There is a few places a man shouldn't be. Risking your life to witness an elven archmages duel is one of them. However, Shio has always been a prideful man. He wanted to witness it, the power of the so called ancient rulers of the world.

From the first moment, he was blown away. The wind blows against his hair as the magical might of the elves were on full displayed.

'This is nothing much.' He convinced himself. 'With those uppity dwarves's gunpowder offering to the king, we can easily fight this. After the battle against elves have been won, we can turn and enslave the dwarves like the slaves of the human race they are.'

However, he found it hard to convince himself even as the female Archmage's orb whizzes past the hill and upward and the male elf started teleporting.

Master has said that it is a fool mistake to underestimate your enemies. Conceal your hostilities deeply and then observe them for their weakness. The age of the elves are over, and it is the age of the human, however, it does not mean that the elves are easy taking. Even as detestable as they are, there are weapon that used to make them the master of an age. However, every man grows old and weak. They all slow down. The empire of the elves has grown fat and complacent with each passing age.

They said that the elves have lived for millions of years. However, for millions of years, they still ended up back here, no more than the 'weak' human race.

No, it is them who are weak. Their long life deluded them to their own failing. It is human who are the future. It is we that invent and innovate.

However, there is at least one elf who disagreed with that. If asked, Andarel would answer.

"Wasn't gunpowder just an invention of the dwarves that they happily gave to man because of their alliance?"

That is what Shio would have guessed of the arrogant elf's answer. However, if that was his answer, Shio would response

"The foolish dwarves may have been the inventor of gunpowder, however, it is we human who know how to use it, how to weaponize it, how to bring it to war."

That would be Shio's answer. However, Shio did not say it. The entire scenario was in his head.

Not only does it exposes himself to the elf, Shio is also afraid that the infuriating elf would just use his word against him. He would laugh and dismantle that argument somehow while belittling Shio without actively doing it. That is just the kind of elf he is.

In fact, after the duel was over, that elf glances over at Shio. It was a look of menace, an actual bloodlusted gaze. However, the elf's lip sudden curves up, as if laughing at a joke only he knows. The last thing Shio saw of his departing figure is his laugh.

Shio felt completely defeated. He also felt completely angry.

However, he can only stew in his anger, and he knew that amused the elf more.

Slowly, Shio left the avenue with his retinue his anger stewing inside.

He was just an angry human.

Just like Andarel who was just an angry elf.

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At night, in his room, Shio, a man with power was stewing in his anger.

'I am with power, and what is he, what is this Andarel? Just a ranger recruit without any practical power. How dare he? How dare he piss me off? How dare he look down on me? Who give him that power? What power does he has over me?'

The more he thinks about it, the more Shio stews in anger.

Locking up his door, Shio starts scheming.

'He may be untouchable with the ranger order, however there are things that he can't touch from inside the order.'

For examples, his girlfriends.

'I have to hurt him. How dare such a filthy knife-ear looks down on me. I will inflict the worst pain upon him, I will show him that there are many things worst than death.'

The more he thinks about it, the more Shio grins. The more he grins, the faster he wrote down his order.

'First I will have the girl raped. Those willingly date elves are not human anymore. Disgusting race traitors deserve everything coming to them. I want to taste what he has tasted and see if it is really good or not. Ha ha. Then, I will give them to a group of criminal. I want to see how pained he will be.

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Then, I will go after his military career. A man with that kind of tragedy happening to him will not be stable I suppose. I want him to go crazy, crazy not knowing that there are someone out there after him. Then, at his lowest, I will appear before him. And then, I will tell him all about it. I want to see his anger as he tried ineffectually to kill me after losing everything.

Then I will kill him.'

As Shio starts stewing in anger thinking of ways to get revenge on the elf who snubbed him, slowly it was time for midnight.

All alone in his own room, locked from the inside with no way in, Shio was completely alone.

And sitting next to him was an elf in a darkhood. It is unknown how long he has been sitting there.

The later it is in the night, the clearer the figure of the elf becomes.

Suddenly before Shio completes his writing, the figure reaches out and grabs his neck. The elf squeezes harder and harder, stopping blood from entering Shio's brain.

No matter how much Shio struggles or tries to scream, he can't seem to get out of that death grip.

"Die. Painfully." The figure says

"Yo..u... ar...e... Anda...."

"But it is a failure. You will not die."

The figure says regretfully.

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In the middle of the night, in his own dorm, in his sleep, Andarel was awakened by his friend Aradon.

"Andarel, you are talking in your sleep again."

This happens in the same night a certain diplomat from the human kingdom has a medical emergency due to a bloodclot in the brain.

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"What happened to him?" An old man is staring at a young man with tears and rage in his eyes.

"Young master Shio has become paralyzed due to his episode."

The young man did not die. He did not become braindead either. However, he has become paralyzed. However, the top medical expert of the elven kingdom has told Te Celsa that he is aware, even as his eyes are also paralyzed.

"I ASKED WHAT WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BOY. MY POOR, POOR SHIO. WHEN I LEFT HE WAS AS HEALTHY AS A BULL, HOW CAN A MAN HIS AGE HAS A BRAIN BLOODCLOT. THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN TO ME.

ME.

Not him..."

The legendary diplomat struggles to breath for a moment.

"S-sir..."

"Someone did it." The old man looks mad, his hair dishevel at that moment.

"Someone is out to get me. They must have harmed Shio in the process. My poor, poor boy."

"S-sir?"

Te Celsa keeps on rambling about invisible enemies while cradling his disciple's body. He takes Shio in as a baby while traveling through a certain kingdom. The boy's bright eyes attract his attention.

The moment he saw his bright blue eyes, he knows the boy would be intelligent and good to have as an apprentice.

He then spent more than a decade teaching him everything he knows.

The boy was too young. There are still more things for him to learn.

The young boy always follows Te Celsa's teaching, even his selfish whim.

And now, he can't do that anymore. He can't blink. He can't talk. He can't move. Confined to that bed for the rest of his life, he will be the diplomat's biggest regret.

"S-sir. There may have been no body in his room last night, however, there is an elf who has angered master Shio lately. It must have been his anger for the elf that causes him to become like this. Yesterday, the elf beats him in chess, and in his last few writing, master Shio expresses great anger and wished to hurt him."

"What elf..."

"Andarel sir. Sir Shio wanted to hurt him badly. He even left his order that was unfulfilled on his desk. He must have.... passed while writing it. It is his last wish sir."

"Do it."

"S-sir?"

"I don't care what it takes. Do it. Even if we become the elves' enemies. Fulfill his last wish."