Is There Another Possibility?
“Hahaaaa…” Before the sky had even begun to lighten, the gold-haired elf stirred from her bed, her lithe waist rising as she yawned lazily. One of her slender, porcelain legs swung over the edge of the mattress.
Normally, after a blissful sleep-in, she’d head to the washroom to freshen up, tidy her mane, then venture out for an early jog.
But this morning turned out to be different. The moment her feet touched the ground, instead of finding slippers, they met something squishy and soft.
“Eh?” Tilisha tilted her head, brushed her bangs away, then remembered: last night, a rat had scurried into her house. It took her a lot of effort to pin it down, but it bit her thigh — hard enough to draw bl**d.
“Good morning, Yimi dear! Did you sleep well?” Tilisha greeted with a grin brighter than the morning sun.
“…………” Yimi, having endured torment throughout the night, refused to utter a single word; her face said it all though.
“Are you kidding me??”
“Oh, no reply? I’ll take that as a yes, then,” Tilisha teased, pretending not to understand Yimi’s expression. She slipped on her slippers without bothering to release Yimi from her vines and headed straight to the washroom.
After a quick wash, Tilisha got dressed as calmly as if nothing happened.
There was no rush. If Yimi chose not to speak, she’d simply return the favor.
“……When will you untie me?”
“Oh?” Tilisha beamed at the sight of Yimi finally speaking. “Didn’t you say you’d ignore me? What made you change your mind?”
This woman…
“As the second princess of the ancient Elf Kingdom, you’re vile beyond belief. I’m amazed Queen Bilodis hasn’t already executed you for your crimes.”
“Now you’re hitting the nail on the head.” Tilisha’s smile faded. “Taking responsibility for letting the Demon Race in? That’s a heavy accusation to just slap on me without any evidence.”
Being a Gold Elf, Yimi shouldn’t lie about this.
Elves, by nature, have a strong protective instinct toward their kin. Should a random Elf face danger, another will instinctively risk their life to help them—this includes Gold Elves even more so.
This selfless protectiveness stems partly from the low population of Elves. The instinct to save a fellow kindred soul at any cost is ingrained.
Especially among Gold Elves, there’s an almost unconscious readiness to leap into action to save a fellow kin.
If a Gold Elf were to go against this ingrained survival instinct and harm a bl**d-related clan member, it signifies an enormous resolve—alongside an unfathomable hatred toward whoever triggered it.
But Tilisha was utterly oblivious to all of this. She has no memories of the previous Tilisha, so she doesn’t know if the original did anything so atrocious.
Based on her current judgment, though, Tilisha believed it’s highly unlikely that her predecessor would ever commit such an act.
As she argued, the former Tilisha had no plausible motive. Furthermore, if she truly did betray her kin, Queen Bilodis’s reaction wouldn’t have been so composed.
The Divine Authority of Elves stems from the Holy Tree, and not being rejected by it serves as the ultimate proof she’s in the right.
However, Yimi also couldn’t rationalize why any Gold Elf would become so devastated as to attempt genocide against their kin, particularly when this kin is the second princess of the ancient Elf Kingdom.
What exactly happened during the Demon Race War? Why would a Gold Elf harbor such hatred toward her?
Moreover, Yimi showing up at Coleman Academy is a peculiar situation.
Tilisha didn’t know where all the Gold Elves had gone to, but she was sure they’d seldom appear unless absolutely necessary.
Looking at Yimi kneeling on the ground and glaring at her, a sense of impending doom gripped Tilisha’s chest.
She felt like every single event and action up until now might have been meticulously orchestrated by someone.
She hoped it was just paranoia.
Touching the hair accessory on her head, Tilisha wondered if this piece had been guiding her all along in piecing together the fragmented memories of the original Tilisha.
Which was why it guided her to investigate the Empire’s persecution of heretical sects.
But…
Why investigate that specific matter? Tilisha couldn’t figure out how the original Tilisha’s memory could relate to the Empire’s treatment of religious outsiders.
Her thoughts were getting mixed up, and something fleeting passed through her mind—something important she failed to grasp.
The Gold Elf showing up at Coleman Academy, the strange visions after using Holy Oblivion, the failed Demon protection of the Elf Forest, the Empire’s persecution of heretics…
There was a connection between these events.
“Most forces in the world originate from extreme desires and wishes.” Tilisha suddenly recalled Princess Filisia’s words. She mentioned reading it in a book in the Royal Library.
Why did this come to mind now?
After contemplating for a moment, Tilisha completely forgot about the tied-up Yimi, glanced at her, and dispersed her Divine Authority.
Finally freed from her vine bindings, Yimi collapsed to the ground. Having spent the entire night in the same position, she now felt like every bone in her body was falling apart, almost ready to pass out on the spot.
She didn’t move.
“Yimi, we’re not enemies.”
“…………” Yimi stayed silent, convinced that responding to Tilisha would only waste her own saliva.
“I don’t wish to hurt you, but your lack of cooperation makes things difficult for me.”
Still, Yimi said nothing.
“Guess I can’t do much about you, huh.” Tilisha pulled out a collar-like object from her chest pocket.
It was something she won from her treasure chest, designed for enslavement in certain nations. Once worn, the slave would be incapable of harming the master.
Tilisha wasn’t thrilled with this but deemed it necessary. She couldn’t let Yimi go; not only would it risk setting a dangerous free-agent loose, but she also harbored secrets that Tilisha wished to uncover.
After staring at the collar for a long while, Tilisha silently chose to discard it.
“Let’s go.”
“?” Yimi looked up, confusion evident in her eyes.
“Didn’t I just say I’d keep you with me, whether you want it or not?”
“…………” Yimi glanced once at the discarded collar by Tilisha’s side.
“If you stay with me, I’ll eventually find my chance and k*ll you,” Yimi spoke without understanding why she voiced such a thing.
Typically, one should pretend to cooperate and strike when the opponent least expects it.
Reflecting on her own hesitation last night when she tried to harm Tilisha confused her even more.
“Go ahead, you’re most welcome to try.”
Tilisha’s confident grin suggested she was completely unperturbed by the threat.
“Besides, staying with me might have its benefits, like many more opportunities to k*ll me.” Tilisha added with a smirk.
“How does that sound? Will you come along?”
“……… Alright.” Yimi stared at Tilisha for a long moment before agreeing with a single word.
Tilisha removed her hair accessory and placed it inside her pocket, her figure shifting back into the dark-haired youth.
Leaving the mansion, locking the doors behind them, Dillin led Yimi away from the Academy, where they’d spent a semester.
Yimi followed Dillin silently, her eyes fixed on his back, unuttered thoughts swimming through her mind.
“It’s going to be the hottest time of the year soon,” Dillin tried opening a conversation, but Yimi remained silent, ignoring his attempts, though Dillin didn’t seem bothered and kept talking.
“Our destination is the empire’s frontier. Things have changed; it’s not easy to move in and out of the empire like before. But we do have our Coleman Academy student IDs.”
As he spoke, Dillin stopped outside a stylish shop.
“Is this the bus station?”
“No, it’s the most famous clothing store in Coleman City.”
“……….?”
“Yesterday’s skirmish damaged your clothes pretty badly,” Dillin explained upon seeing Yimi’s confusion. “You need a new set; otherwise, you’ll look like a beggar.”
He took her here just for this?
Yimi was surprised.
“Is this what you call lenience towards a prisoner of war?” Yimi thought after mulling it over the night.
Failed assassination is still failure, and being caught means no complaints. The victor can do as they please.
Yimi had prepared herself for whatever may happen.
The loser has no excuses.
“Just consider it that way.”
“Boring.”
Inside the store, the shopkeeper greeted them enthusiastically.
“Forgive me for asking, but are the two of you a couple?” Noticing their amusing height difference but similar ages, the young storekeeper inquired.
Yimi rolled her eyes and stayed silent.
“This is my younger sister. Please provide something suitable for her.” Dillin explained.
“Your height would suit a small-sized Lolita dress perfectly,” the storekeeper suggested.
“No.” The mention of “this height” and “small size” brought a frown to Yimi’s face, as if saying it didn’t matter either way because she wouldn’t wear it anyway.
“Would you prefer a bubble skirt? On you, it would certainly look adorable,” the young storekeeper persisted.
“No.” Hearing the word ‘adorable,’ Yimi’s expression grew colder.
It seemed she had touched a nerve. Every clothing option recommended made Yimi want to argue just for the sake of it.
In the end, Dillin picked out a relatively plain dress and forcibly put it on Yimi. If she kept complaining, soon she’d be walking around in her current torn condition.
Perhaps Elves don’t have strong concepts of modesty; for them, revealing clothes are normal and even considered refreshing.
Leaving the shop, they soon reached the suburbs of Coleman City’s towering walls to find themselves at a busy bus station.
Notably, stations like these are full of all sorts of people: merchants, travelers, vendors—it’s a chaotic mix. With differing levels of education and cultures came different kinds of characters and behaviors, some quite inappropriate.
For instance, at the sight of Yimi, beautiful as a porcelain doll, many merchants and sellers paused, casting glances her way.
Most were appreciative stares, but as always, not everyone has pure intentions. This world hosts its fair share of oddities and perversions, if not more than Earth.
The crowded station was a chaotic flow of people, all waiting to board through a few wooden barriers.
Yimi disliked such cramped spaces, irritation visible in her eyes. She soon realized the gazes on her were peculiarly unsettling.
She didn’t understand why these humans looked at her that way. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but the unwelcoming stares made her feel violated.
Surrounded by strange beings, Yimi suddenly felt insecure and her shoulders slightly trembled.
Dillin noticed, hence his insistence on changing her attire earlier. In her previous outfit, unwanted attention would have been guaranteed.
As an Elf, Yimi lacked understanding of human customs. These gazes couldn’t be described simply by good or evil—her world was much simpler and more pure.
Humans, however, were far more complex.
As the crowd grew denser and more chaotic, Yimi felt increasingly uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Dillin pulled her close.
Yimi cried out in surprise but didn’t resist. Strangely enough, the pressure from the surroundings seemed to fade.
“In situations like these, stay close to me,” Dillin casually suggested upon boarding.
“Outside, it’s a mix of strangers, many of them untrustworthy. They won’t hesitate to take advantage at any given chance. Being close to me signals that you’re accompanied, which should deter them from acting too recklessly.”
Dillin’s explanation was lost on Yimi, who couldn’t understand what he meant by “taking advantage.”
Dillin didn’t expect her to.
Clearly, Yimi was a pure Gold Elf who had probably never left the Elf Forest, never known humans, or other races, completely inexperienced in human society.
“Do you mean all these humans want to mate with me?” After a series of explanations, Yimi finally grasped his meaning, albeit still slightly off.
“Do they all want to marry me?”
“…………” Dillin fell silent, deciding further explanations were futile.
Looking at her innocence, it seemed impossible for her to have harmed her own species. Yet, she wasn’t lying.
Could it be that her memories contained discrepancies?
