate the city (volume 6), his captain had even written out in ink "In the event that the Twelve Holy Knights all perish, the vice-captains will immediately succeed and become the new Twelve Holy Knights."

Elaro doesn't even want to think about the Twelve Holy Knights all perishing together. What must his teacher have felt when he wrote that?

Adair explains that his captain always plans for the worst case scenario. He always plans thoroughly so he can go out and do things without worrying after that.

Hearing this, Elaro says that he still can't compare with his teacher.

The words feel very familiar. He recalls that Hungri had just said something similar: that he doesn't have the ability to be Elaro's Judgment Knight. He just can't be as good as his teacher.

Elaro feels the irony, and he believes that he's the one who should feel pressured, not Hungri. Elaro is much older than Hungri. He's already past the usual age of when he was supposed to succeed as the Sun Knight!

Adair ruffles Elaro's hair (even though Elaro is now taller than him) and tells him that Elaro is not bad (as a Sun Knight). Has he forgotten what nickname he has already earned for himself?

Elaro is kind of happy that Adair treats him like a kid at times. It's not often that Elaro gets to feel this way since he's the oldest among the new generation.

Adair coughs and tells Elaro that there is one aspect that Elaro loses out to his captain in though, and that's *coughs* despicableness *coughs*. This makes Elaro laugh.

Adair pats Elaro on the shoulder, glad that Elaro is already in his twenties. If this weren't the case, he really wouldn't know if he should have tossed this burden of preparing for the worst on Elaro. Elaro feels that this can't be called "tossing" a burden at him. It is his responsibility, considering his age...

Immediately, Elaro explains that he's not complaining or anything about succession. Adair smiles and says that the others are still young, but not to worry. They will succeed soon, since the captains are not getting any younger. This makes Elaro realize that Adair is not young anymore either. He is already in his 40's. A good age to retire.

They look at each other, both thinking about "that person" who doesn't look his years.


In a nutshell:
After making his purchase, Elaro runs into undead creatures who claim they are sent by the Lord. Elaro quickly dispatches the undead creatures without any flashy moves, but not before Dili is injured. Dili's lack of fighting skill angers Elaro. He orders Dili to switch duties with Ronalyn for a while. After the battle, Elaro realizes that he broke his bottles of violet extract. Dili manages to identify the scent and now believes he knows what to gift his captain. Elaro is worried about the presence of undead creatures, so he orders Dili to have patrols set up. When Elaro returns to the Holy Temple, he talks with Adair and discovers that the Twelve Holy Knights have yet to return. They are behind schedule. Adair tells Elaro to prepare for the worst. In case anything happens, Elaro will be the leader of the Holy Temple. Adair plans to go over to his captain's location with Vidar the next day if they haven't returned by then.

Notes:
-Elaro's scent is violets. Grisia's is lavender. Neo's is roses.
-Elaro ends his fights quickly and couldn't be taught any other way no matter how much Grisia tried to make him fight slower
-"Lord" refers to Roland. Undead creatures refer to him this way (begins in volume 7)
-Dili is not good at fighting. Instead, he usually takes care of administrative work
-Elaro calls Adair "Adair-ge," meaning "Older brother Adair."
-Grisia once wrote down that the vice-captains of the Twelve Holy Knights would succeed them if they were to perish. He always prepares for the worst

Lucathia's thoughts:
I laughed so much at Grisia's attempt to teach Elaro the Sun Knight's style of fighting, hahaha! But Elaro just kept killing off the enemy right away...and he couldn't make himself go any slower either, earning him Grisia's "I hate sword experts!" sentiment. XD;; Huh, so Dili is not good at fighting. Truly, Dili + Ronalyn together would be the perfect vice-captain. So the "Lord" sent the undead creatures, huh? This actually makes me recall the first volume of LSK, and also the fifth volume. Poor Elaro, he just bought those bottles of violet extract, and now all that money has gone down the drain. Anyway, Adair showed up. I squealed, hahahahaha. Elaro and Adair have an awesome relationship. <3333 I love that Adair is like an older brother to Elaro! They must have bonded a lot because of their experience as Grisia's "subordinates" during his stint as the Demon King. Elaro calls him "Older brother Adair." :DDDD Adair ruffles Elaro's hair even though Elaro is taller than him, ahhhhhh. Okay, the conversation itself is actually very serious. In the event that the Twelve Holy Knights perish, the vice-captains were to succeed as the Twelve Holy Knights... ;____; (Well, I wouldn't say no to Adair becoming the Sun Knight. It would be a sight to see, haha). And now Elaro is told that he will be the leader of the Holy Temple if anything happens. Dang, pressure on!

Section 3: The Demon King is...Shhh!


Elaro is in a strange place filled with ash. He can't see anything, but he hears his teacher calling out for him. When he finally sees his teacher through the mist, Elaro notices that his teacher has black hair. Elaro hopes it's not actually his teacher. Black hair signifies that the Demon King has reappeared.

Grisia's lips quirk up. "How can you not recognize me after all these years?" But of course Elaro recognizes him. He just doesn't want to admit the possibility that his teacher has become the Demon King again.

Elaro asks after the others. Grisia tells him to relax. They are still "alive." Right after he says this, Grisia flies in front of Elaro, and Elaro notices that Grisia's eyes are completely black without any white – the eyes of the Demon King.

"Are they scary? I remember you once called me a monster when you saw me like this!"

Elaro tries to act normal. After many years of living with the Demon King, he's learned that this is the best way to keep from angering the Demon King. He explains that he had just been a little surprised by the sudden visit back then. Hadn't he left with him after that?

The Demon King laughs. "You sure had guts! Otherwise, how would you have dared to trick me behind my back with Adair?"

Elaro is nervous, but it's no use trying to hide that, so he decides to just show his nervousness. "Teacher! Please don't scare me anymore. You have already taken revenge on Adair and me many times. Isn't it enough already?"

Grisia doesn't think so, but he tilts his head. "You really aren't scared of me?"

"Of course I'm scared. You are usually already scary..."

Grisia yells that if Elaro truly is scared of him, then he shouldn't force him to do paperwork! Elaro explains that those are part of his teacher's duties. Elaro is only "asking" him to do some. Besides, Elaro is merely the Sun Knight-in-training. How could he force the Sun Knight to do anything?

Of course Elaro is capable of forcing him! Everyone is always tricked by Elaro's appearance and doesn't know how shameless and despicable he is! He always makes him want to...hit him!

Grisia follows that by hitting Elaro on the head. It doesn't actually hurt much since Grisia's not all that strong. Elaro says ouch, but Grisia knows Elaro is just pretending and tells him off. Elaro laughs. His teacher actually doesn't seem too different from usual, and he remembers that the Demon King has always treated him well even though he had been no use to the Demon King back then. In fact, he lived better than a king while living with the Demon King.

Grisia asks Elaro if he is willing to leave the Holy Temple with him, like he had done all those years ago. He extends his hand. Even though Elaro has betrayed him before, Grisia feels it would be a waste to let him go. Elaro is his cute student after all, and he's spent a lot of time teaching him.

Elaro backs up. He can't.

Why? Why when you left without a second of hesitation all those years ago, yet now when I've taught you for so long, you refuse to leave with me?

Elaro answers that back then, he was just a knight in training. Ludia, as a cleric in training, was taken care of too by the Holy Temple. He had no other concerns. But now if his teacher leaves, Elaro will be the leader of the Holy Temple. He will have to lead the Twelve Holy Knights on the path of the light.

The Demon King backs off. Elaro, you have really grown up. You don't need me anymore. I should leave now...before I end up wanting to kill you!

Don't leave, Teacher! You must think of Charsia-

Don't mention them! Do you want to get them killed?

Elaro is startled. He had only wanted to stop his teacher from leaving. He forgot that the more a Demon King cares about someone, the more likely it is that he will target them. Elaro was supposed to have "them" leave so that the Demon King won't find them.

The Demon King is conflicted.

Charsia. I should take them with me. No, I can't. Elaro, help me protect them. Don't let them get harmed. Don't let them get harmed...by me!

With a blast, the Demon King smashes Elaro to the floor. Elaro doesn't understand how things have come to this. What should he do?

At this time, he hears people calling for him. "Brother Elaro! Brother Elaro!"

He wakes up. He is in his room. He wipes his head. He has been sweating. His hands are shaking, and his heart is pounding very quickly, as if he has just fought a battle.

"Elaro!"

Elaro thinks that it must be Shuis and Valica outside his door, but it's actually Hungri. Then, he notices that everyone is outside his door, though some are still on their way.

Hungri's room is just next door. He heard Elaro, but he doesn't mention that he came over long ago, hesitating over knocking on the door.

Elaro is a little embarrassed. Hungri says that's nonsense. More importantly, what has happened? He hasn't ever heard Elaro in such pain before.

Elaro says it's just a nightmare. Immediately, Hungri asks Valica and Shuis if they believe Elaro is telling the truth. Shuis starts saying, "Brother Elaro is always right," but Hungri cuts him off.

"If your brother Elaro is having so much trouble that he is having nightmares at night, are you going to let him suffer through that alone?" This shuts Shuis up. Everyone is in awe of Hungri. Elaro feels Hungri is exaggerating. It was just a nightmare.

"Just a nightmare that has to do with the Sun Knight?" asks Hungri. This shocks Elaro. Hungri explains that he heard Elaro say "Teacher," and he can put two and two together. The teachers were scheduled to return, yet they haven't. Elaro can't be worried over something as simple as being late. Something big must be going on.

All of a sudden, Elaro discovers that he can find no reason to replace Hungri. Just now, Hungri knew what to say to counter Shuis, he only needed a few words to have everyone stand on his side, and now he was able to analyze everything correctly.

Elaro's reactions are a little slow. His head feels fuzzy. This makes him realize that his nightmare was not just a nightmare. It must have been his teacher speaking to him. Speaking via telepathy is taxing on both ends. Once, his teacher used telepathy with him so much that Elaro had a headache for three days, and he couldn't remember anything from the first day.

Elaro feels much more awake now after that realization. He must go and find Adair. Things are serious.

However, everyone blocks his way.

"Please move. I need to find Vice-Captain Adair."

Shuis, Valica, and Judge move out of the way, as they answer directly to Elaro, but their attitudes are strange. Valica doesn't even ask Elaro if they can follow him. Elaro doesn't have time to think further on their attitudes.

Hungri stops him. "Why is it that your first reaction is to find Vice-Captain Adair? Just who are your Twelve Holy Knights?"

"Of course that's you guys."

"Then, if you have any worries, you should discuss with us, right?"

But how can Elaro tell them that the Sun Knight is the Demon King? They are all just children. How can he tell them that the person that helped raise them is actually their biggest enemy?

Shuis jumps to Elaro's aid. "If Brother Elaro doesn't want to say, then drop it!"

Hungri just gives Shuis a look before looking back at Elaro. Shuis also looks at Elaro. Everyone looks at him unwaveringly.

Are these really the children who played by his side? Why is it that he can't recognize them anymore? Many of them still look young, but their spirits are much more mature, especially Hungri.

"I, I really need to go find Vice-Captain Adair."

Elaro leaves, not know how to face his Twelve Holy Knights.


In a nutshell:
Elaro has a nightmare about the Demon King. His teacher appears in his dream with black hair and black eyes, asking Elaro if he is scared of him. Elaro is not. The Demon King asks Elaro to leave with him, but Elaro cannot do that now that he will be the leader of the Holy Temple in his teacher's absence. Saddened that Elaro has grown up and doesn't need him anymore, the Demon King leaves. Elaro tries to stop his teacher from leaving by mentioning Charsia, but this only scares the Demon King, who tells Elaro not to mention her, and to keep "them" safe. When Elaro wakes up, he realizes that he has been dreaming. Hungri and the others are outside his door. Hungri questions Elaro about his nightmare. Elaro tries to brush him off, but Hungri won't let him, making Elaro realize that he can find no reason to dismiss Hungri anymore. In fact, all of them have become dependable, no longer the children he thought they were. Still, he cannot bring himself to tell them that the Sun Knight is the Demon King. He leaves to find Adair, unable to face his own Twelve Holy Knights even though they want to share his burden.

Notes:
-Grisia is able to talk to others via dreams and telepathy
-telepathy can cause headaches and is taxing for both parties (though Grisia is not very affected)
-Charsia (guess who?)
-Elaro confides in Adair a lot (teehee)
-Grisia still holds a grudge against Elaro and Adair for once betraying him
-The more the Demon King cares about someone, the more likely he is to target them

Lucathia's thoughts:
The plot unfolds! This novel heavily ties in with volume 8 and is truly a continuation of volume 8. What are the ramifications of Grisia as the Demon King? Volume 8 ended on a happy note, with everyone choosing their students, the 39th generation, but this book tells us that Grisia's story did not end happily ever after. He is still the Demon King, and he battles with that side of him all the time. Sometimes, he loses. When that happens, it's possible he would hurt his loved ones. In fact, it's possible that he will especially hurt his loved ones because he cares for them so much. Grisia visits Elaro, possibly as a warning or possibly because he wants Elaro by his side. This time, we get to see their meeting from Elaro's POV. The previous time Grisia asked Elaro to leave with him was from Grisia's POV in volume 8 when Elaro was still just a child. Elaro didn't hesitate very long then - he joined Grisia immediately, knowing deep down that Grisia wouldn't hurt him. After all, Grisia was the one who saved his sister and him from undead creatures. His trust in volume 8, I felt, was very crucial in helping keep Grisia sane, and Grisia needed Elaro, someone he could still care about, someone who wasn't scared of him. Now however, Elaro is no longer a child. He can no longer leave just like that. He can no longer be there for his teacher all the time. These two meetings are very similar, yet different. This brings us to Charsia. I questioned the necessity of Charsia, but in the end, I felt that Yu Wo most likely wanted Grisia to have even more people he cared about and wanted to protect. More ties. More weaknesses. Anyway, enough about Grisia. Elaro and his Twelve Holy Knights! Elaro is in quite predicament. He's always known that his teacher is the Demon King since he was there when the Demon King stuff went down. He has a bond with Adair because they betrayed the Demon King together to save him. (And goodness, Grisia still holds a grudge over that!) However, the rest of Elaro's companions don't know this. Elaro doesn't know how to reveal the identity of the Demon King to his companions. Without taking that step, there will always be a division between him and the others, and it won't be his age. Hungri, despite his appearance, felt quite dependable here, didn't he? It was all thanks to him that they were able to confront Elaro. Shuis would have caved right away without Hungri. Gaaaah, "Your Holy Knights." That line just kills me. ♥ All of them care so much about Elaro! but now Elaro is running to big brother Adair

Thank you! ;(

Date: 2013-01-24 02:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cathdeary.livejournal.com
Im so overwhelmed with joy, tears are almost rimming my eyes. I appreciate your hard work and effort Lucathia, Im so happy that you finally got the time. Im gonna go off and read it immediately. Thanks a bunch! ^_^

Re: Thank you! ;(

Date: 2013-01-25 05:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cathdeary.livejournal.com
Its saddening with whats occuring to Grisia, its crazy, he was overwhelmed with the dark aura again, or his holy light might just be diminishing. I hope Grisia doesn't turn up to be the last enemy to be defeated in this gen. I hope he turns up well. And I remember you saying, he already has a child right? My heart pours out to Elaro with the things he has to be and things he cant say. He's so pitiful especially when his oil bottles got broken. Hangri was so mature in this part, unlike his other traits when he's being judgement. Im eager for last part already, however, you just take your time, I know doing all this takes hard work. Have a great day just as great as you made mine. ^_^

Date: 2013-01-25 08:19 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
OMG!!!! This stuffs is freaking amazing! Thanks so much Lucathia <3 You are like a light shine on my life lol.
I keep laughing and giggling throughout the entire time XD
Oh~ Shuis~ "Everything brother Elaro says is right". I die during the part that Elaro said Shuis already gave him the salary of the MONTH after! The plot is so amusing haha

Date: 2013-01-26 05:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] xlilxadax.livejournal.com
Omg. Waiting for the last part is going to kill me!!! >.< Thank you very much for this awesome summaries!

Date: 2013-01-26 06:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] xlilxadax.livejournal.com
Well, it really did a good job in build up tension!! DX *runs around and collapses*

part 4

Date: 2014-03-06 08:06 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Ehm, can i ask wer is the part 4 for this. Links please cant seem to find it. Thanks a bunch!!

thank you!

Date: 2014-03-11 05:42 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Thanks for all the hard work and I can't wait for next chapter. I'm glad Hungri took a firm stand and I wish that Elaro would have more faith in his holy knights. I think it would benefit them all if they talked it out. Not that Elaro has to tell Shuis how he ended up there but most definitely about his teacher(s). Its a brotherhood so i don't expect them to turn their backs on each other or their teachers. Patiently waiting, Lazula

I'M A NEW FAN! PLS, if you can help me...

Date: 2014-10-29 01:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] holy-grisia.livejournal.com
Hi :D Oh god.I'm also a lover of this series and very anxious waiting for the traslations and just discovered you've spoilers for them (THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF EM)!

Can I ask smthg?
This is just my speculations but did Grisia married Charlotte?
and Charsia is his daughter right?? XD

Re: I'M A NEW FAN! PLS, if you can help me...

Date: 2014-10-30 02:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] holy-grisia.livejournal.com
Awww...idk why i feel some kind of pain when recalling Grisia finally going to retire and end the 38th generation's services, and some kind of pain when he's having Charlotte and Charsia...

I fell too hard...sigh...where can I find another story with characters like this...even the announcements of 39th & FW doesn't really make me happy haha~ more like jealous if people are going to take their places...

What'd you say about 1/2 Prince? Is it a good story?

Re: I'M A NEW FAN! PLS, if you can help me...

Date: 2014-10-30 02:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] holy-grisia.livejournal.com
WAIT! Not married?! Somebody forgot to use protection...finally Grisia is no more v.congratulations for your retribution, Grisia.hahaha

Just to confirm, this Charlotte is from vol 8 right? not the dead one?

Date: 2014-11-16 08:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lee xueping (from livejournal.com)
Do you know the next volume this series will be out?

Thank you!!!

Date: 2015-03-29 06:55 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Wow...I told myself I wouldn't read any spoilers for legend of sun knight 39...but obviously that didn't happen! Thank you for all the hard work! I hope you get to the 4th section soon! Do you know if we get to see Charsia anytime in the storyline?

Re: Thank you!!!

Date: 2015-07-24 02:29 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Lucatia!! Thank you so so much for the summaries of 39 and all your hard work with translating. I read 3/4 when you posted it in 2013 and have been lurking on your front page ever since haha. I really loved reading all the Sun Knight related things you posted and appreciate it!

In the comment above, you said that the translations are already on v8. You mean V8 of LSK via Prince Revolution, not V8 of LSK 39 right? If you meant 39, could you tell me where you found the translations?

I will also be hoping and looking forward to whenever you feel like doing 4/4 of the 39 summaries. I really enjoyed it and thank you again!


From- Chloesong

Charlotte

Date: 2015-07-02 08:08 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Is there any description of the Charlotte from volume 8 (like her hair color, length, height, just the normal stuff)? I know the 1st Charlotte had short hair but for the 2nd Charlotte I have no idea how to picture her, other than she's a cleric! (just wondering)