139~The End and the Elf Forest
“So, Miss Sophia is a bit shy, huh?” Wenfu contemplated as she watched Sophia, who after sitting on the couch, had been hiding behind Aistride, quietly eating the pastries she made without saying a word. After dinner, Filisia had to leave due to training scheduled for the evening; the self-disciplined Princess Filisia departed earlier.
Wenfu had also moved past her sadness from the burnt exams. Her individual total score was beyond saving, but the overall scores for team allocation were calculated based on the entire team’s total score, not solely dependent on single performances.
It was clear that Wenfu had dragged the entire team’s tail this time, which made the cat-eared little lass feel quite ashamed. She secretly resolved to achieve a better score next time so as not to be the team’s weak link.
After dinner, Aistride embraced Sophia while sitting on the soft chair. Wenfu knelt on the opposite soft sofa while Tillysha sat on the sofa in the middle.
“Hmm, yes, Sophia here doesn’t quite warm up to strangers,” Aistride tactfully responded. She knew that Sophia’s reserve went beyond just strangers—it also included acquaintances and even some close family members. Sophia mostly seemed aloof unless it was with herself, which was why Aistride was shocked earlier when Sophia held Tillysha’s hand without any hesitation.
“By the way, didn’t see Mr. Dillin come down for dinner. Earlier, I saw him come home,” Wenfu said, tilting her head slightly.
“He’s always like that, so there’s no need to worry about him,” Tillysha interjected appropriately in his defense. “That person has always been like that. When he gets an idea, or impulsively wants to study something, he burrows into the library or his room, forgetting even to eat.”
“There’s no need to disturb him. He’ll come down when he’s hungry.”
“Ah, I see. So, Tillysha Miss knows Mr. Dillin much better,” Wenfu remarked, marveling. Nearby, Aistride felt a twinge of unease.
Princess Tillysha really knows Dillin well, doesn’t she? That’s right, they’ve lived together for as long as herself. Definitely, both must have a certain amount of understanding…
Wenfu wondered if she knew Dillin better than Tillysha or if Tillysha knew him better.
For some reason, this seemingly insignificant question caused Aistride some confusion.
“….Sister, who is Dillin?”
“Eh?” Suddenly, feeling her sister’s tiny figure curled up in her arms, tugging her skirt like a hamster, Aistride realized her sister’s curiosity.
“He is the leader of our team, also known as the ‘Son of God.'”
“Is this name male?”
“Of course, Mr. Dillin is a male; he’s the only boy in our team.” Even before Aistride could reply, Wenfu had already smiled and answered.
“…” Sophia suddenly fell silent.
Seeing that the team was solely composed of girls, Sophia sighed in relief. Although girls might also take her sister away, such cases are rare and not common. However, boys were a different story…
According to Sophia’s observation, there had never been a boy who didn’t develop feelings after spending some time with her sister. Thus, it was safe to assume that the team’s only male was likely secretly in love with her sister.
Moreover, being surrounded by a group of beautiful girls was undoubtedly a dream come true for any man. Sophia concluded that her sister was in danger.
Sophia immediately became vigilant.
The three chatted for a while. Sophia remained silent the entire time but showed no intent to leave. Her gaze occasionally shifted to Tillysha, who sat dignified in the middle, contemplating something.
“Sister.”
“Hmm? Sophia, what’s wrong?” Hearing her sister’s call, Aistride gently petted Sophia’s head, her gaze filled with tenderness, radiating a maternal warmth.
Indeed, an older sister is like a mother.
“You were the runner-up in the Crown Cup, so who was the champion?” Sophia asked with an air of innocence.
“Ah, the champion was definitely Tillysha Miss.”
“Did Tillysha Miss beat you?”
“Yes, she did.”
“Bluffing, sister is that strong; Tillysha Miss must be incredibly talented if I haven’t heard of her at the Academy before,” Sophia said skeptically.
“Such matters are hard to articulate,” Wenfu also sighed. “I remember Mr. Dillin mentioned that a month ago, Tillysha Miss had not yet completed her transformation into a divine being. At that time, Tillysha Miss was probably as tall as Sophia Miss, and there was a prominent scar on her face…”
“….That’s how it was.” Sophia’s eyes flickered a hint of realization.
Through these deliberate probing questions, she acquired significant information. She observed Tillysha with a new light and formed a bold guess in her heart.
The Elf’s intuition rarely errs. A month ago, Tillysha had not completed her transformation, was of the same height as Sophia, and had a noticeable scar…
All this information matched perfectly.
But why did she?
“Sister, I want to eat an apple.”
“An apple?” Aistride glanced at the coffee table in front of the sofa. A few plates of fruit were displayed, the apple furthest from Aistride and closest to Tillysha.
“Tillysha Miss, could you please pass me an apple?”
“Of course.” Tillysha smiled and reached for an apple, only to see Sophia suddenly stretch out her hand toward her, clearly signaling her intention.
Understanding the gesture, Tillysha smiled once more, stood up, leaned down, and handed the apple to Sophia.
“Thank you,” Sophia politely accepted the apple, taking this instant as an opportunity to closely examine Tillysha’s ears.
No defects, clearly visible patterns, they appeared entirely authentic under scrutiny, not fake.
Could it be because of exceptionally advanced disguises?
Time flew by too quickly. The clock hit 11 o’clock; it was time for sleep.
“Tonight, I would like to stay here overnight. Sister, is that okay?” Sophia raised her big eyes, looking almost pitiful.
Aistride glanced at Tillysha, looking somewhat perplexed.
“No problem.” Tillysha appeared indifferent. “But I think we should check with Sofia Miss’s guardian first.”
“That’s fine; they already know Sophia came to see me.”
“Well then, it’s fine.” Tillysha stood up. “Then, everyone, good night…”
Before Tillysha could go upstairs, she felt a tiny hand gripping her skirt.
“Sophia Miss?”
“…. Tonight, I want to sleep with Tillysha Sister.” Sophia slightly pinched Tillysha’s dress with her thumb and forefinger, lifting her big watery eyes, filled with a request no one could refuse.
An invitation to sleep together from an Elf maiden.
“Sophia, you’ll be troubling Tillysha Miss this way, which is inappropriate,” Aistride said, surprised by Sophia’s clinginess to Tillysha. She walked over and pulled Sophia’s shoulder lightly.
“Can I, please?” Sophia paid no heed to her sister’s tugging, her gaze steadfastly focusing on Tillysha. In her perspective, having known Tillysha for some time already, and considering they were of the same gender, it wouldn’t seem peculiar at all for them just to sleep together.
What has gotten into this child, to suddenly propose such an odd request?
Aistride didn’t understand, and Tillysha wasn’t clear either. After some thought, she roughly comprehended what was happening.
Likely, this child was afraid she would disclose her secrets despite receiving her assurance, wanting to speak alone again to reiterate the matter.
Realizing this, Tillysha understood.
She leaned closer, reaching Sophia’s ear, and whispered quietly, audible only to her: “Don’t worry, Sophia Miss, your secret is safe with me.”
“So, Tillysha Miss, can I sleep with you tonight?” Sophia remained unfazed, steadily staring at Tillysha, seeming unconcerned about exposure, merely wanting a direct answer.
Tillysha was slightly surprised.
Still not trusting her?
Or, could there be another reason?…
Regardless, Tillysha had no intention of sharing a bed with anyone.
“Sophia, don’t be mischievous.” Noticing Sophia’s seemingly persistent demeanor, Aistride said sternly.
In the end, Sophia still had to sleep in a room with Aistride.
It didn’t matter not getting to share a bed with Tillysha. The astute Sophia read Tillysha’s reluctance to share a room with others.
While most might generally feel uneasy, between peers of the same s*x, the reluctance should not be so pronounced.
Perhaps, it entails something else.
Sophia guessed.
After the award ceremony came to an end, so did the team exams.
Upon the results being released, each team was sorted into a corresponding class.
Upon release of the results on that day, Wenfu specially woke up at 6:30 AM, ran to confirm her ranking on the main board, and took possession of her team’s score sheet.
As expected, Wenfu indeed performed as a bottomless pit, dragging down the team’s average score this time.
Still, thanks to the other four (technically three) team members, they managed to drag this oil tanker by force into Class A.
Advancing to Class A was a cause for celebration, but this presented its own set of problems. In Tillysha’s view, whether Wenfu could keep up with the Class A pace with her current academic ability and interest in studying remained a big concern.
Thus, extensive remedial classes must continue.
Upon checking the score sheet, Aistride’s first look wasn’t at her own score but at Dillin’s. When she saw his score, she was surprisingly shocked.
Dillin’s grades were decent, and Aistride was aware of that, but this time, his test score was astonishing. With just a few more points, he could have reached the sub-champion rankings, representing a monumental leap from his previous entrance exam.
How hard must Dillin have worked during this time?
Aistride then glanced at Tillysha’s scores—ranking eighth in the entire school, slightly above Filisia. The gap from the top-ranked herself was negligible.
Dillin’s explanation for this was: “It has nothing to do with me; it’s all thanks to Miss Tillysha’s excellent teaching.”
After checking her own scores, Filisia didn’t say much, neither feeling subpar nor satisfied.
The most disappointed upon receiving the results was undoubtedly Wenfu.
Everyone else’s scores were shining, everyone except her. Especially with math, the glaring ’36’ stood stark against the teammates’ average scores of above 90 points.
“Not bad, improved six times from last time, worthy of a 666.” Although Dillin positively evaluated her, and the teammates had no intentions of blaming her, Wenfu still felt left behind by her team.
In summary, this year’s freshmen intake ended, each assigned to their teams and classes, beginning anew lives. As for those eliminated in the Crown Cup, may they try again.
Starting tomorrow, a brand new life.
—
Elf Forest.
At the place closest to the moon, a magnificent moon temple was built. Its silver arches and a luminous crescent moon rising from the ground shimmered brilliantly in the moonlight.
“Your Majesty.” A robed elf youth bowed to the silver-haired elf king sitting upon his throne, whose beauty rivaled that of a saint.
“No formalities needed in private. Rise, Dorrin. I’m not your king right now.”
“Yes.” The elf youth stood up, looking at the exalted, beautiful moon elf sitting majestically on the throne, “his eyes burning with determination.”
“Since we’re alone, come straight to the point.” The royal elf understood Dorrin’s intentions.
“My king, does the Sun Kingdom have news?”
“Hmm, the Empress of Golden Sun has requested we compile the academy’s records, sending the complete student list and details including residential addresses and enrollment times to her.”
“…………My apologies for my inadequacy, but I cannot understand Jarlon’s intentions.”
“Of course not; if you could, there would be no need for us to handle it.” The moon elf sitting high on the throne sighed gently.
“…………Jarlon, they still cannot fully trust us?”
“This is natural. From the initial Coleman Soul Screening to now compiling student records, she never told me the purpose, clearly keeping it concealed from us.”
“Let’s take it step by step. The rift between the two races was not formed in a day, thus neither can it be mended in one.”
“But ultimately, we are still family, aren’t we?”
“Therefore, we shouldn’t seek what we shouldn’t know, nor delve too deeply. Even if we have the ability to investigate, doing so could only bring more distrust.”
“…………I understand.” Dorrin nodded.
“Remember, just like the last time, your actions must be utterly secretive, not letting others know, especially… those elders.”
“My king, please rest assured. This subordinate understands.”
—
Volume 2: Ruglien
—
Prologue
—
Concerning the beginning of school, Tillysha felt no difference from her previous life. Compared with other level classes, the A class offered a more comfortable teaching environment, more devoted teaching resources, and a greater base of monthly points injected into the card. In other ways, there was nothing new.
A squad usually gets assigned to the same class. Tillysha’s A3 class held three teams—apart from “Brilliant Sun and Moon,” the other two teams were also A-level, allowing for relatively harmonious interactions within the same team, but not necessarily with others. Even acquaintances may not deepen their connections.
Hence, after a week of attending classes, the classmates of Class 3 had generally familiarized with one another but remained nodding acquaintances, interacting more with teammates.
Certainly, when the students from the other two classes saw Crown Cup’s top four in the same class with them, their expressions were quite colorful.
Beyond professional courses, there were compulsory courses for both Sons of God and Goddesses, like mathematics.
Besides the mandatory and professional courses, two elective courses must be chosen, otherwise, enough credits for the semester wouldn’t be accumulated.
For the elective courses, Tillysha chose linguistics and alchemy.
Tillysha had an interest in language, but she had less interest in alchemy. The existence of “Golden Butterflies” meant she didn’t lack in alchemical potions; during the Crown Cup, the grenades and flashbangs attached to her thighs demonstrated that her demand for alchemical knowledge was relatively low.
Schooled in divinity knowledge, Tillysha always studied it independently. For the Goddess courses, she occasionally asked her advisor questions.
Credits for the semester are divided into personal credits and team credits. The total team credits are the sum of each member’s individual credits. In other words, increasing personal credits also increases team credits.
After the semester is over, it’s not just passing the exams that counts, but reaching the standards for both personal and team credits. If the credits don’t meet the standards, no matter the student’s grade level, they risk being held back.
The school has offered many ways to increase personal credits, including team competitions.
At the beginning of the semester, there was a major event specifically designed to familiarize newcomers with their team and teammates, and the “Brilliant Sun and Moon” didn’t let the opportunity slip by.
At the time, Princess Filisia proactively suggested the participation of the whole team to amass considerable personal and team credits. Provided the semester projects were not poorly handled and maintained a mediocre level, they’d likely make it through the semester.
The rest of the team agreed with Filisia’s proposal, so all members of the “Brilliant Sun and Moon” team participated. This team’s very debut struck fear into the opposing team—irrespective of the “Son of God,” the Crown Champion Tillysha, Crown Runner-up Aistride, Crown Third Filisia, and Crown Fourth Wenfu were all fielded, an all-star lineup that initially led everyone to believe there were four separate teams competing, discovering only later that the four members belonged to one team.
What a joke.
This was the mentality of the opposing team that faced “Brilliant Sun and Moon” initially. The first thing they learned was the sight of their own team losing all will to fight, with everyone from the “Son of God” to the “Goddess” completely losing morale, surrendering outright, leaving Princess Filisia, yearning to flex her muscles, feeling unfulfilled and frustrated. Afterwards, she invited Tillysha and herself to practice.
The preliminary competition was over. After that, the second and third rounds could have been exciting, but they held little relevance for “Brilliant Sun and Moon.” Any teams scheduled against them either surrendered outright or mysteriously had all their members fall ill, unable to participate. Excuses ranged from ridiculous to unbelievable, with none being repeated.
Tillysha, for her part, merely disliked losing, as did Aistride, who wasn’t particularly aggressive either.
Princess Filisia was altogether different, preparing each match with great fervor, meticulously strategizing. Unfortunately, every match was canceled prematurely, leaving her burning with unspent energy. If it weren’t for her remarkable composure and logic, she might have restrained the opposition, grabbing their throats with a forced smile saying, “I don’t want to hear anything about surrender or withdrawal. Let’s start immediately.”
The Knight Princess, eager for battle, spent the week without participating in a single match and ended up feeling uneasy, consequently seeking Tillysha or Aistride to help release some of her pent-up frustration in the backyard.
As for Wenfu, don’t bother looking at her. This softie was basically there to be adorable.
In truth, Wenfu wanted to contribute, but glancing at her teammates, Wenfu abandoned her divine abilities, realizing her presence made little to no difference in the team’s victory or defeat.
Seriously, this team’s composition in the academy was nothing short of invincible. Any one of them could defeat an entire team, let alone when combined. It was no exaggeration to call it the fighting power of a small army.
By the time the finals arrived, Princess Filisia had the satisfaction of participating in a few matches, but she was still far from fulfilled.
After all, even if there were those who, upon encountering formidable enemies, showed greater excitement instead of fear, their efforts were ultimately crushed by “Brilliant Sun and Moon” like fragile porcelain.
Initially, Tillysha had hoped to use these freshmen contests to build team harmony, but the opponents proved too weak. She didn’t even need to activate her “Divine Analysis Technique.”
Sometimes, Tillysha didn’t need to act herself, merely observing with a spectator Dillin and Wenfu by her side, munching on popcorn, while Filisia and Aistride took action, which was sufficient.
Thus, this process failed to foster any real synergy. Tillysha realized that among the same grade teams in this academy, none could function as a training opponent. Engaging with weaker adversaries wouldn’t enhance their team cohesion.
Unimpeded, “Brilliant Sun and Moon” effortlessly claimed the championship.
Honestly, Dillin felt that the challenge posed no significant improvement for their team. The status quo remained the same, and the only change was the points allocated per head.
Of course, other teams protested, claiming the inclusion of the top ten from the Crown Cup in one team was unfair and called for adjustments. The principal personally declined these suggestions with official reasoning.
This institution has always encouraged student-led free competition and flexible team formations, not manipulated by the academy’s administration. Dismantling an established team was considered unjust, being unfair both to “Brilliant Sun and Moon” and any other established teams, potentially causing unrest among other teams.
In short, this violated the school’s principles, and thus the adjustment request was denied.
Despite all the official language leaving the protestors dumbstruck, with the principal implicitly supporting them, it was hard to raise objections.
During these days, Lette arrived with the weapon commissioned from her father.
Forged with Crown Gemstones, it was a fully silver rifle, intricately decorated with carvings on the stock and embellished with purple gemstones on the stock and tail.
If appearance equaled combat power, this weapon might as well be invincible, at least in Dillin’s eyes.
The main differentiator from regular rifles was its capacity for consecutive firing, accepting up to ten bullets; fire one, reload the next, and continue.
In modern terms, it’s a semi-automatic rifle.
Dillin was quite astonished by the Elves’ advanced technology. In a world where firearms have little development potential or space, the ability to craft semi-automatic rifles truly represents remarkable craftsmanship.
In the afternoon, after lunch, Tillysha strolled to the training ground and found a large crowd gathered around, piquing her curiosity.
Upon seeing Tillysha, the onlookers promptly created a pathway for her, recognizing the aloof blonde whom all knew disliked noise throughout the school.
Without declining, Tillysha gave a polite ‘thank you’ as she approached the fence, only to find a familiar face sparring in the training field.
“Hey, Princess Aistride, how do you feel? How do you feel?” Princess Filisia, in a feverish state, swung her massive rock sword repeatedly, striking and hacking at Aistride’s curved blade.
The forceful strikes created successive airflow, forcing observers to stay far away lest they be struck in the face.
“Princess Filisia is indeed full of fighting spirit,” commented someone beside Tillysha, to which Tillysha mentally rolled her eyes.
Not full fighting spirit—Tillysha thought it was merely Filisia acting out because she wasn’t sufficiently challenged in the freshman competition, using Aistride as her punching bag.
After all, there were few in the academy capable of sparring with Princess Filisia. Aistride was one, and thus one of the few who could help Filisia vent her frustration, along with Tillysha. Others weren’t deemed worth the effort by Filisia.
In fact, Tillysha somewhat suspected Filisia’s motivation for joining “Brilliant Sun and Moon” was precisely to better challenge herself against her and Aistride, allowing her to request sparring sessions as teammates without rejection.
In the evening, upon returning to the estate.
Since the day Aistride and the others joined the team, Dillin had activated their magnetic cards, allowing them to open the estate’s gates using their own cards.
“Wenfu, do you have any ideas or insights about our team’s semester project?” Dillin suddenly asked, watching Wenfu hum a song as she cooked atop a stool by the stove while he read on the couch.
“Ah eh? Project?” Wenfu tilted her head. “What do you mean by project?”
Dillin facepalmed.
It wasn’t his imagination—Wenfu became seemingly stupider since joining their team.
Since none of the other team’s tasks needed her attention, and she only handled cooking and cleaning without needing to fight, such a setup naturally made her even more disengaged.
“Our team’s semester project, of course. Have you thought about what we’d like to submit? We won’t pass the grading at the end of the semester if our credits aren’t up to the standard, you know.” Dillin said as he noticed Aistride and Filisia descending from the upper floor.
“Eh? Semester project?”
“Oh? Miss Filisia does have a proposal?”
“I do, in fact, I’ve had this thought for a while,” Filisia responded, displaying sharp yet somewhat adorable fangs.
“Oh? Do tell?”
Beside her, Aistride quietly looked at Filisia as well.
“I believe there’s nothing left to practice here around Coleman Academy. Instead of looking within Calenburg, we might consider venturing deeper into Coleman Forest for our semester project.”
“Your intent is…?”
“Delve deeply into Coleman Forest and destroy a Demon Race stronghold. What do you think of this project?”
“…………” The three remained silent.
“Isn’t this too dangerous?” Aistride finally spoke after some pause.
“I agree. The Coleman Forest borders Demon territory, and the native Demons there are far stronger than the weaker ones infiltrating here,” Dillin added.
“Exactly because they’re stronger, they deserve our battle,” Filisia grinned. “Engaging in life-or-d*ath struggles with stronger opponents is the only way to rapidly enhance one’s skills. There are no shortcuts on this path.”
“Is this your thought, Miss Filisia?” There was some merit to her argument.
Dillin twitched a corner of his mouth, suspecting Aistride had not grasped the key point.
Perhaps Filisia was partly right, but probably just because this sadistic knight princess thought stomping on humans wasn’t enough anymore; she wanted to try pressing powerful Demons underfoot.
Judging by the observation during this period, Dillin believed that was largely the case.
Princess Filisia’s personality skewed toward a unique preference. She enjoyed strong opponents mainly for the thrill of defeating and humiliates them post-battle, finding more pleasure in tougher opponents.
The path to power had no end; it was give-and-take. True, but life was not a game where you could reset after losing a life.
Once a life is gone, it takes years to earn another, and battling against Demons wouldn’t be as simple as losing one’s life.
Looking at the determined, confident Filisia, Dillin felt this princess had not yet witnessed the cruelty of war or the cruelty of Demons. If they were to fail…
It was likely to trigger a paid quest: “The Indispensable Stories between the Demon Race and the Kingdom Princess.”
