He adopted a regular stance with the bow, but the hands one would use to hold the grip and nocking point were completely reversed. The bow was held in his right hand and the bowstring in his left, for reasons Elric knew not. Even stranger was when Hughesin began to push outward with the bow rather than pull the bowstring.

Elric had never heard of such a method before, but surely a drawing method like this where both arms were utilized rather than one would mean double the drawing strength? The longer he watched, the more oddities he found out. The bow was surprisingly durable, as it had yet to snap from this strange new way of drawing. The average bow made entirely from wood would’ve long since snapped under the force, but this specific one looked like it still had some room to spare in being drawn.

A sickening crack was heard the moment when Hughesin released his hold on the bowstring. The arrow lurched forward, launched with incredible speed toward the target to which it promptly struck and pierced straight through. Not only had it pierced the target, but the arrow had also enough force in it to split the target in half.

Elric was stunned. If a single wooden arrow could deal this much damage to a wooden target, then how fatal would it be on a living human being?

Being a man of inquisitive mind, Elric wanted to know the answer right away. “What…a splendid display, is this the archery your ancestor invented? Archery like this would best a magus.”

“Lady Fantasia,” Hughesin chuckled at the question, “A magus such as yourself would know better. Even the weakest magus can comfortably cast Aeroblade to split a wooden target. A powerful magus is one who can split steel with the same spell. I would be less inclined to share your same opinion.”

He returned the bow to continue his explanation, “This bow isn’t something from my ancestors. It’s a rather common bow, one typically used by elves. When mankind first learned of bows, we labeled them all as self-bows. Time taught us more, and we further categorized bows as either recurve or composite. Unlike recurve bows, composite bows require three materials; wood, sinew, and horn. Wood for its high ductility and pliability, horns for their ability to compress and store energy, and sinew to bind them together. The complementary nature of wood and horn is rather poetic. It brings out a power greater than the sum of their equal material alone. Bows constructed this way gain more in power; their arrows fly straight, true, and through. A longbow would fail miserably in accuracy and lethality in comparison.”

This wellspring of new knowledge was a breath of fresh wind to Elric. Excited to put his newly-gained knowledge to hand, Elric imitated the duke’s pantomiming and began to practice. Drawing the bow felt like an immensely different experience compared to before now that he was aware. No longer did he have to worry about the appropriate arc to draw and aim the bow at, aiming this bow was a matter of aiming it in a straight line. His arm strength wasn’t as strong as the duke, so the target was able to avoid a fate like its predecessor’s and was simply pierced by it instead.

Hughesin simply had to praise himself for having such a studious student. Lady Fantasia was incredibly gifted at learning things, whether at understanding it at the level of concept and theory or by on-hand experience. Give a few years and she might gain a similar power to that of a Paladin, he thought to himself for a brief moment. The thought was cast aside almost immediately as he began to dread.

Why had it been archery for this lady to request? He was grateful for any one-on-one time with her, but he feared that learning this would be the straw to the camel’s back for her reputation as a noblewoman. He hadn’t forgotten about Fantasia’s strange conduct every so often. As much as he enjoyed that nature of hers, moderation is gold and she had very little of it left to purchase. Should rumors go about her learning archery her perfect image would be broken.

This internal conflict went completely unnoticed by Elric. He was lost completely in his own thoughts as he continued his practice. Every arrow he shot felt far easier than the last, and more accurate too. He was no master, but Elric felt like he was taking to it well.

The duke sighed deeply to lady Fantasia’s prowess with the bow. Perhaps she could be the one to unlock the mysteries of Vindrhorn? Or perhaps the God of Archery had descended upon the earth once again?

“Lady Fantasia, do you wish to learn my ancestral art of archery?” He asked.

Elric came to an abrupt stop at the question. He didn’t say anything in response, but the way his eyes gleamed with excitement said all that need to be said with just a glance. But he had reason to not agree verbally. What if the duke decided for him to stay a few days more? Or ask to meet more? Or formally declare something like marriage? He wanted out from this place.

Hughesin was no fool. He could wager a guess what she was afraid of? It took hardly the imagination to guess. “I mean you no ill intent, lady Fantasia. I merely wish for my ancestral archery to be wielded once more. My ancestor left only a legend to the world. Would it not be a tragedy if you inherit Vindrhorn and yet be unable to unlock its divine power?”

He paused for a moment here to think about something. A scant few seconds went by before Hughesin spoke again, albeit with a low whisper. “Though of course, I truly hope that you will inherit my ancestor’s name and continue our bloodline as well.”

Elric felt himself wince in embarrassment at the implications. This was practically a proposal! Never as a kid did he wonder if a man would propose to a crossdresser.

The duke misinterpreted the hesitation differently. From his opinion, she looked moved by his determination and didn’t seem to reject his advances outright anymore. Consequently pleased by her reaction, Hughesin smiled warmly. “My dear lady, if you would wait a moment, I’ll have someone fetch the family records. Perhaps something in them will give you clue to the divine archery. I apologize as a descendant, but this is all I can aid you with.”

He turned about to leave the range after, leaving Elric alone to daze off into the distance and think about how deep of a hole he was in now. How did things progress this way? How was he going to get out of it? Elric wasn’t even sure if he was any better now than when he was stuck in the lesson plan laid out for him by the Duchess. The archery lessons were supposed to be a way for Elric to get out of dodge, but perhaps he had jumped out of the furnace and into the fire if Hughesin was so intent on having him as his wife.

Elric gulped. This entire ploy was meant by Flania to be a trap for others, but now it felt like he was digging himself a hole far too deep for him to get out of. Everything about this situation was already hard enough to stomach, maybe he should give himself up?

He couldn’t, there was no telling what would happen to him if he confessed. A safe way out had to exist, he just needed to wait for the right time.

※※※

Hughesin returned swiftly and with purpose. He opened the doors to the range, one hand noticeably holding onto a thick sealed book of some kind. Before Elric could comment on it, the Duke offered the book out to him.

Elric accepted the book calmly. It had two pieces of leather tied together with sheafs of parchment bunched together. He didn’t know whether it was due to time or travel, but the book was heavily worn down with scratches and tears all over the cover. A small strip of leather with a lock held the book closed, protecting its contents better from the passage of time than the outside. Taking the key that dangled from the book, Elric carefully fitted it into the lock and opened the book.