A little ways out from the watchtower, I sensed a faint presence and pointed my finger in that direction.
“Illusion,” I chanted.
The illusory flames I created, modeled after the Fire Breath spell Karla was skilled at, licked at a rocky area ahead. They looked quite convincing and even ran hot. It was enough for two figures in sand-colored cloaks to leap out from the rocks.
“Wait, wait!” the larger of the two called out.
But the smaller one, thinking they’d been attacked, rolled on the ground and shot at me using some sort of crossbow.
I ran toward them, disentangling the bolt I’d caught from my cloak. The larger figure drew a dagger from his waist, determined to stand his ground.
They might not be enemies. But they also might be.
The larger one—a man—applied some sort of viscous poison to his dagger and stepped forward to protect the smaller figure. I dodged his slash, confirmed that the bolt I’d disentangled was tipped with poison as well, and stabbed it into the man’s neck.
He collapsed silently, and my weighted pendulum shot out of his shadow and struck the side of the archer’s head. The shrill scream that escaped her lips as she was sent flying confirmed that she was female.
I immediately leaped in and kicked her down before she could draw any more weapons, then pressed my black dagger to her throat.
“Wh-Who are—”
“I’m asking the questions here. Who are you after?”
The woman gasped at my intimidating aura. Her hood slipped, revealing the face of a dark-elf girl around my age, her eyes furious.
“A dark elf?” I muttered.
She grabbed her hood in a panic but seemed to realize there was no point anymore and instead just kept defiantly glaring at me despite the dagger pointed at her.
“H-How dare—”
“He’s still alive,” I interjected.
She gasped again at the realization that the man I’d stabbed with the bolt still drew breath. The bolt had likely been treated with the same poison he’d used for his dagger, but if he was still alive, that meant it wasn’t instantly lethal. Had my mana vision told me the man had no life force left, I wouldn’t have shown this girl mercy.
But if they weren’t using lethal poison, that meant they likely weren’t my enemies. Still, what were they after? Or who, rather?
“But if you don’t start talking, he won’t be alive for long.”
“Tch!”
Based on their earlier behavior, I’d figured this would get her to talk, but...she remained silent. I pressed the knife lightly against her throat, and blood spilled from her dark skin. I kept my gaze steady on hers to show her that I was serious and held the blade perfectly steady. Just as I was about to press further—
“Wait...”
The bloodied bolt fell to the ground, and the man I’d stabbed was now on his feet.
“Father!” the dark-elf girl blurted out.
The man, pressing a hand to his bleeding neck, scowled at his daughter for revealing their relationship, then turned to me.
He wasn’t a dark elf. He was Krus. Was she adopted? Or were mixed-race children common here? This made it difficult to identify which faction they were with, but...I could always ask.
“Ngh!”
I stepped on the fallen girl’s chest, pushing her down and using her as leverage against the man while simultaneously using the man, still unsteady from the poison, as leverage against the girl.
▼ Middle-Aged Man
Species: Krus♂ (Rank 3)
Aether Points: 134/165
Health Points: 212/350
Overall Combat Power: 207 (Boosted: 586) ▽ -379
[Affliction: Paralysis]
▼ Girl
Species: Dark Elf♀ (Rank 2)
Aether Points: 155/185
Health Points: 152/210
Overall Combat Power: 308 (Boosted: 344)
Though there was a rank gap between us, I could tell the two were trained. Perhaps the daughter was still too green to realize the disadvantage they were at, but the father would know what would happen if he tried to fight me while suffering from paralysis, even if the poison wasn’t potent.
“Please...wait,” he managed, dropping to his knees. “We’re not trying to kill you.”
“Fathe—” The girl tried to get up, and I pressed harder down on her. “Ngh!”
“That so?” I asked flatly. “Then why were you watching us?”
The man, perhaps sensing something, said, “I can’t give you details, but our duty is to protect a certain someone. I apologize for our suspicious behavior, but I promise, we have no hostile intent.”
He and I stared at each other in silence. He didn’t seem to want to attack unless I attacked first. The daughter was gritting her teeth and glaring at me for hurting her father. I looked into the man’s eyes for a moment, then stepped off the girl.
“What...?” she mumbled, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Go,” I said.
“My thanks,” the man replied.
The girl ran to her father and helped him to his feet. The man, leaning on her shoulder, gave me a respectful nod.
“Young lady, war is coming to this land. If you’re thinking about leaving, do it soon.”
I was silent for a moment, then said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
With that, the two disappeared toward the rocky area. I picked up the discarded bolt. The material was unfamiliar to me.
I hadn’t trusted the man or shown the pair mercy. They’d been monitoring us. If Elena were my only concern, eliminating them would’ve been the best option. But...though our exchange had been brief, it had convinced me not to kill them yet.
His eyes... The wistful way he’d looked at me, his eyes far away, as if seeing something through me...
It bothered me a little. I wasn’t sure why.