Verification (3): Mote's Pure Contract
Mote and the woman of the lake were at the center of an island.
The space shimmering with countless rainbows was a landscape created by spirits of different attributes.
It was the center of a whirlpool where the currents of spirits could be felt everywhere in sight.
“Wow…!”
“Fufu. It seems you like it.”
Many lower spirits approached Mote, who was admiring her surroundings with wonder.
Some intermediate spirits were there too, but they seemed not particularly interested except for the water and wood spirits.
Higher spirits only glanced at the new interest, and the lord spirits didn’t even appear.
‘Her talent for spirit arts isn’t particularly outstanding.’
Although druid talent was rare, exceptional talent was even rarer.
She had just thought it best to open the path as a Britannica spirit.
“Let’s play together!”
Many spirits responded with power.
Most responses were to basic contracts, but the number was abnormally large.
“Wait a moment, little one.”
“Ah. It was cut off. What happened?”
She extended her hand to pause the contract.
If so many spirits continued contracting, the child’s mana would be depleted in an instant.
“The first contract is important. I will mediate higher spirits for you. If you use my name, even [Higher Spirit] will respond.”
She explained calmly to the child.
Although the vessel wasn’t large, with higher spirits she could become an excellent spirit sorcerer.
It wasn’t enough to inherit her will, but it was a sufficient goodwill for a druid.
“Thank you. And it’s okay!”
“Eh?”
But from Mote’s mouth came a polite refusal.
Before asking the reason, many spirits continued contracting to her mana.
“If only contracting with lower spirits, it wouldn’t be good for Mote either.”
If she didn’t know the value of the contract mediated by the lake woman, she would have to explain, but it seemed too late.
As more lower spirits stuck, the gazes of higher spirits lessened.
Because the empty space in the soul vessel would mean no place for her own.
“Hmm… but since Kane oppa said spirits are ‘friends’!”
“Friends, you say?”
Contracts divide master and servant.
The one borrowing strength and the one lending.
It’s natural to gain strength through exchange of soul and mana.
But the child before her eyes was creating ‘friends’.
It was a loose contract, not one of domination.
Lower spirits happily responded to the idea of a rough contract created by a child who hadn’t even learned basic contract.
“You don’t need to lend strength.”
If lower spirits ask for mana, give it.
And there is no price.
Because Mote’s friends are not like that.
“Let’s play together!”
The light of contracts grew one by one, eventually swallowing part of the vision, the whole.
Mostly lower spirits, but no spirit archer had contracted so many.
The mana entered the contract was so vast it was like Mote’s entire being, but only a tiny bit was accumulated in the soul vessel.
“It is possible.”
It was the first time.
To look at spirits with such pure eyes.
The child before her eyes did not try to own the spirits as ‘power’.
She didn’t handle them as weapons, just asked them to stay beside her.
“Ufufu. Is this also a talent if talent?”
Innate nature.
Recognition of spirits and the size of the vessel.
Her heart, which had used that as scale, changed.
Many spirits were moved by her attitude toward spirits.
“Mote, are you not disappointed that you couldn’t contract with stronger spirits?”
Thousands of lower spirits, tens of intermediate spirits had responded to Mote’s contract.
“Yeah! There will be friends to come next time! Today might not be a connection, right?”
“Ufufu. I should reflect a little too.”
“Yeah? Why?”
“Because I was ashamed of myself.”
She patted Mote’s head because she had arbitrarily judged talent and been disappointed.
“I will give Mote a gift. Will you accept it?”
“I like gifts! What is it?”
“A blessing to make it easier for friends to approach.”
“I don’t know what a blessing is, but if there are many friends, it’s good.”
She smiled and extended her hand, Mote held it back.
The lake woman’s blessing was engraved.
A blue pattern was engraved on the back of Mote’s hand and slowly sank into the skin and disappeared.
“Ah, right! Kane said he took the test, but I forgot because I was playing!”
“If that’s the case, it’s already passed.”
“Eung? Really? Then can I play with them too?”
“Fufu. Yes. Play comfortably and come back.”
“Woo-hoo~”
A slight smile formed on the face of the child running to play with the friends she made.
Many spirits, without fear or awe, approached to play with Mote.
Play began on the island, pulling some of the whirlpool.
***
“Um… knight…?”
“Call me Sir Tristram.”
“Ah, yes. Sir Tristram. How far up are we going?”
“Almost there.”
‘Only saying that six times?!’
The complaining words rose to the throat, but held back again.
Clearly, he had said he took the test nearby, but kept climbing endlessly.
The mountain peak seemed above the clouds, no sense of how high.
When sweat flowed like rain and clothes became wet, reached the top.
“We have arrived.”
“Hic… ha. So… what kind of test are we taking here…”
“I won’t be able to respond to the test in this state. I’ll take a short rest.”
It seemed like pre-depleting stamina, but luckily given rest time.
Sir Tristram was testing the bowstring tension in the great hall, and I was given time to catch my breath.
“Miss Marigold. What do you think gives the archer an advantage over the knight?”
“Eh… yes? Ah, um… range, right?”
“Correct. What is needed to utilize that?”
“Eyes that can see far and accuracy… something like that.”
The ability to identify distant enemies and hit them.
If the advantage of long range over close range, then that.
“One is missing. Destructive power is also important.”
“Ah, yes. Destructive power…”
She had overlooked the obvious.
Even if hit, if no effective damage, it’s useless.
“There are several things corresponding to destructive power. Arrow speed, impact, mana in special tips, etc. However, these are standards when skilled, and an archer who hasn’t reached the peak is a perfect understudy for those who handle guns.”
“That is so…”
In terms of aiming and firing convenience, range and power, even management and training, guns are superior.
“Can arrows hold mana? Guns also have the series of magic bullets.”
“Special bows have mysteries? Guns also have various abilities when specially made.”
“Nevertheless, the reason bows are used is simple. Because countless mysteries have accumulated.”
The reason cold weapons like swords, bows, hammers and shields are still used is because the history and mysteries accumulated by cold weapons are stronger.
Even if firearms pierce armor, knights charge trusting their unique regeneration and defense.
Even if artillery devastates the battlefield, it can’t even scratch the mage’s barrier.
One arrow that disarms a tank that bullets can’t stop.
If thinking in terms of army concept, different story, but in the field, cold weapons are superior to firearms.
“The weight of inheriting the name is never light and sometimes feels as heavy as being crushed. That’s why it’s strong.”
At the same time, the mana aura felt from the great hall surged.
The infallible bow [Failnaught] was resonating with the name [Tristram].
“I, the power of the Failnaught held by the 13th [Tristram] is something I have seen. Therefore, the one worthy of the name [Tristram] is only the one who can see far and shoot strongly.”
“If he looks at the moon and shoots an arrow that reaches the moon, it will definitely hit the moon. If the moon moves and position changes, even if curving the trajectory, the arrow will definitely hit.”
Because [Failnaught] is a weapon that inherits such mystery and name.
“On the other hand, Miss Marigold has innate talent to hit eyes and targets, but has not inherited range and destructive power.”
“Yes… that’s right.”
Even if you can see the scenery far away from the mountain top, you can’t shoot arrows to the nearby area.
At most, only up to 300-400 meters.
‘If a knight, can cover that distance in seconds…’
The advantage of range is almost none.
If not for Kane’s encouragement, wouldn’t have come here, but seems only hearing complaints.
‘Maybe disqualified…’
The gloomy feeling was rising when Tristram’s words came out unexpectedly.
“So if that part is solved, it would be a great archer too.”
“Yes?”
“The test starts. Find the farthest visible thing and just send the arrow there.”
“But it won’t even reach the nearby area, it will fall?”
Tristram shook his head, smiled, tapped [Failnaught].
“Ah…!” “There are many ways to protect your weaknesses. For me, [Antidote] would mean that.”
And various things were taken out from Tristram’s bag.
Spirit stones, rune-etched arrows, mystical things like bowstrings made of monster tendons.
Laser scopes, the essence of technology like mechanical bows.
The target was one small red apple with fruit in the Abandoned Apple Orchard beyond the forest.
Even if target other things, this one caught the eye uniquely.
Adjusted various auxiliary weapons one by one, removed some.
Even overdid, selected good matches, but arrow range already over 1km.
“Miss Marigold now may be a little lacking to inherit the name of [Tristram]. However, with supplementation, training, and accumulated experience, she will branch out to places other than my path.”
How many times pulled the string?
Blood drops formed and fell, hardened several times, missed target dozens of times, held breath hundreds of times.
It was time when the sun was setting and twilight approaching, the arrow flew toward the target the fairy eyes were looking at.
The trajectory of the arrow flying like lightning drew a straight line.
Following the trajectory created by the teleportation spell, spirit assistance, mana flow, sometimes blinking, sometimes trusting the wind.
Pang—
“…Hit.”
The target was a small red apple with fruit in the Abandoned Apple Orchard beyond the forest.
The arrow stuck and hung dangling.
“It hit. Sir Tristram.”
Reached what thought unreachable many times.
From hundreds of failures, searched for countless possibilities, reached the target.
Although hands became numb and had to drink potions many times, still reached.
Held back the almost spilling tears with emotion and pressed it down.
“Congratulations. The test is passed.”
Smiling, declared pass with dry tone.
Because encouraged not to be discouraged even in failures.
“Maximum vision 8.5km. Range 8.5km. Number of attempts 311, total time 6 hours 48 minutes. Used auxiliary weapons: Advanced wind spirit stone, beast bowstring, mechanical bow, space teleportation talisman, mana stone arrow tip, total 8 auxiliary weapons.”
“…Quite a lot, huh.”
“310 failures are there for one success. Always remember this sense.”
“Thank you. Sir Tristram.”
“Opening the path for juniors is the duty of seniors.”
Only when the day was almost dark could descend the mountain.
Hands trembling, pain found, but barely descended.
‘Passed…’
Still not feeling reality.
Wouldn’t have thought could hit that small apple far away.
And the afterglow of passing the test was not forgotten even at the starting place.
***
Eric and Bedivere walked to the nearby cliff without much distance.
In the space in front of the wall where head up can’t see, faint sunlight, Bedivere set down his spear.
“Arrived! Prepare for the test!”
“Yes, Sir Bedivere… could you tell me how the process goes?”
“Oh! Knowing my epithet. Didn’t think it was famous in the Round Table. Pahaha!”
“Eh? No, not at all. There shouldn’t be anyone who doesn’t know Sir Bedivere.”
Humble or joke to lighten mood.
Eric waved hand saying not at all.
One-armed knight, originally disqualification for combatant, but the left arm had great strength.
“So? I thought it was just a level outside the empire?”
“If strength, can’t not know the strongest knight in the Round Table.”
“Strongest in strength. A fitting epithet for me! The strongest in the Round Table, so test fitting that!”
‘Good…?’
Not much technical from Robert uncle.
Kane’s advice just do best.
“This training before inheriting the name! Do you see the cliff in front?”
“Yes, ah.”
Endless cliff, meaning climb it bare-handed.
“Break it with bare hands!”
“Ah, yes. Yes?”
Ridiculous task dropped.