Chapter 8: Is This Your First Time To See An Elf Using His Fist?

“…I can’t stand to watch this anymore.”

Elenia, who was sitting across the table eating, put down her utensils.

From the moment the elf sitting over there walked in, her expression had been far from pleasant.

It was as if she had fully anticipated what kind of situation would unfold and what words would be exchanged.

And I saw clearly how elves who have wandered the outside world deal with humans.

Judging all elves based on the actions of one might be unreasonable.

But they say you can know ten things by seeing just one.

Seeing that elf, I felt like I didn’t need to see anything else.

“Go ahead and finish your meal, Tyreal. I need to have a word with that fellow elf of mine.”

I nodded at Elenia’s words. 

Or at least, I tried to.

“Anyway, humans are truly amusing. They harm their own parents and children over money. But in moments like this, they act differently. That’s why I despise your kind.”

Ah, damn it. 

This wretched Kanph bastard. 

Bringing up parents and children crosses the line, no matter what.

Trying to save someone like that as a fellow elf made me feel like I’d gone insane.

I stood up abruptly and marched toward that damn elf without a second thought.

Whether Elenia called my name from behind or not, only one thing mattered to me now.

“Aaaargh!”

To get this Kanph out of a restaurant full of humans.

And to give them a proper lesson in manners. 

Those were the only two things.

Grabbing their flapping ears more tightly was just a bonus.

“What, what are you doing? Let go! Let go of me!”

The panicked elf grabbed my shoulders, trying to pry my hands off.

But no chance. 

After seven years of rigorous physical training, how did they think they’d win against me?

No matter how much older or how skilled they were in magic or spirit arts,

In this situation, raw strength was everything.

No one could escape my grasp.

“I said let go! Aaaagh!”

Hey, struggling is fine, but don’t move so violently.

Your ear might really get torn off, and that wouldn’t be my fault.

“Graaaagh!”

I only let go of them after passing the restaurant’s entrance and reaching the main street.

I had gripped and pulled them hard enough, but they leapt away, screaming about the pain.

What a dramatic fellow elf. 

They must have lived at least a few decades longer than me, but look at them.

“What on earth are you doing! You’re an elf, yet you pull someone’s ear so recklessly! I thought it was going to be ripped off!”

“Well, it’s not like I could rip off your head, could I?”

If something had to be torn off, wouldn’t an ear be better?

Honestly, I held back from ripping your head off.

“What nonsense… Wait a second. Now that I think about it, you! You haven’t even undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, have you?”

Ah, busted. 

Come to think of it, all elves who’ve undergone the coming-of-age ceremony wear a bracelet.

A bracelet made from the flowers and vines of the great forest, symbolizing a soul connected with the woods and trees.

Elenia wears one, and so does this Kanph standing in front of me.

But I don’t have one. 

Naturally, since I haven’t undergone the ceremony.

I quickly tried to cover my wrist, but the elf, who had already seen everything, raised their voice.

“You brat! Not only have you come out of the forest without undergoing the ceremony, but you dare to grab the ear of an elder! There’s no way you came out here alone. Where is your guardian?”

Weng-al-weng-al. 

My ears are killing me. 

The grumbling sounds just like a fly buzzing around.

As I was contemplating what to do with this nuisance, a hand grabs my shoulder from behind.

“Tyreal, that’s enough now.”

“So, you’re the kin who was with that young one earlier. Are you their guardian?”

“Calling me a guardian would be inaccurate. We’re equals, after all.”

“What nonsense are you spouting now? Right. As a kin of the forest, just putting that dreadful thing in your mouth already disqualifies you. Why would I expect anything better?”

Is it normal for elves to come to the human world but insist on sticking to an elven diet?

If that’s the case, they should’ve just stayed in the forest. 

Why come here and tarnish the reputation of elves?

“This isn’t the Great Forest. It’s the human world. To show respect for them, experiencing their food culture isn’t something to criticize.”

“Humans are bloodthirsty beings! From wars to murders driven by greed and desires! Even beyond that, they harm animals to consume their flesh! How barbaric! And yet, instead of condemning them, you’re accepting and understanding them? Both you and that child! If your parents knew this, they’d be heartbroken!”

Do elves have some passive trait where they always bring up parents?

I don’t have that.

Is it because I was human in a past life?

“You’re being quite harsh.”

“The harsh one is that brat! To disturb an elder’s ears! In my youth, such behavior would have been unthinkable! Are all kids like this these days? Not in my village! Hey, where are you from?”

Is he angry because I was rude to an elder or because I touched his ears?

Just as my curiosity deepens, Elenia raises her hand to signal a stop.

“That’s enough. Tyreal made a mistake, but you, as a kin of the forest, aren’t blameless either.”

“Blameless? Are you siding with the humans now?”

“I’m not siding with anyone; I’m just stating the facts. Do you not realize that because of elves like you, others of our kind get criticized by humans?”

“That’s only because humans aren’t prepared to revere us elves! We have longer lifespans, greater wisdom, and superior magic and spirit arts. We teach them so much, yet they’re still not ready!”

Ah, I can’t take this anymore.

My ears feel like they’re about to fall off.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Tyreal!”

“Leave it. He’s not someone you can reason with.”

It’s better if this guy just goes back to the forest. 

Staying here would only harm everyone.

I guarantee that if he stays longer, he’ll contribute significantly to the rising hatred of elves.

The day elves are referred to as pests instead of their name, he’ll have at least a small part to blame.

So, I grabbed his ears with both hands and gave them a good twist. 

The pest of an elf seemed ready to die from joy.

“Gyahhh! Y-you brat! I said enough!”

Suddenly, my body lifts into the air and I get thrown backward.

“Tyrea!!!”

Rather than feeling shock, pain, or embarrassment, questions arise first.

What just happened? 

Was I caught in some kind of storm?

Ignoring the throbbing pain, I adjust my twisted body and look ahead.

-Grrrk!

Something vaguely wolf-shaped is glaring at me.

A faint breeze brushes by. 

The sound of wind sharply pierces my ears.

“You! How can you justify summoning a spirit against a young kin who hasn’t even completed their coming-of-age ceremony?!”

“It’s the duty of adults to discipline disrespectful youngsters! You should be grateful that I’m doing what you couldn’t!”

I see. 

That translucent wolf is none other than a wind spirit.

The power I could never properly wield. 

How much nagging have I endured because of it?

Someone from the house next door summoned a spirit. 

The neighbor’s daughter has been communicating with spirits for ages.

Hearing such remarks always made my stomach churn.

“Consider yourself lucky today. Be glad it’s me. If it were someone else, they would’ve used magic, not spirits, to discipline a brat like you!”

With a wave of his hand, the translucent wolf-the wind spirit- lunges at me.

Its wide-open jaws heading toward me make my hair stand on end from tension.

Sharp fangs, claws like blades-it’s truly a wolf.

Spirits, by nature, have no physical form.

However, when paired with someone with high affinity, they can materialize.

This means they can exert physical force in this world where they normally couldn’t.

In other words, if this continues, I’m going to get bitten, and something’s going to end up with a hole in it.

But if I look at it another way, if something without a body now has one, it means physical force from my side can also work against it.

After all the training I’ve done, it doesn’t make sense to lose to just one spirit!

-Krrgh!

Grabbing the jaws of the wolf lunging at me, I slam it to the ground with force.

There’s no way I can let its mouth open. I’m determined not to get bitten, thinking it’s life or death.

Spirit magic might be amazing, but it’s not invincible.

If it were a formless spirit in its natural state, that’d be one thing.

But for a contracted spirit, I just need to reverse summon it!

“Нuhuhuhh!!”

At first, I planned to climb onto it and choke its neck to subdue it.

But then I remembered-spirits don’t need to breathe.

It’s like trying to drown a fish by throwing it in water.

One of my arms is already tightly gripping the spirit’s muzzle.

Ultimately, the only option I have left is to use my free arm to strike its head.

-Bam!

My fist stings. 

I thought it might either pass through or feel soft since it’s a translucent spirit.

But it feels like I just punched a rock. 

The sharp, stinging pain makes me think my skin might be torn.

The good news is, my efforts aren’t entirely pointless.

-Yelp!

Despite being a spirit, it yelps like a real wolf. 

This is a new discovery.

If physical force works, it feels sensations, including pain.

Yeah, spirit buddy. 

This is what pain feels like. 

I’m sorry in advance.

Blame the fact that your summoner ended up facing someone like me.

“Hup!”

With a final punch, suddenly, my body wavers and loses balance.

The wolf, which had clearly been solid despite its translucency, now becomes faint like smoke.

When the spirit is finally completely reverse summoned, the next thing I see is the dumbfounded expression of the Kanph.