A Villainess Should Be Strong

"Earth to.. you?" Estelle wanted to call the man's name, but realized that she had actually not asked him yet.

"You.. that spear is?" The man snapped back into a clear state of mind. He frowned, looking at Estelle's spear carefully.

"Yes? What about it?" Estelle became even more confused.

She took a look at her own spear and couldn't find anything wrong with it.

"Does that light up?" The man asked. After a few seconds, he realized that his question was too strange, so he changed his phrasing. "Can you imbue that with light magic? Or more like, do you imbue that spear?"

"I do.. for certain strategies. Why?" Estelle acknowledged.

Indeed, when she fought monsters for the first time, she had used the spear in succession with Light Magic. She did not know why, but the element of Light seemed to be the most fitting at first glance. Not to mention, she later found out that since the monsters were somewhat related to Black Magic, they showed an adverse effect to the element of Light.

It was from then that her signature moves with the spear became associated with Light automatically.

"..No, nothing. It just reminded me of something.." The man shook his head. "Either way.. You saw how I did it, right? Did you find any differences from my technique with Niki's?"

"Hmm... Differences?" Estelle stopped to think about it.

After a few stops, she came up with several anomalies she spotted. "It's not really a difference, but I guess.. the power threshold is different, the way and sequence of you holding the bow is also different.. And.. how do I describe it? Your Winds are different," Estelle listed.

"That's the exact answer. You've comprehended it, but you can't put it into action?"

"...Well, I guess so," Estelle awkwardly laughed.

It was like reading a recipe on how to bake a complicated cake and watching a professional do it, in comparison to you actually trying to process yourself. There was a stark difference between theory and application.

The theory itself was actually not that hard to understand for Estelle.

"You will succeed. Since you've noticed all those points, do you still want me to 'teach' you how to wield the bow?"

"No.." Estelle weakly replied.

Since the way Niki and this man used the Moonlight Bow were different from each other, it proved that there was no set way of utilizing it, and even Estelle's archery skills would suffice.

She thought that she had to learn archery in a short time just to use the bow, but it seemed like that wasn't the case.

Now, her primary goal should be to just blindly communicate and try to channel her magic. It was time for another round of trial and error.

However, she had to admit, the man had superb archery skills. The countenance the man showed, the steady posture and preparation, all of it pointed to the man's great power.

If she had the opportunity to do it, she would gladly apply herself to study under his tutelage. Of course, that is if she did not manage to find a better teacher in the mean time.

Then, as if reading Estelle's mind, the man continued on speaking. "Though, if you'd like me to teach you what I think is the best way to wield the bow, you may,"

Estelle's face brightened up at the offer. "Thank you very much!" she exclaimed.

"It's nothing big. Rather than that, do you have any other questions? If no, I think this is a suitable time for me to go. I have some business left behind in the castle, and that was why I came to visit,"

"Do you not visit the castle regularly?"

"For starters, I am a 'former' Royal Sculptor. I don't work here anymore, and I usually live a calm life outside of the castle,"

"Ah.. then, teaching me would be an inconvenient thing to you," Estelle lamented.

"Don't worry, I'm a free person. I can afford to teach one little girl in addition to what I do everyday," The man giggled at Estelle's apologetic expression. "You don't need to be so reserved with me,"

Estelle pursed her lips, but she couldn't hold back her desire to learn.

"So? Do you have any questions?" The man asked one more time.

"About the Moonlight Bow.. You said that the application is actually harder than trying to comprehend the Winds. If so, then.. why-"

"Are the shooting style not used by normal people but instead is restricted for the Royals and high-ranked people?" The man interjected, finishing her sentence.

Estelle blinked a couple times before nodding. "Why?" she asked.

"I once thought the same thing. Before I became a Royal Sculptor, the question flashed through my mind. Surely, you must be thinking that since the power is not restricted to Royals, then someone could have the chance to spread the power,"

That was exactly what went through Estelle's head. She eagerly nodded.

"The answer is simple. To control the power that circulates in the country. To make the Royals hold more authority, don't they need something to add into their prestige? Something that sets them apart from the rest? The Royal bloodline.. It's a bit complicated, but let's just say that the Moonlight Bow is restricted so that it's an exclusive trait. Something uncommon," The man gave a meaningful smirk.

"..Oh wow," Estelle reacted to the words, wincing at how blatant the truth actually was.

"But fret not. It's not our job to bother about that, is it? The current pressing matter.. remember, you are stronger than you think you are. Don't think too much about the special clauses. You just need.. to do your best. I believe that would yield you results,"

"It's easy to say that," Estelle complained.

The man laughed seeing how Estelle completely ignored the facts he just spouted.

"However, that little kid.. Haah," The man sighed. "What did you do to Neil in order for him to issue this kind of challenge?"

"..This challenge, how bad is it?"

"It's something that would be documented into history if it did happen within three days. Even the current Queen took more than a year to fully grasp how to wield the bow. Neil himself took more than two years. And that's already a record breaking time,"

"I'm really hated, am I?" Estelle chuckled.

She was an outsider in the first place, so she didn't even have the right to get mad.

"Rather than hate... I'd say that he doesn't approve of you,"

"It's basically the same thing to me," Estelle smiled depreciatingly.

"If you don't have anymore questions, then I must go," The man said, pulling out a pocket watch from his inner robes and checking the time displayed.

Estelle was prepared to send him off, but she then remembered one question that she hadn't asked.

"Ah! By the way.. could I inquire your name?" Estelle carefully asked.

The man might want to keep his anonymity, but Estelle couldn't help but want to know.

She was prepared to face rejection in case the man did not want to reveal it to her.

However, despite her worries, the man only stopped for a few seconds before breaking into a smile.

It was a crafty smile with a thousand words hidden behind them.

Instantly, Estelle felt intimidated.

"Aleksei. Aleksei Villarante," He introduced himself, smirking victoriously.

Right after saying that, he walked faster, turned around the corner, and disappeared.

Estelle, who processed his speech and realized the weight of it was thrown into jeopardy. She was stunned in place, but once her brain continued working, she realized the situation's severity.

The surname Villarante. The surname that could only be used by Royals.

He was a Royal Sculptor, but what prevented him from being a Royal Elf at the same time? No wonder he seemed to know so much details!

He covered up Silvanna's traces. Was it because he was one of her relatives? Was he close with Estelle's grandmother?

Estelle was confused, yet slightly excited by the flow of things.

"...That was a Royal Elf," Estelle stood there in shock, feeling like she had been duped. "He's a Royal Elf, which means.. is he my relative? Aleksei.."

She kept repeating his name, but even that couldn't help her contain her mind.

Although, there was also another matter that she was worried about.

Even though he had revealed his identity, he promised to try and help Estelle. Would he really go back on his words?

If he did go back on it, then Estelle would lose the potential helper she thought she had just gained. She didn't want that.

She wanted to chase after the man, but he was nowhere in sight. He escaped right after dropping the truth bomb.

Pursing her lips, Estelle struggled to keep this matter to herself as she desired to know more about the man and his identity. And yet, she couldn't afford to do that. For now.

Estelle broke into chuckles as she shrugged, turning around and going the opposite way to tend to the Moonlight Bow once more.

Although she did want Aleksei's help, she also needed to work hard.

"Aleksei," She repeated the name. "I was fooled! Ao!" 

Although she was still complaining, she rushed to the bow with a smile.