Iyue didn’t know everything those two girls had gone through after becoming full members of the Ranger Corps… but she still clearly remembered the days she’d spent with them at the Training Grounds.
Because they were truly two children with wildly different personalities.
When she’d been teaching archery at the Training Grounds, Iyue had been only about thirty years older than them—which for humans might be the equivalent of an entire generation gap, but for the long-lived Fairy Race, they were essentially the same age.
And Iyue had been the youngest Instructor at the Ranger Training Grounds… so young that most of her students, before witnessing her skill firsthand, suspected she was just a student claiming the title of Instructor.
“…Hello, Instructor.”
“Instructor, hello! Are you really only forty-six years old? I never thought an older sister our age would be our Instructor!”
Among the trainees she’d instructed that term, only two children—Se La and Reiya—hadn’t judged her by appearance and had acknowledged her position from the start.
And later, when Iyue shot down seven message tags hanging from the legs of seven fast-flying carrier pigeons in a row on the Training Ground without so much as ruffling a single feather—all to establish her authority—those two girls’ feelings toward her shifted from indifference and curiosity to awe and admiration.
“Wow wow wow… I’ve never seen such divine skill! Even my elder brother… no, even Lord Father probably couldn’t do this! This is truly incredible!”
“…”
Compared to Reiya, who came from a noble family yet was always cheerfully shouting her head off, Se La—who came from a humble background—was rather quiet and reserved… it was almost hard to tell which of them was the real Lady.
And what was even more amusing was that their talent in archery was also vastly different.
Se La’s talent wasn’t exactly outstanding, but she made up for it with hard work; meanwhile, Reiya’s arrows never missed—they just all landed outside the Target.
Iyue hadn’t actually harbored much enthusiasm for this duty at the time… and her true purpose had always been to prove herself to her Family.
So she hadn’t given those two children any special treatment.
However, being young and spirited, she still enjoyed the looks of admiration and awe from people who should have been her peers, as well as the respect they showed in both words and actions.
So she would often go inspect the trainees’ independent practice and offer pointers at opportune moments.
And it was during one such inspection—while leaning behind a large tree by the Training Ground—that she witnessed a scene she would never forget—
“You vile thing! Who do you think you are?”
A voice full of contempt rang out from the Training Ground where archery practice was underway… As Iyue followed the sound, she saw a trainee from a distinguished Family in Fenglin City.
“Rosalind, don’t…”
A trainee beside her timidly tugged at her hand, trying to dissuade her… Iyue recognized them as young scions of prominent Families in the Sea of Trees, who’d been sticking together since their very first day at the Training Grounds.
And across from them stood Se La, a red handprint stamped on her cheek. She held her training Longbow, head lowered, saying nothing.
“You’re going to speak up for this wench? You want a slap too?”
“N-No…”
That trainee named Rosalind was the youngest daughter of the Duchess who ruled the entire Northern Ancient Forest Domain.
Among this batch of trainees, she was the one of the highest birth.
The girl who’d tried to dissuade her was so frightened by her furious expression that she immediately withdrew her hand and said nothing more.
“I’ll give you one last chance, you wench… Compete with me again! I will definitely win this time!”
After the girl backed off, a red-faced Rosalind pointed her training arrow’s fletching at Se La and shouted.
“No matter how many times you ask, it’s the same. I don’t want to compete with you again—at least not today. I’ve already competed with you three times, and you haven’t won once… Continuing to practice with someone of your level is just a waste of time.”
“What did you say?!”
She raised her hand and slapped Se La across the face again, completely merciless, striking the same cheek that was already red from before—
“I said… continuing to practice with someone of your level is a waste of time.”
Se La’s head was knocked slightly to the side. Her cheek was swelling quickly, and tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
But she still stubbornly stared at Rosalind, sparks burning in her eyes.
Iyue remained leaning against that tree, making no move. From her position as Instructor, she should have intervened… but she decided to let it go.
Because back then, she believed this was the path one of low birth had to walk.
When she had first barged alone into the Nelf Family’s Giant Tree, she too had been pinned to the ground by those guards and brutally beaten.
And at that time, she hadn’t fought back fiercely.
Because she knew the Power she had accumulated wasn’t yet enough to Challenge those who had subdued her.
She believed that one day she would make everyone who had scorned her pay the price… which was why she’d accepted her Aunt’s Plan and used this duty to build her credentials while honing her abilities.
And this girl was choosing the same method she had.
She wasn’t resisting because she knew how to read the situation—if she dared to lay a hand on Rosalind, a Duke’s Daughter, she’d be thrown out of the Ranger Training Grounds in the blink of an eye, then left to die in some nameless Forest Land.
Yes… that’s right. Sear that ugly sight deep into your eyes, etch it into your heart.
When the day comes that the power you’ve accumulated can crush the behemoth standing behind her, you’ll be able to return every humiliation you’ve suffered today.
That’s what young Iyue had thought, watching her eyes burn with flame.
“You, a Forest Bastard without even a Family name, dare speak to me—a Duke’s Daughter—like that… Seems I haven’t beaten you enough on a regular basis, have I?”
Rosalind laughed in fury. She grabbed a spare bowstring from the side, twisted it into a makeshift whip, and cracked it through the air:
“I’ve dealt with plenty of wenches like you—people who don’t know their place and treat their superiors’ generosity like dirt. You know what I do with people like that? I whip them until they’re on their knees, wailing and begging for mercy!”
The ferocious-faced Duke’s Daughter viciously swung her makeshift whip—she knew that the woman before her could not fight back, no matter what.
Yes, not that she didn’t dare, but that she couldn’t.
As the youngest, most spoiled daughter of the Ducal Family, she had spent years using her family’s influence to bully and humiliate countless people of lower standing than hers.
Whenever anyone—a bystander or a servant—did the slightest thing against her wishes, she would go out of her way to mock and insult them with her words… and if she was angered or simply in the mood, she’d add fists and feet, or just whip them directly, or beat them with blunt objects.
And in the process, she’d discovered that she thoroughly enjoyed this feeling of being above others, of bullying them at will… and every time she saw someone too afraid to speak up in anger, someone forced to retreat in humiliation or kneel in submission, she felt an exquisite pleasure.
“Let’s see how long you can keep up that tough act, wench!”
She lashed her whip at Se La. Iyue felt she had crossed the line, couldn’t bear to watch any longer, and grabbed a training bow from beside her, drawing an arrow to stop her… but someone moved faster than she could nock her arrow—
Crack!
The whip made of twisted bowstring struck someone’s face, leaving a red mark… but that someone wasn’t Se La.
“Rosalind, you’ve got one thing wrong.”
Standing in front of Se La was Reiya, who’d appeared out of nowhere.
She’d apparently been napping on a nearby tree the whole time… until she heard the sound of the whip cracking and woke up, jumping down from the branch.
That was also why she’d been faster than Iyue nocking an arrow.
She flashed the stunned Rosalind an extremely contemptuous Smile, then spoke words that left everyone utterly dumbfounded:
“You’re the wench. Not just you… your whole Family are wenches.”