Book 12.2: Chapter 2
What’s the best weapon for a duel between elves and humans? Definitely not stamina. Elves possessed a much shorter and smaller stature compared to humans. Inard, whom Vyvyan thought was big, looked obviously skinny and weak in front of Elizabeth, hence why the essence of elven swordplay lay in nimbleness. Although the elves were a bit thinner, they were substantially faster and nimbler than humans, so what appeared to be strange movements to humans were easily performed by elves.
Elven long swords were a tad superior compared to humanity’s in regards to quality. As such, only the elites among humanity could compete against elves in swordplay, because elves were very confident with their swordplay. Additionally, Lorana, who specifically trained the Galadriel Tribe, was the best among the best. Vyvyan and Inard, who were trained by her, should’ve been the best among the elves. However, Inard couldn’t defeat Elizabeth.
Elizabeth didn’t know why wielding a sword felt so familiar to her, either. The long sword didn’t feel as though it was a long sword to her; it felt as though it was her arm. Lorana was very reluctant to admit it, but sometimes, geniuses appeared, such as Elizabeth, who was currently holding a long sword, appeared.
“I surrender. I surrender!”
Inard sprawled on the ground and raised his hands up to call surrender. Elizabeth pressed her sword onto his neck and looked over to Lorana. Lorana nodded, and then Elizabeth retracted her sword before pulling Inard up. Inard was still wearing a stunned expression, for it was upsetting for the proud elven Prince to be defeated by a human in a sword duel. Nevertheless, the upsetting reality became the norm for Inard. Since improving their swordplay, Inard and Elizabeth duelled daily to test their mettle. Vyvyan was caught in a conundrum when she watched them, since she didn’t want for either of them to get hurt. At the same time, she wouldn’t be happy to see either of them win.
She liked her brother, so she wanted to see him win, but she gradually found herself hoping Elizabeth would win, too. Elizabeth was usually a kind and gentle, polite, noble and graceful girl; however, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was missing. Previously, Vyvyan wasn’t sure what was missing, but she felt something was missing from Elizabeth’s eyes. Her eyes didn’t look lively. In battle, though, her gaze immediately became complete. Her eyes filled with spirit were different to how they usually appeared. Her suave posture when she held a sword was surprisingly resembled a warrior more than her brother. She would go as far as to say that she was completely captivated by Elizabeth’s sweaty and suave silhouette, instead of watching her brother.
That was when Vyvyan realised what Elizabeth had been missing. Elizabeth was missing her own will. Elizabeth’s grace and nobility wasn’t her personal trait, but something that she learnt through her family education. However, Elizabeth didn’t have something she liked. It was the first time she found something she liked. Though it wasn’t something that was befitting of a female, there was a saying that went, “Women and blades are a couple.” When Vyvyan saw Elizabeth, her belief in that saying was consolidated. She came to believe that there were women born for the blade.
“Beautiful, Elizabeth. Maybe you should be friends with swords in this lifetime.”
It was rare for Lorana to praise someone, but Lorana praised Elizabeth. Elizabeth shyly sat down to the side and glanced over to Inard feeling somewhat apologetic. Vyvyan jogged over to hand Inard a towell. Inard looked at Elizabeth with a hint of frustration. He let out a heavy sigh before turning to Vyvyan to ask, “Sister, am I no good with a sword…?”