Chapter 71 (2/2)

The majority of the elves lived in the Great Canada Forest and on top of her being Glenys’ daughter, she was also a warrior of the Forest capital Maple.

We met under unusual circumstances and our friendship had the opportunity to deepen during our mission to rescue kidnapped elves. Thanks to my participation in that mission I was allowed to stay in this village despite being human.

“Well…… I suppose only a few people can keep up with Arc’s movements and your enemies are gonna be monsters, right?”

Glenys tapped her chin with her finger and maintained her smile as she took Ariane’s comment into consideration.

“Arc, lend me your sword.”

Holding out her right hand after she said so, Ariane wanted me to give her my wooden sword so I handed it to her without any complaints.

“It’s been a while since we sparred, mother.”

“Yes, it’s been a while, hasn’t it.”

Both mother and daughter laughed a little as they took some distance from each other.

Though I called them mother and daughter, the two looked close enough in age to be considered sisters. It was hard to judge the age of people with four hundred year long lifespans by appearances alone.

“Sha!”

Ariane shouted a battle cry as she charged with her wooden sword raised. Glenys dodged the attack by taking a small step back, placing her out of the range of Ariane’s sword swing. The moment after she dodged Ariane’s attack, Glenys raised her own sword and launched a fierce counterattack.

After evading Glenys’ attacks with movements similar to her mother’s, Ariane kicked the ground to leap back in order to widen the distance.

“Well, it appears you’ve been influenced by your sister’s bad footwork.”

Glenys chuckled a bit when she saw the way Ariane leaped back.

Their movements were totally different from my own, they appeared to be engaged in a lethal blade dance that was a spectacle to watch.

It was something I couldn’t hope to replicate in this full body armor, and I began to wonder if it was a smart move to study swordplay under Glenys.

I’d be more suited towards a style that took advantage of my overwhelming strength. While I was fine dealing with criminals and monsters, I was incapable of holding back against regular people.

When I had the chance, it would be a good idea to ask Ariane for some basic sword lessons, but at the moment Ariane and Glenys’ bout had come to an end

Ariane’s wooden sword was sent flying into the air and landed right in front of me.

Ariane was drenched in sweat as she slouched over her knees gasping for air, while Glenys was standing tall with the same smile on her face. Even my untrained eye could tell that Ariane was an extremely capable swordswoman, yet Glenys’ superior abilities were truly impressive. No, astonishing would be a better description.

“Hmm, though your skills have improved, you still have room to grow.”

“Hey! I would like to try as well……”

The scene of a mother smiling down at her daughter and said daughter vexingly looking up to her mother was interrupted by the other person that had watched the bout calling out to them.

Glenys turned toward the source of the exclamation.

“Oh? Chiome-chan, would you like to spar with me too?”

“By all means, please instruct me.”

The girl Glenys called Chiome gave a slightly formal response as she stood up and asked for instruction.

She had short-cut, raven black hair and her blue eyes were staring straight at Glenys. Her small frame was adorned in black clothes that were easy to move in, arm and leg guards and a dagger that was strapped to her waist.

On top of her head was a pair of black, triangular cat ears and a long black tail was coiled around her waist.

She was a person of the Mountains and Plains, another race that lived in seclusion to escape persecution from humans. She was a part of the “Blade Heart Clan”, an armed group of People of the Mountains and Plains that fought the slavery and forced labor their kind endured.

About six hundred years ago, their clan had been formed by someone in a situation similar to mine. That person had gathered the persecuted people and taught them the ways of ninjutsu. Among this clan, Chiome stood as one of the six strongest ninjas.

“Okay.”

When Glenys agreed, Chiome switched places with Ariane. The only weapon Chiome had were the gauntlets on her arms.

Several seconds passed as the two silently stared at each other.

Glenys behavior was completely different from before. Chiome bent down on all fours and performed a charge that was even faster than Ariane’s had been. When Glenys dodged the attack, Chiome quickly regained her balance and released a flurry of attacks.

Those nimble movements were to be expected for someone with cat-like attributes. However, Glenys managed to repel the cascade of hands and feet and showed her usual smile as she began her counterattack.

The two switched between offense and defense for a while, but after Glenys landed a solid blow on the back of Chiome’s ankle, she began to push Chiome back, leaving her without much room to breathe, and soon the tip of Glenys’ sword was held against the ninja’s neck.

“I concede……”

When Chiome admitted defeat, Glenys removed her wooden sword from her throat.

“That was very good, Chiome-chan. I’d say your martial arts skills are superior to my oldest daughter’s. I’m afraid your attacks are too light because of your small body, but you’re still in the middle of your growth period, so that is bound to improve.”

“Th-thank you very much.”

At Glenys’ brief comment, the usually expressionless Chiome looked as if she were about to smile before she lowered her head.

Glenys’ smile widened as she looked at that scene before she clapped her hands and turned toward me.

“Well, let’s end practice here, grab some breakfast and prepare you for your trip!”

“Yes” “Um, understood.”

“Kyun!”

When I and Ariane stood up after answering Glenys, Ponta, who’d been idly playing near the mansion until now, ran towards us when she heard the word “Breakfast”.

She was a creature commonly referred to as a fluffy fox. Her dandelion-like tail made up half of her sixty-centimeter long body. Despite her fox-like head, there were patches between her forelegs and hind legs that were similar to the legs of a flying squirrel.

The fur on her back and head was light green, while her underbelly was covered in white colored fur that also appeared in the center of her tail.

She was a rare kind of animal that was capable of using magic, the type which the elves have dubbed spirit beasts.

According to Ariane and Chiome, spirit beasts were supposed to be wary creatures, yet there was no sign of that wariness in Ponta once she heard about breakfast.

Ponta focused her wind magic under her feet and began running on air. It looked like she was trying to reach her favorite spot on top of my helmet, but Ariane stepped forward and caught her.

“You wanna to eat too, Ponta?”

When Ariane petted her head and asked her that question in a soft voice, Ponta looked between me and her before letting out an excited cry and burying herself in Ariane’s voluptuous chest.

I was left sitting there, having been defeated by the temptation of breakfast……