Kiernan stepped on the sand of the small beach. It looked like the beach was empty this early in the morning.
The beach overlooked the lake, and the sun was just starting to rise over the horizon, casting a warm glow on the water. It was relatively big, around five kilometers long.
'Coach said a few laps…' Kiernan looked around the beach. 'To run a lap, it's around four hundred meters, basically the size of a standard running track.'
As he was about to begin running, the water splashed, and a person surfaced from underneath the water. It seemed like the person had gone for a morning swim, but the strange part was that Kiernan had stood for about a few minutes on the beach, and the person had not even once resurfaced.
The person left the water, and the strange characteristics immediately stood out. She was a young woman with drenched black hair and a unique pair of silver eyes.
While she moved aside her hair, she revealed a face that seemed truly beautiful, almost like a porcelain doll. It was as if she belonged to another world.
That wasn't all—from underneath her black hair, a pointy ear peeked out, adding to her mysterious and otherworldly appearance. It was clear that she wasn't actually a human.
'Pointy ears and that ethereal appearance…' Kiernan felt his heart race at a strange tempo. 'An elf? This world has elves? I only know them from Earth's fantasy novels, but there she is standing right in front of me.'
At that moment, she picked up a towel from the beach chair and put it over her swimsuit. In that moment, the elf noticed that there was a young man staring at her.
"Do you have a habit of staring at people like that?" She asked with her sweet voice.
"I am sorry." Kiernan looked away and explained. "It's my first time seeing an elf. I didn't think you guys actually existed."
"It shouldn't be hard to find out about us." She tilted her head and asked. "Are you actually a bad student, or did you just not pay attention in class?"
"Both, I suppose…" Kiernan scratched his hair and asked, "Are you participating in the nationals? How does that work with elves? I heard that elves mature at a slower rate than humans, so do you compete in different age categories?"
"I am not from New Rakuya, so I am not competing." She said and walked slowly down the sandy beach. "I am here with my grandfather, and to answer your question, elves don't participate in the human tournaments."
"So, how old are you?" Kiernan asked ignorantly. Based on her appearance, she looked like she was around eighteen years old.
"You really don't know how to talk to women, do you?" She placed her slender finger against Kiernan's forehead and tapped lightly. "Never ask a woman her age; it's inappropriate."
Kiernan remained silent. He then watched as the pointy-eared elf walked off the beach as she returned to the village.
'If those fantasy novels said anything true, which seems likely, then elves can age to several hundred years old. However, their bodies and minds mature at a slower rate than humans.
'An elf can be fifty years old, but they look like a little kid and have the mind of a kid as well. It's basically the same as my situation.
'I have lived for about a hundred years, but my mind has now regressed to match that of a sixteen year old.
'Anyway, I thought elves would have silver and gold hair, but she had black. I guess not everything in those novels came true.'
Kiernan then stretched out his arms and yawned, feeling the stiffness in his joints as he did so.
Then, he started running down a lap across the beach—he didn't know what the coach meant with a few laps, so he planned to run till he couldn't anymore.
…
The elf walked down the village with her sandals tapping against the cobblestone ground. She was the center of attention wherever she went, captivating the attention of everyone she passed by.
The young men all turned their heads to watch her go by. It didn't matter whether they were already standing beside a young woman who would be considered beautiful by human standards—she was simply in a league of her own.
'His soul was quite beautiful.' She thought to herself as she remembered the young man on the beach. 'A soul that resembled a diamond. I haven't seen anything like that before.'
It was the only reason she spoke to the young man to begin with—she was very used to being talked to by men who were attracted by her looks. There were many wealthy, handsome, and powerful men who had tried to catch her eye before, but all failed for a reason.
Their souls were empty and shallow.
She had a special eye—Soul Eye—that allowed her to take a peek at a person's soul.
The soul is the most important part of any martial artist, and she had a direct connection to it.
While thinking about the diamond-like soul, she arrived at her cottage. It was the biggest cottage in the entire village.
As soon as she entered the cottage, she heard a sound of argument.
"That's all wrong; put your backs into it!"
She wryly smiled and entered the living room—there, a grumpy-looking old man yelled at two young men who were standing on a horse stance. They were sweating furiously, trying to hold a heavy piece of furniture above their heads.
"Oh!" The grumpy old man noticed her and immediately beamed a smile. "Miri, you're back. Did your swim go well?"
"Yes, it did, grandpa." Miri—her real name Muriel—took a seat and smiled as the two young men suffered. "Hows the training going~"
"They're still weak!" Godfred, who was apparently Muriel's grandfather, shouted, but his ears weren't pointy like hers.
He was a human.
"W-what the fuck is this?" A black-haired young man stuttered. "Y-you're treating her quite differently from us, don't you, old bastard?"
"Of course, I do." Godfrey looked at them. "It's because she's a princess, unlike you worthless scum."
Muriel smiled cheekily. "Johan, Cadell, do your best~"
As if influenced by her words, Cadell immediately straightened his back, and it was as if he regained some of his power. Or, it was because he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of her.
Johan, on the other hand, dropped the furniture to the ground and said, "Fuck this. We have been holding that for the entire morning. I am hungry!"
"Tch, you see Miri, we came all the way to New Rakuya to see this kid, and look how he acts?" Godfrey facepalmed and shook his head. "This is the best talent New Rakuya can offer—a whiny kid who can't perform simple training without complaining."
"Oh, I can keep holding that shitty piece of furniture for the rest of the day if I want to, but I am hungry and bored." Johan showed a middle finger and headed to the kitchen.
"That little shit…" Godfrey grinded his teeth in frustration.
"Cadell, you can also stop." Muriel said with a smile.
"Thank you, miss." Cadell gently put the furniture down on the ground and let out a few sighs.
Cadell had gray hair, like ash, sprouting from his otherwise dark locks. He was pretty handsome, with a body so toned that it looked almost chiseled from stone.
"Oh, grandpa, I found an interesting person on the beach." Muriel said with a smile. "He had a beautiful soul."
Godfred and Cadell, both, turned to her sharply—it was very rare that Muriel was interested in someone. It made both of them very serious.
"Oh, who is this?" Godfred asked gently from his granddaughter.
"I didn't ask his name, but his soul was amazing." Muriel giggled. "I hope I see him again soon. Maybe I can get a deeper look at his soul."
"Oh, that's nice." Godfred smiled gently, but inside. 'Maybe coming to New Rakuya was a mistake? These humans are all horny and manipulative!'
Cadell cracked his knuckles with a serious frown. 'Who the fuck… I wonder if that person is still in the beach.'