The strength of the young should surpass imagination.
Those words lingered in my mind for a long time.
If you’re thinking of changing something, you should completely overhaul it.
If you do something reckless and end up stirring up a hornet’s nest, you’ll only tire yourself out.
At first, I thought it was just some strange talk, but upon reflection, there wasn’t a single flaw in Lord Noah’s words.
Yes.
As Lord Noah said, I am now in the process of completely changing the elves.
I aim to handle the bow of the Mother Forest in a completely different way, not through magic or spirit arts.
If I had been confident back then, I wouldn’t have waited for the coming-of-age ceremony but would have acted immediately.
I wonder if I was unknowingly strongly bound by the customs of the elves.
After my meeting with Lord Noah concluded, Elenia came to see me separately.
She apologized for raising my expectations too much, but I shook my head.
I even added that I felt relieved by her straightforwardness.
It seemed like the uncertainty I had been carrying was finally cleared.
‘I want to change the elves. No, I will change them. I have no time to wait for the coming-of-age ceremony or anything else. The moment the word ‘ganf’ is heard, it’s all over.’
Then, the only remaining question is: How strong am I now?
Lord Noah said that I must find the answer myself, but to do so, I need a more objective measure.
“I knew you’d come back.”
So, I committed the madness of sneaking back into the academy late at night.
And just in case, I went to the training ground, and there was Lord Noah, waiting for me just as he had been earlier.
It was as if he had been waiting for me, like someone expecting a guest.
“Your eyes are definitely better than before. Good to see.”
“Thank you. In that sense, I want to cross swords with you again.”
“Are you still seeking answers from me?”
I shook my head.
“Then?”
“I want to ask myself.”
“But?”
“I need your help for that.”
“Are you asking for that barehanded?”
Ah, why do you do this?
Even now, I can see the corner of his mouth slightly raised.
I understand.
I’m not a disciple like Elenia, but he doesn’t dislike me either.
To be precise, Lord Noah is interested in the state of martial arts I have achieved.
His current demeanor is that of someone eager to see it more clearly.
“If you just spar with me, I’ll do anything for you.”
“Hehe. Fine. Sparring once isn’t too hard. And the price can be paid with that sparring.”
With a smile, Lord Noah gestures for me to step forward.
I thank him first, then take up my sword and face him.
Even without the blades clashing, cold sweat runs down my spine.
The tension is palpable, the pressure suffocating.
All sorts of indescribable sensations.
As an elf, my already sensitive senses make me feel like I’ve been thrown naked into the middle of winter.
“You’ll wait until dawn at this rate.”
His words snapped me out of it.
Foolishly, why am I overthinking this when I’m the one in a hurry?
It’s not Lord Noah who needs to rush in, but me.
“Hup!”
Just as Elenia taught me.
A sword strike without any embellishment or exaggeration.
I may not know much about martial arts, but this strike is undoubtedly one of my best.
The clarity that comes with swinging the sword. Whether it hits or is blocked, I don’t much care.
And as I thought, Lord Noah flicked his sword and smiled with satisfaction.
“Good. With your worries gone, you feel lighter, and with your mind clear, the sword feels heavier. Knowing that you were like that earlier makes me even more annoyed.”
Suddenly, Lord Noah disappeared from my sight, and a pain that felt like my arm would fall off struck me.
In the blink of an eye, Lord Noah appeared in front of me and lightly swung his sword.
I almost got swept away by the sword wind, let alone the sword strike. Truly, a terrifying human.
“Long-eared elves take martial arts lightly. I thought my disciple was a special case, but seeing you, there’s an even more exceptional one.”
“You flatter me.”
“How much have you learned under your disciple?”
“About seven years.”
Seven years. Seven years.
Lord Noah muttered the word for a moment, then flicked my sword with his left hand.
I almost dropped my sword but managed to hold on by clenching my teeth until they bled.
“Impressive. This isn’t a level one can reach in just seven years.”
“Elenia said the same.”
“Honestly, are you really a long-eared elf from this world?”
I hesitated for a moment, but not for long. Being honest wouldn’t help much.
It would make more sense if Lord Noah came from a martial arts world.
If I started talking about reincarnation or science, it would be beyond comprehension.
“I am from this world. But…”
“But?”
“Elenia said my soul might be special.”
“Soul. You elves sure love difficult words. Even ascended beings rarely used such terms. Anyway, you’re a strange bunch.”
Lord Noah gestured again, and this time he showed a sword strike from below to above.
No need for fancy techniques.
Tricks are just illusions, and they hold no value now.
The only answer I need to find is one:
Am I ready? Have I made up my mind to act without hesitation?
“I don’t know much about you long-eared elves.”
While swinging his sword, Lord Noah continued speaking in a calm, instructive manner.
“But I do know about the determination of the young to change something.”
“..…”
“A mere spark won’t do. If you’re going to do it, burn like a wildfire and consume everything. Otherwise, you’ll just be a torch that briefly lights up and then goes out.”
Burn like a great fire.
And burn down the forest they boast about.
Force them to leave their prison. Make it so they have no choice but to leave.
“Ah, of course, I don’t mean you should actually start a fire.”
“I didn’t think you meant it that way.”
We didn’t cross swords many times, but in that short while, I gained many answers.
Now I understand.
What I needed to gain by coming here and meeting Lord Noah.
It wasn’t about confirming whether I had reached the state of martial arts to draw the bow.
It was about acknowledging what I needed to do to achieve my goal.
“Lord Noah, may I ask you something?”
“That Noah, Noah. Why does such a name exist in this world!”
“…If it’s uncomfortable, I can call you something else.”
“Forget it. Everyone else calls me that, so even you think of me as Noah. What do you want to ask?”
“How did you end up staying at the academy?”
That?
Huh. That’s a long story.
Ahem, Lord Noah cleared his throat and began, “Let’s see.”
“After coming here, I sought out all the strong ones. Not ascended, not reincarnated, just looking for some fun. Then the imperial army suggested I teach. So I watched over some warriors, but they all fell apart. Tsk.”
He must be referring to the incident where he incapacitated fifty knights.
Knights are valuable resources, each worth a small castle.
In my barony, there were only three knights, and they were contracted, not trained by us.
To think he took out fifty of them, and the imperial army tolerated it, is truly remarkable.
“The weak ones just fell apart, and they gave me so much trouble. So I agreed to train the knight candidates here without any cost.”
“This time, absolutely no incidents, right?”
“Right. You’re not entirely without reason, so I felt a bit of guilt, if not remorse.”
I see. That’s a relief. I thought you were a twisted person because of the ‘ma’ in your title.
“But why do you ask?”
“You told me earlier. To burn down the forest and force those trapped to leave.”
“I did.”
“You know that my task is to handle the bow of the Mother Forest, solidify my position among the clan, and strongly voice my opinions.”
“I know that too. Ah, now that I think of it, I wanted to ask you something.”
Suppose you handle the sacred bow. That doesn’t give you any real coercive power, does it?
In the end, it’s just a matter of whether they acknowledge you or not. That’s all the advantage you get.
There will surely be voices of opposition.
Will you suppress them by force?
To Lord Noah’s question, I said that was exactly why I asked.
“If I fight alone, I’ll definitely lose. No matter how much I’ve reached the pinnacle of martial arts, I haven’t won a single heart among my kin.”
“True.”
“So, I will create allies among my kin who will fight with me. The bow of the Mother Forest is just the starting point. It will make them listen to my opinions, spark curiosity or doubt, and see the world with different eyes and judge with different thoughts.”
In that process, even if only 10%, no, 1% of my kin reach the same conclusion as me.
Then they will persuade others, who will create similar cases.
Although it may start as a minority opinion, over time it will become more balanced.
And fortunately, elves have much more time than one might think.
“So, I need to return to my homeland for a while.”
I will go and perform the coming-of-age ceremony as intended.
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