Liv was happy.
In just a few days, she had learned how to use the handgun.
She was surprised to find that through the Elven Eyes, she could aim very accurately.
Eventually, she could even hit plates thrown by the maid.
‘Is this the magic of this world?’
Liv thought to herself, feeling proud.
That lasted until Tess showed her that she could hit a fig on a tree 100 paces away with a bow and arrow.
‘Damn it, Tess. You were hiding your skills so well. I thought you only knew how to swing a big blade around blindly.’
Lately, Sister Julia had been very busy.
She was nowhere to be seen during the day and sometimes did not return at night.
Liv did not know what she was doing.
Lord Domenico was far too strict with his daughter.
‘But Sister Julia will definitely protect herself.’
What Liv cared about most was the new elven merchant ship that had departed from the estuary port.
Since Liv learned that the Republic used Free On Board shipping, then sold the grain directly to nobles for resale, she had ordered that the Kingdom of Elves must handle the transport themselves.
The shipping costs and risks were to be borne by the Republic.
After arriving at the port, the grain would be sold to the citizens as loans at market price.
The Republic would then find a way to repay the loans and interest, which could be deferred.
Alternatively, the debt could be converted into “Republic Confirmed Debt” bonds and given to her.
This way, both the Kingdom of Elves and the commoners of the Republic could benefit.
As for the Republic, Domenico would have to find a way to handle it.
Right, she should give Elena more grain.
She heard that the flour given to her recently was almost gone.
Tess was also very satisfied with Liv’s arrangement.
The Kingdom of Elves could use the grain to further control the Republic’s economy.
These Republic debt bonds were “golden credit” that nobles from other countries would have to wait in line to buy, and now they were filling the elven pockets bit by bit.
The Republic did not dare say no.
After all, the Dwarves’ grain was limited, and the central lords had too many tax checkpoints, making land transport for food a real hassle.
The Kingdom of Saint-Rémy was close and produced an abundance of grain, but their king, Robert XI — known as the “Multi-legged Spider” — had never given up his greed for the lands along the Polani River in the Republic.
Since their human partners lacked sincerity, the Kingdom of Elves, who showed the most sincerity, would graciously accept everything.
Recently, her mother, Queen Larorweiya, had also repeatedly praised the Queen’s shrewd decisions.
Tess wanted her mother to send the crown and scepter over as well.
After all, having only the royal seal made Liv look like a rubber stamp.
Her mother replied that the crown and scepter were sacred ritual objects and could not leave the capital, Elserian.
However, if the Queen truly needed something symbolic, she could send Ailsa, a dagger representing the Queen’s authority.
Tess was very familiar with this sword; she had often played with it as a child.
Her mother never scolded her for it.
Because of its nearly unbelievable weight, the sword had practically been her personal childhood toy.
At night, the sword would emit a cold, dim blue glow, like a bright moon obscured by thin, dark clouds.
So, she would often sneak out of the palace at night to play in the streets of Elserian, even calling her companions to show off.
Moon pearls were nothing special to elven nobles, but a dagger that could easily cut through tree roots and glow was quite rare.
And so, this sword, a treasure that recorded her childhood, would now be given to Liv by her hand.
‘Hmph. That elven antique Julia scrounged from Bauer’s house made Liv happy even though it was just a regifted favor.’
‘If I give Liv my favorite childhood toy, Liv will surely be even happier!’
‘Making Liv happy is the right thing to do!’
As a result, Liv was once again required to practice swordsmanship.
“I say, Tess, you were peeking when I fell while swinging the sword just now, weren’t you?”
Tess covered her mouth as her shoulders shook with suppressed laughter, shaking her head vigorously as she said guiltily, “Do I even need to peek?”
Liv picked up the sword again, stood clumsily, and tried once more.
“If you want to watch, I’ll give you an eyeful!”
Liv swung the dagger with great effort, her posture and strikes highly irregular.
She was panting in no time.
Beads of sweat condensed on her hair and then slid down stickily.
Liv imitated Tess’s posture, stabbing forward with the dagger using what she thought was her maximum strength.
As a result, because her center of gravity was too far forward and too high, Liv could not stay steady at all and fell straight forward.
“Liv!”
Tess immediately stepped forward to catch her, preventing her from falling with the sword and causing secondary injury.
‘It seems we’ll have to use a wooden sword next time.’
After steadying Liv, Tess taught her again.
“You must always keep your center of gravity in your lower body. Feel your waist pulling your upper body while stabilizing your lower half. Don’t be in a hurry to put all your strength into your hands. For someone as weak as you are now, you’ll easily wobble or even fall! Try it again.”
Liv stood firm again, assuming the most traditional vertical sword stance.
Her target this time was to cut a wooden stick placed on a stone pier, held up by two stones.
Following a standard set of sword dance moves, Liv mimicked Tess.
She swung downward, then took a step forward, nearly losing her balance.
Then she swung from left to right, nearly falling to the right.
She propped herself up with the dagger against the ground, only then avoiding a fall.
Then Liv raised both hands level with her shoulders, the tip of the sword pointing straight ahead.
She took two quick steps forward, spun her body, and finally prepared to hack down fiercely from above.
Tess’s heart ached as she watched, because Liv had not aimed for the wooden stick at all; she was swinging toward the side.
Just as Liv was about to fall again, Tess caught her.
In the end, Tess simply called a halt to the practice.
That was enough for today; she should go take a bath first.
‘As expected, Julia’s analysis makes sense. Liv has no foundation and no basic physical strength. It’s too early for cold weapon training.’
But no matter how one looked at it, for an elf to be so clumsy and weak that she would be completely defenseless if someone got close… it was truly embarrassing!
Moreover, this elf was her own Queen.
What king was not trained in horsemanship from a young age, ready to charge with the cavalry as soon as they put on armor?
King WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw’s favorite thing was leading the prairie cavalry in a charge.
‘I really hope he falls and dies in a cavalry formation one day.’
Tess changed into a long dress and walked out of the study into the hall.
A maid told Tess that Julia had sent a secret letter, saying it was for both of them, but it was best for Tess to see it first.
Tess found it strange that Julia would allow her to see it, let alone emphasize that she should see it first.
She casually smoothed her hair, gently peeled back the seal, and opened the envelope.
Then she unfolded the letter and began to read.
Tess’s expression gradually grew serious.
She went from standing casually to sitting on the sofa, leaning forward, her hands crumpling the letter tightly.
After finishing, she immediately decided not to tell Liv for now.
‘It seems the Republic isn’t stupid after all. They want to use the Kingdom of Elves to launch a dangerous expedition. They want to bring slaughter, disease, and hunger back to the Kingdom.’
Julia pointed out solemnly that if Tess thought Liv could handle it — or at least would not collapse because of it — then she should tell her.
If not, then it was better to keep quiet for now.
She only needed to tell Liv the good news about the capital ship.
If Liv was willing to accept it, the capital ship would be named the Queen Livyat.
Of course, this matter would not be made public.
It was to be quietly decided among the high-ranking officials of the Kingdom of Elves first.
Tess knew that whether it was the Republic, the Kingdom of Elves, or the surrounding various powers, they had entered a period of instability once more.
This had nothing to do with Liv.
Rather, everything had quietly matured.