Chapter 30

On the other hand, at that moment, Doranix was in his private room, holding a cherished bottle of wine and laughing elegantly.

"Hehe... With this, we have finally eliminated those bothersome, tainted-bloods, Father."

Sitting directly in front of him was Doranix's father, Baranix, the king of this country.

"Hmm. That's right, my son. Only pure elves remain. This is how our country should be."

The king took a sip of wine, savoring it as if rolling it on his tongue.

"Those bothersome bastards. What nonsense, saying that half-elves are the same as us. What a joke, they are nothing but inferior beings with mixed blood."

"You're right, Father. Half-elves are far inferior to us forest dwellers. Treating them as equals to elves is an insult. Killing them was the right decision."

"Ah, Doranix. That's a secret between us, isn't it?"

"Of course, Father. The dead can't talk. No one will ever realize that the mastermind behind the assassination of the former king was a member of the royal family."

There was a sudden noise from somewhere.

"Huh? What's that? Could someone be eavesdropping?"

"Father, don't worry. It's just a bird."

A crow was perched outside the window.

"Phew, you scared me. By the way, Doranix. What about the labor force to replace the half-elves?"

"Yes. The magical dolls I developed recently are working perfectly."

"Magical dolls powered by magic. They don't get tired, they don't rebel against us, and they work 24 hours a day as commanded... How wonderful! As expected of my son, this is truly remarkable!"

"I'm honored, Father."

Doranix took a sip of his victory wine, nodding contentedly.

He had successfully eliminated the obstacles and impressed everyone with his competence.

With this, the next king was as good as certain... Doranix felt extremely satisfied.

"Using magical dolls, we won't have to work anymore. Hmm, let's spread them throughout the country..."

The magical dolls that create more magical dolls are also magical dolls. Just by commanding them to increase production, a large number of dolls would be completed in no time.

"Truly, the magical dolls are wonderful! They are invincible! As expected of Doranix, who developed them, you are indeed my pride!"

"Hehe... Thank you, Father."

King Baranix was proud of his capable son's upbringing.

Prince Doranix was proud of his magical skills.

Each was intoxicated.

"The tainted-bloods were foolish to say that things would go wrong without them!"

"Indeed, Father. My magical dolls are perfect! Flawless, with no room for error, they are the embodiment of my wisdom! They will perform tasks that tainted-bloods can do with even greater perfection."

The father and son laughed heartily. This night was undoubtedly the peak of their lives.

...They didn't know that this was the beginning of their downfall.

The magical dolls indeed moved with absolute fidelity to their commands.

For example, horse management. If they were told to feed the horses at a certain time, they would do so.

Without any concern for the horses' health.

The magical dolls might indeed be excellent tools, capable of performing tasks that half-elves did with even greater efficiency.

However, what they lacked was empathy.

Magical dolls made of magic couldn't replicate the human touch.

...As a result, that night, the animals owned by the country went berserk.

★

A few days after Mido joined.

Guild Master Act was leading Mido to a certain place.

It was deep in the forest, a place where no human would ever set foot.

Their destination was protected by a mist barrier.

"Act, is this...?"

"It's the hidden village of the Centaurs."

"Eh, really!? No way!"

Mido's eyes widened in surprise. Centaurs, intelligent and high-ranking magical creatures, avoided human contact as much as possible.

Interacting with humans brought more harm than good. This was the motto of the Centaurs, known as the sages of the forest.

"Lord Act."

A young Centaur approached Act.

"Hues, I'm sorry to ask you for a favor."

"No, it's a pleasure to help you, Lord Act."

Mido's eyes widened in amazement.

"Amazing... The Centaurs, known as the sages of the forest, are showing respect to Act... Who are you, Act?"

"I told you, I'm just a guild master."

"No, that's not normal at all..."

Meanwhile, Hues was staring intently at Mido.

"What... what is it...?"

"Girl, state your name."

"My name is Mido..."

"Then, Mido, take this."

Hues used magic to create a short bow and handed it to her.

"Try to hit the target with this."

"Huh? Target...? Wait, where is it? I can't see anything in this mist!"

The deep mist obscured the view.

"You have good ears, I heard. Try to capture the sound of the wind."

"I don't... understand..."

The Centaur gave her a brief lesson. Mido, half-believing, half-doubting, shot the arrow.

"It didn't hit."

"No, it hit perfectly. Go and see for yourself."

At Act's urging, Mido, puzzled, walked deeper into the mist.

There was a target, and in the center, an arrow was embedded.

"No way... How did you know it hit?"

"My eyes saw the future where you hit the target and rejoiced."

"Guild Master... Your eyes are really extraordinary..."

Hues approached, looked at the target, and nodded in admiration.

"Indeed, you have brought someone worthy, Lord Act. She is a natural with the bow."

Mido had never handled a bow in her life. Yet, in this deep mist, she had hit a distant target.

Clearly, she had an incredible talent for archery.

"Mido, from today, you will train with Hues in archery."

"Got it. What about my Tamer training?"

"Continue your reconnaissance training, but focus on archery for now. This will transform you into the strongest existence, one that no one can mock as tainted-blood."

Act patted Mido's head. She smiled and bowed to Hues.

"Please, teach me!"

"I will. Normally, we Centaurs never lend our strength to humans. But for Act, it's an exception. I will teach you our techniques."

Act nodded, left Mido behind, and turned to go.

"Guild Master, where are you going?"

"I have my own duties to attend to. Focus on your own training."

【To the Readers】

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