Chapter 24 – Bloodied
Even today, with so many memories retrieved, Tillysha still couldn’t figure out what the heck motivated the initial troublemaker.
After her prejudices against Elves dissipated along with the shadows in her memories, she genuinely couldn’t fathom how a member of her own race could betray and harm their own kin.
Though acknowledging this view might be somewhat prejudiced, Elves, while proud, are mostly kind-hearted. Their care for their own kind is instinctive, a harmony embedded deep within their bloodlines.
No matter the conflict, Tillysha couldn’t believe that an Elf would go to war against their own simply due to such a disagreement, let alone bring harm to their own homeland.
She firmly believed every one of her people was benevolent and loved their home deeply; they simply wouldn’t commit such acts.
Elves are pure beings, lacking the multitude of nasty thoughts and selfish tricks often associated with humans. How could they possibly commit acts that harm their own country and people?
Compared to the notion of a traitor within, Tillysha was more inclined to believe it was an accident, a tragedy brewed by a mistake or an unintentional action from someone authoritative.
To get to the bottom of what happened initially, Tillysha must visit Ruglien and question the parties involved from back then, confronting them face to face.
The Ruglien trip was scheduled three days later, giving the trio the time to rest and ensure all necessary supplies were prepared.
This departure schedule seemed agreeable to everyone. Aistride always followed Tillysha without question while Yimi fretted over her beleaguered home and the Elf Sacred Tree in Ruglien, hoping to reach there as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Princess Filisia, that battle-crazy princess, was rubbing her hands together, eager to test her newfound strength post-unleashing deep within Ruglien.
Only one small feline creature, upon hearing of the impending departure, suddenly had a gleam of water in her teary eyes.
“Umm, meow, does the departure really have to be set so early?”
“What are you on about, little Wenfu? Final exams include the Demon Realm combat assessment, so whether we like it or not, this trip to Ruglien is unavoidable. If it’s unavoidable, what’s the difference between going more or less?” Princess Filisia affectionately ruffled Wenfu’s small head.
“Hmm, meow, you’re right, but isn’t it too early…?” Wenfu, in her maid’s apron, recalled the last couple of occasions in Ruglien; once she was manipulated to leave the group, and another where she was manipulated to attack her companions. Despite those incidents going off without major casualties, they left deep psychological scars on Wenfu.
“Can’t we go later?” Wenfu muttered quietly, low enough that the others didn’t hear, just voicing her small complaints. She knew she couldn’t delay the team’s schedule because of herself.
She was already nothing more than a cook and a mascot. If she also dragged everyone down with her schedule, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.
“What’s the matter, little Wenfu? Any issues?”
“Nope!” Wenfu replied hastily upon hearing Tillysha suddenly direct her attention toward her.
“Oh, but I remember when we returned from our last trip, you had blisters on your feet, right?”
“Ah? I think so… but it’s not a big deal, meow.” Wenfu was puzzled why Tillysha suddenly brought this up. Then, Tillysha, with a look of preparedness, pulled out a pair of bright yellow duck-patterned children’s thick-soled shoes from behind her.
“Considering the situation, I specially got these suitable pairs for both you and Yimi. Shoes perfect for off-road walking and climbing, super versatile. Slightly sweaty but offer great foot protection.”
“Eh eh, Sister Tillysha is so considerate, thanks~” Wenfu clearly fancied the duck patterns and couldn’t stop admiring the thick-soled shoes after she took them.
Yimi peeked out with her watery eyes from her book, then put the book down pretending to be nonchalant as if she had no interest, before trying to leave.
“Yimi, don’t run away. There’s also a pair for you, come try if it fits. If not, we need to exchange them.”
“I don’t want it, you can keep it for yourself.” Yimi’s voice was resolute, unwavering.
This time, she would not breach her own bottom line to accept such childish fashion.
“Hmm? What’s that?”
“….I’ll eventually deal with you.” Yimi held her ground defiantly for all of a second before muttering inaudible threats and meekly approached Tillysha to take the shoes, reluctantly changing them with a pouting face.
“Hmm, so cute~”
Upon receiving Tillysha’s compliment, Yimi felt nothing but dissatisfaction, watching Wenfu, who couldn’t wait to change her shoes and wore a look of curiosity.
Had her status within the team become the same as Wenfu’s?
Not that there was truly any hierarchy within the team, but Yimi felt disgraced that she was grouped with Wenfu in the role of the mascot.
She was, after all, a four-hundred-year-old elf, wasn’t she?
Yimi’s eyes were full of委屈(grievance), like those of a child over four hundred years old.
It was time to leave. The frugal Wenfu had already begun packing her little backpack with her essential tools: an iron pot, a shovel, a portable stove rack, fuel, and all other indispensable items.
As for carrying, there’s Filisia. No matter the weight, Filisia could carry it effortlessly, shouldering the entire team’s carrying capacity on her own.
“You can put all the things you need to bring inside here.” Filisia pulled out a large sack, spread it out, and said nonchalantly, “Anything you think might be useful, put it in, I can handle it.”
So, Wenfu’s culinary set, tents, water bottles, folding soft chairs, utility daggers, and other tools all ended up dumped inside.
Yimi thought for a moment, bundled her books from the library, and stuffed them into the sack as well.
This wasn’t a leisure trip to Ruglien. At least she didn’t want to be bored during quiet times.
Seeing Yimi put her books in the sack, Aistride considered it and discarded the idea that had popped into her mind.
The three-day rest period passed quickly despite Wenfu’s continuous silent prayers hoping time would slow down. Yet, the days flew by just the same.
The majority of students were still studying at school when Brilliant Sun and Moon Academy had already completed the semester’s work and set off again on the journey to Ruglien.
This was not their first time passing through Coleman Forest.
The golden-haired elf girl wearing a school uniform walked at the forefront with her floral arm guard coiled around her wrist. By her side was Aistride, with Wenfu and Yimi, the divine son and shaman, protected in the heart of the group. At the back was Princess Filisia, burdened with luggage, still calmly dragging her greatsword, loaded with all kinds of baggage.
Ahead, flanked by the two protective figures of Tillysha and Aistride, and at the rear, Princess Filisia acting as the ‘truck’, the two non-combatants were protected rather well.
Yimi didn’t particularly feel anything. In her view, Ruglien was nothing more than the old continent she used to live on. Coming and going there wasn’t a big deal. However, Wenfu was different. She saw Ruglien as a primitive and dangerous land. Even being protected by two knight goddesses felt unsafe to her. Since entering Coleman Forest, she had constantly craned her neck looking around, her hands clasped together, her tail swinging nervously behind her.
Unlike usual times, Coleman Forest was eerily quiet now; its atmosphere seemed to harbor an unusual scent, like a deep pool waiting to unleash a fierce creature.
Sensing this aura, the members of Brilliant Sun and Moon braced themselves, alert. Aistride, with her keen senses, had already unconsciously gripped the handle of her curved blade, and Filisia’s gaze swept the area, not missing a single corner where enemies could be lurking.
It was bizarrely quiet.
Before entering deeper areas, they occasionally heard birds chirping, but further in, it was deathly silent, with only the sound of their shoes and Filisia’s greatsword dragging through the grass.
“Far ahead, there’s a scent of bl**d,” Yimi said, eyes fixed on her book. Taking over Dillin’s old role, she didn’t even look up, adding as others grew tense, “No living creatures, the bl**d was left probably yesterday; it’s pretty much dried by now.”
“Say your full sentences next time.”
“And don’t read while walking; it’s bad for your eyes.”
“Elves don’t have vision issues; give it back!” Yimi glared with her twinkling large eyes, full of discontent and threat when her book was “righteously” snatched away by Tillysha.
“Even so, what if you bump into something or trip? What then?” Tillysha casually tossed the book to the walking warehouse (Filisia).
“You’re not my mom!” Yimi protested.
“But you’re my citizen,” Tillysha grinned mischievously and poked Yimi’s small head. “I have the duty to ensure you’re safe.”
“Steamed buns, not auspicious?”
“….I’ll deal with you sooner or later.” Yimi mumbled in response to Tillysha’s overbearing attitude.
The team continued moving forward, while Yimi, who had previously been engrossed in reading, now stood cross-armed and pouted quietly.
“Yimi, don’t be upset, here, Wenfu’s candy is for you to enjoy.” Seeing Yimi’s dejected look, Wenfu rummaged through her little pouch and pulled out a beautifully wrapped candy, swallowing a mouthful of saliva with some reluctance.
This candy was from her hometown, and she had been too precious to eat it.
“No need, you can keep it and eat yourself.” Yimi could see right through Wenfu’s thoughts. She was quite vexed now and didn’t feel like eating candy, especially candy offered by Wenfu.
Snatching candy from a kid? That would really make her look like a kid!
Reaching the bl**d stain Yimi predicted, the smell was now strong enough even Princess Filisia, a human, could detect it.
Yet with so much bl**d, the ground stained red, there was no sign of corpses, apparently they had been removed.
“All the bl**d is from Orcs,” Yimi activated Divine Analysis Technique, focusing seriously despite Tillysha confiscating her book in a “justified” way.
“No bl**d from humans, elves, or other races,” she added.
“Another Orc civil war?” Princess Filisia had encountered fleeing orcs in Coleman Forest before joining the Academy, questioning then why Orcs, even from the same branch, held such deep resentment against one another.
“It appears so. According to your previous accounts, this scenario is becoming increasingly common,” Yimi analyzed, “I infer that for now, the internal situation in Ruglien is unstable, with the Orc tribes in conflict over certain issues.”
“Are these conflicts really among the orc tribes?” Tillysha suddenly asked. “If it’s merely a tribal conflict, why has it erupted now?”
Keep in mind, their last visit to Ruglien wasn’t like this. They hadn’t witnessed Orcs turning their swords on one another.
“Your implication is that the destruction of the forest is somehow connected?” Yimi understood Tillysha’s implication: there likely were many internal elements at play, and it was directly linked to the destruction of the Gluttonous Forest.
“That’s the only variant.”
They knew nothing yet about what exactly had happened, so they had to keep moving forward.
The closer they approached Ruglien, the heavier the smell of bl**d, making their brows furrow with unease.
Ruglien was always a place of controversy; this sudden internal strife made the barren land even more eerie and mysterious.
At the edge of the forest, the sun seemed to dim.
“Far ahead, the sound of weapons clashing,” Yimi’s expression grew serious as she bit the candy she got from Wenfu.
“The smell of bl**d is thick; there are two groups.”
At hearing this, the members of the Brilliant Sun and Moon exchanged glances.
“Should we go?”
“Let’s check it out.” Tillysha walked ahead, deliberately keeping some distance from her teammates. In this team, her abilities were far beyond that of her teammates, so facing any enemies alone would be safer.
Leaving the forest, the elves’ enhanced senses weaken quickly, but Yimi could still rely on her remarkable spiritual power to extend her Divine Analysis Technique and detect any living beings and the flow of energy around them.
“Looks like we’re timing our arrival perfectly, how coincidental,” without Yimi stating it, the bloody scene before them spoke volumes.
Wenfu, out of fear, retreated further, clinging to Filisia’s well-toned thighs.
Actually, she didn’t need to be so cautious since the two groups of Orcs engaged in a fierce battle in a nearby trench hadn’t noticed the presence of this small team. Even if they had noticed, they wouldn’t have bothered with outsiders.
Both groups of burly Orcs were too busy slaughtering each other.
While the battles of Elves were magical exchanges and those of humans were about armor collisions, Orc battles were brutal, violent confrontations with pure physicality and bl**d, lacking any aesthetic.
Heavy axes crashing into the skulls of their own kind, war clubs smashing into faces, crunching bones, bl**d splashing and a few teeth flying out. Spears pierced through abdomens, guts spilling out everywhere; it was a bloodbath.
This single scene of war vividly illustrated the nature of Orcs.
