He pulled on the rope, light in weight yet heavy in burden.
At the end of it, there was only a single corpse and a pair of severed ropes.
With a frown, Elan said,
"Two of them escaped."
Karon replied,
"One of them didn't."
With mixed feelings, Karon dug a grave for the one who had failed to escape and buried him.
"You're wasting our time."
"At least they deserve a burial."
As Karon placed the gravestone, Elan turned toward the mist.
"So, do you know what this mist is?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be running experiments."
"I can sense a dense concentration of mana inside."
"My guess is that it's either an artifact or a monster."
"Whatever it is, it's extremely dangerous."
"I'm aware."
Walking along the edge of the mist, Elan occasionally thrust his hand into it and pulled it back out. At other times, he sent gusts of wind through it.
After finishing his small experiments, he returned to Karon's side, and they headed home.
The cave hidden among the trees was decorated with Karon's wood carvings.
A wooden sword hung above the cave entrance.
"So this is what you do in your spare time?"
"It's a good way to pass the time."
"You'd be better off spending that time training."
"I do that too."
"Now that I'm here, you'll need to train even harder."
"Despite being a Law User, you can't overpower elemental users."
"That's because my technique is incomplete."
"Battle doesn't accept excuses."
"You can still become stronger even if you can't complete it."
Remaining silent, Karon opened the door and stepped inside.
He walked over to the table, shuffled through a pile of papers, and pulled out four sheets.
"The core parts of the technique are written here."
"Let me see."
After studying the papers for a while, Elan spoke.
"First of all, the idea of secondary mana cores and a primary mana core is good, but it's not enough."
"With the elven technique I'll teach you, you can turn those secondary cores into primary ones."
"That would give you an incredible source of mana with five primary cores."
"But it'll be dangerous. If one of those cores is damaged, you could be crippled."
"Battle doesn't accept excuses."
Both of them smiled.
"Well said."
"I can't help you complete the technique, but I can find people in the Elven Kingdom who might be able to."
"Now the real question is: when are we leaving?"
"Having an Imperial noble beside me would certainly help keep me safe, but..."
"I know. If I'm not there, you'll probably get kidnapped again."
"However, I have no intention of going anytime soon."
"And how long is 'anytime soon'?"
"About three years."
"Huh?"
"What are you surprised about?"
"Three years pass like three days."
Now it was Karon's turn to be surprised.
"Huh?"
"We're talking about three whole years."
"Not a long time for elves."
"Getting used to your sense of time is going to be difficult."
The two stepped outside, and Elan began explaining various things to Karon.
After several hours of instruction, Elan moved behind him and placed a hand on his back.
"Begin."
The hairs on Karon's body stood on end as he suddenly became aware of everything around him.
A short while later, a certain power began flowing into him from his surroundings.
"I did it."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm resting a little because I succeeded."
"If you want to succeed, you'll need to continue for several days without stopping."
"The part you succeeded at is only the first stage of the technique."
"What kind of human can do this for days without a break?"
"None that I know of."
Giving Karon a sly grin, he said,
"Our time is limited."
"We need to make you stronger within three years."
With a sour expression, Karon replied,
"Fine."
Two figures sat beside a crackling campfire.
A gentle breeze stirred the leaves but lacked the strength to carry them away.
Feeling the wind brush against their skin, Elan and Karon shivered slightly.
The fresh, earthy scent of the forest filled their noses.
They took bites of meat, grease running down their arms.
"I know something that would go perfectly with this."
Karon reached into his pocket dimension.
"Cough, cough."
He spat out the meat in his mouth.
"You have a pocket dimension?"
"My mother's legacy."
"My condolences."
"Thanks."
"Bring your cup."
Karon uncorked a bottle and poured frothy beer into Elan's cup.
"No wine?"
"No."
"I see."
Both of them took a sip and continued eating.
"Hahaha... that's a good one."
The atmosphere had warmed, and the alcohol was beginning to take effect.
"So, is it time to move on to more serious topics, Elan?"
"Hm... where should we start?"
"What's being a commander like? Do you enjoy it?"
"Giving elves orders to die isn't exactly enjoyable."
"But I do like the tactical side of it."
"Studying the battlefield on a map, predicting where the enemy will attack from."
"It's incredibly stressful when you're aware that you're gambling with elven lives, but it's just as exciting."
"It's a strange feeling, having even elves I've never met place their trust in me."
"I try to be the best commander I can."
"And from the looks of it, I'm good at my job."
"People call me the Serpent because of my cunning and efficiency."
"Sounds like we're nothing alike."
"I noticed that during your fight with the water user."
"You're too straightforward."
"I like being that way."
"Sneaking up on people or setting ambushes isn't my style."
"I fight head-on."
After talking about warfare for a while longer, the two changed the subject.
"Alright then, tell me your story."
"There's really nothing special about it."
"When I was a child..."