Ch.161161. Sione and the Spirit (3)

The flow of time not only brings growth and maturity, but its endless current inevitably causes erosion and wear.

This is especially prominent in elves who live more than twice as long as other races.

‘…As expected.’

This was also true for Friel Arielt, a young elf who had lived for 60 years.

The years Friel Arielt had accumulated enabled her to wield aggressive and intricate spirit magic. However, during those long years, the various incidents she had encountered and experienced had gradually eaten away at her sensitivity and emotional richness.

‘Sixty years is certainly not a short time.’

Compared to the hundreds of years elves live, sixty years might be a relatively short time with much more life ahead. But the waves of experiences and memories that can be created during that time are by no means small or insignificant. It must be the accumulation of hundreds, no, perhaps thousands of battle experiences that allows her to witness such bloody scenes without batting an eye.

‘This is natural for an elf.’

I nodded slightly at the true face of an elf I hadn’t seen in a long time, hidden behind Friel’s smiling countenance.

The strength of elves comes from their innate talents, along with their high proficiency in combat from their longevity that they’re so proud of, and from an emotional deficiency that could be called either a blessing or a curse.

Even a sturdy human female mercenary who has lived as a mercenary for over 20 years would gain undeniable skills, know-how, and cold rationality from her experience. How much more so for an elf who has lived over 60 years, growing with brilliant talent while backed by the blessing of the World Tree and the support of a powerful family?

Wheeesh─!

The magic that Friel Arielt wielded with killing intent, the flesh-tearing wind blades, was an absolute violence impossible to resist. Mere monsters that had lost their reason and were consumed by bloodlust and impulse could only be helpless before such ruthlessness.

“Keeeeek…!”

“Kuheung…!!”

The desperate death cries of four-legged beasts resembling wolves and bears, and bipedal monsters, pierced through the caravan.

The eerie screams reached the rear of the carriage line, freezing the bodies of powerless men and awakening the battle senses of the strong female knights.

“Huh?”

Sione, who had just arrived beside me, seemed a bit taken aback by Friel Arielt’s move that had provided more visual stimulation than expected.

In that moment of witnessing such overwhelming violence, she became convinced that Friel alone could handle this situation with ease.

So instead of immediately intervening in the chaos, Sione let her voice drift.

“…So this is elven spirit magic. It’s, rougher than I expected.”

“Spirit magic is also a type of magic. Just as magic with killing power can be very rough, spirit magic is no different.”

“Hmm…”

“By that logic, wasn’t the spirit magic I used to pierce through the demon quite rough as well?”

It was magic that had turned the upper body of a demon to dust and severed the limbs of surrounding monsters caught in it.

“But that was… more majestic than cruel. It feels somewhat different, don’t you think?”

“Is that so.”

Well, from the receiving end’s perspective, it would be just as bad if not worse, but I simply nodded at her words and continued watching Friel’s battle.

“Being cooped up in the carriage recently has made me restless… I wanted to stretch my body. This works out well.”

An archer by trade, her armament consisted of just one sword, with no bow in sight. Seeing how stiff she seemed, she probably intended to cut down monsters directly with that sword.

Sure enough, as expected.

Friel’s right hand moved to the sword handle. A blade longer than my short sword. If mine resembled a hwando, Friel’s was very similar to a Japanese sword.

Her sword left its scabbard, emanating a cold, sharp edge.

Step, step.

Friel moved forward and began to wield her sword.

“Huu…”

Exhaling to relax her body, she suddenly lunged forward and swung her sword.

Summoning the wind to achieve smoother and faster movements, Friel nimbly danced between enemies, deceiving them.

Whoosh─!

With each sound of the sharp blade cutting through the air.

Slash.

A dry cutting sound.

The head of a bipedal monster was cleanly severed and rolled on the ground, while a beast with a sword thrust into its windpipe collapsed in a bloody foam.

Watching Friel, Sione remarked:

“…She’s as skillful as my sister.”

I gently nodded at her words.

Siabel Sianella. She too had flown through the midst of Orcs on that snowy day. In that chaos, how many of those muscle pigs’ necks had she cut?

Though not as threatening as that cursed Orc horde, the way she evaded various attacks while entangled among different types of monsters and executed mechanically clean cuts with unpredictable movements reminded me of Siabel’s efficient movements.

‘If Friel’s is a refined and pure swordsmanship, Siabel’s would be a vicious throat-grabbing killing blade.’

The sword path Friel displayed was clear and more pleasing to the eye, with each strike vividly imprinting itself in one’s mind.

However, it felt wrong to just stand and watch.

As some monsters began to lose interest in the seemingly invincible Friel and turned their attention toward the carriage.

I properly gripped the bow I had brought and said to Sione:

“Let’s help out now. No good will come from prolonging this commotion.”

“Hmm… then we should take out the ones circling around the edges first.”

Sione’s eyes narrowed.

“Those monsters over there are starting to approach us anyway.”

The main eye for target acquisition, the aiming eye. Since Sione’s right eye was her dominant one, capable of capturing wider angles and deeper depth perception.

Sione opened her right eye wide while squinting her left eye. Then she extended her left hand gripping the bow to take aim, and leisurely drew an arrow from the quiver on her back and nocked it on the bowstring.

The sharp metal arrowhead gleamed brightly as it caught the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

“Kuooo!”

A bear-like monster with horns on its head, having spotted the light, turned its gaze toward us.

Seeing the creature approaching us instead of Friel, I asked Sione:

“Lady Sione.”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to try spirit magic once?”

“Me… spirit magic?”

“Yes, spirit magic.”

“I’d like to try it like you do, but… I don’t have any talent for spirit magic, do I? By the way, why are you asking this now─”

I gave a small smile to Sione, who was gathering aura on her arrowhead while glancing at me questioningly.

“Instead of talent for spirit magic, you have me, don’t you?”

After saying that, I extended my hand to the cotton ball that had been observing the situation blankly from atop my head.

─Myeong!

After the cotton ball climbed onto my hand, I made eye contact with the small spirit.

“Please.”

─Yaang…

The spirit looked quickly at Sione, seeming to hesitate a bit, but eventually nodded reluctantly.

Immediately.

Whoosh─!

“Ah!”

A rather intense whirlwind formed over Sione’s arrowhead. Spirit magic was bestowed upon the arrow nocked on her bowstring.

Sione’s half-closed left eye opened wide. She seemed quite amazed at seeing wind gathering on her attack.

“This is─”

“Why don’t you try shooting it?”

“…Alright.”

She composed herself again and drew the bowstring. Using a split finger draw, she pulled the string all the way back and aimed at the forehead above the monster’s wide-open maw with a dead release.

Paang!

The arrow shot with the whirlwind hit the monster’s vital point precisely and burst into a gale.

“This is…”

Friel, who had been swinging her sword among the monsters, turned around at the sound of another wind burst not created by her. Upon seeing Sione and me, she slightly curled up the corners of her mouth that had been coldly set.

Watching Friel’s situation along with the fallen monster, I caught her gaze for a moment. Due to the distance and not using mana to enhance my eyesight, I could only vaguely make out Friel’s subtle expression.

“The arrow leaving the bowstring feels more exhilarating than usual.”

So I turned my attention from Friel back to Sione.

“To think you’ve been enjoying this fun thing all by yourself… that’s mean, Ray.”

After saying that, Sione looked at me and the cotton ball alternately with sparkling eyes and casually asked:

“Hey… can we do it one more time?”

“That’s─”

Hmm?

The spirit sitting obediently on my palm tapped me.

─Keong…

The cotton ball looked at me with a whining gaze, as if complaining about having to enchant Sione’s magic again.

I gave the cotton ball a small smile.

Just as the cotton ball began to brighten up, thinking its intention had been understood.

“Of course.”

As a spirit mage, mental communion with spirits is important, but sometimes force must be used.

I cleanly ordered the spirit to imbue Sione’s arrowhead with wind. It wouldn’t hurt for Sione to get used to the feeling of shooting arrows with spirit magic, as situations might arise where she would need to.

─Eeng…

Having played in the carriage all this time, now it was time to work. Living only to eat and play would be no different from the life of a beast.

─Paa…

“Then I’ll be counting on you?”

The spirit sighed slightly in annoyance.

Meanwhile, Sione was grinning from ear to ear, thinking she would settle all accounts for the cookies the spirit had stolen from her with this spirit magic.