Chapter 1231: Chapter 1231: Elf
Miss Benanis appeared to have recovered somewhat from the “Pink Vial Aftereffects.” Seeing Shard staring at the Holy Emblem, she took the initiative to check other parts of the church. However, since this was a cemetery, there wasn’t much of note to be found. Ultimately, on the walls, they discovered text narrating the story of this church. Resembling an epitaph, it chronicled the life of Sister Saint Perry, though unfortunately, most of it documented her clergy career, without mentioning Shard and his companions from the Worm Cave.
However, before leaving, Shard committed the text to memory, enabling him to recreate it in the future using the Moon Library.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had such an enjoyable adventure; it’s nice to occasionally get out and about.”
The Witch stood by Shard’s side, speaking while sneaking glances at him, but Shard remained immersed in his nostalgia for times past.
The two did not linger long and, upon exiting the church, were surprised to find that the thick fog outside had vanished. This ancient church reappeared in the real world, its hidden location no longer obscured. By following the footprints in the snowy woods, they could return to the group’s camp.
Thus, Shard and the Witch discussed sharing the church’s location with the Sun Church via the Witch Council, speculating that they would be very interested. As for the items inside the church, Shard took only a hand bone and a silver flute, while Miss Benanis took the stone tablet relic of the Witch Empress. They left the rest, including the Holy Emblem, coffin, and chains, behind.
After all, they were not followers of the Sun God, and Shard was almost certain that the Holy Emblem would be stored in the church of their own district. Once the matter with The Chosen One escalated and Iluna arrived locally, it would certainly belong to her.
Due to the influence of the black mud, there was no need to worry about leaving traces or being identified by tracking powers. They merely concealed their tracks slightly and returned to the camp.
At this time, the followers of the Witch, who had been sleeping by the campfire, had just awakened. The girls all shared the same dream, in which they transformed into seeds, growing in the earth and witnessing the stories of soil and time. Upon waking from such a slumberous dream, everyone felt energetic, while the battle-worn Shard and Miss Benanis appeared somewhat disheveled.
“Miss, you look really… good, making you look even more beautiful.”
The young brown-haired girl greeting their return complimented the Grand Witch, who shyly touched her cheeks. Her gaze shifted surreptitiously towards Shard, who was playing with the happily prancing Unicorn, which seemed truly fond of him.
The campfire was still burning, and it was the middle of the night, early Tuesday morning, with about three or four hours left until sunrise. They didn’t immediately depart but rested by the campfire for a while.
Shard took out the “Healing Holy Grail” to test it, discovering that its function was to transform the poured pure water into a potion with healing properties. However, this healing potion was far less effective than the potions created by Satiety Food, but its advantage lay in that it could treat not only external injuries but also alleviate some mild diseases. Among the “Pure Water,” “Fruit of Success,” and “Healing” Holy Grails that Shard had acquired, this cup seemed to have the greatest effect.
During the rest, the Grand Witch could no longer contain her curiosity and questioned Shard about his identity:
“Who exactly are you…?”
Her eyes were on the longsword Shard had placed beside him, its scabbard gleaming in the firelight.
“No, at least not what you think I am.”
Shard shook his head:
“I only have Five Rings.”
“But the sword…”
“It’s a misunderstanding, and it’s hard to explain. However, I admit, during Tobesk’s summer night Godfall, the Merman incident in Coldwater Port, the Darkness Descending in Tobesk, the Sicarl battle in Midshire Fort, and the Pantanal Lake Heart Island campaign, my presence was indeed there.”
This admission shocked the Witch more than if Shard had directly confessed to being a “God Summoner,” leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.
“It’s strange, isn’t it? While participating in those events, I was just a Low Ring, yet indeed, I’ve somewhat or another been involved in these dangerous affairs.”
The Witch slightly parted her mouth, unable to voice any of the dozen questions she had been preparing:
“I’ll communicate with Galina, and I won’t force you to reveal your secrets.”
She herself didn’t notice the softness in her voice:
“However, I want to know, why are you risking getting involved in these matters?”
“Because of a pact, a pact with a young lady.”
Shard looked into the campfire, the face of a girl with purple eyes seeming to flash in the flames. The Blonde Witch gave a small nod and then looked up at the starry sky. Noticing Shard’s expression, she associated it with numerous stories. Her heart felt both wistful and somewhat forlorn.
After resting for half an hour, the group tidied the camp and prepared to leave. The Unicorn stood beside Shard, watching people bustle about. Shard assumed it would follow them back to the city and then be kept by Miss Benanis at her farm as the Witch’s “personal steed.” However, just as the campfire was extinguished and the Female Sorcerers were casting spells to prevent potential tracking magic, a long whistle suddenly echoed through the midnight woods.
It wasn’t the sound of any musical instrument or artifact, more like a whistle made using the mouth and hands.
The sound was extremely penetrating, continuously spreading in the sparse woodland of Creekland. Shard and the ladies beside him were all startled; Shard even thought it was a counterattack by the Blood Spirit School.
But before they could determine the source of the sound, the unicorn suddenly turned its head, happily cried “neigh~,” rubbed its face against Shard’s waist, and then quickly ran towards the depths of the forest.
“What’s going on now? You stay here.”
Miss Benanis said to her followers, then took Shard’s hand and chased after it.
The unicorn wasn’t fast, or at least not as fast as Miss Benanis, who had activated an auxiliary Arcane Technique. Shard only felt like his body was being held up by a gust of wind, floating lightly. As the witch pulled him forward, the scenery around them quickly swept past.
When the witch and Shard together emerged from behind the big trees of the snowy forest, they finally saw that the little beast had stopped.
Moonlight shone through the sparse treetops, illuminating the snow to a silvery white. On that slightly glowing snow, a sharp-eared elf girl, clad in a black robe with a horn at her waist and a dagger tucked-in, wearing brown ladies’ ankle boots, was smiling as she crouched down to gently caress the small beast lying before her.
Her skin was fair, and her long golden hair was braided into dozens of long braids woven together. Under the moonlight, the elf appeared to be glowing as well, but when she lifted her head to look at the two, the look of fright on her face immediately shattered the dreamy feeling as though she had walked out of a fairytale.
“Oh!”
The unknown elf girl immediately stood up, pulled up her cloak’s hood to cover her face, and then cautiously hid behind the unicorn that had just stood up:
“Who are you?” (Delarion)
Shard and Miss Benanis exchanged a glance, and finally, Shard spoke:
“Good evening, ma’am. We met it in the forest this morning, and it stayed with us for half a day… We fed it pies, fruits, and vegetable salad for lunch and dinner; it seemed to love those.” (Delarion)
Shard knew about the unicorn’s diet from the Witch Echo and “Elven Knowledge,” so feeding it wouldn’t be wrong.
“Thank you, I will pay for its meals.”
The elf girl said softly and then searched her pocket to take out some money.
“No need, it didn’t eat much… May I ask, are you an elf?”
Shard asked, using the “Elven Knowledge” from Tree Father to recognize a purebred elf. The woven Runes on the cloak lining and the style of the hairpiece and leaf brooch also allowed Shard to roughly identify the clan the other belonged to:
“Golden Stamens Clan? Moon Creek Clan? Or Clan of the Wind Pursuers?”
He asked softly, this time using the Elf Language. Miss Orland, the Fifth Era’s Librarian, was a Longleaf Elf, not belonging to the same clan as the girl before him.
The elf girl opposite him was quite surprised upon hearing Shard’s words:
“Moon Creek… Sir, you understand Elf Language? No, no, sorry, I must leave now. Thank you so much for taking care of it; this child always likes to run wild, and this time it ran so far. Oh, please don’t tell others about our tracks… Goodbye.”
She placed something on the snow, patted the little beast’s head, and it obediently lay down. The elf girl then mounted it, which made the Grand Witch beside Shard widen her eyes in surprise.
The little beast turned around on the spot, a bit reluctant to part with Shard, but after calling to him twice, it carried the elf girl, who was clearly very curious about Shard, and ran into the depths of the forest.
It was apparent that the young elf was quite afraid of Shard and Miss Benanis, and the two didn’t pursue her. Once the figure completely disappeared, Shard stepped forward and picked up the golden leaf from the ground. It was a tree-leaf-shaped brooch crafted from gold, enough as a fee for gratitude.
“So, the legend of the elves in Randall Valley is actually true?”
Shard asked the witch, taking out the Silver Cube for a check, and the Mithril had no reaction.
The witch, however, looked puzzled at the darkness of the forest where the elf and unicorn had vanished:
“The origin of the local elf legend is because there really used to be an elven clan living in Randall Valley at the beginning of this Era. But later they moved to the Far North’s Saint Byrons, only occasionally returning to visit, getting glimpsed by hunters in the mountains and woods, hence the rumors… The Earth tells me they have completely vanished, there’s no way to track them.”