Thwack!
“Ah!”
With the captain’s blow, the boy was sent flying far away.
“I told you. The first principle...”
“Always move unpredictably. I know. I haven’t forgotten.”
Wiping the blood from his mouth, the boy pushed himself up.
“Ughhhh!”
He took his stance and charged towards the captain again.
“Once again, I told you to be unpredictable... what!”
The captain aimed a kick at the boy, similar to the earlier movement, but the boy bent his body and dodged it by a hair’s breadth.
“Hehe! The third principle! Deceive the opponent cleverly!”
The boy, attacking in the exact same way several times, made the captain expect the same tactic again.
Just when the captain’s vigilance relaxed, he switched his pattern and managed to dodge her strike.
“Take this!”
The boy’s soft punch was just about to hit the captain’s chest.
Thud!
“Oof!”
The captain’s palm caught the boy’s face.
“If you’re going to do something, do it without leaving any openings. That finish was sloppy.”
The boy, struggling in the captain’s grip, slumped down onto the floor.
“No, there’s nothing to finish off sloppily! Why are you using magic!?”
The boy was indignant.
After repeatedly failing with meaningless challenges, he had finally deceived the captain and seized a chance.
It was practically a success, and yet, for him to show such movement...
It was certain.
This wasn’t a normal move.
She had used magic.
Using magic against me, who can’t even use magic!
“This is cheating!”
If he could just touch her chest with his pure physical abilities, he would immediately end the training and take the test.
If he could quickly take the test, he could become part of their group sooner, which meant he could free Safira more quickly. That’s why the boy accepted the wager.
However, now that it looked like he might succeed in the wager, using magic meant his success was essentially invalid.
“I never said I wouldn’t use magic, though?”
“What?”
“I told you. Don’t bet if you’re not sure of the outcome.”
“...From the start, you never intended to let me win this bet, did you?”
“Of course not.”
“Eeeee! You bad!”
The captain watched with a smile as the boy rushed at her, swinging his hands wildly.
It was true that she had no intention of losing the bet, but it was also true that she hadn’t planned to use magic.
In the last moment, when his hand was about to reach her, the acceleration of her body through magic was done unconsciously, contrary to her intentions.
It happened because the boy’s attack was sharp and fierce.
‘That combat sense and strategic intuition surpasses even the peers raised in Darkhood. If he could develop his ability to use magic and gain more combat experience, he could instantly become a powerhouse.’
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Considering that he wasn’t raised in Darkhood but in a fragile environment like the surface, and that he was a weak male elf, this meant that an absurdly immense talent was supporting him.
‘It wasn’t intentional, but maybe we’ll witness the resurrection of a Shadow Elf.’
In the distant past, when Dark Elves and Elves were on equal footing...
Just like the High Elves among the Elves, there was said to be a higher class of Dark Elves called Shadow Elves.
Interestingly, Shadow Elves were known to be stronger as males, contrary to the usual pattern of Elves being stronger females.
Just like the boy, rapidly growing before her eyes.
‘...And yet, the contact is late.’
There was a delay in contact from the one on the surface.
Had something happened?
‘I knew I shouldn’t have trusted that white girl.’
The captain’s gentle face furrowed in a frown.
***
“Ouch! That hurts! Grandma, take it easy!”
“Ugh, you’re such a weak man. Why are you using your body so recklessly?”
The old Dark Elf muttered as she applied medicine to the boy’s wounds.
“...This time, I really thought I had a chance.”
If only I hadn’t used magic, I would’ve won.
The boy swallowed the rest of his words.
“Even if it’s training, you shouldn’t use your body carelessly. Here, your body is your wealth.”
“Ouch! I told you it hurts! Take it easy, Grandma!”
“Do you know how I’ve managed to live this long?”
“...I don’t.”
The boy glanced at the old elf’s wrinkled skin.
Elves age slowly, even if they live for a long time.
That’s why seeing an elf so wrinkled, like the old woman, was a first for the boy.
“It’s because I’ve followed the principles of survival. Always watch your back, admit it quickly when there’s no answer, and....”
“Stop! Stop! I know! I memorized it all during training!”
The inhabitants of the underground city, who seemed like they couldn’t even read, were so obsessed with the principles of survival.
Even the boy, who liked studying, was getting tired of it.
“Especially for someone your age, your body isn’t fully developed yet, so you need to be even more careful.”
“...I get it. But if I want to free her faster, I don’t have a choice.”
“She? Why? She’s been doing well, considering how unlike her usual self she’s been.”
Safira Primera, still held captive, wasn’t allowed to go out freely. She was trapped and under surveillance. However, due to her adaptability and a personality that the people of the underground city liked, she had quickly blended in and was getting along with the locals.
“I know. But Safira, she’s just pretending to be strong right now.”
When the boy finished his training and came back, the girl, who had been planning to sneak up on him from behind, froze when she heard her name being called. She quickly hid behind a wall.
“Pretending to be strong?”
“That girl, every night she cries quietly outside. She probably doesn’t want to show weakness.”
As the heir of the Primera family, the strength she had to display and the act of not appearing weak to the people of this world.
The girl, at such a young age, was secretly suppressing the hardship and fear of being kidnapped.
“Then what about you? Aren’t you in the same situation as her? Taken away to a place you have no ties to, getting beaten every day, isn’t it worse for you?”
“No, my situation’s different. I’m an elf. She’s... white.”
It’s a place full of Dark Elves.
They were Dark Elves who had always looked down on them, and they were hostile toward High Elves.
How could a girl, raised in a greenhouse, adapt properly among them?
“That’s why I have to protect her.”
!!!
The girl’s eyes widened as she hid behind the wall.
“...You fool, Russ.”
Who is it that’s going to protect whom?
“You’re pushing yourself to finish training just for that?”
“I want to get her out of here quickly.”
“...Tch, it’s a good time, huh?”
Of course, the boy’s thoughts were a little different from those of the old elf or the girl.
‘The golden jewel of the Primera family has been kidnapped. The one and only successor.’
Because of the unique nature of the Crystal Elves, it’s difficult to have more than one child.
Therefore, Safira was the only child of the Primera family, making her even more important to the family.
Weeks had passed without any clear movement, but there’s no way nothing was being done.
‘The elders, who think their authority was disregarded by the Dark Elves, wouldn’t quietly stay put. In the worst-case scenario, they might mobilize an army to wipe out Darkhood.’
If that happens, not only Safira’s position, maintained by the Primera family, but also the girl’s life—and mine—could be at risk.
He had tried telling the captain about these concerns, but the response was, "This is none of your business, and do you think you’ve become part of our group already?”
The Dark Elves he had become close with during his time here weren’t much different.
In the end, the best option was to quickly finish his training and take the test, get recognized as one of them, and find a way to get Safira out of here.
“Fool, Russ!”
Swoosh
The sweet scent of an elf girl filled the boy’s nose.
The girl suddenly wrapped her arms around him from behind.
“Did you get beat up again?”
“...I wasn’t just beaten today.”
“You probably got hit a hundred times while you managed to land one blow. You can’t even beat me!”
“Are you worrying about me now?”
“No, I don’t worry about you! I don’t want my toy to break by some weird guys! Seriously, it’s ridiculous!”
The girl flapped her arms, blushing at the boy’s sudden question.
“...It’s a good time, huh.”
The old woman smiled as she watched their exchange.