"This is something else…" Ash muttered as he watched the scene before him.
He had no doubts that his lord was not weak, but the man he had just taken down was Galgatha, one of the veterans amongst the elves.
Although Galgatha had foolishly charged in, getting knocked out with just one move…
The elves who had been chatty before now watched them with a dumbfounded look on their faces.
Right before their eyes, he had taken out a veteran in less than five seconds…
'How could he have improved in such little time?' Ash wondered as he watched Eliron.
"Ash, please help me with him, and I need another sword," Eliron said.
"Yes my lord!" Ash walked over to him and placed another wooden sword in his hand, then dragged Galgatha to the edge of the clearing.
Once he let go of him, golden particles began to shimmer around him, and his messed up shoulder began to shift back into place.
"You owe me for this, don't forget…" Yennefer said from where she sat on the grass.
Ash's expression softened. 'Even as they disrespected him, he is still looking out for our people. That is the type of man our people need—'
"Make sure you leave them with a little pain though…" Eliron said, interrupting his thoughts.
"Huh?" Ash blinked.
'Is that really necessary?' He mused. 'Maybe he wants them to remember that each battle comes with a—'
"Actually no, leave them with a lot of pain but treat the major injuries," Eliron smirked. "They need to learn the hard way."
Ash ran his hand through his hair, unsure of what to think.
Meanwhile, Eliron stared at the rest of the elves with his new wooden sword in hand.
'I used too much force back then, our swords are not limitless, I should properly gauge my strength next time…'
"Like I said, attack me with the intention to kill! The next high elf or monster you see won't be me, you won't have Yennefer to heal you and you sure as hell won't be using a wooden sword!"
The elves shared a look and began whispering to each other.
— Could it be a fluke?
— It has to be! That was Galgatha.
They had heard rumours that the young lord had taken out the mercenaries as well as a bunch of monsters.
But at the end of the day, it was all rumours. Most people had never truly seen the young lord fight, so naturally, they had their doubts.
Plus a divine ascension was often for magic, not swordsmanship!
Another elf stood up, a younger man than Galgatha, although undoubtedly many years older than Eliron.
He was in simple leather armour and had little sprouts of beard on his barren chin.
"Please prepare yourself my lord, I will not hold back."
Eliron raised a hand to silence him. "I like the way you came up while the others were skeptical."
"People like you are those who have the courage to stand up in the face of adversity and fight for what you believe in. You are an honourable man."
The elf bowed in a show of respect, a bright smile on his face. "Thank you my lord, you flatter me."
Eliron nodded, his face serious. "To honour your bravery, I will allow you to make the first move."
Ash slowly shook his head when he heard Eliron. Although he was undoubtedly strong, the man in front of him was known as the Silver Star of the village, Durin.
When it came to precise, one shot hits, he was one of the best in the village.
To give such a man the first move was not the best decision…
The elves began to whisper like market women.
— He really let him go first??
— I guess this will be the last match of the day…
— He'll be out for a day at the very least.
The 'Silver Star' stared at him blankly. "My lord, are you sure?"
'Please, take back your words and fight in a fair match my lord!' Ash screamed internally.
But Eliron smiled and nodded. "Give me your best shot."
Durin nodded. "Here I go…"
He held the sword firmly and took his stance, one foot back, and his sword pointing forward.
Then he sucked in a sharp breath and dashed towards Eliron, his gaze completely focused on his target.
'He's fast…'
The moment Durin reached striking range, he let out a battle cry then twisted his body in a 360° angle, before lashing out with a horizontal strike.
But just as the sword was mere inches from Eliron's chiselled abs, he did something that shocked everyone.
With a blank look on his face, Eliron sucked in his belly, and the sword cut past him, completely missing…
"Huh??" Durin's eyes widened when he realised he had been scammed.
He had missed widely, and due to the momentum of his attack, he was wide open!
Then Eliron smiled, the look on his face something even the devil would be proud of.
"WAIT, N-NO—!"
Crack!
The wooden sword split in two as it exploded against Durin's head with a resounding bang.
He fell like a log, his head swelling several inches.
'I guess I still used more strength than usual…'
The crowd was silent.
— He dodged just now, didn't he?!
— Didn't he say he was going to let him have the first hit?
Ash stared at Eliron, unsure of what to say. 'Did my lord… just cheat?'
Yennefer laughed while kicking her feet. "Did he really fall for that? That is the oldest trick in the book, haha."
Eliron, who had been holding himself back, burst out into laughter as well. "'Please prepare yourself my lord, I won't hold back.'" He said, imitating the man's tone.
Yennefer's laughter intensified. Meanwhile, Ash and the rest of the elves watched them in bewilderment.
"They are demons..." one muttered in a low tone.
Yennefer finally calmed herself. "Well, that is one nasty bump. Please bring him over here before he gets a hemorrhage."
Eliron then cleared his throat, his expression turning serious as he watched them.
"Uhum… Deceit is the greatest weapon a weaker opponent has in battle. The moment you fall for your enemy's coaxing, you are already dead."
Ash's face brightened, his earlier thought vanishing. 'He's right! My lord is a genius!'
"Next!"
Crash!
The next elf suffered a nasty blow that nearly took out his knees.
"Next!"
Another elf was sent crashing head first into the floor, right before Eliron stomped on his family jewels to show him what he was at risk of losing in a real fight.
"Next!"
Screech!
The side of Eliron's sword nearly knocked out the tooth of the next elf.
The sparring continued until late into the afternoon, and by that time, the elves had been beaten, battered, and bruised.
They sat on their knees as they watched Eliron, who was hovering above them.
Then simultaneously, they all screamed. "Please teach us your ways my lord!!!"
Eliron smirked. "So, do you want to learn how to fight dirty?"
"Yes my lord!"
"Good, lets get started—"
"It looks like you're having a lot of fun over here doing as you please, aren't you, Eliron?"
A man with greying hair, dressed up in traditional robes, walked into the clearing, accompanied by about five armed elves with hostile expressions.
Eliron turned to look at the man, his gaze hardening.
"Lazarus Erthbound…"
He was one of the twelve chiefs… as well as Artie's father.
Eliron smiled. "To what do I owe this visit?"
Lazarus walked up to him, his movement intentionally slow to intimidate, until all that separated them could be closed in a single step.
"I heard you were doing something fun, so I came to play."
Swish!
With one hand, his eye still locked on Eliron, he pulled out a slender rapier from its sheath and smiled.
"What do you say? Interested in a friendly spar?"
"Not with that toy of course…" Lazarus mocked, glancing at the wooden sword in Eliron's hand.
"Real swords, real blood…"
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A/N
Updates will be more stable from today. Expect 2/day, and if you guys send stones I'll periodically post extra chapters!