Chapter 120 ~ Crystal Clear Affection
Tillysha’s eyes flickered.
She remembered Bilodis had privately told her that the reason she was chosen by the academy was due to her unique soul, which implied Coleman Academy had connections with the Gold Elves, perhaps even maintaining long-term relations, especially with Bilodis.
After a few rounds of probing, Tillysha figured that Headmaster Didelai was not the person informed about this secret. He seemed completely unaware.
If it wasn’t Didelai, who could it be?
“Eh? Didn’t you know there’s a part of the enrollment process called the Soul Test?” Tillysha covered her mouth and feigned surprise.
“Our academy has never had a thing called Soul Testing,” Didelai replied, no fool. After hearing Tillysha’s words, he got it, his expression darkening slightly as his knuckles tapped softly on his desk.
“Senior,” a red figure appeared behind him.
“Erica, go check this year’s new student enrollment files and see if there’s a test listed under ‘Soul Testing.’”
“Yes, Senior.” With that, the redhead demi-human girl disappeared amidst the crystal lanterns.
Not much later, the girl reappeared by Didelai’s side, but before she could whisper anything in his ear, Didelai stopped her.
“There’s no one else here, Erica, just say it.”
“Yes, Senior,” Erica looked at Tillysha and stood straight.
“I looked into this year’s student information, including demi-humans, Elves, and humans, but only found ‘academic performance review’, ‘ability adaptability’, ‘magic adaptability’ and other common entrance exam categories. There was nothing listed as a Soul Test.”
“Eh? So, that’s how it is?” Litte, standing nearby, chimed in, completely confused. “But I clearly remember taking some kind of Soul Test when I first enrolled.”
“I thought it was a mandatory test here at Coleman Academy.”
“…” Didelai sat stiff on his bench, silent for a time, his expression growing increasingly grave.
“Princess Tillysha, do you recall whether a particular teacher conducted the soul test when you first enrolled?”
“Probably the same teacher as Miss Litte,” Tillysha said cautiously as she wasn’t sure if the testing procedure was the same for a Demi and Male Divine Child. Besides, she was a mid-term transfer student; her admission was decided by three temporary instructors who were also unaware of the soul test.
So throwing the question to Litte made sense at the moment.
“Eh? You and I had the same instructor?” Litte responded, then recalled, “Ah, come to think of it, the Soul Test was added after all the other tests were done. A group of people dressed in brown robes with masks were the ones who administered it.”
“Extra instructors??” Didelai’s eyebrows furrowed. “How did they get the authority for entrance testing? How dare they be in charge of evaluating the freshmen?”
“Forgive me, Senior, it’s my failure,” Erica bowed.
“No, this isn’t on you… I was sent here as the Principal by the Moon Elf King, to say the least, this school isn’t solely managed by me or owned by me.”
“So apart from you, who else can bypass the Principal and exercise its authority?” Tillysha asked.
This probably, only….” Didelai didn’t finish the sentence but everyone in the room understood.
The Moon Elf King.
“I don’t really get why he did this,” Didelai was confused. “Souls and bodies are different things. To test the talents of divine children, examining the spirit’s strength would have been sufficient. What’s the need for an extra soul test?”
Tillysha shook her head, pretending to be equally baffled, but in fact, she figured it out. The soul test was likely added by Bilodis.
How Bilodis had managed to remote-control Coleman Academy and make them follow her instructions without leaving a trace involved manipulation of the highest authority within the academy.
If Bilodis’ unquestioningly obedient puppet within the school wasn’t Principal Didelai, it could very well be the Moon Elf King, or maybe one of the other Moon Elf elders.
One thing was clear: the high-ups of the Moon Elves were in no way disconnected from the Gold Elves. Either a different elder or the Moon Elf King himself connected with Bilodis and has been following her commands to the letter, treating her as their leader.
It was almost certain that Didelai wasn’t one of those elders. If he were, he wouldn’t have gone through all this hassle. All he’d need to do is notify Bilodis immediately after discovering his infiltration. Besides, he also swore an oath under the sacred tree of the Elves.
So, was it possibly the Moon Elf King?
If so…
Tillysha clenched her fingers.
Her situation wasn’t looking great. If the Moon Elf King really kept in contact with Bilodis, then he might well have learned of her existence through Aistride and would undoubtedly inform Bilodis immediately.
Especially when she learned that Dillin, the human, wasn’t fully dead, having not only possessed her sister’s body but was also frequently surfacing, he might surely be torn to shreds by that obsessive empress.
But it doesn’t have to be so grim. Perhaps Bilodis only gave orders without explaining the reasons to the Moon Elves. Those who don’t directly manage the academy might not know about Dillin at all, hence wouldn’t care whether the human was still alive.
Another matter on Tillysha’s mind was the elf Divine Warrior mentioned by Didelai.
The Gold Elf revered as the Divine Warrior of the Elves was also named Tillysha and was the second daughter of the Elf Emperor.
So, might it be supposed that the previous Elf Emperor sacrificed himself in a war against the Demon Race, his second daughter falling in a duel with the Demon King, leaving only the eldest daughter alive. Thus, the eldest daughter naturally ascended to become the Elf Empress.
Of course, this was merely Tillysha’s guess. Whether the body she inhabited now was that of the Divine Warrior Elf awaited verification. Nevertheless, …
The divine authority of Tillysha, the devastating divine blade, exquisite archery, and her profound understanding of swords and sabers, all after the bow was shattered, did indeed deserve the title of “Divine Warrior.”
“Mr. Didelai, you mentioned the Elf Divine Warrior with the same name as mine, have you met her?”
“No,” Didelai shook his head. “Back then, I was not yet an elf elder, how could I have met the noble second princess of the Elves?”
Tillysha nodded.
By now, she had established an initial trust in Didelai. The information he shared was truthful and he was even willing to swear to it for sincerity.
Keeping secrets was burdensome on anyone, and eventually, there would always come a moment where the truth can’t be concealed any longer.
She had another concern: should she reveal that Dillin was actually Tillysha, and seek help from this Moon Elf elder to keep the secret?
After some consideration, Tillysha decided not to take this approach.
The reason was simple: she, this Gold Elf, was originally a human. Tillysha was unsure if the people here could accept such a revelation. From their previous discussions, Elves generally harbored prejudices against humans.
Elves might trust each other completely, but not so much with humans.
If they knew she was a human, they might assume she was deceiving them. Even if they didn’t, it could lead to fissures in their trust.
Many elves were perfectionists to whom even the smallest flaw in a beautiful jade would be intolerable.
Also, the secret involved too many things. The fewer who knew, the better. This was just their first meeting, she couldn’t afford to reveal everything.
After careful consideration, Tillysha decided to keep this secret.
This secret was best if no one knew.
At first, Tillysha had remained in Coleman Academy because she wanted to find a way out. Plus, the orphanage was here. She needed to support it, thus needing to tread carefully under the elves’ watchful eyes.
Now, with Didelai as an ally and a natural cover, Tillysha didn’t have to take such huge risks anymore.
The teacup was empty, the conversation almost done.
“Having said that, Princess, may I take the liberty to offer a word on your personal life?” It seemed once Didelai got talking, the time was ripe. He glanced towards Litte who was standing a little further, already beginning to lean due to tired legs.
“Senior, what might your suggestion be?” said Tillysha.
“I heard from Litte that the Divine Child you chose is human?” Didelai tried to find a roundabout way but ultimately decided to be direct.
“That’s correct.”
“And male.”
“Yes.”
“…Forgive me, but I fail to see the merits in your choice.”
“Yeah, yeah, what’s so great about that human guy?” Litte echoed softly.
Didelai’s words were as gentle as they could be, yet they clearly expressed his perplexity over Tillysha’s choice of Divine Child.
“I don’t mean to impose, but the human Divine Child, he didn’t even make it to the Top Ten in the Crown Cup, did he? And it seemed like he was eliminated rather early.”
“If, by chance, you have better plans, I can offer you many options,” Didelai softened his tone in the most diplomatic way possible, but at heart, he still didn’t trust humans.
This reinforced Tillysha’s earlier concerns.
Didelai’s doubts weren’t entirely unwarranted. How many humans could resist the beauty and fidelity in love of an elf? Moreover, if they were to live under the same roof in the future…
Didelai knew all too well how poor humans were at self-control. Let’s not say anything harsh, but compared to lower-order animals that only think of mating… oh well, what he meant was that humans were somewhat wild by nature.
Leaving Tillysha with a male human was a scenario Didelai didn’t feel comfortable with. Who knows, one day they might produce a Half-Elf as part of a package deal, making him lose face in front of the Mother goddess of the Elves forever.
“Right, yes!” Litte eagerly interjected. “Princess, listen. Our academy has no shortage of Divine Children! The various types of elf Divine Children are abundant. Why always with humans, what’s so good about them?”
“Thank you for your advice, but I will not change my Divine Child once we officially enter the school,” Tillysha declined.
“…Is that so…” Didelai sighed. “Princess Tillysha, if my memory serves me right, your human Divine Child’s name is Dillin.”
“That’s right.” Tillysha wasn’t surprised that Didelai knew Dillin’s name. She guessed when her own identity was exposed, he might have already checked all related records.
Upon hearing this vaguely familiar name, Didelai’s head throbbed, recalling unpleasant memories. If his memory served him correctly, this human was the former Divine Child of Queen Aistride, and their relationship was dangerously close to going beyond the last veil before they could tie the knot. By then, severing the relationship would have been almost impossible.
Knowing full well that the mix of humans and elves never leads to good outcomes, the much older Didelai, as a wiser figure, understood better than the young Aistride. This pairing could only lead to disaster. Thus, he had resolutely decided to intervene and break the relationship.
Even if the human called Dillin were not a philanderer and loved only Aistride, it was still unacceptable. After a hundred years, he would be nothing but a pile of bones, while Aistride would have completed less than a tenth of her lifespan.
Letting Aistride live thousands of years of solitude, suffering from the loss of love, was something Didelai couldn’t bear to see. So, he must harden his heart, regardless of Aistride’s resentment.
It was the same for Tillysha. Whether it had been Aistride or Tillysha, he didn’t know and didn’t care for what made the human male attractive. All he knew was that an elf’s love for a human always ended badly.
“…Tillysha Princess, our Moon Elves live as long as five thousand years.”
“I know.” Tillysha immediately understood why Didelai brought this up.
“The lifespan of the Gold Elves is even longer, exceeding five thousand years.”
“Uh-huh, all of that I understand.”
“But what about the lifespan of humans?” Didelai’s tone shifted. “You are intelligent enough to grasp the simplicity of this matter.”
“Mr. Didelai, you mentioned earlier about how elves should remain pure, no?” Tillysha raised her eyes and asked.
“Yes.” Didelai didn’t understand why Tillysha brought this up.
“I believe the same thing: being open-hearted with one’s own kind, sincere and honest in emotions, loyal and unwavering in love… these are all signs of purity.”
“Love that can be blocked by so-called ‘worldly views’ should not be worthy of being called elven love.”
“…” Didelai was speechless for a moment, having trouble finding a counterargument.
“Please rest assured on this matter, Didelai Senior. I have my own judgment. I won’t be deceived or disadvantaged,” Tillysha stood up and gave a respectful bow to Didelai. “Thank you for your support. Tillysha is deeply grateful.”
