The Arrow of Destiny Cuts Through the Night

#31

Kain immediately raised the bow in his hand to a right angle. The quiver in his other hand was casually slung over his shoulder.

The target Peter pointed to was in a space slightly away from where they were standing. People were standing around haphazardly, but there were no obstacles between the target and the bow.

Kain took an arrow from the quiver on his shoulder, nocked it to the string, and slowly drew it back.

The bow itself was quite large. It was as tall as the knight trainees, but it was a suitable length for elves with tall statures like Kain Starchis.

Kain’s thick arm holding the bow’s fletching pulled the string further back.

Creeak-

The taut bowstring vibrated the air as if it might snap. The surrounding knight trainees could feel the tense atmosphere.

In an instant, the noisy training ground became as quiet as a mouse.

It was common for archers to hold the drawn string for a while to hit the target. Just as everyone in the training ground was enjoying this moment of tension-

Thwack! Whoosh!

Breaking everyone’s expectation that he would take more time, Kain nonchalantly released the string he had been drawing. Immediately, the arrow that quickly cut through the air was heard hitting the distant target with a loud thud!

Kain immediately lowered the large bow comfortably after releasing the string.

“It’s in quite good condition.”

He said this as he was about to leave, gathering the bow and quiver.

‘What did I just witness?’

It was as beautiful as if a god of war had manifested in the human world and descended upon the training ground. Peter, who had been watching with his mouth open right next to him, said in bewilderment:

“That’s a relief. Um, aren’t you going to check the result?”

Kain turned his head with an indifferent expression and replied:

“You’re asking if I’m not going to check where the arrow that has already left my hand has hit? I won’t. That would be pointless.”

It was a cool statement. But the surrounding trainees couldn’t stay still. One trainee standing next to the target waved his arm widely and shouted:

“It’s a hit! Right in the dead center!”

Immediately, exclamations of admiration flowed from the people in the training ground. The place where Kain had stood to shoot was already far beyond their usual training distance. It was much farther, and there were even other objects that could obstruct the view in between.

Of course it would hit the mark.

Kain Starchis maintained an indifferent face despite the cheers of the trainees. He had sensed that it would fly properly to the target from the moment he released the string.

Excited by Kain’s nonchalant face, another trainee shouted from afar:

“But, wouldn’t something this small be difficult?!”

What he held up was a swordsmanship training manual. It seemed he was very reluctant to end the elf’s arrow-shooting demonstration like this.

Kain Starchis tilted his head slightly as he looked at the small book the size of a palm. It was a question, but he couldn’t understand the intention. Kain’s long platinum blonde hair slid smoothly along his shoulder.

Peter, standing beside him, also seemed quite reluctant to end it. He spoke to Kain with a subtly hopeful tone:

“…How about it, would you like to shoot one more?”

Ah, so he meant to hit that book. Kain stretched his lips as if in disbelief. For him, shooting a bow was a spiritual discipline, not this kind of spectacle. Judging by how all the trainees in the training ground were now fixated on him, it was clearly being consumed as entertainment.

But well, it wasn’t a problem to show more since he had already shown once. He also wanted to test the performance of the bow that was said to have received the empire’s best maintenance. Kain straightened the bow he had lowered and stood upright.

Swish-

As he readied the bow, a gleam circled in the eyes of the surrounding people. Unlike the large target he had hit earlier, this was a palm-sized book. Moreover, the distance between Kain and the trainee was almost the length of the training ground. It was nearly three times the distance at which trainees usually practiced archery with targets.

“Even for an elf, wouldn’t this be a bit difficult?”

“…It’s too far.”

“Plus, that training manual is thick. It’s not just about barely piercing the target.”

Most spectators wore half-doubting expressions.

Thwack! Whoosh!

However, Kain Starchis released the string in a very short time, just like when he hit the large target earlier. Ah, someone made a disappointed sound, having missed the moment he drew the string.

Thud!

Far away, the sharp arrowhead pierced through the book.

“Aaaah!”

A short scream was heard. The trainee holding the training manual had dropped the book. It was pinned to the wall with a thud, precisely pierced through the center by Kain’s arrow. The arrow could be seen wobbling up and down, unable to withstand its own force.

“…Impressive.”

Peter, who had watched the empire’s finest warriors for a long time, muttered as if groaning. It was truly remarkable skill. People often associated archers with a fragile image of staying in the rear, but this was a misconception.

Archers are those who train by drawing bowstrings hundreds of times, heavier than swords. The fact that Kain Starchis could draw the bowstring so taut showed how much strength he possessed. With that strength, he could kill anyone in an instant if he swung his arm. Of course, being an elf, he would never do such a thing.

While everyone was marveling at Kain’s skill, it was then that-

“Kain.”

Someone called Kain. At the clear voice, Kain was about to put down the bow but instead raised his head. It was Jersian’s voice.

He was sitting at the table on the upper floor of the training ground, resting his chin on his hand, looking this way, just like before.

During the shooting, Kain couldn’t feel his gaze, but surprisingly, he had been watching the whole time.

Jersian smiled, stretching his lips while maintaining eye contact with Kain. Still looking at Kain below, he removed the ring he was wearing on his finger. Then he held the ring vertically so that it appeared as a circle to Kain below. Tap tap, Jersian’s eyes narrowed as he tapped the table with his finger, waiting for Kain to understand his intention. He too was clearly enjoying this situation.

To shoot an arrow through a ring-sized circle. Honestly, it was an impossible request. But for Kain Starchis, it was possible.

This is getting interesting.

Kain grinned and casually brushed his long hair, which had slightly fallen while shooting arrows, behind his ear. Although he had trained with a bow for a long time, even for Kain, such a request was a first. As an archer, he felt a bit of a challenge.

The ring was set up right next to the desk where Jersian was sitting with his chin rested. If the direction was off even slightly, Jersian would be in danger. He was testing Kain’s ability at the risk of his own safety.

I’ll live up to that expectation.

Kain took out an arrow from the quiver on his shoulder. The eyes of the spectators widened as they realized he was really going to shoot at that ring. Even the captain of the knights, Peter, turned pale, slightly worried about young master Jersian’s safety.

Gulp, someone swallowed hard, unable to bear the tension. But Kain, who was focusing all his concentration on the ring and drawing the bowstring taut, didn’t hear that sound.

Creeak-

The wooden bow moved to stretch in response to the taut string. Kain Starchis narrowed his eyes. This time it took a little longer than the previous two arrows. But it was still incredibly short.

Whoosh-!

A sharp sound of something cutting through the air towards the second floor of the training ground pierced the ears.

Then.

Ding-ding-ding—— Jersian’s ring, caught on the arrow shaft, spun in place as it was pinned to the wall. Flutter- The edge of Jersian’s documents on the desk fluttered in the lingering wind.

“…”

Jersian glanced to check the arrow and ring stuck in the wall behind him, then turned his gaze back to the lower floor.

There, a tall elf was looking up at him, holding a bow.

His expression was confident, as if he already knew he had succeeded without needing to check the result directly.

Ha, Jersian laughed shortly.

That face that sometimes appeared, although arrogant and cocky, one thing was certain:

He was definitely the empire’s best archer.