CHAPTER 320: CHAPTER 320: TOOLS AGAINST PRIDE

"I honestly do not know."

All three of them froze.

Okay, this was getting out of hand.

Lugh stepped forward and spoke plainly.

"When you say that, do you mean the elves in your family are so numerous you can’t count them... or that you’re just incompetent and don’t know your own relatives?"

She pursed her lips in annoyance.

"I am not incompetent."

"Then—"

"You’re a rude one, aren’t you?"

She cut in, eyes narrowing.

"People like you don’t live long lives."

"What the...?"

Lugh blinked, completely speechless.

Just then, the ground beneath them rocked violently. A powerful explosion in the distance shook the earth, nearly throwing them off balance. Dust trembled into the air from nearby stones.

The strange woman—Seraphina, as she had called herself—frowned slightly, glancing in the direction of the main building. She let out a tired sigh, muttering under her breath,

"Immature."

Lyra, who had been quiet until now, suddenly realised something. She looked sharply at the elf, worry clear in her voice.

"Why didn’t you bring all of us?"

Seraphina tilted her head with a trace of confusion... and amusement

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why didn’t you teleport everyone? Why just us?"

Seraphina huffed in irritation, arms folded.

"I did the best I could. I can’t displace heavy targets. But you wouldn’t know that. You’re human. Your magic is weak. You couldn’t possibly understand my greatness!"

"Heavy?"

Lugh echoed, his voice sharpening.

And just like that, the realization hit him.

Xhi was still back there. Wasn’t she? Now he understood why Lyra was so worried.

"Yes. Heavy,"

Seraphina replied, almost too casually.

"It’s quite natural in the case of individuals like Selaphiel—long-lived elves. What gave me a surprise was that human. It’s the first time I’ve ever failed to drag one before. Fascinating."

"Ah. I see,"

Lugh responded flatly, his interest fading for some inexplicable reason. He wandered over to a stone outcropping and sat down, using it as a makeshift seat. Lyra followed suit, mirroring his nonchalance.

Only Sela remained standing, her expression twisted in confusion.

"You failed? Is that mysterious lady really that... heavy?"

She asked, only just realizing she had no idea what heavy referred to without the full context. It couldn’t possibly be weight could it? That woman was more slender than her.

She turned to Lugh and Lyra, but they had already struck up a quiet conversation, treating the entire situation like it had never happened.

"So what were we talking about again? Oh right..."

Lugh’s voice trailed as he refocused.

Sela shook her head.

Confusing. This entire situation was a giant mind f***

Lyra, voice lowered again, continued her conversation with Lugh.

"Right. Winning the selection without magic would definitely send a message."

She paused, hesitant.

"But... it’ll be really dangerous."

Lugh turned his gaze to her, studying her carefully.

"And why is that?"

She nodded toward the garden path.

"Think about it. A group of people who are so proud of their magic start getting bested by someone using only mundane tools?

Their pride won’t allow it. The proctors would probably against us. They might even rig the trials. Give us more difficult, down right impossible tests"

Lugh tilted his head, deep in thought.

"You’re right,"

He said at last. Then, added with quiet weight.

"But when has impossible ever stopped us? We killed an elf, after all. A thousand-year-old one."

Lyra stared at him, completely deadpan.

"No. We didn’t."

Lugh gave her a puzzled look. She continued.

"Xhi put him on his dying breath. Even then, I tried to help, only to get stabbed half to death. You lost your marbles and nearly killed us all."

"...Oh. Right."

Now that she put it like that, the whole thing didn’t seem nearly as impressive as it sounded in his head.

"Well... if Xhi was instrumental in our success then,"

He reasoned aloud,

"She can be now."

Lyra rubbed her palms together slowly, suspicious.

"What are you thinking? Have her join the selection? She’s not part of any established organization. They won’t let her in."

Lugh shrugged.

"Not unless she’s the adopted daughter of the Cross family."

Lyra frowned.

"Hmmm. That seems plausible..."

But then a simple thought struck her, and she stiffened.

"But wouldn’t that defeat the whole point?"

"How so?"

"She has really mysterious—and let’s be honest, broken—magic abilities. But the whole idea is to win without magic."

Lugh stilled.

"You’re right,"

He said slowly, rubbing his forehead.

"So what do we do, then?"

Lyra tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Well... we could get her to participate first. Have her serve as backup plan? I don’t really think we can convince her not to use magic."

Lugh nodded slowly.

"Yes. She’ll probably ask what price we’re willing to pay."

He lowered his voice.

"And I can’t pay any more."

"Uh... what are you two talking about?"

Another voice broke through the calm. They looked up.

It was Sela.

"Magic,"

Lugh responded simply.

Yet another voice joined in.

"What kind of magic?"

They turned.

Seraphina had resumed her seat, reclining comfortably with a crystal bowl of grapes. She plucked one and popped it into her mouth. If was as if she had never even moved.

Lugh, tried to get a reaction out of her.

"The Cross family magic."

Seraphina’s brows creased.

"Cross?"

She echoed, before her eyes lit up in recognition.

"Oh. Those people."

Sensing a story, Sela quickly interjected.

"Those people?"

"Yes,"

Seraphina responded blandly.

"They are the ones we—"

She caught herself, glancing around at the faces she was talking to. Then she popped another grape in her mouth and went silent.

Lugh leaned forward slightly.

"They are the ones you...?"

"I’m not telling you."

’Damn it!’

At that exact moment, a high-pitched whine filled their ears. It was the sound made when a projectile at high speeds tore through the air. A breath later, a tremendous impact rocked the gardens, throwing up a cloud of dust.

It bellowed outwards but was stopped dead in its tracks by a harrier that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Lugh didn’t create it, and it certainly wasn’t Sela or Lyra.

They all turned to try leisurely elf who hadn’t so much as flinched during the impact.

From the small crater left behind, two figures emerged—Selaphiel and Siegfried.

Selaphiel looked down at herself and clicked her tongue.

"How ungraceful."

Lugh found the statement odd. Her robes weren’t torn or soiled—just mildly wrinkled, which, now that he thought about it, didn’t make any sense.

The same went for Siegfried.

They both turned to Seraphina, who remained comfortably reclined, her expression amused.

She asked lazily,

"So... who won?"

Neither elf answered.

Lugh turned his gaze to Siegfried, who in turn stared directly back at him. This time, however. He was a lot more subdued.

He spoke with calm formality.

"We may have gotten off on the wrong foot, human child. Allow me to introduce myself."

’Well, I guess that answers the question of who won,’

Lugh thought darkly.

"I am Siegfried."

"I am Lugh."

"No need. I already know who you are."

Lugh opened his mouth, then promptly shut it again.

The atmosphere turned strange.

At that moment, Zhou appeared quietly at the edge of the garden. Noticing that Xhi wasn’t with her, Sela tensed in panic.

She asked directly,

"Where is Xhi?"

"I’m right here."

"Bloody hell!"

Lyra jumped slightly, startled.

She turned to see the priestess standing directly behind them like a ghost.

At that same moment, Siegfried stepped forward—his approach slow and... menacing.

Lugh was immediately on edge, but Selaphiel, who had more or less designated herself as his protector, didn’t move. So, he waited.

But Siegfried didn’t come for him.

His gaze swept past, fixating instead on Lyra, whose discomfort under the elf’s stare was plain to see.

Then he turned to Zhou.

"How much is she?"

"Huh?"

Everyone echoed in unison—except Lugh, Xhi, Seraphina... okay, actually, that was half of them. Half of them echoed.

Zhou stared at him like he had grown antlers.

"Slavery has been abolished."

Siegfried froze.

He scratched the back of his head.

"Has it now? I see."

Lyra, on the other hand, was stunned into complete silence.

The air thickened with awkwardness.

Then Siegfried’s tone shifted. He spoke again, and this time, there was a calm, regal edge to his voice—the same one Lugh remembered from their first encounter.

He turned to Lugh.

"Do you think the selection is a game? One in which you can pass without using magic?"

The words hit hard. Everyone turned toward Lugh.

Selaphiel frowned.

"Is that true?"

"Yes, it is,"

Lugh replied without hesitation.

Sela facepalmed immediately, recalling their conversation with Cassius from the night before. She should’ve seen this coming.

Selaphiel’s frown deepened.

Seraphina, meanwhile, chuckled lightly

.

"What a bold idea," she said, clearly entertained. "I support you, kid. I’ll even lend you my bow."

Selaphiel, however, shook her head.

She began,

"Lugh—"