Karami had sent a message to Ropermong that she would come soon.
To erase the unfortunate events that might come from that side first. Of course, she did not specify an exact date.
It was true that time was tight, but it wasn’t necessary to set a timer for the bomb herself. She intended to delay as much as possible, playing a tug-of-war.
‘The key is how fast Arfia’s growth is…’
Fortunately, once she learned to ride a bicycle, it seemed like she was now adept at it; Arfia’s archery practice had started to gain momentum as she succeeded in hitting the target.
Hitting a fixed object was basic.
She could even pierce through falling leaves.
Moreover, she practiced not only hitting in a straight line but also following a parabolic trajectory to hit targets behind obstacles.
Even so, it was still insufficient. While her archery skills would improve the more she shot, Arfia lacked practical experience.
No matter how many adjustments helped her, experience was an element she had to gain on her own. If she panicked in real combat, it would be troublesome.
Fortunately, there was someone who could help supplement Arfia’s weaknesses.
“Don’t panic. A moment decides victory or defeat in battle. If you panic, that’s where it ends.”
“How can that be easy…!”
In the forest where they always practiced.
Victor joined the training.
Arfia grit her teeth and moved her bow here and there, but all that was present were trees. All she could see was Victor’s afterimage.
Victor’s movements were several beats faster. By the time she aimed, Victor’s figure had already vanished long ago.
Rustle.
A moment’s sense of presence was felt. Arfia quickly turned her bow. However, what was there was not Victor, but scattered weeds. From behind the startled Arfia, a dagger swiftly emerged.
Under the pressure weighing down the air, a drop of cold sweat fell from Arfia’s cheek.
“…I lost.”
Arfia raised her arm holding the bow in surrender. Victor withdrew the dagger, clicking his tongue with an unsatisfied expression.
“Tsk, tsk, with such a delayed reaction. If it had been real combat, you would have been mounted in the aristocratic art gallery.”
“What are you talking about…! There’s no way an archer could win against an assassin in a place full of obstacles!”
“I’ve always thought that the elven main stage is in the forest.”
Arfia, who had tried to resist, bit her lips in silence at the truth.
In reality, it was indeed so. Elves who lived their whole lives in the forest roamed it like it was their living room. While others stumbled here and there, the elves freely navigated and hunted intruders.
But for the current Arfia, she was getting violated in her own living space.
“It can’t be helped. It’s impossible to concentrate on shooting the bow while also detecting enemies. Do you know how much attention it takes to shoot an arrow?”
“I don’t understand that. Why waste attention looking for enemies? If you feel it, that’s enough.”
“Feel? How?”
Arfia tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. Victor couldn’t hold back his frustration at her pathetic behavior.
“Aren’t you an elf! Open your ears! Read the air currents! Feel the sounds of nature!”
“Oh… Master, you know all this even though you’re not an elf. Impressive.”
Victor closed his eyes tightly.
“Anyway, you understand what I’m trying to tell you, right?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“A little… well, at least a little is better than nothing.”
There was no need to explain further with words. Experiencing it directly would be quicker.
Entering yet again for practical experience. Victor instantly vanished and hid, while Arfia took a deep breath and opened her ears.
She tried to feel the nature around her. This action was awkward for her.
Having spent most of her days suffering in pain, drunk and stupor, enjoying the beauty of nature was a luxury she couldn’t afford.
“Haah…”
But now she had to do it. She wanted to.
She was realizing how fun it was to be born an elf and wield a bow. She wanted to move forward even more.
‘To be recognized by anyone.’
She had no intention of stagnating here.
As she concentrated, various things became vividly perceptible.
The sounds of the forest.
The wind touching her skin.
Even the strangeness that came with it. It was trivial but clearly felt.
The unique scent of an old man wafting into her nostrils carried by the wind.
The sound of small animals and insects fleeing in fear!
Thump!
Arfia threw her body to the side. Mid-air, she twisted her body and drew the arrow on her bowstring.
Swoosh.
Thud!
She shot an arrow aimed at the void.
At a glance, it looked like shadowboxing. However, where there seemed to be nothing, a shadow was filling the space.
Victor who slipped on the ground appeared where Arfia had been standing. It was as if he could see the future. What sliced through the air was not the arrow, but a dagger.
With an arrow descending rapidly in front of him, Victor widened his eyes. Demonstrating a strange sense of reflex, he twisted his body, allowing the arrow to graze past his arm.
Before he could stabilize his broken stance and prepare to attack again, Arfia, still on the ground, aimed once more.
The distance wasn’t far, making it evident who’s weapon would reach first.
“I think I was faster this time?”
Victor, whose eyes were filled with surprise, soon gave a wry smile and raised his hands.
“I lost.”
As the word of surrender came from Victor’s mouth, the corners of Arfia’s mouth lifted in a smile. She jumped up and dashed over, barely able to contain her excitement.
“How was that? Was it good?”
“To be honest, it’s hard to believe. I never thought you would apply it directly in real combat.”
“Hehe, I learn quickly.”
It wasn’t just that she learned quickly.
As Victor aged, his body wasn’t the way it used to be. But that didn’t mean he had become incompetent enough to let a complete novice archer steal his timing.
Arfia’s rate of growth far exceeded Victor’s expectations. Was this how all elves were? It was a level of disillusionment.
Still sitting cross-legged, Karami brushed off some grass and walked over.
“Is it finished?”
“At least you’ve reached the minimum standard.”
“Would you be able to survive if you fell into the enemy’s trap?”
“Hmmm, it’s hard to say. There is no doubt that her growth rate is fast and her potential is sufficient, but she lacks that hidden aces.”
“That hidden ace…”
Karami mumbled Victor’s advice thoughtfully.
Having no hidden ace.
In other words, it meant having no finishing move.
Victor could create dozens of daggers from shadows. If that was a kind of incomprehensible magic, then Arfia’s archery was more akin to a circus you would see in reality.
The difference was on a completely different level.
With time, she might conquer the world with a single arrow, but the crucial thing was that it was not the right time yet.
‘It was indeed the order that was mixed up, right?’
Originally, the route should have been as follows.
Restore the broken Arfia and win in the Slave Festival event to determine the best slave.
From there, solve Arfia’s spirit problem and then start raising her competence. That could be either combining her archery with the spirit’s power or learning spirit techniques altogether.
In the end, if they couldn’t deal with the spirit, it meant they couldn’t push Arfia past her limits.
‘There should be a way to sneak in just to get the items….’
Karami glanced at Victor, tilting her head.
‘Hmm, that’s ambiguous.’
It was a bit too reckless to conduct an infiltration without knowing the location of the items. Ultimately, it also bothered her that they were too dependent on Victor.
While deep in thought, an answer came to Karami sooner than expected.
‘Let’s just make her retrieve it herself.’
*
In Noxhtar, there is a massive building that rivals the lord’s castle.
The Rose of the Desert.
We are currently walking toward that place.
We had stretched it out as much as we could. There was no choice but to move forward now, as delaying it any further would invite trouble.
With no reasons left to hide, Arfia took off her robe. She could feel people’s eyes on her skin.
The reclusive elf seemed uneasy under the scrutiny, fidgeting, while I thought she would be roaming the world if I had her face.
“Will the shop be okay?”
With a nervous look on her face, Arfia asked me that. Having grown close to the children while spending time together, she was worried about the shop.
She was concerned that they might ambush the shop to take hostages.
“It’ll be fine. After all, Master is here.”
I didn’t worry too much. Unless someone more skilled than Victor came along, it wouldn’t be easy to find such a person.
What we should be worrying about is ourselves, not the kids.
Arfia, seeming equally tense, kept taking deep breaths. I could see her hands gripping the bow tightening.
“Can I do well? I trained with Master, but this is my first real experience, and I’m feeling anxious…”
“You’ll do well. I’ve seen how hard you practiced beside me.”
“…Yeah, you’re right. Thank you. Hearing you say that puts me at ease a little.”
When we reached the upper building, a man standing at the door approached us.
“Are you the Death God and the elf who made an appointment with the lord of the upper guild today?”
“That’s right.”
“Please come in. The guild lord is waiting for you.”
We followed the man, who seemed to be an employee, inside the building. Even from the outside, it was evident that the interior, as described by the collection collector, was dazzling.
A chandelier glowing softly.
The floor of the central hall was polished marble, with a red carpet beautifully adorned on top.
Animal statues looked as if they were petrified upon live animals, seeming like they could wake up at any moment.
‘So all of that will belong to me?”
I had to be careful not to break anything.
“Oh, you finally came! I’ve been waiting with bated breath for you all this time!”
Ropermong came down the central staircase with his arms wide open. When he said, ‘You finally came,’ it sounded to my ears more like, ‘You guys are finally here.’
And what had he been waiting for? He might as well have been buried in flesh.
“I should be thanking you for having waited,” I smiled broadly as if to show my gratitude.
“Hohoho, you say it’s an honor. I should be the one grateful for the famous Death God visiting me.”
“Hahahaha.”
“Hohohoho.”
We both laughed for a while, facing each other.
“Since we have come all this way, how about taking a look around? I’ll personally guide you.”
“Oh, that’s exactly what I was curious about. I won’t refuse. Let’s go, Arfia.”
Arfia looked at him with undisguised disdain. It seemed she wasn’t pleased with the suggestion of leisurely sightseeing when they had come to fight.
But was this not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
I needed to memorize the structure of the building and not because I was interested in looking around.
As I gestured with a smile, Arfia let out a sigh of resignation. We began to follow the greedy pig.
