Chapter 9: Was This A Big Deal?

Why are elves so obsessed with spirit magic?

It’s because spirits are not simply fairies of nature.

They are the forces that compose all things in the world.

At their core are the Spirit Kings.

Spirits are like vassals who exist by directly receiving power from these kings.

When a contract is formed, and a spirit materializes, it can exert physical force while also being affected by physical force.

This can appear as both a strength and a weakness, but no one sees it that way.

From the beginning, harming a spirit is extremely difficult, and forcing it to reverse summon is nearly impossible.

Once you master a relationship with them, the wind becomes the fastest arrow, and water becomes a sharp blade.

Earth becomes an unbreakable shield, and flames form a grand curtain that conceals everything.

This is possible because spirits draw their strength not just from their kings but from the world itself.

‘But… what is this?’

The elf let out a sigh of disbelief at the scene before their eyes.

A spirit had been reverse summoned by mere punches.

No magic or spirit art was used.

Is this even possible? It wasn’t even hit that many times, yet it was reverse summoned?

The elf wasn’t the only one shocked. Elenia, standing nearby, was equally baffled.

“Hah… haha…”

That young kin over there. 

Tyreal.

They had already sensed it when they began teaching him.

He was different from ordinary elves.

Neither magic nor spirit arts were necessary for him.

If he had been born as a human, he might have etched his name into history as a master of martial arts.

But even so, they never imagined it would be to this degree.

To defeat a freshly materialized spirit, being sustained by the forces of nature, not through a long and grueling battle, but with just a few punches?!

If this were possible for everyone, they would have trained in martial arts long ago.

The reason they clung to magic and spirit arts was because these reached their peak efficiency when mastered.

Even Elenia, who struggled to understand the lifestyle of elves, had no disagreement with that logic.

“Hey, you over there, come here quickly.”

Regardless, as someone who had taught martial arts, it was both shocking and awe-inspiring.

They couldn’t stop Tyreal, who was clapping his hands together and approaching their kin.

“Or should I come over?”

And a few seconds later, the scene Elenia witnessed was:

“Gaaaaaah!!”

“I think I’ll have to deal with these fancy ears first.”

“W-Wait! Seriously, let go! Let go!! Gaaah!!”

Tyreal, clutching his kin’s ears, was debating whether to tear them off.

*

Elenia couldn’t help but want to grab this brat and make him apologize properly.

Having subdued the arrogant kin who had been boasting through spirits, they could no longer use the excuse of him being young.

It was clear that if they dragged him by force now, he wouldn’t resist any further.

However, Elenia’s intervention, as well as her own judgment, held her back.

Would this brat truly apologize sincerely? 

Of course not.

He would only act submissive out of fear of being hit again.

Even if they accepted his apology, it would only leave a bitter taste.

If it’s not worth doing, it’s better not to do it at all.

For now, this much was sufficient.

At the very least, if this brat thought twice before treating humans recklessly again, remembering today’s events, then today’s incident would have already achieved its purpose.

Damn it. 

The food’s all cold. 

I paid for this, too.

Bread and milk might not be a big deal when cold, but meat? 

What’s the point if it’s cold?

This is all because of Kanph. 

It’s his fault all elves are hated. 

It’s his fault I’m eating cold food too!

“Thank you.”

As I debated whether asking to heat this up would be rude or not, a waiter approached our table, bowed their head slightly, and expressed their gratitude.

Well, considering I dealt with Kanph, something they couldn’t handle, that reaction makes sense.

“Your food seems cold. Shall I bring you a new one?”

“No, just heating it up will be fine.”

The waiter immediately agreed and took the plate to the kitchen.

While waiting for the main dish to be reheated, I started nibbling on some bread.

That’s when I noticed Elenia staring at me with an obvious gaze.

Normally, I’d ignore it, but her eyes looked unusual.

How should I describe it? 

Like she was staring at a unicorn in a zoo?

It almost seemed like lasers might actually shoot out of her eyes.

“Okay, I admit I was a bit excessive.”

“…..”

“I originally planned to stay calm, but when I saw our reputation being tarnished, I couldn’t help myself. My body moved before my mind did.”

“……”

“Next time, I’ll listen to you, Elenia. So this time, please—”

“Tyreal.”

Elenia set down her utensils and spoke in a serious tone.

I thought she was about to reprimand me for acting rashly, for being disrespectful to an elder.

“You did well.”

“Pardon…?”

“I said, you did well.”

Elenia even clapped softly and smiled brightly.

I hadn’t expected such high praise.

Honestly, while dealing with Kanph, I was somewhat wary of her reaction.

“Yes. If you meet someone who tarnishes the dignity of the elves, do the same next time. Whether they’re older than you or not, that’s irrelevant. Age doesn’t matter. What’s important is whether they’ve built a respectable character over the years.”

She added that the real issue was how much that elf had crossed the line.

She continued, saying how could he talk about youth while summoning a spirit like that?

If I hadn’t subdued the spirit, she would’ve taken action herself. 

She was clearly upset.

“By the way, Tyreal, how does it feel to witness the true nature of our kind in the outside world?”

“To be honest, it’s not very pleasant.”

“Right. Unfortunately, that’s the case for most of our kind. And what’s worse is that while Kanph was rude, there are many who are much worse. Would you believe it if I told you there are humans who have lost their lives to our kind for ridiculous reasons?”

What? 

Murdered, seriously? 

And they still get away with being called “noble”?

“…I can’t really blame humans for hating us elves.”

“Some say that humans were the ones to provoke our forest kin first. Yes, that could be true. It happens often. But still, taking lives is crossing the line. Why else would the Empire declare they would no longer protect elves by law?”

The journey has just begun, yet the road ahead is endless. 

My mind is already reeling.

Can we truly erase the word ‘kanph’ from human perception?

For a moment, my confidence wavered.

‘Get it together.’

I bit hard into the bread on the table and chewed deliberately.

I had already anticipated this. 

Did I really think it would be easy?

This isn’t a matter of decades but centuries—an entangled, intricate history of races.

If I were going to despair over one mishap from my kin, I shouldn’t have started at all.

“I need to try even harder. To teach my kin about the world, to show humans what elves are like… even ten bodies wouldn’t be enough for this, Elenia.”

“Haha. Let’s meet my mentor first and then talk about the next step. We still have a little time before the coming-of-age ceremony.”

Just then, the server returned with reheated meat dishes.

They also brought extra bread and salad, calling it a gesture of appreciation from the kitchen for dealing with the ruckus earlier.

I decided to accept it gratefully. 

After all, though this elf body looks delicate, it has a big appetite.

“By the way, Tyriel, you didn’t seem surprised at all, did you?”

Surprised? 

As I nibbled on the salad, Elenia continued speaking.

“When you summoned the spirit earlier. Do you have no thoughts about it?”

“Oh, well, I was just so focused on suppressing it that I didn’t think of anything else. Was there something wrong?”

“Nothing wrong, per se. It’s just incredible, that’s all.”

I know that spirit summoning is remarkable. 

But it’s not invincible.

There are inevitable weaknesses and clear ways to break through.

You can subdue the summoner communicating with the spirit or send the spirit itself back.

I chose the latter and carried it out—was that really so surprising?

“Summoning a spirit is extremely difficult. Overpowering it almost effortlessly is even more so. Where do you think that strength comes from? It’s nature itself. To put it metaphorically, Tyreal, you built a dam on an endless river.”

“…Isn’t that impossible?”

“The fact that you did it is what matters.”

Elenia kept marveling, but honestly, I still don’t get it.

If I could do it, surely Elenia could too.

It was just a matter of putting my all into it and hitting the spirit a few times until it returned on its own.

“Maybe it’s because Elenia taught me well, and I’ve been putting in some effort?”

“My teaching is nowhere near the level of my mentor, and this isn’t something that can be achieved with mere training. You either possess a special power or a unique soul.”

I flinched slightly at the mention of a unique soul.

Outwardly, I am the perfect forest kin. 

But inside, I am both elf and human.

If that really played a role, would this be considered destiny?

…I don’t know.

I stabbed a piece of meat, put it in my mouth, and chewed.

As always, meat was the answer.

“If you can’t eat anymore, don’t push yourself, Tyreal.”

The catch was that I couldn’t eat too eagerly.

*

The next day.

“Welcome! I deeply appreciate you answering my invitation!”

“Ah, yes…”

Elenia and I were meeting with the lord of this castle.