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Before the sun reaches its peak, in the cold dawn, as the dew on the blue leaves begins to vanish.

The sound of birds chirping and the cool breeze flutter through the slightly open window, stirring the translucent silk curtains. The air, untainted by warmth, holds a calming power, settling our minds and thoughts.

And in this room filled with the lively wind, a full-length mirror reflects Shione and me.

“Young Lady, I heard the Head of the Family’s words well.”

Was this a fabrication woven from deceit and smoke? Or was it truly born from the heart?

She bloomed with an incredibly bright smile.

On the surface, it appeared to be a beautiful smile. Perhaps a regular man like Bronte would see it and willingly offer his heart.

Yet, a rose-like beauty often comes with pointed ears.

Shione and I couldn’t share in her carefree laughter.

“To think you would graciously come to the Great Forest at our request. We elves will never forget the justice of the Young Lady and the Knight, you know?”

Our visit to the Great Forest had been decided.

Though it might seem peaceful now, it was about to be summoned into a battlefield. How could she smile so cheerfully?

If I could, I would have twisted one of those ears in frustration, but alas, I could not, which was rather regrettable.

“Haha… Thank you. I was so surprised when I first heard about the situation in the Great Forest from my mother.”

Yes, it was indeed shocking. Thanks to that, my midnight talk with Ainel stretched far longer than expected.

Being the second daughter of the Count, sending one’s own daughter into a forest destined to become a sea of flames because of a prophecy—that was surely a matter for a mother to ponder deeply.

The prophecy declared that only Shione and I could alter the fate of the elves in this continent.

Even though Friel swore it to the World Tree, doubts began to bubble up over such foolish words.

That reasonable thought consumed a lot of our time.

And additionally, as we aligned our various thoughts and emotions, each differing, with Ainel, we ultimately concluded that Shione and I would head to the Great Forest.

‘… Thanks to that, I was almost up all night without finishing the conversation.’

In the end, I was freed, but it was quite late by that time.

With mana, my body could hold up just fine. Yet, sitting in a place where thoughts collided and fused for that long left me quite mentally drained.

‘Well, that’s that.’

I put aside my drifting thoughts and looked at Shione.

Shione’s cold gaze captured Friel Arielte’s bright smile clearly.

In a crisp voice, she spoke as if she were a machine programmed to perform, mustering a hollow smile and acting kindly.

“The High Elf has received such a prophecy, and according to the will of the World Tree, if we are needed…”

Her smoothly flowing tone held no trace of the girlish parts one could usually find within her.

The girl had grown and was now emanating a clear and strong woman’s tone.

“As comrades who fought in the past war, it is only right to help.”

Today, Shione seemed to be unusually articulate.

Formal exchanges of words were passed back and forth between them.

Myself… and that elf who served as Friel’s attendant.

‘Her name was definitely… Elisa.’

Elisa stood quietly behind them, waiting and listening to their conversation without interrupting.

I gazed out the window alongside Elisa, letting time slip away.

Fortunately, Elisa had her eyes closed, merely pricking her ears to listen, so I didn’t have to worry about awkwardly meeting her gaze as I looked outside.

After a brief moment had passed.

“Oh, right. By the way, Young Lady, have you thought it through sufficiently?”

With Friel’s subtle voice, Elisa’s eyes fluttered open.

“What do you mean by ‘thought it through’…?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, I was thinking of giving your attendant some advice on spirit magic. It would certainly be a worthwhile time─”

The gazes of the two elves flicked back and forth between Shione and me.

“What do you think? Since we will be seeing each other for quite some time until we reach the Great Forest… I could also help you improve your archery, Young Lady.”

Friel’s hands, which were delicately resting on my knee, placed her right hand gently atop her chest.

“Though I have hardly lived for 60 years… I am still an elf. Born into the Arielte family, I’ve communicated with spirits and delved deeper into archery than swordsmanship.”

“…”

“It could serve as quite a good stimulus for both you and your attendant.”

At that question, Shione tilted her head slightly, casting a sideways glance at me.

It seemed like she was looking at me in agreement.

Friel’s strong will to witness our archery and spirit magic was vividly expressible in her tone and eyes.

Thus, I nodded in acknowledgement.

‘Although it might not be much for me, it could be a good opportunity for Shione.’

I might not expect any profound insights from an elf who has only lived for 60 years.

However, since Shione had just picked up a bow over the past year, learning archery from others would undoubtedly be a valuable experience, rather than just sticking with my teachings.

And if that teacher was an elf proficient in archery, it would at least yield a vastly superior experience compared to an average human archer. It might just serve as a good stimulus for Shione.

I slightly nodded.

“… Then let’s proceed as such. But as I mentioned earlier, everything will be as if Lady Friel is in the position of a guest. Any advice you provide us will be given as an escort, right?”

“Of course. You needn’t worry, Young Lady. As I said… I have no intention of falling out with you.”

With Friel’s refreshing smile, Shione concurred with her words.

Shione stared at Friel’s face for a moment before tilting her head slightly.

“But… are you really over 60 years old…?”

“There’s no point in lying about such things. Yes, I am sixty-three this year.”

“Sixty-three… that’s fascinating.”

“Time flows differently for humans and elves. Don’t feel burdened just because I’m older. I’m somewhat of the same age range as you are in human years.”

It seemed Shione was thrown into a bit of confusion upon hearing Friel’s age.

Indeed, elves retain their youthful appearances even as they age. They often gain a kind of confidence and arrogance from their everlasting beauty.

This is also why those who truly understand their nature often label them as ‘effectively ageless fools.’

“Is it okay for us to talk like this?”

To Shione’s words, Friel simply nodded once as a response.

“… I apologize for suddenly bringing up age. I didn’t mean to offend.”

“It’s alright. Among us elves, the only ones who really care about age are the men who have passed their prime, right, Elisa?”

At her words, all our gazes shifted to Elisa.

With an expression as cold as ice, devoid of any trace of emotion, Elisa maintained her composure throughout the conversation.

Yet her cheeks slowly turned red, betraying a hint of embarrassment.

Seeing Elisa like that, Friel made an exaggerated expression, as if she suddenly realized something amusing.

“Oh, right. I’m sorry, Elisa. You’re still─”

“…Lady Friel, I have vowed to devote my entire life to the Arielte family—”

Elisa’s trembling gaze collided with Friel’s filled with joy.

“You haven’t found a suitable marriage partner, have you?”

“…No, I haven’t. My happiness lies in fulfilling my duties beside Lady Friel—”

“Once all matters of the Great Forest are settled, I will arrange for you to meet someone!”

“…I see.”

“How does that sound?”

“Uh… I…”

Ultimately, Elisa bowed her head deeply, surrendering to the proposal.

“…Please.”

Shione and I just stared blankly at the two.

I never anticipated Friel would tease her attendant like this so suddenly.

“Umm…”

Feeling as if I had intruded on a very private conversation, Shione let out a small sigh.

In this awkward situation, Shione and I stared at Friel, who wore a playful smile.

“Young Lady, you can relax. Just as we elves enjoy jokes and fun, I hope you will treat us comfortably since we’ll be seeing each other for quite some time.”

Her playful eyes turned toward me.

At the same time, the corners of her lips lifted even higher.

“And you, Spirit Mage, shouldn’t feel strung up either.”

Upon finishing her words, Friel stood up.

“Now then… there’s a saying that goes ‘strike while the ironis hot,’ so let’s move to our next activity.”

“To our next activity…?”

“Let’s head to the shooting range. Archers should converse with bows, after all.”

*

Unexpected guests arrived at the peaceful training ground.

With their appearance, the soldiers diligently training in sync with commands, and the knights honing their skills and yearning for ascension, all lost focus, their gazes drawn toward them.

Even Siabel and Diolia, who were in the middle of a spar, could no longer continue.

But despite that, the two of them walked confidently into the shooting range, as if they were already accustomed to the attention.

All eyes in the shooting range converged upon us.

Of course.

Standing in the shooting range were Shione, the prodigy archer who broke through walls after a mere year of wielding a bow, and me, the only man on the continent capable of wielding magic.

And—

“This is the Count’s shooting range.”

With two elves, the very embodiment of archery, standing proudly.

“Shall we stretch our bodies then?”

They were so engrossed in watching elven archery that they forgot to draw their bows.

 

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