The sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, and in its place, the moon rose to dimly illuminate the surroundings. Even dense foliage posed no obstacle for the keen eyes of an elf, whose night vision was unparalleled.
“Damn those guys. Do they really think telling them to go back means they should leave without a word? They should at least stick around to report the outcome.”
Before heading toward the cottage, Lindy had inquired about the situation from the subordinate she had assigned to Alicia. However, the reply was far from reassuring.
“The Hero insisted everyone, including the sentries, return… He was so firm about it that we had no choice.”
Hearing the urgency in Lindy’s voice, the subordinate quickly reported the truth, as there was no reason to conceal it.
Of course, Lindy was fully aware of the situation. How could a low-ranking subordinate defy a non-order from Alicia, even if she was not officially part of the organization? Alicia, though an outsider to the group, was under Lindy’s protection as its leader. In fact, the very purpose of the organization was to support Alicia, the Hero—a fact well-known to all of its members.
Still, even with full awareness of the situation, Lindy couldn’t suppress her frustration. It was an unjustified vent of irritation toward her subordinate, fueled by her impatience.
“Once we cross this hill, we’ll see the cottage.”
“The sensed location is correct—beyond the hill… Everyone, prepare yourselves.”
Though it would be fortunate if nothing were amiss, they still hadn’t learned what had happened to Alicia. Proceeding with caution could never hurt, so they all gripped their weapons and took their guard.
Unfortunately, the hill that stood between them obscured Lindy’s exceptional night vision. Though as an elf, she might have sought assistance from spirits to assess the situation, Lindy could only command low-level spirits, those which could offer minimal help, especially when it came to archery.
Certainly, Lindy’s affinity for spirits wasn’t inherently weak—such a notion was laughable. Elves were naturally attuned to spirits, and Lindy had once been a formidable spirit-wielder, capable of summoning the highest-level spirits.
However, the reason Lindy was now restricted to only low-level spirits was due to:
“…Hasn’t thirty years been long enough for some forgiveness?”
A mistake from her past.
The spirits, particularly their King, had been greatly incensed by Lindy’s actions. Consequently, for the first time in history, an elf had been punished severely—limited to only low-level spirits.
It wasn’t due to grave sins like breaking a pact with spirits or destroying a spirit’s essence, which would have resulted in far harsher punishments, perhaps a lifetime of being hunted by all spirits.
What, then, was Lindy’s transgression?
A dishonor so embarrassing that even the Spirit King couldn’t publicly speak of it, and the elven elders considered it a disgrace to their kind: sexual harassment.
Typically, spirits have no definitive form. Being rooted in the Spirit Realm, they require no sustenance and don’t manifest any physical being. Yet when encountered, most spirits appear in various forms, a reflection of the image conceived by whoever they have a contract with. A lizard to some, a wolf to others, perhaps even a young girl.
Lindy’s spirits, however, invariably took on the forms of beautiful young women. While this in itself wasn’t a sin—numerous spirits were indeed beautiful—it crossed a line when Lindy took inappropriate liberties. Under the guise of teaching archery to the Spirit of Wind, she inappropriately touched them. When needing healing, she would sneakily embrace the Spirit of Water.
At first, these actions went unnoticed by the pure spirits, but as more victims came forward, the Spirit King eventually became aware of Lindy’s behavior.
While sexual harassment is a serious crime among humans, it was ambiguous in the eyes of the spirits. Still, punishment was necessary, but due to Lindy’s status as an elf and a friend of the spirits, the King couldn’t outright banish her.
Thus, Lindy was now relegated to only contracting the most basic, low-level spirits.
Though Lindy was an exceptional archer, in circumstances like these, she could not help but feel the lack of stronger elemental aid.
She had never regretted her past actions as deeply as this moment.
But what good would regret do? The deed was done.
Reluctantly relying solely on her eyes and senses, Lindy carefully advanced toward the crest of the hill. As she reached the summit—
A blinding white light engulfed the group.
“Kyaaah!”
Though those ahead were merely startled and stood unfazed, Lilith, who had been following behind, let out a scream and fell backward.
Despite often treating Lilith brusquely, Presia had cared for her and promptly checked her condition.
Fortunately, only the tip of her wings had been grazed; no serious harm was done.
But they couldn’t relax yet. The attack was a declaration of war. Their enemy had already recognized them as adversaries.
Without waiting for formal signals, they swiftly reacted.
First, the bear and Tokki charged forward. Then Luna vanished into the darkness, while Lindy drew an arrow across her bowstring.
Before their eyes, an unknown army surged toward Presia and her companions. The sheer momentum alone could have overwhelmed them, but Presia calmly recited her incantations.
BOOM!
Fortunately, the time favored Presia, who grew stronger at night. With a simple gesture and a whisper, a meteor exploded in the middle of the ghostly army, dispersing half of them.
While the ghosts paused, regaining their form with Yuli’s supplied mana, Lindy’s arrows pierced through the enemy.
Not one by one—each string pull released three arrows, each of which pierced through three ghosts. The combined efforts of two people had held off the attack. Even though the ghosts re-embodied, their momentum had been broken.
KABOOM!
As the ghosts’ line broke, a different clash emerged.
The small but powerful Anne collided with the equally-sized bear creature.
Despite their small size, the force of their collision flattened the surrounding plants. Each blow of the bear could crush rocks, yet Anne’s monstrous strength was no less formidable.
Unfortunately for Anne, her house’s power only activated against demons, so it was ineffective against the bear. Even though her strength exceeded the bear’s, it wasn’t enough to make a decisive difference. Thus, they merely countered each other’s movements.
“Gyaah!”
Amidst this, Lilith, having shaken off the light, attempted to re-enter the fray but was dodging frantically to avoid the holy-powered mace wielded by Mariel.
And Selian.
Tokki moved to intercept her, but the disparity in power was too great. Even if it were another member of Presia’s group, Selian could not be stopped. Unlike Yuli, who specialized in group tactics, or Anne, who lacked refined swordplay, even the upgraded Tokki was no match for a Sword Master. Though he narrowly dodged her attacks with his swift movements, it was only a matter of time before he faltered.
But that gap was filled by Luna. Though Selian could detect even Alicia’s stealth, Luna’s recently improved skills in hiding weren’t something Selian could ignore, forcing her to occasionally raise her sword to block Luna’s daggers.
Moreover, Lindy’s arrows arrived each time the ghosts reformed due to Yuli’s magic, making it impossible for Selian to counter Luna effectively. It was practically a one-against-three battle.
Elsewhere, a grand-scale battle unfolded, a clash of strength, a wild pursuit, and an intense game of cat and mouse.
Even if Presia’s group and Selian’s companions had once associated, the three years since and the poor visibility beneath the moonlight prevented recognition. Either way, the result was the same.
Though it wasn’t clear who would win, one thing was certain: once someone fell, the battle’s balance would tip immediately, and the cost would be far more than a minor injury.
As the battle was nearing a critical point,
“Everyone, stop! We’re on the same side! Same side, I tell you!”
Elatedly busting through the cottage’s door with a headbutt, Alicia managed to free her gag and shout the command.
Of course, a single female voice would be drowned out by the clamor of battle, or at least it would have been. But,
To everyone’s surprise, they all ceased their fighting instantly.
Selian, Yuli, Anne, Mariel, even the ghosts under Lindy’s command, stopped.
Presia, Luna, Lindy, Lilith, Tokki, and the bear creature—all turned their gaze, not to their enemy, but to Alicia.
As though their previous battle had been a mere illusion, all eyes were now focused, unquestioningly, on Alicia.
