I approached Lyuu to talk with her about the mock battle. She was reading a book, but when she noticed me, she closed it and looked my way. Her eyes were shining.
I smiled at her and asked, "Do you really want to do this?"
Lyuu nodded and said, "The mock battle? Yes, I do. I'm sure I won't be able to do anything against you, but I think it'll be fun."
"I see. Shall we, then?"
"Shouldn't we tell the other elves? I'm sure they'd want to watch. They've never seen you fight before, have they?"
"Not even you have."
"I saw you kill those wolves," Lyuu said excitedly, and I sighed.
She saw that? But I was far away, deep in the forest. Well, whatever. "Alright, go tell the others. First, I need to find a proper place for the mock battle. It's impossible to do it here."
Everywhere I looked, there were old houses and trees. There was no space for a magical battle here. "We'll have to go outside the forest for this. I don't want to destroy part of it just to create a 'battle arena.'"
"That's right, we can't do it here," Serie said. "Come on, I'll help you bring the others."
"Alright."
Without thinking much about the consequences, Serie and I used magic to carry all the elves outside the forest just for this mock battle. Serie, Lyuu, and I flew ahead while the others were carried by our magic.
Lyuu was the only one among the younger elves who could use flight magic on her own.
When we arrived outside the forest, we found ourselves on a green plain full of flowers—a beautiful place. The younger elves were fascinated, as they had never left the forest before.
They started running across the grass, laughing. Well, they're kids, after all.
"Alright, let's get this started quickly!" I shouted, and all the elves turned their attention to me. "You should all stand back, this could be dangerous," I said, smiling at Lyuu.
I glared at her with "hatred," trying to intimidate her, but it didn't work. The corners of her lips curved into a smile, and she bowed slightly to me. "Thank you for agreeing to fight someone like me, my queen."
Hearing that made me chuckle softly, almost against my will.
"Alright, you may attack first." I glanced around and saw that Serie had already taken the elves to a safe distance. That was good.
"I'll attack with everything I have," Lyuu declared, raising both her hands. She aimed her palms at me, and in an instant, a fireball over a meter wide formed before her.
I smiled and thought, Not bad.
####
POV: Ryuu
I wandered through the forest for a few hours, keeping a slow pace as I enjoyed the scenery. I still can't get used to a forest this "alive." Everything happening here is truly a miracle.
When I left the forest and arrived at the elves' village, I looked around and saw only old, abandoned houses. "When will we start tearing these down to clean up this place? I'll volunteer to help."
This village needs to start being rebuilt.
I approached Serie's house but didn't find her there.
Then I went to the great tree and called for Serie and the queen, but neither responded.
"Something's wrong. Did they go somewhere?" The queen almost never leaves the village, so it was strange. Serie doesn't leave often either—I haven't seen her in Orario for years.
I started walking around, calling out for them, until I noticed something.
A light. A bright, eye-catching light in the distance.
"Fire? An explosion?!" I exclaimed in surprise and quickened my pace, running through the trees toward it.
####
It took me a few minutes to leave the forest, and when I did, I stumbled upon a scene I hadn't expected. The queen stood with a blank expression, and a few meters in front of her lay a young elf girl on the ground.
Have I seen her before? Oh, right—it was that elf girl the queen created some time ago. I think her name is Lyuu. The queen even took inspiration from my own name to give hers. I'm flattered.
But who are all these other elves?
Besides Lyuu, there were nine more of them. All of them were small. Children.
"What's going on here?" I asked.
The queen turned to me and said, "Lyuu wanted to fight me, so we had a match. Unfortunately, she couldn't control her own magic."
"What do you mean she couldn't control her own magic? You counterattacked too fast!" Serie shouted.
"You didn't hold back against her?" I asked as I approached. "You should've been more careful." I knelt beside Lyuu and checked her condition. She was unconscious, her clothes slightly singed, but she wasn't injured.
"Good." I sighed in relief as Serie came closer.
"How is she?"
"She's fine—she just used all her mana."
"She drained all her mana with a single spell? Impossible," Serie said. "She can store a huge amount, far more than an elf her age should."
"I think you didn't notice the true power of that fireball, Serie." The queen walked over and crouched down. She picked Lyuu up in her arms and then suddenly took off into the air. I lost the ground beneath my feet and panicked for a moment.
I'm flying? I don't know how to use magic to fly like Serie or the queen, so the sensation was new to me.
All the other elves, even Serie, were flying along with me.
She's carrying all of us? I looked at the queen wide-eyed.
The amount of mana she can store is terrifying. And her magical control is on another level.
We soared at incredible speed toward the World Tree, faster than usual.
I glanced at Serie—even she looked surprised.
When we landed in front of the World Tree, the queen handed Lyuu to Serie.
"Lay her in bed. I'm going to train for a while."
"Wait, I want to talk to you about something," I said.
"Is it important?"
"Kinda…"
"Then it can wait."
"But I need to return to the city quickly!"
"Don't worry. I'll only train for a few hours."
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