novelraw Chapter 121
Chapter 121
Ch.121 You’ll Understand Soon Enough
Aria and I headed to the castle.
“Brother? What’s that?”
“That’s a butterfly.”
“And that?!”
“That’s a crow.”
Having lived only in cold regions, everything was new to Aria.
“Brother—is that the castle?”
She pointed, and I nodded.
“Yes, that’s it.”
Built on a hill, the stone castle looked sturdy but had limited space—typical for a barony.
It had a moat, watchtowers, and magical resistance—everything essential.
“But isn’t it too small?”
“Compared to the mansion, yes.”
I built the mansion precisely because castles aren’t ideal for daily living—too cramped and defensive.
“Hmm… it’s not pretty.”
Her innocent remark, though harmless to me, could hurt others.
I gently corrected her.
“It may not be pretty, but it’s important to me. Don’t say that to people who don’t know you, okay?”
Aria’s eyes widened in surprise.
“But we know each other well! Isn’t that okay?”
Her pure, clear gaze made me smile as I ruffled her hair.
“It’s okay with me.”
She grabbed my hand and rubbed her cheek against it, beaming.
“Hehe, I love Brother.”
Just then—
—“Waaaah!”
—“He’s insane! Totally insane!”
Loud cheers erupted from inside the castle.
—“Another hit! Are you sure he’s blind?!”
—“Damn! How’d I lose to a blind elf again?!”
—“How can a blind guy shoot so accurately?!”
—“I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it!”
Aria’s eyes widened.
“Brother, it’s super noisy inside!”
“Is it?”
As we entered, Nekhuf stood nocking an arrow.
—Twang!
—Thwack!
His arrow struck the bullseye.
“Another hit!”
“Wow! Brother Nekhuf’s amazing with a bow!”
I downplayed it casually.
“He’s an elf, after all. Plus, he has archery Gifts.”
“What’s a Gift?”
Curious Aria.
“A gift from the gods—something like that.”
I knew ‘Gifts’ here equated to in-game ‘traits.’
‘Speaking of which… Roy hasn’t shown up lately.’
I still couldn’t grasp what was happening.
—Twang!
—Thwack!
His second arrow hit true.
“Ugh! I lost all my money!”
“Told you—he’s blind but never misses!”
“This is cheating! Even for an elf, how’s this possible?!”
Honestly, it was borderline cheating.
Didn’t he gain the ability to ‘see magic’?
I’d heard his new power let him perceive objects clearly—even through obstacles—though distinguishing colors was hard.
Even blindfolded now, he likely saw through it via magic sight.
With elven base stats plus Gift bonuses, hitting targets at 20 meters was trivial.
“Amazing! I wanna try archery too!”
Aria longed for a bow—but child-sized ones probably didn’t exist here.
“Brother! I want a bow too!”
“Well… there’s none your size here.”
Her face fell instantly.
I stroked her head.
“Heeeng…”
She looked so pitiful, shoulders slumped.
‘Should I commission a weapon-smith?’
They could craft a child-sized bow—and as a dragon, she wouldn’t get hurt practicing.
I gently brushed her hair.
“I’ll ask someone to make one for you when I get the chance.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
She beamed, tugging my hand.
“Hehe! Brother’s the best! Secret: I love you second only to Mom.”
Her pure, guileless smile made me smile back.
“Oh?”
“Yes! Other sisters are mean! They bully me!”
“Then I guess Brother must protect Aria?”
“Yes! Protect me! Sister Leah and Sister Cecilia threatened me to pay for food!”
‘What? Demand payment from a dragon?’
That was absurd.
Aria, an ageless dragon, likely had more wealth in Icira’s lair than most nobles.
“They asked for money? Really?”
“Yes! Made me pay for food! And when I refused, they forced me to try on clothes!”
After hearing the full story—an absurd tale of being bribed with food, then threatened over clothes—I understood.
‘Of course they’d spoil her—she’s cute! But no wonder Aria’s fed up.’
“They even said Mom would scold me for using their money!”
Aria, clearly upset, waved her arms emphatically—uncharacteristically angry for her normally gentle self.
“I’ll scold them when I see them.”
“Yes! Scold them really hard!”
As I soothed her…
“Huh? Brother?”
“Ah? Nekhuf?”
Nekhuf brightened at seeing me.
“What brings you here?”
“Aria wanted to come.”
Nephert, however, shot me a glare.
“Hmph!”
‘Why does she always look like she wants to devour me?’
“Brother Nekhuf! How do you hit the target if you’re blind?”
Innocent Aria—though ‘blind’ was a bit blunt.
“Aria, that’s impolite.”
She quickly covered her mouth.
“Was that rude?”
“Yes. Pointing out someone’s weakness is wrong.”
“But… he can’t see, yet shoots perfectly… it’s amazing…”
She looked downcast.
“Sorry, Brother…”
She apologized to Nekhuf.
“It’s alright. Curiosity is natural.”
Nekhuf crouched to her level.
“Actually, I’m not completely blind. I gained a special power.”
Aria gasped.
“Really?”
“Yes. I can see magic.”
“See magic? Not just feel it?”
“Exactly.”
He slowly removed his blindfold.
—Swoosh.
His eyes opened, revealing brilliant blue irises that met Aria’s gaze.
“So pretty…”
His faintly glowing blue eyes shimmered like cosmic nebulae.
“Thank you.”
He re-covered them.
“But can I learn archery?”
“Certainly. Want me to teach you?”
“Yes! Teach me, Brother Nekhuf!”
They moved to the archery range.
“Stand like this, chin up, eyes on the target.”
Nekhuf adjusted Aria’s stance.
—Is he really blind?
—I mean, elves don’t cheat… but this makes no sense.
“Hey! Nekhuf is blind! He gained sight through his own skill and power!”
Nephert snapped at the onlookers, annoyed.
—But if he can see… isn’t he not blind anymore?
“It’s a technique!”
—A technique that restores a blind man’s sight? Never heard such nonsense in my life.
I privately agreed.
I knew Nekhuf was blind—and now saw via magic—but how remained a mystery.
‘Magic sight’ was a concept entirely new to me.
“Grr!”
Nephert, at a loss for words, just gritted her teeth.
“Everyone, quiet. Nekhuf is blind. I knew him before he gained these eyes.”
As the lord, my word silenced them instantly.
‘Ah, the taste of authority.’
—Fwoosh.
Aria’s arrow thudded weakly into the ground. She pouted.
“Aww… it didn’t go far.”
“You need to anchor the string firmly here.”
She turned to me, shoulders slumped.
“Heeeng… archery’s too hard. Can Brother Hans shoot well?”
“I don’t need a bow.”
Bows are obsolete. As a modern man, I prefer guns.
“Why not?”
I flourished ‘Equality’ dramatically.
—Whoosh-thwack!
“Because I have this.”
“Wow!”
—Clap clap!
She clapped, grinning.
I pointed to ‘Equality’.
“Bows are ancient relics. Trendy guys like me don’t use outdated tools.”
At ‘ancient relic’, Nekhuf frowned slightly.
“Bows aren’t relics. They’re still widely used.”
“Slow rate of fire, low accuracy—no reason to use them.”
“That’s wrong! Rate of fire can be fast!”
Rarely, Nekhuf’s face flushed.
“Alright, alright—let’s say you’re right.”
“But even the best weapon is useless without proper vision! With a bow, you can adjust angles for distance, even summon spirits—its uses are endless!”
“Yeah, yeah—but this? Just pull the trigger.”
Nekhuf’s face cycled through red and purple. He tensed, then fixed me with a blindfolded stare.
“Brother! Let’s have a contest!”
“What?”
“Who can hit a target farther away! A contest!”
“A distant target?”
Castle archery contests started close and moved targets progressively farther until they appeared as mere dots.
Elves, with superior eyesight, held a clear advantage.
‘Isn’t this a bit unfair?’
I almost refused—then remembered.
‘Ah—right!’
“Alright… wanna go for an old-fashioned match?”
“Seriously?! No backing out!”
Was he genuinely excited—or was that my imagination?
I’d dueled him once before in his Sand Elf village—and won easily, knowing his weaknesses.
This time, I’d be at a disadvantage…
“Hey, soldier!”
I called the one watching us.
“Yes? My Lord?”
He pointed to himself in surprise.
“Go to my mansion. Ask Giovanni for the ‘secret weapon.’ He’ll know what to give you.”
“Yes, sir! I’ll be right back!”
Nekhuf and Nephert looked puzzled.
“Brother? What’s this secret weapon?”
“Knowing you, you’ll pull some underhanded trick again. But Nekhuf will win this time! Get ready!”
I just shrugged.
“Humans are human because we use tools.”
“But elves use tools too!”
The Sand Elves glared coldly.
Just then—a small hand tugged my pants.
“Brother! What’s the secret weapon?! I’m so curious!”
Aria’s eyes sparkled. I patted her head.
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
Fifteen minutes later, the soldier returned with a leather bag from the mansion.
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