With a sound of “kangk,” ice shards scattered around.
The pale light reflected, scattering a brilliant hue around. If my sensibility were more acute, I might have momentarily fallen into a dreamy sentiment.
However, I had no leisure to be emotionally stirred at the moment.
Right after the ice spear had flown towards me, the male’s body surged towards me.
It was an unexpected battle.
At first, I had simply come to confront the merchant who had deceived Emma.
I never intended to engage in a fight with weapons.
If I had lost money, I could just cover that loss. What I was more interested in was the fact that the merchant dealt in rare materials from the Northern region.
Then he would likely be well-informed about the current situation in the North.
If our conversation didn’t go well, that was just fine. I could teach him not to underestimate Emma again.
But who would have thought that merchant was an elf?
The dagger shot like a flash, making a piercing sound.
In response, I swung my hand axe.
The trajectory was a straight line, the simplest of motions, yet its power and speed were formidable.
Sparks flew, creating a sharp noise.
It was the sound of the dagger the elf was holding being deflected. I kicked again into the elf’s abdomen.
I felt the sensation of my foot piercing the elf’s body.
The elf’s body bent like a shrimp and slammed into the wall with a rush of wind.
With a thud, the elf’s body slid down the wall.
It was a result that had already been repeated several times.
The mage elf seemed to have some skill in hand-to-hand combat. If it had been a lower-year student from the academy, I might have been able to subdue them.
However, I was a skilled fighter of a different caliber from those kinds of mixed individuals.
There was no way I would lose to someone ambiguous, neither a fighter nor a mage.
Still, the only reason I had not yet finished off the elf was just one.
I let out a deep sigh and said, “Why not just give up? When have I ever said I would kill you?”
“…Humans are all the same.”
With a growl, the elf bared their teeth like a beast.
Their shiny gray hair felt like a mane.
“How did you find me? The Empire’s Intelligence Department? Not a single professor at the academy has figured out my identity until now.”
It was an unexpected fact.
If I could notice, I thought the professors at the academy would naturally catch on, but it seemed they had not.
Well, there was no way an elf would be in the midst of the academy without reason.
Elves are enemies of humanity.
It was a long-standing feud that had persisted from ancient times.
Elves revere and protect nature, while humans hesitate not to use and destroy it.
As a result, the conflict between humanity and elves inevitably held a long history. There were even times when humans were ambushed by elves while cutting down trees.
The deep-rooted conflict ultimately escalated into war.
In reality, the outcome had been almost obvious.
After dragons transmitted magic, humanity had become the dominant species on the continent without question. The sheer number of humans differentiated them from the elves.
Humanity planted the flag of victory in the Great Forest, the homeland of the elves.
The elves of the Great Forest had no choice but to abandon their world tree and scatter.
However, there was no place on the continent where humanity’s footsteps had not reached.
Only one area, the most northern part of the continent, dominated by snow and ice, remained untouched.
It had been a long time spent as enemies.
There was no way elves could like humanity, and humanity felt similarly about elves.
An elf living right next to the academy?
It would not be surprising to arrest and transport him immediately. The elf’s desperate resistance was likely for that very reason.
After all, the choices left to him were victory or death.
In that case, it made sense to struggle until the end.
That was the determination reflected in his gaze.
Of course, I felt aggrieved.
“I am indeed affiliated with the Empire’s Intelligence Department, but…”
“Just as I thought!”
The elf ground his teeth as if he had expected it.
It was not incorrect, as I had a branch of the Empire’s Intelligence Department at the academy. Reporting the existence of an elf spy was also the duty of a servant of the Empire.
However, what frustrated me was the fact that I held no particular animosity towards the elf.
Elves who live for hundreds of years could be justified in that.
The Northern folks, who had long-standing conflicts with the elves, probably still had unresolved grievances.
But the rest of humanity had no real reason to hate elves.
Even if there was a current of hatred and exclusion, there certainly existed a number of people like me who held no strong feelings.
Thus, depending on the situation, I had the willingness to protect him.
I could just leave the surveillance to Neoris, after all.
In fact, I was a little glad about his presence.
In the love letter from the future, the existence of “elves” was also mentioned. If that was the case, discussing this issue with the elf would likely be faster.
So, I was still treating the elf gently.
Of course, blood was starting to trickle from the elf’s mouth, but the fact that his limbs were still intact proved that my mercy was still in effect.
That was also limited, however.
I wanted to leave as positive an impression as possible, but if this continued, I would have no other option.
“I’ll make one last suggestion. Let’s stop fighting and talk instead…”
“Don’t joke around! What trick are you trying to pull!”
That was the elf’s response to my ultimatum.
At this point, I felt a peculiar sense of discord.
Abiyang was an elf, but he had also lived for over ten years mingling within human society, running a business. That should have been enough time to dispel misunderstandings about humans.
Of course, there were deep-rooted hatreds that couldn’t be washed away. Still, he could have realized that not every human was someone to distrust outright.
Yet the attitude Abiyang was showing now was strange.
A mindless hostility and hatred.
That meant peaceful dialogue was off the table.
I let out another deep sigh.
If he preferred to drink the harsh brew rather than the sweet, then I had no choice but to comply.
An unspoken signal was directed at Abiyang.
A brief glance — it meant come at me if you dare.
In response, Abiyang erupted with anger, creating ice spears.
It seemed the reason he had been engaging in conversation was to prepare for this.
There were about six, and it was quite a lot.
Abiyang seemed to sense that this exchange was his last chance.
He hunched his body as if preparing to unleash his full strength.
And at that moment, six blue flashes shot forth.
The ice spears were fired in a straight line. I threw my hand axe as if anticipating it.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
One of the spears was shot down by the axe, showcasing two transformations. In an instant, three ice spears were neutralized as I broke through the sparkling ice powder.
And with a kick, I launched one ice spear into the void.
I grabbed the remaining ice spears with both hands. The sudden cold sensation made my palms stick to the ice.
It was just right to subdue the elf rushing at me.
Just as Abiyang was getting ready to make his final thrust.
I exhaled, concentrating my senses. In the painfully slow flow of time, I aimed for the moment when his thrust would intersect with my body.
I spun around.
It felt as though Abiyang’s strike pushed me back. My two hands, wrapping around the elf, extended downwards.
Crack! Blood exploded forth.
Abiyang couldn’t even scream. He must have felt excruciating pain from the ice protruding from his arms.
To neutralize him was still insufficient.
I pressed down on Abiyang’s arm and kicked his elbow with my knee.
Crack! The joint shattered, exposing white bone.
“Gahhhhh!”
He should have listened sooner.
Warmth returned to my hand, and the ice spear slipped away. Since I had already achieved my goal of penetrating Abiyang’s arm, I didn’t care.
I struck Abiyang’s face with my fist without hesitation.
Crunch! His nose shattered, and Abiyang’s body lifted into the air.
Seizing the moment, I climbed atop Abiyang’s fallen form.
From there, it was one-sided violence.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
With each punch to the face, blood and white teeth flew into the air. Since I was pinning his arms down with my knees, Abiyang was unable to counterattack.
Even though I was consciously trying to control my strength, it had ended up like this.
If I had struck with full force, Abiyang would have lost his life long ago.
In the end, Abiyang was still a living being.
Faced with the threat to his life, he could do nothing but submit.
“…S-stop it!”
His words came out with a lisp due to his broken teeth.
Only then did I hesitate to stop my fist.
Tears had begun to flow from Abiyang’s eyes.
“I-I’ll surrender! I’ll surrender…!”
Hearing those words, I finally let out a sigh of relief.
I had been wondering what I would do if he had held out to the end.
The tension in my shoulders faded. My relaxed muscles expelled the heat of battle.
Abiyang was sobbing, shedding tears.
Looking down at that scene, I let out a sympathetic voice.
“…You should’ve just said so earlier.”
And that was the end.
With a thump, my fist struck Abiyang’s temple.
Abiyang’s entire body went limp.
A small building attached to the temple, known as the ‘Resting Place of the Sun.’
Having come unexpectedly to the Lady Virgin Saint’s dwelling, I threw down the bloodied sack.
The Lady Virgin Saint stared at me with a blank look in her eyes.
“…Please heal this.”
Slightly awkward, I scratched my head as I spoke, and the Lady Virgin Saint chuckled as if in disbelief.
Still, I was grateful that she opened the sack.
The Lady Virgin Saint was fundamentally kind-hearted.
If there was a patient in need of help, she would not refuse.
And I soon had to endure the Lady Virgin Saint’s scolding.
“Gahhh! What kind of girl have you turned into a bloody mess like this…!”
Of course, she believed without a doubt that I was the perpetrator.
It was not incorrect, and that was what made it the saddest.
A sigh escaped my lips involuntarily.
Just as I was about to slowly explain the situation.
“That’s a reasonable explanation, but… wait a second.”
Suddenly, I caught onto a part of the Lady Virgin Saint’s words and could only respond with a bewildered expression.
“…A girl?”
“That’s right, a girl! No matter what the circumstances were, doing this to a delicate child…!”
I immediately snatched the sack from the Lady Virgin Saint’s hands. Then, I flipped the sack inside out and shook it out.
Her excessive treatment made her shake her head in disbelief.
Of course, I didn’t care at all about that. It was because a fact I had been unaware of was now revealed before my eyes.
“…It’s real, a girl?”
She looked like a girl who might have just become an adult.
I couldn’t help but smack my forehead.
The transformation magic wasn’t just a simple matter.
Abiyang had even deceived his own gender.
Well, that didn’t lessen my burdens in any way.
I was a proponent of gender equality, after all.
Thus began a peculiar connection.
