Karamir had already sent word to Ropermahn, informing him of his impending visit.

This was to prevent any unfortunate incidents of them attacking first. Of course, he hadn’t specified an exact date.

While time was pressing, there was no need to set the bomb’s timer himself. His plan was to drag it out as much as possible, teasing the idea of his arrival.

‘The key will be how quickly Arpia can improve...’

Luckily, just like how riding a bike becomes easier after the first try, once Arpia managed to hit her first target, her archery practice gained momentum.

Fixed targets were basic. She could now even pierce falling leaves.

She was also practicing shooting arrows in a parabolic arc, allowing her to hit targets hidden behind obstacles.

Still, it wasn’t enough. While her archery would improve the more she shot, Arpia’s practical combat experience was severely lacking.

Even with adjustments to assist her, experience was something only she could gain firsthand. If she panicked in real combat, they would be in serious trouble.

Fortunately, Arpia had someone who could help cover her weaknesses.

“Don’t panic. In battle, a split second determines the outcome. If you panic, it’s over.”

“That’s easier said than done...!”

They were in the forest, their usual training ground. Victor had joined the session.

Arpia gritted her teeth, moving her bow frantically, but all she saw were trees. She couldn’t keep up with Victor’s afterimages.

Victor’s movements were a few beats faster. By the time Arpia aimed, his form had long disappeared.

Rustle.

Suddenly, she felt a presence. Arpia quickly turned her bow, but all she saw was some fluttering weeds. From behind her, a dagger appeared, grazing the back of her neck.

The oppressive pressure caused a drop of sweat to trickle down Arpia’s cheek.

“I’ve lost.”

Raising her arm, still holding the bow, Arpia surrendered. Victor withdrew the dagger, clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction.

“Tsk tsk, reacting this slowly? In real combat, you’d already be a trophy in a noble’s collection.”

“No matter what you say, there’s no way an archer can win against an assassin in an obstacle-filled area!”

“I thought elves excelled in forests?”

Arpia, who had been on the verge of arguing, shut her mouth, silenced by his logic.

Indeed, it was true. Elves, who had lived their entire lives in forests, moved through them like their own homes. While others tripped and stumbled over obstacles, elves could glide freely, hunting down intruders.

But right now, it felt as though Arpia’s home was being violated by a stranger.

“It’s not my fault! Trying to focus on shooting while sensing an enemy is too much! Do you have any idea how much concentration archery requires?”

“I can’t understand why you need to focus on finding the enemy. Can’t you just sense them?”

“Sense? How?”

Clearly confused, Arpia tilted her head, not understanding at all. Her obliviousness made Victor lose his temper.

“You’re an elf, aren’t you?! Open your ears! Feel the air! Sense the sounds of nature!”

“Oh... Master, even though you’re not an elf, you know that much. Impressive.”

Victor squeezed his eyes shut in frustration.

“Anyway, do you understand what I’m trying to teach you?”

“Yes, a little.”

“A little... Well, at least that’s something.”

There was no point in explaining any further. It was time for her to learn through experience.

For another round of training, Victor disappeared in an instant, and Arpia, taking a deep breath, opened her ears.

She tried to connect with nature. For Arpia, this was an unfamiliar experience.

She had spent most of her life in pain, drowned in alcohol to numb it. Taking time to enjoy the beauty of nature was a luxury she hadn’t been able to afford.

“Hoo...”

But now, she had to do it. She wanted to do it.

She was just beginning to realize how enjoyable archery could be for an elf. She wanted to get better.

‘To the point where everyone would acknowledge me.’

She wasn’t about to let herself stagnate here.

As she focused, various sensations became clearer.

The sounds of the forest. The wind brushing against her skin.

Even the subtle feeling of something out of place. Small, but distinct.

The scent of an old man carried by the wind, reaching her nose.

The sound of small animals and insects fleeing in terror!

Thwack!

Arpia threw herself to the side. As she twisted in midair, she nocked an arrow and pulled back the bowstring.

Creeeak. Thwack!

She fired an arrow into the empty space.

To an outsider, it might have looked like shadow boxing. But suddenly, the empty spot filled with a shadow.

Sliding across the ground, Victor appeared where Arpia had been standing. It was as if she could see the future. His dagger cut through the air, not an arrow.

Victor’s eyes widened as the arrow flew straight at him. Twisting his body with extraordinary reflexes, the arrow grazed his arm.

Before he could recover his stance, Arpia had already nocked another arrow, even though she had fallen to the ground.

With the short distance between them, it was clear whose weapon would strike first.

“Looks like I was faster this time, huh?”

Victor, still wide-eyed, soon let out a wry smile and raised his hand.

“I lost.”

As the words of surrender left Victor’s mouth, a wide grin spread across Arpia’s face. She jumped up and hurried toward him, barely containing her excitement.

“How was that? Not bad, right?”

“To be honest, it’s unbelievable. I didn’t expect you to apply it to real combat so quickly.”

“Heh, I have a knack for learning quickly.”

Quick learner, indeed.

It wasn’t just that Victor’s body wasn’t what it used to be due to age. He wasn’t so weak that a newbie archer with no real combat experience could steal his timing.

Arpia’s rapid improvement had far exceeded Victor’s expectations. If all elves were like this, life would start to feel pretty unfair.

Karamir, who had been sitting on the sidelines watching, brushed the grass off and walked over.

“Is it over?”

“She’s reached a minimal level of competence.”

“Do you think she can survive if we walk into their trap?”

“Hmmm, it’s hard to say. Her growth has been rapid, and her potential is there, but she still lacks a trump card.”

“A trump card...”

Karamir pondered Victor’s advice seriously.

No trump card. In other words, no finishing move.

Victor could create dozens of daggers out of shadows, an ability that defied logic. Meanwhile, Arpia’s archery, though exceptional, was still more akin to a circus performance in comparison.

The gap between them was vast.

In time, she might become strong enough to conquer the world with a single arrow, but the problem was, that time wasn’t now.

‘It’s all because things are out of order.’

The original path was simple.

Restore Arpia, win the Slave Festival event where the best slave is crowned.

Use the prize from the festival to solve Arpia’s spirit issue, and only then would her power increase. She could combine her archery with the power of the spirits or even learn spirit magic.

In the end, without solving her spirit problem, Arpia would never reach her full potential.

‘If only there were a way to steal the item...’

Karamir glanced at Victor, then furrowed his brows.

‘Tsk, it’s tricky.’

It didn’t feel right to send someone to infiltrate without knowing the exact location of the item. Relying too heavily on Victor also bothered him.

After thinking it over for a while, Karamir found the answer.

‘I’ll just have them bring it to me.’

There was a massive building in Noctarne that rivaled the lord’s castle.

The Desert Rose Merchant Guild. We were on our way there now.

I had delayed as long as I could. Any further delay and they would’ve stormed in themselves, so I had no choice.

There was no longer any reason to hide, so Arpia had removed her robe. I could feel the attention of everyone around us on her.

The reclusive elf fidgeted awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable under all the gazes. If I had her face, I’d be flaunting it all over town.

“Do you think the store is okay?”

Arpia, wearing a slightly anxious expression, asked. Having grown attached to the children during her time with them, she was worried about the store.

She was concerned that they might raid the store to take hostages.

“It’ll be fine. The Master is there.”

I wasn’t worried. Unless they brought someone stronger than Victor, which wasn’t easy to find.

The ones who should be worried were us.

Arpia was still visibly nervous, taking deep breaths. I could see her grip tightening around her bow.

“Will I be okay? I trained with Master, but this is my first real fight... I’m anxious.”

“You’ll do great. I’ve seen how hard you’ve been practicing.”

“...Yeah, thanks. Hearing you say that makes me feel a little better.”

As we arrived at the guild building, a man standing by the entrance approached us.

“Are you the Slave Reaper and Elf who made an appointment with the guild leader today?”

“That’s right.”

“Please, come inside. The guild leader has been expecting you.”

We followed the man, who appeared to be a staff member, into the building. Even from the outside, it had looked impressive, but the interior was even more dazzling, befitting of a collector’s guild.

A softly glowing chandelier.

The central hall had polished marble floors, and the red carpet laid across it was decorated with intricate patterns.

The animal statues looked as though they had been petrified by some sort of magic, like they might come to life at any moment.

‘All of this is going to be mine, huh?’

Better be careful not to break anything.

“Oh, you’ve finally come! I’ve been waiting so long my neck almost broke from the strain.”

Ropermahn descended the central staircase with his arms wide open. Though he said “finally,” it sounded more like “these bastards took their sweet time” to me.

And as for his neck breaking—more like it’s buried under all that fat.

Or so I almost said. Instead, I smiled brightly, as if I appreciated his warm welcome.

“Apologies for keeping you waiting. I’m honored to be invited like this.”

“Hahaha, honored, you say? It’s me who should be grateful to have the famous Slave Reaper visit.”

“Hahaha.”

“Hahaha.”

We stood there, laughing at each other for quite some time.

“Since you’ve come all this way, how about a tour? I’ll personally show you around.”

“Oh, I’ve been curious about this place. I won’t refuse. Let’s go, Arpia.”

Arpia shot me a disapproving look. It seemed she wasn’t too keen on the idea of a leisurely tour when we had come to fight.

But this was an opportunity.

We needed to get a sense of the building’s layout. It wasn’t that I was interested in the place itself.

As I nodded at her with a smile, Arpia sighed in resignation. We followed the greedy pig as he led us through the guild.