Night fell, and Evenel Istella lay in bed early, but sleep eluded her due to anxiety about the next day.

She had never felt this nervous even before important matches.

“This can’t go on.”

Finally, she jumped out of bed and went outside. The cool air seemed to alleviate her tension a bit.

“It’s okay. Just do as you’ve practiced. You’ve also studied thoroughly.”

As she walked, comforting herself, a mysterious, heavy sound carried on the wind reached Evenel’s ears.

‘What is that sound?’

It felt as if a strong force was driving into her, yet the resonance was entirely different from archery.

Unable to resist her curiosity, Evenel followed the sound.

Upon arriving at the back of the mansion, she saw another training ground, different from where she had been earlier. And someone was standing in the middle.

Approaching cautiously, she recognized it was Shuher. In his hand, he held a silver bow.

‘Something’s different.’

The atmosphere was completely different from when he had silently left the training ground earlier. Particularly, his green eyes were filled with seriousness.

Soon, an arrow released from Shuher’s hand struck the target, making the heavy sound she had heard. The center of the target was already filled with dozens of arrows.

“Amazing…”

An exclamation involuntarily escaped from Evenel’s lips. Shuher looked surprised upon noticing her.

“You are.”

“Oh, sorry for interrupting. I heard the sound by chance.”

As Evenel approached, Shuher hastily hid the bow behind his back, a futile gesture since she had already seen everything.

“You’re extremely skilled. I was really amazed seeing it just now.”

Despite her compliment, Shuher’s expression only darkened. Soon, a self-mocking tone came from his mouth.

“I heard you’re into archery. Compared to that, this is nothing. Archery is not really helpful.”

Taken aback, Evenel didn’t know how to respond. That wasn’t the intention behind her words.

“No, I…”

“Unlike bullets, arrows just bounce off beasts. So they’re entirely useless.”

While he belittled himself, Evenel looked at the target filled with arrows. Then she blurted out what she had been thinking.

“But you still like it, don’t you?”
Hibre’s gaze, which had been directed at the ground, met hers. Unlike before, his green eyes showed signs of agitation.

Because it was Evenel, she could be certain. Because the way he stood before the target, pulling back the bowstring, overlapped with her own posture when shooting.

“So you’ve been practicing until now, contrary to Young-shik’s words that it’s worthless?”

If he had only thought that, he would have been practicing swordsmanship instead. The fact that he wasn’t made it clear that archery held special significance for him.

Clutching the bow he had hidden behind his back, Hibre shook his head firmly, as if he couldn’t accept her words. For the first time, he showed a sharp reaction.

“Don’t pity me like some cheap knight’s words suggest. Worry about Your Highness instead. You wouldn’t be talking so leisurely if a monster was in front of you.”

He walked past her coldly, and Evenel, left alone, approached the target. The numerous arrows stuck in it spoke of her efforts.

“Really enjoying it, aren’t you?”

“Young-shik’s words are unimportant.”

Turning around, she saw Shuher standing there, watching her.

“How did Your Majesty get here?”

Discovering Evenel had been purely coincidental. He had come out to the terrace and noticed her walking away below.

Wondering where she was going this late at night led him to follow her here. Soon, Shuher also approached the target.

“I didn’t know you were still practicing archery.”

“Did Your Majesty know?”

“I had seen it a few times before, but recently I only saw you with a sword, so I thought you had given it up.”

“I don’t understand what Young-shik said about it being useless. Even to me, who knows nothing about archery, you seemed highly skilled.”

In contrast, Shuher understood the meaning of those words immediately, and even the reason she had been training away from the eyes of the public.

“I’ve told you before, House Ferti has been a family of knights skilled in swordsmanship for generations.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to learn swordsmanship, does it?”

“Moreover, guns began to be more useful than bows for fighting monsters. Research in that area also became more active.”

As a result, the number of people practicing archery had noticeably decreased over time, leading to the perception that it was unnecessary.

“Ah, so that’s why he said that.”

Upon hearing his explanation, Evenel could understand Hibre’s reaction. However, she couldn’t entirely agree.
Shuher could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression. However, this wasn’t a matter to be discussed lightly.

“Hibru Youngsik is one of the few successors of a powerful family. His choice has great ramifications.”

“That’s probably why everyone has said it’s not possible until now. So one person should be fine. Do whatever you want.”

“You really know nothing.”

“Let’s just call it my selfishness.”