A Villainess Should Be Strong

"Then, might I ask you to perform your attendant duties? Please take me to my abode. Our game shall start tomorrow. You may bother me at any time starting tomorrow, until I leave Alfheim," Estelle questioned.

In response, Neil nodded. For this instance, he would go along with Estelle. He would test the waters. Find out more.

Whether Estelle meant harm to the kingdom, his home and motherland, or whether she was a blessing that they were supposed to keep like a treasure just like the other royals.

Either way, Estelle was a fully-fledged royal in identity. Because the criteria to become one was to be the 'descendant' of the Moon Goddess' bearer. To possess the powers she had granted to the kin.

And Estelle did possess the power. They didn't know how far it extended to, but just by being in her presence, they could feel it.

As Elves who regularly worshipped the Goddess, the twins had an even more exclusive privilege. They were allowed to enter the inner court of the palace, something not all royal servants could do.

The inner court was much more abundant in terms of the Goddess' traces. The closer you got to the palace's center, the more concentrated the Goddess' power was. This was because in the inner court, a statue of the Goddess' was put up.

The area around the statue contained the most abundant aura. Only direct royals and those who had extraordinary achievements were able to get closer and enter the sealed place.

Of course, the current Estelle wouldn't be able to get near.

However, if she did manage to prove herself, then the room should be opened to her. Estelle was excited to see just how she would play this out to be.

The trio started walking to their next destination, departing from the garden they were previously in.

Estelle's eyes scanned the surroundings as she walked on the path, enjoying the gentle breeze that hit her with every single step she took forward.

She appreciated the view and scenes.

"Your castle is pretty," Estelle praised, following behind her two attendants' footsteps.

"Of course. Unlike your country's own castle, which is literally bathed in excessive and unnecessary gold, we take in the nature. It is what the Goddess had bestowed upon us. She gave us life, and we strive to protect the land to honor that favor," Neil harrumphed as he mocked Alynthi's sense right in front of one of its citizens.

Of course, Estelle herself wasn't all that fond of Alynthi's grandeur persona. Their true prowess was largely behind what they tried to convey to the world.

Even so, everybody knew that Alynthi wasn't all that majestic. It was a publicly untold secret.

Niki did not say anything following Neil's words, but hints of discomfort could be seen on her face, presumably because of Estelle's problematic status.

"Please relax around me, I personally am a neutral person. I do not yield to one side, I prefer aligning to my own views," Estelle assured. "I do not care if you insult Alynthi and their shitty King, because I also think that way,"

Somehow, hearing the girl's frank words, Niki couldn't help but tug her lips upwards. Even though the action was only miniscule, Estelle caught it.

Their journey resumed.

After walking around for quite some time, with Neil and Niki introducing some of the castle's main compartments, the trio reached where Estelle was supposed to be housed in.

Elves, including the Queen herself liked nature the most Almost the entire palace had greenery covering the area. The air was very cool and fresh, making the trees and plants sway peacefully.

Their structures were built out of stone and was unexpectedly sturdy. Their structural integrity was just as strong as ones made by the humans even if it didn't look that practical.

The aesthetics of the place was exemplary.

Estelle entered her room. Just like the previous views she saw, the room had a similar feel as it was still inside the palace. It was covered in greens, not too little but not too excessive. There were detailed sculptures place as decoration, shaped to different objects from normal pillars to magical creatures that were placed or hung around the room. They were lifelike and seemed like they could jump out any moment now to move freely.

Estelle observed all the stuff and indeed found traces of sculpting everywhere. If these furniture pieces and decorations were sold in Alynthi, they would certainly yield a lot of money. The skill it took to make such an elaborate and intricate structure couldn't have been small.

Seeing Estelle be entranced with awe, the twins had a sense of pride.

"Our countryfolks are talented in sculpting. We excel in manipulating the winds, and it helps us to carve the details. All the architecture you see, none of it didn't involve the use of wind in the process," Niki took the chance to explain and promote their culture. 

Excelling in the usage of wind. Alfheim's exclusivity did not only amount to the Goddess' powers but also the wind element.

"Alfheim is also dubbed as the Country of the Winds, where the element coexists with our country as if its an entity. Something alive. It has been deeply ingrained in our culture that winds are to be treated with respect," Neil added.

Estelle nodded at their words, stroking the beautiful pieces gently, appreciating even the smallest detail. They were all made with so much devotion, as if trying to impress the Gods themselves.

"Can all elves sculpt?" Estelle asked.

"They generally can sculpt until the intermediate level. However, experts and artisans who truly devote themselves to create and build sculptures are further dubbed as Royal Sculptors, in which they will be assigned with the task of creating supply for the castle's needs. For example, the castle is built by the late Royal Sculptors and maintained by the current ones," Neil answered.

"How many Royal Sculptors are there..?" Estelle raised a brow. 

To build such a beautiful castle, could it be done with a small team?

"Back when the castle was built, there were ten of them. Now, there are only two left," Neil said.

"Just ten.. to build this castle. Wow," Estelle gaped in amazement.

"Royal Sculptors are out of the world. They are extremely hard to come by. They can not be measured by the standards of other people. They are ones who have mastered how to combine every single move of theirs with the wind and convey that into their medium,"

"Hmm," 

Humming in agreement, Estelle took a seat on the nearest chair, which was also sculpted by the Royal Sculptors. 

Immediately, she felt a difference. The chair made it feel like she was sitting on clouds or thin air. Even though it was made by stone, somehow it possessed qualities that couldn't have come out of stones.

"That is the Royal Sculptors' ability," Neil commented. "To create and add their own desired characteristics into their creations. Magical, no?" 

"..This is borderline impossible to do," Estelle frowned.

People's first assumption would be that they cast enhancement magic over the production. However, unless they have a concrete formula, casting said magic would require a tremendous amount of mana since it'd have to be separated from them for a long time and would be used on a regular basis.

Of course, Estelle was exempted from this rule since she possessed Creation Magic that helped her gain the ability to freely create items. 

However, for Royal Sculptors, wouldn't it mean that they directly possessed similar powers to that of the Moon Goddess'?

Since they also had the ability to revamp things to what they originally wouldn't possess, they would have to alter the object's entire being to maintain the change.

Estelle kept the information in mind as she continued asking about other matters.

"What else do the elves specialize in?"

"Other specialties like archery and high agility are also assisted by the winds. Our winds.. they are special," Neil lowered his gaze, deep in thought.

Estelle kept her eyes on the man's movements, wondering what was on his mind.

He looked up once more to meet Estelle's gaze. After a short while, they broke off the contact, but Estelle felt like the man had just realized something. 

"...Well then, I shall take a rest for the day. Good work, you two," Estelle gave a small smile as she waved politely.

Since the twins were now allowed to treat the girl as a fellow civilian, they did not bow. They only gave a slight nod and left, leaving Estelle to fend for herself in the castle.

"...I suppose I would have to start working from tomorrow onwards," She had given the twins much room to work with, particularly Neil.

They would definitely be out to make it hard for her. Neil contained more enthusiasm. 

Sighing, Estelle was reminded that it was her who brought this upon herself. She expected her magic to fully recover by the next day, so she planned to rest.

She got up the bed and slept.