26~ I Am Who I Am, No More Hiding
“The timing should be about right; my arrival is probably just in time,” said the silver-haired girl on horseback as she extended her hand to Yimi who was nearing the end of her strength.
“Miss Pian?? Looking up, gazing at the remaining sunset, and seeing this familiar girl before her eyes, Yimi’s surprise mixed with a bit of astonishment showed on her face. ‘How did you end up here?’
“Didn’t she already go back to the cottage? How could she happen to be here just at this moment?”
“My mission isn’t yet complete, and there’s still some time left. I guess this might be included in it,” Miss Pian said with a mysterious tone.
“Did you come on purpose to pick me up?”
“No, before seeing you, I had no idea what happened to you guys,” Pian glanced at Yimi who looked somewhat flustered and disheveled.
She wasn’t lying. She had just gotten bored of staying inside and decided to go out to clear her mind and take a casual stroll.
“Perhaps this is fate. I, who could normally stay indoors for several days doing experiments without feeling tired, actually felt like going out today.”
“Maybe after meeting her, my state of mind is no longer as stable as before. Even I sometimes cannot keep calm and have become a bit restless.”
“Do you have something important to do? Would you like me to give you a ride?” Pulling her thoughts back together, Pian asked.
“Yeah, I need your help. I’m heading to the original site of the Corpse Flower.”
“Ah, I see.” At this, Pian pretty much understood. She effortlessly lifted Yimi’s small frame onto her horse, and the two galloped through the wilderness.
“Sit tight!” Pian warned. Yimi instinctively tightened her embrace around Pian’s waist.
They raced off like the wind. No one knows exactly how long they spent bouncing on their horse, but Pian suddenly pulled on the reins, ordering the horse to a halt.
“We’ve arrived.”
Yimi was still dazed from the swaying and bouncing of the ride. It was her first time riding a horse, especially in a hurry, which she found jarring. Every rise and fall of the horse nearly tossed her small body into the air.
Considering Yimi’s condition, Pian dismounted first and then gently lifted Yimi down like a little child before tying the horse to a wooden post.
“Thank you,” Yimi murmured, though she wasn’t pleased with being treated like a child — the horse was tall, and the height was quite challenging for her small stature.
Adjusting her dizzying view, Yimi immediately noticed the vines spanning across the shores and scattered petals on the ground.
Fortunately, though some days had passed, the petals hadn’t been blown away by the wind or swept up by anyone as garbage. There weren’t many living people around here after all.
Yimi was just about to ask Pian for help when she saw Pian lean down and start picking up the petals while murmuring something under her breath.
Did she know from the start what her task here was? Yimi wondered, startled.
Time didn’t allow for more questions. Yumi knelt down as her twin tails fluttered like golden butterflies around her movements.
Pian thoughtfully found a brocade pouch. Her delicate fingers gathered and neatly placed the petals into the pouch, and she motioned for Yimi to do the same.
Once every visible petal was collected, Pian gently placed them into Yimi’s small hands, closed her fingers around them softly.
“Be careful not to spill them.”
“Alright, thank you, Miss Pian.” Yimi glanced at the sun that had already sunk below the horizon. Night fell, and a heavy atmosphere crept over her heart.
“Come on, let’s ride.” As if reading Yimi’s thoughts, Pian remounted the horse, lifting Yimi up behind her.
Yimi carefully secured the pouch in her lap, holding her chest tightly, showing no sign of negligence.
The fierce horse galloped swiftly across the sandy terrain as if it were as smooth as flat ground. Though fast, the bumpy ride was jarring enough to make Yimi’s bottom ache.
“Miss Pian, where did you get this horse?” She suddenly recalled that Pian didn’t seem to keep a horse. How did one suddenly appear?
“Found it near Furnace City. It got separated from its original owner, I fed it some food and it wouldn’t leave me.” Pian briefly explained the origin of the horse.
“Strawberry, can you please go a little faster?”
“Strawberry?”
“That’s the horse’s name,” Pian clarified.
“Is that its real name?”
“No, I named it. Anyway, it understands that I’m calling it.”
“…” Yimi stopped talking, but her gaze towards Pian became a bit more curious.
Yimi couldn’t help but think that Pian had changed somewhat from when they first met. Picking up a stray horse and naming it—things Yimi imagined the original Pian wouldn’t do. She imagined the former Pian encountering something like this would have said something like, “Keeping a horse is unnecessary and meaningless,” or “Minimize influence on others’ life trajectories,” and other mysterious comments that were hard to comprehend.
“Miss Pian, were you feeling lonely?” Yimi, after pondering for a moment, asked suddenly.
“Lonely? What do you mean?”
“You’ve lived alone in the little cottage near Furnace City for hundreds of years or even longer, right?” Yimi spoke. “During such a long time, residing alone and being self-sufficient, wouldn’t you feel bored and lonely?”
“…” Upon hearing this, Pian was momentarily stunned.
In the past, she would have replied without hesitation that loneliness and boredom had no direct connection to living alone, but now, she thought differently.
Loneliness and boredom? Since their reunion, spending a day under the same roof, and then re-entering solitary life, Pian noticed a change in her mindset.
Every time she looked at the large bed, she couldn’t help but think that it would be nice if that bed still had that other presence to share life’s routines with her.
It’s easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but hard to return to frugality. Solo life could indeed be monotonous, but once it’s enriched with vibrant colors—even just for a day— going back to monotony would be enough to make her restless, frequently reminiscing about the time when someone had accompanied her.
Pian remained silent, she knew that even she wasn’t exempt from being influenced. People and elves are both social creatures; no one could live in solitude forever.
Those who say they’re not afraid of loneliness most likely haven’t experienced what it’s like to be accompanied, considering life to be eternally a dull gray.
Pian lightly closed her eyes. Perhaps she shouldn’t have met her at this time point, but if she had to choose again, she didn’t want to miss out on the last encounter with her.
“Your destination should be ahead.” Feeling the ground’s tremors grow stronger, Pian reined in the horse.
“I can only take you up to here.”
“Miss Pian, won’t you at least go and say goodbye to that person?”
“No need.” Pian shook her head; she feared that seeing her might lead to lingering reluctance and sadness.
This sentiment was too luxurious for her, as she was just a fragment meant to lack self-consciousness.
“Well, thank you for your help,” Yimi, unaware of Pian’s inner thoughts, did not further try to persuade her. Perhaps she had urgent matters too, and indeed the front path was perilous. Without Pian going deeper would be for the best.
“Miss Pian, we owe you this time. We will never forget your grace,” Yimi sincerely said as she left. “Farewell.”
“Farewell.” Pian watched Yimi’s retreating back intently before softly whispering after she walked away. “Hope this is not the last time I meet you.”
After a long pause, she spurred her horse and rode away.
A not too far distance was filled with loud noise, indicating that the battle between Tillysha and the Collective of Grievance was continuing.
When Yimi arrived at the scene by foot, she found an additional group of “audience” besides herself.
This group of spectators turned out to be the Empire’s army, and their leader was someone Yimi recognized — wasn’t he the old Uncle Gran she had met some days ago?
Though Yimi didn’t have a favorable impression of this old uncle who looked down on sorcery and had outdated thoughts, compared to others, he, as the commander of the Empire’s forces, was indeed one of the more reliable among the Empire’s soldiers. Yimi didn’t think too poorly of his character.
She remembered that this Mr. Gran’s regiment was stationed in Clint City, but Clint City had been obliterated some time ago, and she thought he had perished alongside his unit.
Now, Gran arrived at the scene, leading his soldiers. They stood on the side, perplexed and uncertain, helplessly watching the fight between the two “creatures” at the center of the field, unable to participate.
Their instincts told them that the horse-human hybrid monster continuously radiating grievance was their great enemy, but the other girl also seemed abnormal.
All the soldiers had noticed her pointed elf ears floating in the air as they fought back and forth with the monster, clearly showing that she was an elf.
How could an elf be here?
Drawn by the noise, Gran’s troops were surprisingly all captivated by Tillysha, their eyes glued to her figure without moving.
This elf maid seemed to have an unusual charm, making the empire’s soldiers feel an almost enchanting allure, as if they had all glimpsed their dream lovers deep in their hearts.
Though facing a formidable enemy, these soldiers showed strangely blank expressions. They didn’t carry the demeanor expected from elite soldiers but seemed more like a group of lusty thieves.
The soldiers’ blank stares almost spelled out the words “I’m attracted” on their faces, only then realizing an issue.
The elves are one of the ancient relics, amongst them, the Gold Elves are the purest in bloodline and the ones most closely related to the mother goddess of elves. Thus, they possess a kind of transcendent quality that mortals could not resist, capturing not only attention but also hearts.
At first, Tillysha had her ears covered, equivalent to hiding the elves’ “privilege” and not identifying with their identity, which greatly diminished this appeal. But everything has changed now.
Tillysha’s sense of identity has changed; she no longer conceals it and directly challenges the Collective of Grievance in one-on-one combat.
By completely embracing and not concealing her identity, she no longer avoids her past self, her strength surpassing her past self to an unimaginable level. Consequently, her charm as a Gold Elf would be extraordinary.
“Mr. Gran, it’s a, it’s an elf!”
“Hey, why would an elf be here?……..”
“That’s an elf, right? Hmm, well, she’s a bit prettier than usual…not something extraordinary though……”
“Wow, so strong! I’ve never seen this level of combat.”
“Is this what Mother Earth has bestowed? My wife’s face is no match………”
While his soldiers were amazed, unable to contribute, Gran stayed silent.
As a divine child with mental capabilities much higher than ordinary people, he had some resistance against the transcendent nature of the gold elf.
Drawing upon his vast knowledge, as he watched Tillysha dance gracefully like a butterfly mocking the Collective of Grievance, his brows furrowed deeply.
Unlike the other soldiers, he realized immediately that this was not an ordinary elf.
Though he had never seen one personally before, according to previous descriptions, he was certain this was very likely the extinct gold elf species that disappeared over four hundred years ago.
Attempting to use the Divine Analysis Technique to investigate the elf maid, all he could obtain was a mess of dazzling codes, further affirming Gran’s guess.
Things have grown increasingly strange recently.
Heretics are rising up all over the place and doing so more frequently. An almost confirmed extinct gold elf reappears on the continent.
Is there any connection between these two?
As he immersed in thought, his gaze caught sight of that blonde little girl walking towards them.
Who was this girl?
Gran recognized her; she was a student from Coleman Academy. She had previously been accompanied by a male student.
Since both were students from Coleman Academy, Gran remembered them vividly.
Seeing her stepping towards the center of battle, Gran shouted urgently. “Don’t come near! It’s dangerous!”
Yet, ignoring his warning, the girl continued walking towards the blonde elf.
Tillysha had early detected Yimi’s approach; borrowing the arrowheads’ strength, she landed like a dancing butterfly, gracefully descending near Yimi.
“You arrived earlier than I thought.”
“Not early,” Yimi cast a glance at the crowd gathered not too far away. “The audience section has already filled up.”
Wasting no time, Yimi handed over the pouch of petals to Tillysha.
“I thought you wouldn’t take the covering off because doing so could attract too much unnecessary trouble.”
“Trouble? If it’s trouble, it’ll find us anyway. Why avoid it when there’s no point?” Receiving the pouch, Tillysha responded with a carefree and generous laugh. “I am Tillysha; that won’t change. Why pretend to be something else? I am who I am.”
Yimi hesitated slightly, gazing at the elegant and confident elf maid before her. Though it was the same person, yet somehow she felt like it wasn’t.
Perhaps this was the feeling of regaining oneself, no longer lost.
“Elf Miss, danger!” Gran’s voice echoed from behind, matching Tillysha’s swift upward slash with her blade, deflecting the incoming spear, the strong force of the wind stirring the elf maid’s golden locks.
