Chapter 40

Chapter 2 begins.

After finalizing the terms of the deal, the Demon King returned to his country via teleportation.

He seemed to want to stay for a night, but it appeared he didn't have the luxury of time, and he looked somewhat reluctant to leave.

Running a large country must be quite a challenge.

He was a peculiar character with a haughty demeanor, but despite being a Demon King, he was quite approachable, and more importantly, he was of the same gender.

I really hope he can stay longer next time he visits.

A few days after the Demon King left, we returned to our usual daily routine.

I woke up early in the morning and decided to shoot some arrows to exercise and wake myself up.

After washing my face and getting ready, I went outside, and a pleasant breeze caressed my skin.

The season was getting hotter, but the early morning in the forest was still cool. Even during the hot season, the early morning was still refreshing and comfortable.

As I walked past the fields, the Mother Plant lifted its head.

"Good morning."

When I greeted the Mother Plant and gently petted it, it swayed happily.

No matter how much it evolves and grows larger, its core remains the same.

I continued walking towards the shooting range, and the sound of arrows being shot, "swoosh, swoosh," echoed intermittently.

It was common to find someone already at the shooting range.

As I approached, I saw Reidia preparing her arrows with a stern expression.

I watched her without saying a word, and she exhaled and released an arrow.

The arrow flew in a steady trajectory and pierced the center of the target.

"Excellent."

"It's only natural."

Despite her words, the corners of her mouth were clearly upturned, and she didn't seem entirely displeased.

Since I made her a bow and arrows, she has been practicing every morning.

Most of the time, she is already there before I wake up.

I positioned myself a bit away from Reidia.

"Hey, Hashira. Can you set up some targets in scattered locations?"

"Sure."

At Reidia's request, I used my ability to grow trees and set up targets randomly.

"I've set up twenty."

"Thanks!"

The targets were placed at various distances, some far away, some partially hidden behind trees, and some on branches. I made the setup challenging, with targets that I couldn't possibly hit.

This wasn't out of malice; it was at Reidia's request.

Apparently, hitting targets from a distance was too easy for her.

She seemed to enjoy the challenge of finding and hitting the hidden targets.

Well, I can barely hit a target twenty meters away.

I drew my bow, pulled an arrow from my quiver, and took aim.

I released the arrow, and while it didn't hit the center, it managed to land within the circle.

Hitting the target from the first shot meant I was in good form today. There's a satisfying feeling when the arrow hits the target.

I continued shooting in the same rhythm and managed to hit three out of ten arrows within the circle.

"Good, I'm in good form today."

Thanks to Reidia's guidance, my shooting has become much more stable recently.

Before, I was lucky if one out of ten arrows hit the target. Now, I'm hitting three. This is clear progress.

"Hey, Hashira. There are only fifteen targets left?"

Just as I was feeling satisfied with my improvement, Reidia asked.

It seemed that in the time it took me to shoot ten arrows, Reidia had already found and hit fifteen targets.

It's hard to believe she could do this, considering she also had to search for the hidden targets.

"The remaining five are in the shape of animals and are within your line of sight."

"So, that wooden bird is a target too!"

I had confidence in the targets I had hidden, but Reidia easily shot them down.

A small bird-shaped target, hidden behind leaves, was pierced and fell to the ground.

Reidia continued to scan the area, nocked her arrows, and shot down the remaining targets one by one.

"Unbelievable..."

"You should try to hide them better. Hiding half of the target isn't enough to make it truly hidden."

It seems my placement was too easy. I thought hiding too much of the target would be bad, but it seems Reidia found it too easy.

Next time, I'll place them in hollows, showing only the head, and paint them to blend in with the branches and leaves.

That should make them harder to find.

"Hey, you're already at it!"

"Good morning."

As I was secretly competing, Carmilla, Claire, and Rento arrived.

Carmilla and Claire don't practice every day; they join when they feel like it.

Today, both of them must have woken up feeling energetic and wanted to move their bodies.

The place became lively with their arrival, and Carmilla and Claire also nocked their arrows.

Claire, who serves in the Demon King's castle and has received combat training, was quite skilled.

She managed to hit seven out of ten arrows close to the center.

"Sure, the training shows."

"No, compared to Reidia, I'm at a level I'm embarrassed to show."

Elves are known for their archery skills, and she's in a league of her own.

To me, Claire is already impressive.

Meanwhile, at the edge of my vision, not just Rento, but Renshiro, Rensaburo, and Renshiro were also drawing their bows.

The Gaianotes, with their strong bodies and powerful strength, don't need bows, but they seemed to enjoy shooting arrows.

What's a bit strange is that not only Rento but also Renshiro and the others are better than me.

Rento, in particular, has a hit rate close to the trained Claire.

Renshiro and the others are still getting used to it, but they are improving daily with Rento's guidance.

Maybe I should ask Rento to teach me too.

But, I'd rather not, as it would be a bit annoying to ask him.

"Hehe, I can't hit it!"

Carmilla doesn't seem to be very familiar with bows, and her skill level is not much different from mine.

She probably hasn't received archery training like Claire.

She shot about ten arrows, but only one hit the edge of the target.

I feel a bit embarrassed, but it's reassuring to have someone at my level.

Carmilla put down her bow and suddenly began to channel magic, generating a black bow. She condensed her magic to create a black arrow and released it.

The arrow, infused with immense magic, wrapped in black light and pierced the target, exploding on impact.

The target I had set up was reduced to splinters, and a deep crater was left in the ground.

Carmilla nodded in satisfaction.

"Well, I guess I'm more suited to this."

That might be true, but it's a bit different.

"Carmilla, don't suddenly use magic. It's a shock."

"Miss, please use magic to fill in the crater you created."

I thought Reidia and Claire's comments were a bit different.

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