A Villainess Should Be Strong

Instead of becoming gloomy and sad over her fate, Estelle was cheerful.

Since she was told to learn the style, Estelle was able to obtain permission to get her hands on one of these mystical [Moonlight Bows].

It was a beautiful weapon.

If you viewed it from a far distance, it truly just felt like a normal crescent moon-shaped structure. A figurative decoration and not a weapon that can cause heavy destruction.

And yet, the power that Niki showed on the day of the demonstration won over all the other bows she had learned of.

Indeed, the elves were the best in archery. Their pinnacle of perfection was universe's away from the other countries.

First of all, it was not a secret that the other countries did not look too fondly on the archery section except for certain situations.

Humans put more effort into swordsmanship and such, spirits used elemental magic and short weapons, beastkin used their robust bodies to rip apart their enemies, the dragons used brute force and magic, and only the elves bothered to devote themselves to archery.

Thanks to their devotion, they were able to sustain a combative style that could rival other weapon users even inside a close combat environment. The elves could use their environment to their advantage and could rapidly shoot their bows, and hit their target with a high accuracy rate even while moving around in high speed.

Thus, it became a challenge for the other races to keep up with elves in battle. Elves were armed with bows and magic. They would then incorporate those factors into their battle's environment and create a style that would throw off their opponents.

Of course, not all elves used only bows and arrows. Those who preferred swords, spears, daggers, and magic did exist. But for most of the part, bows and arrows were a huge part of the elven culture. It was deeply ingrained within them to study and master archery.

Estelle pondered on her situation. She was confused as to where she should start from.

She knew archery and the basic moves, but she hadn't really delved upon the art.

Crossing her arms, she sat in front of the bow. She began touching the item, trailing her fingers over the instrument as she scrutinized every single inch of it, trying to get familiar with the item.

A brainstorming session was always the path to getting a great solution for her.

"If.. the bow was the medium, then where should I channel the magic from?" Her first question was raised.

Figuring out how the bow worked was not easy.

It was an abstract concept, since the bow and archery style itself was not meant to be used by a lot of people. Thus, naturally every approach would be different.

The way one communicated and worked alongside the winds. Estelle had never thought about the matter deeply, but she found out that the wind had special characteristics.

The infinite details from the winds all across the world, how would it feel trying to align with each one of them?

However, even after thinking for a long time, Estelle fell into a slump when she realized that she was getting nowhere.

"Ahh, I really ought to get someone to help," Estelle muttered. "But who can I ask for assistance without breaking the rules Neil set?"

Estelle was fully intending to follow through with the promises she had made. Thus, she couldn't use her honorable titles, but she needed an expert to teach her the archery style.

Of course, since Neil didn't specify that she couldn't ask for help at all, getting acquainted with another person should be of no problem if she could just get them to cooperate without revealing her identity.

The specialized wind magic was of no huge problem for Estelle. She found out that the concept was eerily similar with her own vision of magic.

It was to create, yet not a perfect version of creation.

Create. Bringing something to existence from nothingness.

However, in the winds' case, it was more like giving form to the abstract energy.

A lot of people could use the Wind element, but elves played it differently. They were able to actually manipulate the element to bring them all sorts of usable forms.

Going by the concept, then Estelle could technically formulate an incident that replicated the winds.

The combination magic she had learned in the Eterna, she felt extremely grateful that she went through that process now.

She kept coming across situations that needed the combination process.

Although the result wouldn't be the true elven kind of Elven Winds, she was able to produce a similar version to that using her own spin to the problem. As long as the style worked, her challenge should be considered as having a passing grade.

That is, of course, by mixing in different sets of magic. Particularly, her super convenient True Creation Magic.

Indeed, she received a huge boost in power after unlocking the element. She now attained a more concise and consistent result throughout her trials.

Since she had rested for quite some time, her magic has basically cleared up from Heine's previous restraints.

She was reminded by Heine once more, imagining him waking up to her disappearance. She tortured him quite a lot, but Estelle thought that he deserved it.

In fact, if not for the fact that she was rushing right now, she would've continued to harm him.

"That said... This is day 1, and I've pretty much already figured out the entire concept between the Elven Winds. Isn't that great for starters?" Estelle tried to be positive, thinking that her progress was already fast.

"Elven Winds?" A foreign male voice entered.

From behind her figure, Estelle detected an incoming presence and instantly became on guard.

"Why are you jumping like a guilty person? Could it be, I've caught a wrongdoer?" The man chuckled, showing his figure.

He was a blonde elf clad in white robes- a trend that seemed to be going around the Elven community by the looks of it. The man looked like a deity with how aesthetically pleasing he looked.

"Ah.. I have a task," Estelle answered. "No, wait, before that.. My name is Estelle Clareste, a half-elf,"

Since part of the rules said not to declare her royal identity, Estelle had to resort to using her surname back. Of course, in front of the twins and her own maternal grand aunt, she would have no qualms in using her Villarante name.

"..A half-elf?" The man frowned at her introduction.

"Ah... yes," Estelle replied.

Internally, she was wondering whether the man was the type of elf that frowned upon other species. From the first glance, he looked like a knowledgeable person, but who knew what was the truth?

"I see.. A half-elf, huh? Then, how did you come to possess the Goddess' powers? Surely you are not a royal?" The man suddenly asked.

Estelle widened her eyes. How was the man able to sense her magic?

In the first place, Estelle was currently residing inside the elven castle, so naturally the people who wandered around would not be completely normal. The castle was practically a sanctuary with how invested elves were in their religious beliefs.

Looking at Estelle's distraught expression, the man broke into a warm smile once again.

"I am a former Royal Sculptor, so I know," The man answered. "Estelle Clareste, was it? The name Clareste.. Could it be the human noble family?"

[A former Royal Sculptor.. I actually came across one.] Estelle thought.

"..Yes. Could it be... you're aware of us?"

"To a certain extent, yes. When Princess Silvanna escaped, the castle's insiders were thrown into jeopardy. Of course the Clareste name would be a memorable one. After all, the man who stole the Princess belonged to the Clareste household," The man said.

"In fact, I was also one of the main players who were assigned to the task of investigating Duke Clareste's information,"

"The Duke you are talking about is my grandfather, whose whereabouts have been unknown since forever. Do you dislike me?" Estelle answered. She did not know why, but she felt at ease talking to the man.

There was something about the man that drew her in.

Unknowingly, she had indirectly revealed that she was a royal. She stated her Clareste name not expecting someone to actually know the name's weight.

However, the man did not mind. He didn't bring the topic up.

"No. I am just someone who wants to live on without troubles, I don't have time to harbor enmity or anything of that sort. I was one of the few investigators on Princess Silvanna's case.. But who do you think made it possible for her news to not be spread like wildfire?"

Estelle frowned. Come to think of it, if her grandmother truly was a royal elf, then the matter should've been much bigger.

However, she hadn't even seen one bit of this incident written inside history books. Her grandmother's true identity wasn't even known to the public audience.

It was weird.