Chapter 14: Another One

 What Elenia saw for the first time was truly the beginning of a perfect leap.

Tyreal leapt lightly into the air from atop the horse, twisting their body effortlessly. 

Somehow, in that brief moment, they had managed to grab their sword. 

Elenia hadn’t noticed at all—not the slightest hint of it. 

It wasn’t just any ordinary object; it was a sword, and to take it without her noticing? 

For someone like her, who had been taught how to guard her sword from her master, it was impressive. 

Admiration came naturally, but for now, the questions in her mind needed answers first.

“Tyreal?!”

What was going on? 

She wondered, only to realize the reason moments later. 

A boulder the size of a house was hurtling directly toward the carriage. 

If it hit, everyone would die—the passengers in the carriage, and even those nearby.

If it were other elves, they might have ignored it, thinking it had nothing to do with them. 

To them, the deaths of a few humans were inconsequential. 

The relationship they had with the humans was purely transactional, not one of equality. 

Even if those humans were to die, there would be no guilt or sense of responsibility.

But Tyreal was different. 

This wasn’t simply an act done because of a request. 

It was clear—it could be felt in their eyes and actions. 

Tyreal didn’t see humans as inferior or elves as superior. 

They viewed all beings equally, treating them with genuine sincerity.

What unfolded next was a sight that reflected everything Tyreal had learned from Elenia. 

It wasn’t magic or spirit arts but swordsmanship, something elves often looked down upon. 

Tyreal, holding the sword in one hand, moved elegantly through the air, scattering silvery light.

The massive boulder was sliced cleanly in two, splitting perfectly into halves and scattering to the sides.

“…Ha.”

It was flawless.

Without any wasted movement, Tyreal’s leap, sword strike, and landing all naturally drew admiration. 

Even if her master had been here instead of her, they would have considered it impressive. 

Though, knowing their dislike for showing emotion, they might have said, “You’re still far from it!” instead.

“But, Tyreal… no matter how impressive, this is…”

The swordsmanship displayed was something even skilled human swordsmen couldn’t replicate. 

Good. 

Tyreal’s noble intentions to save the baron’s people unscathed? 

Also good. 

But the explosive power that cleaved the entire road in two? 

That was not good.

Yes, that was the issue. 

Tyreal had clearly aimed at the boulder and succeeded in neutralizing it. 

But that’s where it should have ended. 

If only it had stopped at safely saving the imperial nobles. 

Instead, the aftermath caused more destruction than a monster attack.

“What… what is this?!”

The imperial army officer, who had just subdued a troll and rushed over, screamed in shock. 

It was fortunate that there were no casualties, and gratitude was certainly in order. 

But looking at the situation and realizing which race was responsible, it was easy to understand why they might think, 

Did those elves intentionally overdo it?

Elenia, having traveled through the empire, had encountered many such incidents involving her kin. 

Often, there was no need to go that far, but in their arrogance to display elven greatness, they would overstep. 

Whether it was casting unnecessarily powerful spells or recklessly summoning spirits, the results often drew hostile stares.

The elves’ notorious reputation in the empire wasn’t solely due to their arrogance. 

Sometimes, their need to prove their superiority led to actions far beyond what humans considered acceptable. 

Problems were inevitable.

“Excuse me.”

When the imperial officer approached and addressed her, Elenia could only offer an awkward smile, waiting for his next words.

“That elf over there—are they part of your group?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Well… First of all, I’d like to express our gratitude for preventing any casualties. However, we’ll need to conduct an investigation. Would you be willing to cooperate?”

The gratitude was genuine, but the underlying question was clear: Did they really have to go this far?

Tyreal surely didn’t do it on purpose. 

Most likely, they momentarily failed to control their strength. 

But to the humans, it looked like they had intentionally refrained from holding back.

It was disheartening to be treated this way despite doing something good. 

Anyone could see this wasn’t done with malice. 

Yet, it was something to accept—a kind of atonement, perhaps.

“Understood. But I’d like you to regard us not as perpetrators but as those who prevented unnecessary casualties.”

“Of course. The fact that no lives were lost is already more than enough…”

-Rumble!

The paved road beneath them let out a deafening crack as it fractured once more.

It must have collapsed because it had been cleanly cut through to the core, unable to bear the strain anymore.

Elenia and Ronnos, who had been watching the scene, could only let out awkward smiles.

One of them felt guilty toward the race before their eyes, while the other grew increasingly fearful of them.

*

It was common knowledge that elves resided within the Great Forest.

It was also well known that these elves formed “tribes” rather than “nations.”

Most tribes lived in singular villages and rarely ventured out.

Even when they left their village, they almost never departed from the Great Forest. 

The vast majority of elves adhered to this.

But on rare occasions, some chose to leave not just their village but the forest itself to explore the world beyond.

Most of these elves left to spread the greatness of their kind to humankind.

And without fail, they all returned, mocking the barbarity of humans.

But there were exceptions—some left not with such intentions.

They sought genuine interaction between the two races, aiming to improve relations between elves and humans.

Tyreal had been one such elf recently, just as Seril’s father had been decades prior.

“Did you hear? An elf from another village came to ours,” a friend informed Seril.

Seril tilted her head slightly, wondering what was so remarkable about an elf visiting from another village.

It wasn’t as though there was no interaction between villages; such visits were fairly common.

“From your expression, I can guess what you’re thinking—that it’s no big deal, right? But listen, apparently, this elf just returned from the human world. They might even have news about your father… or Tyreal?”

Well, they should’ve led with that! 

Seril immediately dashed off to where the elf was said to be.

If she could hear anything about her father, who had left the Great Forest, or even about Tyreal, who had recently departed, it would be worth it.

As Seril raced ahead, she found a group of village elves gathered together.

At the center of the crowd was an unfamiliar elf, passionately ranting about something.

Though Seril couldn’t make out everything they were saying, the anger was unmistakable.

Curious about what had enraged the elf so much, Seril decided to listen more closely.

“Can you believe it? That brat had the audacity to grab and tug at my ears!”

“The ears?!”

“And these days, children have no manners whatsoever, I swear. So, of course, I had no choice but to educate them with some spirit magic. But then, some elf who looked like their guardian had the nerve to stop me! I should’ve known something was off when they took the humans’ side!”

Apparently, this elf was infuriated because they felt insulted by both humans and their fellow elves.

Their grievance was that they had only been trying to teach humans how to properly treat a guest, 

Yet these two foolish elves had the gall to side with the humans and act rudely toward them.

‘Strangely, the description makes me think of Tyreal.’

The timing of Tyreal’s departure from the Great Forest coincided a little too perfectly.

Not to mention, Tyreal had been traveling with an adult elf named Elenia.

And the child elf and the guardian woman they encountered at that place?

No matter how Seril thought about it, it had to be Tyreal.

“I don’t know where they’re from exactly, but if I see them again, I’ll make sure to teach them a lesson properly next time. How dare a brat lay a hand on an adult’s ears!”

“Hahaha, indeed. Now, please calm down and have some food…”

“This is no small matter! I’ll describe their appearance so everyone can be aware. I’ll make sure the other villages know too. The moment they step into my village, they’ll face the consequences…”

Oh, for heaven’s sake, Seril thought, rolling her eyes. 

It was obvious why Tyreal had intervened.

It was likely to prevent someone like this elf from tarnishing the dignity of elves in the human world.

Seril crouched low, glaring fiercely at the obnoxious elf before launching herself forward.

The best way to deal with nonsense wasn’t just to ignore it but to ensure it couldn’t be said at all.

“Gaaahhh!!”

The elf’s mouth, mid-rant, was suddenly slammed shut.

It was a flawless execution of spirit control—a clean, precise attack.

“What is the meaning of this… Seril! What have you done?!”

The other elves, finally realizing the culprit, rose from their seats in alarm.

But by then, Seril had already turned and was fleeing toward the village outskirts.

‘Sorry, Mom. But I couldn’t take it anymore. I’ll bring Dad back—and maybe even a son-in-law for you!’