Martial Elf

“Um… do I really have to do this?”

“You’re lacking in the basics. The balance of upper and lower body development is quite off. Just do as you’re told.”

“It’s hard enough, but it’s just so embarrassing…”

Duberv was practicing martial arts early in the morning by the wellside inside the inn under my orders.

The problem was that as people came by the wellside to wash up early in the morning, they kept glancing over, causing Duberv’s face to turn red with every passerby.

“What can I do? This is the only place suitable for practice.”

“Can’t I at least do this in the room?”

“It’s more efficient to train in an open area rather than somewhere with stagnant air. Above all, I don’t want to smell your sweat in that confined, small room.”

“I could just do it by myself.”

“A brat who’s already complaining is quite diligent if they manage to stay out of my sight. Once training is over, the wellside is right there for washing up, so stop talking and focus on feeling the strain in your thighs and glutes properly. The level of efficiency varies even in the same amount of time depending on your concentration.”

“Still—”

“You’re probably not that tired yet, which is why you’re conscious of others’ gazes. Want me to really push you?”

At those words, Duberv looked dissatisfied but started to focus on his posture in silence.

Leaving Duberv to concentrate, I fell deep into thought to create the martial art I would teach him.

“It’s harder to guide the ideas and inspiration in a specific direction than to properly follow logic and arrange a martial art.”

“Moreover, what’s more concerning is that what I’m going to teach Duberv is a secret martial art.”

“The most famous among secret techniques is the Tang Clan, which is already a notable clan among the martial aristocracy, and the martial arts related to secrecy maintain their confidentiality more rigorously than other martial arts.”

“Secret techniques are much easier to prepare for compared to general martial arts once they’re known. Due to the nature of secret arts, even lower-level forms share fundamental similarities, making the burden of countering them even greater.”

If it were a general martial art, I could have just molded an existing appropriate secret technique into shape.

However, there were no counter techniques limited to the secrecy suited for Duberv’s talents, so I had to create my own.

Techniques used by the Tang Clan, southern martial sects, assassin groups, and wandering vagabonds that were close to being unorthodox.

Countless essences of martial arts dismantled and reassembled in my mind.

“It’s actually harder to trim down the parts to leave no issues than to properly refine it.”

When the contemplation in my mind finished, a martial art was completed.

A martial art produced by fusing different regions, philosophies, and theories.

I named this newly created martial art “Shiny Shadow Technique.”

As far as I knew, there were already 14 martial arts named Shiny Shadow Technique in the Central Lands.

If I included the ones that were hastily created and not even worth glancing at, there might be even more.

As a warrior and a scholar, I wasn’t particularly emotionally attached to this technique since it was made to impose restrictions rather than pursue higher truths.

Still, the basics were solid, and it was a martial art with a path that was very clear during the learning process.

While it may not excel as a martial art, it would certainly fulfill a significant role as a tool.

For a human race that was in a dire situation for survival, this might actually be better suited.

“The justification and appearance are roughly in place… If I could hold a status similar to the philosophers from a hundred schools right here, this restriction could last much longer.”

It wouldn’t be easy for the future generations to outright dismiss the results created by the great master who walked ahead.

In fact, among loyal disciples, many often interpreted any criticism of their master as an insult, whether the statement was true or false.

In the country of the Wokou, known for its reverence towards martial arts beyond the Central Lands, there were tales of warriors drawing their swords at perceived insults toward their masters.

I felt that if I could become one of them and if the intricacies of human politics aligned well, it could potentially last for a considerable length of time.

When I finally snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Duberv, he was drenched in sweat, looking as if he would die while trembling his legs as he practiced martial arts.

His pants’ hems had become a bit dirty from how many times he had fallen.

Seeing the sun directly overhead, it seemed more time had passed than I expected.

“Enough, go wash up and eat.”

With those words, I flicked a silver coin toward Duberv, who had just collapsed and was catching his breath.

Being young and at the bottom of the hierarchy, Duberv didn’t seem to possess much money.

At this stage, for someone drifting into the back streets, just providing basic sustenance was enough.

Washing up costs money, and although I wouldn’t be eating, I still had to take care of him since he was my disciple.

Typically, submissive disciples of distinguished houses would often be treated to their master’s delicacies, but finding a use for an orphan who was becoming involved with gamblers was quite rare in the city, and going out to that level outside the city was almost an act of suicide.

Moreover, I was not a master who imparted martial arts for sound reasons.

Holding the silver coin that had bounced back to me on my still lying stomach, I left behind Duberv, who asked with shining eyes, “Can I really use this?” and headed towards the inn’s dining area.

“You said you’d come early, yet you’re a bit late.”

Should I go check on Rudolf in the stables?

He had made such a fuss about being left in the stables last time; I wondered if he’d be calm now.

Just as I was about to leave the now bustling dining area, a group walked into the inn.

Glancing sideways at the group that had just entered, they paused and soon the dining area, which should have been lively with the lunch crowd, fell into silence.

The soldiers who were the root of that silence began surveying their surroundings as if they were used to the situation they had created.

The warriors, adorned in sleeveless leather armor, with a bronzed breastplate on their chests and bronze helmets on their heads, had their hands resting on the hilt of their swords at their waists; as they looked around, everyone else averted their eyes.

One of them eventually locked gaze with me, nudged his companions, and gestured in my direction.

As the soldiers approached me, I could feel tension in the dining area with every step they took.

The approaching soldier looked down through the slits of his helmet and spoke.

“Elf from the west. Are you Lady Araya?”

Although they appeared clumsy, their movements were restrained.

After seeing only shabby equipment, here stood soldiers donned with proper arms.

Moreover, unlike with Duberv, there was a noticeably stronger aura emanating from them.

You would think they might ridicule my small stature, yet with emotionless eyes and a firm hand always on their sword hilt, they had a sturdy presence.

They were soldiers displaying the prowess of their lord.

“That’s right.”

“King Priegoss wishes to invite you. We will escort you to the palace.”

With that, the soldier started moving toward the door, while the remaining soldiers stood still as if waiting for me to make a move.

The awkwardness hung in the air as the soldiers remained standing without moving.

I glanced at Duberv, who had entered the dining area all excited but was now looking around nervously.

“I’ll be back shortly. Please keep an eye on Rudolf.”

At my words, all eyes in the dining area turned toward Duberv, who, now frozen, could barely nod in response.

Seeing that, I adjusted my hat and left the inn.

◈ ◈ ◈

I climbed onto the cart driven by the soldiers and took a look around at the scenery.

Three soldiers sat around me in a circle.

The other soldiers were positioned watchfully on horseback, scanning the surroundings.

As we passed through the main street of the town, the seriousness of their demeanor drew the attention of the townsfolk.

Regardless of what others were doing, I was captivated by the view from the hill.

Unlike at night, the sight of the city from the hill in the morning was magnificent.

One could feel the life force of the humans bustling around throughout the city.

As I gazed at the somewhat advanced appearance of the city, I looked up toward the large mansion on the hill.

“So that mansion I saw at night is King Priegoss’s palace.”

The fact that the bat women had arrived early to rescue Lamia meant they must have been staying in the palace all along.

The idea that beings using sorcery resided within the palace where a human king dwelled felt extraordinarily unsettling.

“I’ll have to observe the situation, but it seems I need to be wary of that woman named Alia.”

This was my first encounter with an entity possessing strength comparable to or exceeding that of a High Elf.

If Alia were to manipulate King Priegoss as a puppet to dominate the entirety of Pohelrn and openly display hostility toward me, a fight would inevitably ensue.

“If fighting might be a bit tiresome?”

I didn’t think I would lose, but considering the strange sorceries I encountered while fighting Lamia, facing off against her and other bat people employing far more powerful and diverse spells could make for a tiring battle.

Nonetheless, given that there hadn’t been any active intent to engage last night, it might unexpectedly end favorably.

Eventually, amidst the soldiers’ vigilance, the cart arrived at the palace without any issue.

“We have arrived. I will assist you in disembarking.”

The soldiers, surrounding me, moved toward the entrance of the palace.

“Lady Alia.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Captain.”

At the entrance, Alia welcomed the soldiers.

“Thank you for your visit, Lady Araya. The king is awaiting you.”

“Uh-huh.”

I followed behind Alia, who led the way with a dignified demeanor.

As we walked through the mansion according to her guidance, we came upon a particularly large room among many.

“The king is awaiting you inside.”

As Alia signaled inside, the door began to slowly open from within.

What I saw when the door had fully opened was a large chamber, where the soldiers I had seen earlier stood in formation on either side, and at the end sat a man with a nervous expression on a large throne carved from marble.

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