Extra: “The Memory of the Sage”
Luna María’s eyes widened.
She couldn’t comprehend the significance of the scene unfolding before her. At first glance, Sora let out a scream of pain and collapsed to the ground. His right arm had been severed severely, barely hanging by the skin.
It was a grave injury that would render his arm useless forever. The attacker wasn’t the king of flies approaching from behind. Sora, who was still in front of Luna María and the others, was out of range of the king of flies’ attack.
It was Miroslav, running ahead of Luna María, who had struck Sora. The magic she cast severed Sora’s arm.
A cry escaped Luna María’s mouth, sounding almost like a scream.
“M-Miro!? What are you doing—-?”
“Silence, Luna!”
The red-haired mage shot Luna María a sharp look. Her eyes burned with intense determination, and Luna María couldn’t help but be slightly irritated.
“We need to make our way through the forest. You know the king of flies’ nature!”
Luna María was well aware that the king of flies preferred live prey. And the astute sage understood exactly what Miroslav was implying. She finally grasped the situation.
—Escape using Sora as a decoy. That’s what Miroslav was suggesting.
“What… is this…?”
Luna María was taken aback by the idea. She suspected that Miroslav had lost her sanity out of fear.
But there was no trace of madness in Miroslav’s expression. On the contrary, there was a sharp sense of reason. How could they survive this situation without sacrificing anyone? After considering all the possibilities, Miroslav had attacked Sora.
Luna María glanced at Iria, who ran beside her, and Lars, whom she carried after he lost consciousness.
Lars, who had fallen unconscious after the king of flies’ initial attack, continued to bleed from his head. It seemed that his internal organs were also damaged due to the bleeding.
Iria possessed healing magic, but at her current level, it was challenging to heal Lars’ wounds.
Moreover, in their current predicament of being chased by the king of flies, using magic alone to stop the bleeding would not suffice. If they didn’t bring Lars to Ishka as quickly as possible for treatment, it could prove fatal.
With Iria carrying Lars, only Luna María and Miroslav were able to fight.
No matter how many miracles they attempted, defeating the king of flies seemed impossible.
Furthermore, their current method of escape was futile. The king of flies’ flying speed far surpassed that of human legs. Luna María and the others’ safety relied on the fact that the monster was holding back its attacks because it preferred live prey, in addition to the forest terrain.
The only way to overcome this situation was to use someone other than a member of “Hawk’s Sword” as a decoy. That was Miroslav’s plan, and she had taken action accordingly.
If the decision were to be weighed between good and evil, it would undoubtedly lean towards evil.
—However, if one were to question whether it was rational, it certainly was.
Of course, Luna María did not approve of Miroslav’s decision. If Miroslav had shared her thoughts beforehand, Luna María might have tried to vehemently dissuade her.
But the magic had already been cast. Looking back, it was clear that the king of flies’ attention had shifted towards Sora.
It was apparent that Luna María should prioritize helping Sora. Luna María would likely lose her life, and Sora would be captured as live prey. Due to Luna María’s sacrifice, Miroslav and the others would be exposed to danger. Even if they managed to escape, the king of flies wasn’t the only monster in the Tittis Forest. If Miroslav had to face multiple monsters alone, everything would be over. And if “Hawk’s Sword” was defeated, no one would inform Ishka about the appearance of the king of flies, a disaster-class monster.
The king of flies’ reproductive system was enormous. There was a great fear that delaying their initial action would lead to the collapse of Ishka.
Luna María had to stand firm, knowing she would likely go to Sora’s aid.
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The elven sage pondered every possible solution to the situation—no, the answer had already been decided long ago, and she was desperately convincing herself to accept it.
For now, their priority was to return to Ishka. Luna María felt sorry for Sora, but considering the king of flies’ behavior, she speculated that he wouldn’t kill him on this occasion. With the king of flies focused on Sora, Luna María and the others would hasten back to Ishka. They would then inform the guild about the king of flies’ appearance, organize a squad to subjugate it, and return to the Tittis Forest to rescue Sora from the monster’s nest. In the meantime, Lars’ treatment could be left to the temple or a healing institution.
This was the most rational decision to protect “Hawk’s Sword,” save Sora, and prevent the crisis in Ishka, the sage believed.
Of course, Luna María would be at the forefront of the subjugation squad. She knew it wouldn’t compensate for using Sora as bait, but if she didn’t think that way, guilt would paralyze her.
With closed eyes and a bitten lip, Luna María continued running. The painful cries that pursued her from behind burned in her ears and refused to fade away…
–-Uttering a silent prayer, Luna María leaped out of bed.
She couldn’t immediately comprehend the situation and looked around, raising her upper body. Before her eyes was a tastefully decorated room of good quality.
It was a room within Duke Dragnote’s mansion, and through the window, she could see the gradually changing darkness of the night in the capital city.
She wasn’t in the Tittis Forest anymore—confirming that, Luna María breathed a sigh of relief.
However, along with the relief, she felt discomfort. Her sleepwear was drenched with sweat, soaking her entire body. Fortunately, each person had been given a separate room as a courtesy from Duke Dragnote. If she had been in a shared room, she would have surely awakened the other occupant.
Luna María stood up, brushing the matted hair from her shoulders.
She removed her sleepwear, wiped away the sweat, and changed into different clothing. By the way, Luna María was wearing a long green garment that she had liked before. It was the type that covered most of her limbs.
She had begged Sora earnestly to forgive her for wearing the thin silk dress when they went to the capital city, so she had been made to wear this one instead.
There was a sense of security in knowing that most of her skin was concealed, even when she removed the tunic.
However, in a sweaty state like now, it might be more practical to wear a garment that exposed the skin. Thinking that unintentionally, Luna María was about to give a bitter smile at her own idea.
But before that bitter smile could surface, she let out a deep sigh.
The events in the Tittis Forest, which she had dreamt about, were etched into her mind and refused to fade away. After leaving her homeland, she had experienced many things, but she had never felt such self-hatred as she did in that moment.
“If I inform the elders, I don’t think it will end with just a reprimand…” she murmured, sighing once again.
In Brimsilva, Luna María’s homeland, they regularly sent their compatriots to the human world.
The history of hostility between elves and humans had come to an end through the efforts of the Temple of the Law of God, the largest sect on the continent, and the continental nation. The elves had signed a non-aggression treaty, but that hadn’t eradicated the elves’ mistrust of humans.
For humans, an event that occurred one or two generations ago seemed like yesterday to the long-lived elves. Many elves mistrusted humans, and their sentiments influenced younger elves who were unaware of the past conflicts. There were also circumstances where the elves rejected outsiders.
However, not all elves distanced themselves from humans. Some believed that interaction was necessary for those elves who were distant from humans.
In a society created by short-lived humans, the world changed rapidly within a span of ten or twenty years. If the changes remained within human society, it wasn’t a problem, but at times, there were movements to reject or enslave other races. The elves sent their compatriots to the human world to quickly detect signs of such changes. For the elves, making friends with others was part of their role. Those relationships would form the foundation for lasting friendship between elves and humans.
Luna María was one of the elves who left the forest with such a purpose.
Instead of building a sophisticated intelligence network like human kingdoms, the elves relied on each individual elf to gather information and interact with humans.
Indeed, Luna María had not been in contact with her homeland since entering the academy of sages to learn about human society and history.
Even so, Luna María believed that the incident with the king of flies should be reported in due time. Not only to seek punishment for his disgraceful actions as an elf but also to avoid misunderstandings among her compatriots.
Elves operating in human society were protected by laws based on the non-aggression treaty. If it were to reach Brimsilva that an elf was wearing a slave collar, it would lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary problems.
Until now, Sora had been a simple adventurer, so both his infamy and his name were confined to Ishka.
However, Sora was about to be named the indigo dragon knight by the king. If Sora’s reputation resonated within and beyond Canaria, Luna María’s existence beneath him would become well-known. A dreadful scenario would unfold if her compatriots, hearing the rumors, challenged Sora to free Luna María.
To avoid such a mistake, she had to inform Brimsilva of the facts while avoiding unnecessary attention at this stage.
That’s why, on that evening, Luna María declined the invitation when Sora, Suzume, Seal, and the Dragnote sisters went to the clothing store. When leaving the capital city, she prevented rumors from spreading among the residents.
Another reason was that it was unsettling for a “Hypocrite” like her to be close to Sora, who rarely smiled, in front of the Dragnote sisters. The vivid memories of the past she had seen in the morning made it difficult for her to be in the same joyful space as Sora.
Therefore, on that evening, Luna María offered her lips without hesitation when Sora expressed his desire to experience soul pouring to save Claudia, who had fallen under a curse.
The morning nightmare was the cause of Sora’s surprising assertiveness. Regardless of the circumstances, she wanted to be of help to Sora. On that day, when she woke up from the nightmare, Luna María continued to hold onto that wish.
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