Manor Lord of the Elf World

Chapter 32 Guardians of the Snow Mountain

The next morning, Raven was sitting in his tent dealing with the various matters concerning the territory reported by Elif when Anna's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"teacher!"

Raven looked up and saw Anna running in carrying Zoroya.

Her eyes shone brightly, her expression filled with joy: "Teacher, my Zoroah has learned a new move!"

"Huh?" Raven was somewhat surprised.

"Zoroa, quickly show that move to the teacher!" Anna said hurriedly.

Zorua nodded slightly, and the next second, its shape changed rapidly.

A series of phantom images flickered, and then, one after another, "Pokémon" exactly like Zoroa appeared in the tent.

At Anna's command, dozens of Zoroia simultaneously raised their heads and looked at Raven.

Raven recognized the move at a glance.

"It's a shadow clone?" he praised. "Indeed, it's a very powerful move."

"Shadow Clone?" Anna asked curiously. "Is this technique called Shadow Clone?"

“That’s right.” Raven nodded. “It seems you and Zoroya have made great progress recently! You haven’t let me down.”

"Yes!" Anna's eyes lit up. "Not only that, Zoroya has also become more proficient in other techniques!"

“Looks like it’s time to teach you the next thing,” Raven said.

"What is it?"

Upon hearing this, Anna and Soroya immediately looked over with expectant eyes.

“The characteristics of magical beasts.” Raven stood up, walked to Zoroya, and slowly explained, “As far as I know, every magical beast possesses different characteristics.”

"This is a manifestation of their inherent power. Take my Dratini as an example."

Raven waved, and Dratini flew over.

"Dragon's special feature is its magical scales. Compared to other magical beasts, Dragon's scales possess a magical power. When it is poisoned or paralyzed, the power within these scales is triggered, making its scales even stronger."

“Miracle Scales…” Anna felt as if a door to a new world was slowly opening: “Is Zoroah’s ability also Miracle Scales?”

Raven smiled and shook his head: "No, different magical beasts have different characteristics. Even magical beasts of the same race have subtle differences in their characteristics."

"From what I've observed, your Zoroa's characteristic is a power called [Illusion], and you've already witnessed that power."

"Huh? I've seen you before?" Anna was stunned.

Raven nodded: "The illusion that scared away the tundra bears when it created that night to protect you was the power of [Illusion]."

"Zoroar can use this power to create all sorts of illusions to confuse its opponents. Sometimes, it can even change how it appears to others, such as transforming into a human."

"And this power can be very useful at times. For example, when you encounter a dangerous monster that you cannot defeat, you can use illusions to distract it and escape."

"Wow, what incredible power!" Anna exclaimed, her eyes widening.

Raven smiled slightly: "Next, your task is to train Zorua based on its characteristics until it can use illusions to transform into a human."

"Once you have mastered this power, the next step I will begin to teach you the most important thing for a trainer—command."

"To command?" Anna responded immediately, "Yes, teacher!"

"Also, take this parchment back and read it carefully." Raven handed Anna the parchment he had written earlier.

This contains a detailed type matchup chart, as well as the types of some Pokémon.

Anna reached out and took it, then promised, "We will definitely study hard!"

Raven smiled and nodded: "In that case, let's go!"

Judging from Anna's performance these past few days, this child has a real talent for becoming a trainer.

Watching Anna and Zoroah's departing figures, Raven murmured:
"Little Anna, you'd better grow up quickly!"

Zorua's ability to create illusions makes him the perfect candidate for a scout.

Speaking of scouts, Raven couldn't help but think of Cleveland, Ryan, and Christina, whom he had sent out a few days ago.

"I wonder how their mission went..."

*

On a snow-capped mountain five kilometers away from the territory.

Wearing a thick cashmere hat and knitted gloves, Christina gazed at the mountains, lakes, and seas below while sketching the surrounding terrain with her pen as much as possible.

Ryan and Cleveland stood guard on one side.

Several days have passed since they set off from their territory, and now that their food supplies are almost exhausted, it's time for them to return.

Along the way, they encountered many magical beasts, but with the help of Cleveland's rich experience, they not only escaped attacks unscathed, but also recorded the appearance and habitat of those magical beasts.

Of course, not all monsters will attack them.

For example, there is a monster that looks like a pot, hides under rocks, and shrinks its head and hands into its shell when it sees people.

Another example is a bird-like monster with fluffy wings like cotton clouds that is not afraid of people.

Ryan even witnessed a large group of enormous ivory pigs slowly strolling past them.

Previously, they hadn't felt this while staying in the royal city, but now, having personally experienced it all, both Ryan and Christina felt a sense of wonder at how beautiful and magnificent this world was, and how captivating these magical beasts were, making them want to explore it closely.

"Prince Raven's mission is a complete success!" Ryan muttered with some regret, "It's a pity I didn't encounter any magical beasts willing to follow me..."

Christina couldn't help but chuckle and said, "With Ryan being so rude, what magical beast would like you?"

The three of them went through a lot together and developed a very deep bond. They would occasionally joke with each other.

Ryan clenched his fist: "Nonsense! I'm not rude at all!"

Christina chuckled.

Cleveland stood to one side, sword in hand, his tall and strong frame resembling a wall.

Suddenly, his ears caught a strange sound. Accompanied by a rumbling roar, it sounded as if some enormous creature was approaching.

Cleveland immediately became alert: "Danger!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a massive figure burst through the bushes and appeared before the three of them.

It was a monster that was over two meters tall, with a huge body.

Upon seeing the three people, it pounded its chest with its fists and let out an angry roar.

"Roar!"

The next second, its massive body pounced towards Cleveland at the front.

lap!

Cleveland immediately drew his sword to defend himself, but the beast was far stronger than he had imagined, sending him and his sword flying.

"Cleveland!" Ryan immediately drew his sword and stepped forward, shouting, "Christina, hide!"

However, before he could finish speaking, the monster unleashed an extremely terrifying power.

"Boom!"

The earth roared as if it were about to split open.

Before Ryan could even see what was happening, a tremendous force surged from beneath his feet, blasting him away.

"Ryan!"

Looking at the enraged monster, Christina's face showed fear. She put away her pen and paper and hurriedly stepped forward to check on Ryan's condition.

Just as the monster was about to charge, at the critical moment, Cleveland drew his sword and stood in front of it.

His body erupted with tremendous power, and his years of war experience made him realize that this monster was extraordinary.

They are definitely not capable of dealing with the other side!
But it was too late to escape, and Cleveland made a quick decision.

"Take Ryan away, you all go back to your territory first!"

Christina helped Ryan up, her face full of anxiety: "And what about you?"

"I'll distract it! You all run!"

Christina looked hesitant.

Cleveland roared, "Go get the map for Prince Raven! Hurry! Otherwise, none of us will be able to leave!"

Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Christina's eyes. She took one last look at Cleveland, gritted her teeth, and, supporting Ryan, began to retreat along the path they had come from.

Seeing the two leave, Cleveland breathed a sigh of relief. The next second, he was slammed away by a tremendous force, his body rolling down the snow-covered mountain.

His consciousness vanished abruptly, and Cleveland fell into a complete coma.

Cleveland had a dream.

He dreamt of his younger self, when he joined the army, and before he left, the girl he liked gently told him, "Come back alive."

But by the time the war ended, everything had changed.

His parents passed away, and the girl he liked married someone else.

Penniless, Cleveland took one last look at the girl before resolutely returning to the army, until the day he received new orders.

—Accompanying Prince Raven to his fiefdom.

In a daze, Cleveland seemed to hear those words again: "Come back alive."

That's... His Highness Raven.

Cleveland suddenly opened his eyes.

He quickly looked around to assess his situation.

This is a hillside covered in snow.

It looks like he rolled down the snow-capped mountain and ended up here.

“He’s not dead.” Cleveland tried to move his limbs, but a sharp pain shot through his right arm.

This made him let out a muffled groan.

broken bones.

Fortunately, this injury was nothing to him.

Cleveland forced himself to his feet and tried to find his way back to camp in the vast snow-covered mountains.

However, after walking for a long time and becoming exhausted, he saw the hillside where he had first fallen.

He lost his way.

Cleveland's face was somber.

Time ticked by, and snowflakes began to fall from the sky. He had no idea how long he had been in the snow-covered mountains.

My strength is fading, there's no food, no water, and it's so cold...so cold...

Cliff hid behind a rock that was sheltered from the wind.

His body temperature was gradually dropping, and his consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred.

Is he going to die here?

In a daze, Cleveland suddenly saw an extremely beautiful creature flying towards him.

It was a large bird with beautiful blue feathers and a pair of beautiful ice crystal wings.

It has a crown of three deep blue rhomboid feathers on its head, and its tail, which is as graceful and flowing as a colorful flag, sways slowly behind it, making it look so sacred and elegant.

The snowflakes falling all around suddenly stopped, as if they had been frozen in mid-air.

Cleveland opened his eyes and met those red eyes.

(End of this chapter)