A few days had passed since Velt had been accepted into the village. At the moment, he was practicing with a spear alongside Ky.

  “Damn it…” Velt muttered as he fell to the ground.

  “I told you not to swing the spear so much or you’d lose your balance. I didn’t even hit you—you’re falling on your own,” Ky scolded him, arms crossed.

  “It’s not my fault. Sometimes it just slips… the spear is really long and heavy,” Velt complained as he stood back up.

  “Yeah, yeah. You’ll get used to it with practice. Let’s continue,” Ky said, returning to his combat stance.

  Before they could resume, a voice interrupted them.

  “Hey, aren’t you coming to lunch?” Rurhy called out as she approached with Karshen. Both were carrying bowls of food.

  “Brother, you forgot to eat again,” Karshen said, looking at Ky.

  “Sorry, Karsh,” Ky replied, gently ruffling her hair.

  Rurhy walked over to Velt and handed him a bowl.

  “How’s it going?” she asked.

  “Fine… I think,” Velt answered before starting to eat.

  “At least he’s trying,” Ky commented while eating.

  “Hey, trying counts for something, right? Give me some credit,” Velt protested.

  “Haha. And to think you’re actually pretty good with a bow,” Rurhy said with a laugh.

  “That’s true. Mid-range weapons suit you well, Velt,” Ky added thoughtfully.

  “Yeah, but I also want to learn how to use close-range weapons. Not just swords and daggers,” Velt replied.

  “Well, a spear also counts as a close-range weapon,” Ky said.

  “Isn’t a spear mid-range?” Karshen asked, confused.

  “No. People get confused because it’s long, but it’s classified as a close-range weapon,” Ky explained.

  “I see…” Karshen murmured. “A-and I want to learn how to use a weapon too.”

  Her words surprised everyone.

  “Karshen, you’re still a child. You should be playing,” Ky said seriously.

  “B-but Brother Velt is training… why can’t I do the same?” she complained.

  “Listen, Karshen,” Rurhy said gently, stroking her head. “They’re older and can train without getting hurt. We’re not saying no—just that you’re still little, okay?”

  Karshen thought about it for a few seconds, then seemed to understand.

  “Alright…” she said, a bit disappointed.

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  “Good girl. I promise that when you’re older, I’ll teach you how to use a bow,” Rurhy said.

  “Really?” Karshen asked, instantly brightening up.

  “Of course. As long as your brother allows it,” Rurhy added, looking at Ky.

  Karshen turned to Ky with pleading eyes until he sighed.

  “Fine. But only when you turn fourteen. Understood?”

  “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Karshen replied excitedly, like a happy puppy.

  Suddenly, a sound echoed in the distance. An elf had blown the horn at the village entrance.

  “What’s going on now?” Rurhy asked.

  “Let’s see,” Velt said, already running toward the entrance, with Rurhy following behind.

  “Karsh, go home,” Ky ordered before chasing after them.

  When they arrived, they saw Rychbi standing near several stopped carriages.

  “Father, what’s happening?” Rurhy asked.

  “What’s this about?” Ky muttered.

  An elegantly dressed man stepped down from one of the carriages, approached the entrance, took out a document, and began to read aloud.

  “By order of Lord Eivan Tairan, these lands are now his property. The inhabitants should consider themselves fortunate to have such a benevolent feudal lord. As a gesture of goodwill, he will charge fifty percent fewer taxes before normalizing them. The first payment will be seventy gold coins. Failure to comply will result in the confiscation of the land and the inhabitants being declared rebels.”

  “This is a joke, right?” Ky said.

  “No human has any right to claim this part of the forest,” Rychbi stated firmly.

  “I’m sorry, but these are Lord Eivan’s orders,” the man replied indifferently.

  “Hey, I’m pretty sure this isn’t legal. Tell your lord to go bother someone else,” Velt added.

  The man looked at him, surprised.

  “A human with elves… how strange,” he murmured.

  Then a female voice came from one of the carriages.

  “Nicola, why are you taking so long?”

  A woman stepped out.

  “My apologies, my lady. I ran into an unexpected situation,” the man replied.

  “Did you deliver the message? Then let’s go—” she said, until her gaze met Velt’s. “Oh my… what a handsome boy. Who are you?” she asked.

  “No one you should care about. Please leave,” Velt replied, earning laughter from the elves.

  “Cute and rude… I like that. Tell me, would you like to be my pet?” she asked flirtatiously.

  “No, not really,” Velt answered without hesitation.

  “Hey, stay away from my future husband,” Rurhy protested, clinging to him.

  “Your future husband? That makes no sense…” the woman said, then noticed the ring. “I like that ring. I demand that you give it to me.”

  “Not in your dreams,” Rurhy replied.

  “How dare you? My father owns all of this now. I want the ring, and I want that boy. Hand them over,” she demanded.

  Rurhy simply stuck out her tongue.

  “How dare you!” the woman shouted, but Nicola stopped her when he noticed elves aiming bows from the trees.

  “My lady, it would be best to leave.”

  “No, I don’t want to!” she protested, throwing a tantrum.

  “I suppose you’re nobility,” Velt said.

  “That’s right. Changed your mind?” she asked with a smile.

  “No. I was just going to say that I don’t give a damn about your status, and you should get out of here. This land belongs to the dark elves.”

  The woman tried to respond, but Nicola shoved her back into the carriage.

  “We’ll meet again soon,” she said before the carriages departed.

  The elves watched as they disappeared down the road.

  “This is bad… we just reclaimed our home, and now the nobility wants to take it from us,” Ky growled.

  “Let’s return to the village. We’ll discuss this calmly,” Rychbi said, turning away.

  As they walked toward the huts, Rurhy suddenly stopped.

  “What is it?” Velt asked.

  “I’m going home to get Esmeralda. I need something to squeeze—I’m annoyed,” Rurhy replied.

  “Doesn’t it hurt when you squeeze her?” Velt asked.

  “It feels more like tickling,” Rurhy said, recalling how she’d done it before.

  “I see. Don’t take too long,” Velt said, giving her a kiss.

  “Okay,” Rurhy replied with a smile and headed home to get Esmeralda.

  “Zero,” Velt said.

  “Yes?” Zero responded.

  “I said it on impulse, but… is what the humans are doing actually legal?” Velt asked.

  “Accessing encyclopedia… According to records, this forest is bound by oath to the Kingdom of Solaris, and no human may claim it, noble or otherwise,” Zero replied.

  “I see…” Velt murmured thoughtfully.

  A short while later, Rurhy returned.

  “All set,” she said, holding Esmeralda in her arms.

  The small slime, despite lacking a face, seemed drowsy.

  “Was she sleeping?” Velt asked.

  “She was eating the meat we saved for the night. I guess she got full,” Rurhy replied.

  “Great… I’ll have to think of a way to stop that,” Velt muttered.

  Then, together with Rurhy and Esmeralda, he headed toward the central hut.