“You wish to fight me?” [Elyon]

Elyon asked while clearly looking down on Goro. He was wondering if he truly was dumb enough to start something in Sanctuary Academy. Although it was where all of the races studied together in neutral territory, a lot of politics were involved. A fight between two students would sour the relations between their nations. After all, nobles also attended this academy.

But, his expectations were dashed the next moment and he quickly dodged the incoming punch.

“How’s that for an answer?” [Goro]

Goro said, growling, as he pulled back his fist that missed its target. The tension grew. The elf was no longer calmly standing there. The atmosphere around him became sharper.

“… So be it.” [Elyon]

Wind gathered around his hands.

“I’ll teach you your place.”[Elyon]

The dragon and the elf faced off, waiting for the other side to make a move, and it was Goro who charged in first. He dashed straight at Elyon and sent another punch to his face. His opponent countered by raising his hand and from it, wind fiercely assaulted Goro. He staggered, his feet left the ground and he was knocked a few meters back.

“Tch! So you’re no pushover in a fight, are ya?” [Goro]

“Your confidence as a dragon will be your downfall.” [Elyon]

As the two launched blows and gales, Ava, Allen and Fyr were watching from the side.

“S-s-s-s-stop! Y-y-y-you shouldn’t f-f-fight!” [Fyr]

The harpy said, greatly panicking.

“A-Allen! Tell them t-to stop!” [Fyr]

“You’re right. They shouldn’t fight, but… Take him down, Goro!” [Allen]

“Ehhhhh?!” [Fyr]

Next to her, the human didn’t share her sentiments and encouraged their dragon friend, making her even more flustered. As for the half-elf, she was silently watching their battle, studying them.

Goro continued to chase after Elyon who nimbly avoided all of his blows by using his wind. He shot gales at the dragon, slowing him down or knocking him back. Whenever he was blown away, he would quickly get back up and charge at him again. Even though the force was strong enough to make an ordinary person writhe in pain, his elven magic had little effect on a dragon’s sturdy body.

On the other hand, none of Goro’s hits connected with the elf since he had to get in close and in doing so, expose himself to fierce hammers of wind. Moreover, Elyon was good in a fight and moved about to keep his distance. He alternated between using his power and dodging to not tire himself out. As their fight dragged on, the rooftop was beginning to take damage, mainly because of Goro.

“Stop moving, damn it!” [Goro]

He yelled after he pulled out his hand from the hole he just created in the ground. He jumped up high and clenched his fist. Elyon sent a gust of wind and blew him away. He landed hard on his back, but got up like it was nothing. Single-mindedly, he attacked his foe, relying on his strength to grasp victory.

Elyon seemed to be in control at the beginning of the fight, but he was starting to lose ground in the face of this unrelenting enemy. Goro leapt at him and he jumped back. As a result, another hole was formed when the dragon’s fist buried itself in the school’s roof. As this repeated multiple times, the blonde-haired elf was getting tired and his breathing grew ragged.

But, before a winner could be clearly determined, bullets of light struck everyone present. Goro, Elyon, Allen and Fyr were all covered in a faint white light.

“… What are you doing?” [Elyon]

Elyon, who stopped fighting, asked the person who interfered in a cold voice.

“People will gather because of the noise. Observer, I do not think we should be making a scene here.” [Ava]

Ava replied and lowered her hand that shone even under the sun. Her face was expressionless.

He stared at her for a moment before relaxing his stance. What she said certainly made sense. His job was to keep an eye on her. He shouldn’t be taking up fights for no reason, even if the opponent was infuriating. He looked at Goro. Just like with the other two, he was staring at his hands and arms in curiosity. He tried punching in front of him and fully realized how his strength had increased.

“We’ll stop here.” [Elyon]

Elyon unilaterally declared and walked towards the fence.

“What, wait! Elf! I didn’t say-!” [Goro]

“If we keep going in our current states, we might accidentally destroy the roof. Besides, you’ve already done a number on this place.” [Elyon]

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He said, pointing out how Goro made several small craters in the rooftop during their battle. He would probably need to deal with this when the staff came asking questions. Hopefully, they wouldn’t find out that he had a hand in this.

“Ava, meet me in front of the school.” [Elyon]

After giving out his order, Elyon easily jumped over the fence using his temporary boost in strength and power to propel upward. Then, as he began to fall, he slowed his descent by releasing wind downward from his hands.

“You guys shouldn’t walk around while glittering like that. Just wait a minute and wish for it to disappear and it will.” [Ava]

When he disappeared from their sights, Ava said to the trio and left for the door.

“Ava, are you really going to listen to him?” [Allen]

Allen, who now experienced her power for the second time, asked in a worried voice.

“Yeah.” [Ava]

The half-breed’s reply was short, simple and nonchalant. It made him gloomy. Fyr felt the same way and looked down sadly. However, for one dragon, it irritated him.

“Huh? Just like that? And look at us when we’re talking to you!” [Goro]

Goro caught up to her when she reached the door and grabbed her shoulders. He forced her to face him and glared at her.

“You’re not gonna mouth off or fight back?! Even though you didn’t hesitate to fight me, you’ll just listen to whatever he says?!” [Goro]

“Can’t help it. He’s my Observer.” [Ava]

She said and shrugged her shoulders.

“So you’re more scared of him than me?! What the hell!!” [Goro]

“Easy, Goro. We want to help her, not hurt her.” [Allen]

Allen, who joined him along with Fyr, put his hand on his shoulder.

“Tch! I know! But it pisses me off!” [Goro]

“U-um, but, she’s not at fault…” [Fyr]

“Don’t you get it, harpy!?  You and the human should know better than me how annoying this girl can be! Yet, she’s acting so damn meek and obedient around that bastard! It pisses me the hell off!!” [Goro]

With his yell, both of them went quiet since they understood what he was saying. The dragon set his eyes on Ava and asked her the question that bothered him so much.

“Why?! Why aren’t you fighting back!? Are you really that afraid?!” [Goro]

Her sleepy expression didn’t change despite how loudly and rudely he was speaking to her.

“What ‘fight back’? He’s not a nice elf. That’s all.” [Ava]

“Calling you a half-breed and treating you like a weapon is being ‘not nice’!?” [Goro]

“They’re just words.” [Ava]

“Just words?! Where I come from, that’s the same as challenging you to a duel!” [Goro]

“It’s just a couple of insults and the cold shoulder. You’re overreacting.” [Ava]

The young dragon opened his mouth, closed it and opened it again, but no word came out. Instead, Fyr stepped up.

“Um, b-but Ava, doesn’t it… Hurt?” [Fyr]

She knew what simple insults could do and how hurtful they could be.

“No, not really. You just need not to mind it.” [Ava]

“… How can you not mind it?” [Allen]

This time, Allen muttered and sadly gazed at the half-elf.

“We’ve known each other for quite a bit of time already. Why are you bringing this up now?” [Ava]

Her question baffled them.

“I’m a half-elf. Sure, living with elves isn’t exactly fun… Ok, yeah, they’re annoying. But, they feed me, shelter me and educate me. I’m also only in this school because they’re paying for it.” [Ava]

“… Is that all you want?” [Allen]

The red-haired human asked sadly.

“… That’s all you want from them?” [Allen]

“Well, yeah.” [Ava]

“DON’T GIVE ME THAT CAREFREE CRAP!!!” [Goro]

Goro roared angrily.

“Back then, I saw you!” [Goro]

His grasp on her shoulders tightened.

“You were crying!!” [Goro]

His hands were faintly trembling.

“Thanks for reminding me, brat.” [Ava]

Ava looked away and insulted him, but he didn’t get distracted by it.

“You’ve got your pride, so you don’t want to talk about it. But, now, now you need to clearly say it!” [Goro]

They were meddling in her affairs without her permission. They knew it. But, waiting for her didn’t do anything. Allen and Fyr waited for years, yet nothing changed.

“Why are you putting up with all their crap?!” [Goro]

“… It’s to live.” [Ava]

That was her answer after a few seconds of silence.

“I want to live for a bit longer, and staying with them is the best way so far. That’s all that matters.” [Ava]

It rendered all three of them speechless. It was an obvious answer, yet it hit them much harder than they expected.

“… I need to go. Don’t forget to lock the door.” [Ava]

Since no one was saying a word, the half-elf decided to use this opportunity to leave.

“… That’s not living, Ava… That’s not living at all.” [Allen]

Allen’s pained voice didn’t reach her back.

----------------------------------------

“You’re late.” [Elyon]

Elyon said when Ava finally showed up in front of the school.

“I apologize. I had to say goodbye and tell them how to dispel my ability before leaving the roof.” [Ava]

He lightly nodded at her words. His body was no longer glowing.

“Although you were right in stopping that squabble, never use your power again. Understand?” [Elyon]

“Yes.” [Ava]

Ava lowered her head to show her compliance. Then, after a few more warnings and lectures, the two split up. For today, Ava decided to go back to her dorm instead of training. Thanks to the earlier confrontation, she learned that Elyon knew how to fight, was quite capable and had the ability to unleash gusts of wind. He could hold his own against Goro, who outclassed her in terms of pure physical strength. However, she saw how he was gradually getting pushed into a corner.

Dragons truly were a formidable race.

Still, if they kept going, there was a high chance that one of them would get severely injured or the others would get dragged in. That was why she stopped them before the fight escalated any further. If Elyon couldn’t fulfill his duties as her Observer because he was hurt and the elven kingdom decided to have her come back, she would be stuck in her room all day again. There would be no chance to train properly.

When Ava reached her dorm and locked herself in her room, she began her tests.

“Let’s see now…” [Ava]

First she summoned the Shadow Puppets of Elyon, Goro and Fyr.

“(Good. Three more for my collection.)” [Ava]

The dark figures of an elf, a dragon and a harpy were standing before her. Although Fyr’s combat prowess was questionable, Elyon and Goro were quite capable, especially the dragon. Her overall fighting force had increased. Moreover, summoning them had become much less tiring after two years of repeatedly materializing them until she fell asleep. She wasn’t breathing hard anymore, unlike the first time she used this power.

Next, after dispelling them, Ava summoned Allen’s Shadow Puppet.

“… Huh, like I thought.” [Ava]

She used her ability on him once when they were twelve. His twelve year old form would appear whenever she summoned him. Yet, what stood in her room was his sixteen year old figure.

“(So each time I give someone a power-up, I get their Shadow Puppet at that exact moment. I guess it’s like updating to the latest version.)” [Ava]

Ava thought as she examined the dark copy of her acquaintance.

She learned something new about her power, she saw Elyon’s fighting strength and she got his, Goro and Fyr’s Shadow Puppets.

All in all, it was quite a productive day.

That was why, in her satisfaction, she didn’t expect what would happen tomorrow.