Starting with the defeated female knight

"what happened?"

[There's a minor issue]

The tentacle twitched.

The small team that went to find the orcs discovered several creatures with pointed ears, possibly elves, at the border.

You might need to go and take a look.

Volume 1: Chapter 83: Ku Melia

Pointed ears, resembling those of an elf.

This is intelligence sent back by the team that went to gather the orc refugees.

The reason it is only suspected is that no one in Dawn City, or even the orc tribes, has ever seen a real elf.

As one of the few civilizations recognized by the human empire, the elves, though often mentioned in various records and stories, disappeared from the empire's sight after that strange conflict more than a hundred years ago, and have not made any further moves since.

As for the Empire, due to the constraints imposed by bloodlines, the Empire has little need for expansion, and its current territory is even somewhat too large for them.

The reason for maintaining such a large territory was not for any kind of resources, but simply for xenophobia, not wanting any foreign races to appear in the surrounding area.

This applies to orcs, elves, and ancient dragons alike.

Therefore, it is strange that the elves suddenly appeared and then disappeared a hundred years ago.

They couldn't figure out why the other party had come, nor why they had left.

But as noble pure-blooded humans, the men of the capital city were too lazy to figure out what those pointy-eared freaks were thinking.

"Perhaps they are also proud of their own race, so they want to exclude all other races?"

"In that case, it's not entirely incomprehensible."

They might even be able to look at them with more respect.

This is also the most popular view in the field of imperial history at present.

However, although they frequently appear in various stories and records, the elves have completely disappeared from the Empire's sight since that inexplicable conflict more than a hundred years ago, becoming a race that exists only in legends.

Now, with the loss of information in the past, the imperial people's impression of elves is basically limited to "pointed ears" and "looking very much like humans".

Moreover, it's not just a lack of understanding.

In fact, Tania's team didn't get close, and they didn't even notice the pointed ears at first.

Because of the great distance and the fact that the other party was very well hidden, Tania's team did not discover their existence from the time they made contact with the orc tribe until they were preparing to bring them back.

Just before leaving, having searched the entire area, Tania took out her tentacles and unleashed a miracle called 'Young Tentacle Guidance' to ensure nothing was missed.

They had intended to check if there were any other orc tribes that had migrated in during their search, but after a brief pause, the tentacles' faint light pointed in an inexplicable direction.

Looking in that direction, I didn't notice anything at first glance.

Tanya quickly looked away, pretending she hadn't noticed anything.

Then, for the rest of the time, he kept glancing at that spot out of the corner of his eye, and finally, just before leaving, he spotted some pointed ears.

But she didn't make a fuss, because it seemed the other party wasn't planning to attack, and Green had told her before leaving that she should try to avoid conflict if there was any potential danger.

So, in the end, she didn't expose the other person, but instead left with the others while remaining on guard.

Only after confirming that they were out of sight of the other party did they use their tentacles to inform Green of the news.

Then, as the sun gradually set.

A thick malice was growing in the darkness.

It began to slowly undulate.

......

Crackling, crackling.

In the dimly lit cave, several figures with pointed ears sat around a fire.

She had fair skin and a slender figure. Her clothing was completely different from the imperial style, appearing to be woven from some kind of plant. However, upon closer inspection, it could be seen that it was made of a beautiful fabric that imitated the material of the plant, and it also had obvious signs of wear.

Their expressions, illuminated by the firelight, were somewhat dark and ambiguous.

"We are getting close to the perception range of the human empire."

One of the pointed ears opened its mouth, and its tone sounded strange, as if it was deliberately being stiff.

"Every step we take from here on will be very risky."

"more than."

Another pointed ear opened, and the tone of voice also sounded equally strange.

"Those things we see during the day are also dangerous."

"But we don't need to get into a conflict with them."

The first pointed ear responded.

"The task given by 'Mother' was to investigate the situation of the human empire, not to deal with those monsters."

"That's true, but we can't guarantee that we won't clash with them."

The second pointed ear opened calmly.

“We do not know the scope of their activities, nor do we understand their motivations.”

"And most importantly, they look extremely dangerous and full of malice."

"Judging from their aura, they should be a familiar of an ancient god, and a highly evolved one at that."

"What do you think, Captain?"

As soon as the words were spoken, all the pointed ears turned their gaze to the smallest figure among them.

With light green hair, pale gold eyes, and a petite and slender body, she was slightly curled up in the gap between the firelight and shadow, her expression empty like a doll.

Even when she heard others asking her questions, she didn't respond immediately. Instead, she waited for a while, as if her computer had crashed, before raising her head as if she had just heard them, her voice so low that it was almost inaudible.

"They are human beings."

"Humans? But their aura indicates that they are a clan."

"Don't question the captain's judgment."

A pointed ear calmly opened its mouth.

"My mother always said that no matter what happens, the captain's judgment should always be the top priority."

silence.

Then, he nodded slowly.

"Yes, then we'll trust the captain's judgment."

The pointed-eared one's tone remained eerily calm, and the other pointed-eared ones did not react at all.

Then, after confirming the human identities of those people in black robes, another discussion and exchange began.

"Are you going to kill them?"

"The risk is too great."

"We are on a reconnaissance mission, so it's best not to take any unnecessary actions."

"The captain is a child her mother adores, and we must ensure her safety."

"But what if we get discovered? What if we encounter..."

"The enemy is very close."

The almost inaudible sound rang out again.

"One, many."

slam-la-

Almost instantly, the pointy-eared creatures drew their weapons.

But the petite figure remained curled up in the gap between light and darkness, motionless.

Strangely, despite the captain's clear indication of the presence of enemies, no matter how they sensed or investigated, or even sent people to search the entire cave and the area outside, they still found nothing.

but......

"Our companions are few."

It wasn't until the team leader spoke that they suddenly realized, after counting the number of people, that one of their companions was indeed missing.

"When did this happen?"

"No, this is not the time to be concerned about that; we have become corrupted."

The one with pointed ears quickly made a judgment.

As the elite reconnaissance force among the elves, it was impossible for them not to notice the disappearance of a single comrade.

The only explanation is that something is interfering with their perception.

"Captain, where is the enemy? We need instructions."

Strangely enough, despite the extremely critical situation, the pointed-eared people's tone remained eerily calm, and their expressions showed no change.

"Also, which direction is the pollution coming from? Even we've been polluted, this must be..."

"all."

The voice, so low it was almost inaudible, spoke again.

"All darkness, all malice, all pollution, are Him."

"I thought it was nighttime and didn't notice."

"Now, it has been swallowed up."

"He ate everyone."

As soon as the words were spoken, the world before them began to change, as if a balloon had been popped.

The ground beneath their feet began to soften, the distant darkness began to undulate, and amidst layers of malice, countless gazes flowed, gliding over them as if they were tangible.

【Huh? How could this be discovered?】

I have a lot of confidence in this group of 'stalkers'.

"I don't think it's your problem."

As she spoke, a being dressed in a black and gold robe and carrying a greatsword resembling the limbs of some kind of creature (a greatsword that Grimm had crafted for her using tentacles and the remains of the Thousand-Legged God) slowly emerged from the darkness.

Each step made a soft sound, yet it seemed to resonate in everyone's mind, causing their heartbeats to slow down unconsciously by half a beat.

The hood was removed, revealing a beautiful face to the pointed-eared men. Long golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and the exposed neck was clad in dark gold armor of unknown material, which exuded an eerie and unsettling aura.

The pointy-eared creatures' expressions finally changed.

Even though they had all undergone intense mental suppression and modification, their minds and souls had become incredibly resilient and indifferent.

But the moment they faced this seemingly harmless woman, they felt a warning from their biological instincts, almost a wail.

Extremely dangerous.

You must get away from here as soon as possible.

"Don't be nervous, I'm not evil..."

bang-

The spearhead, wreathed in green light, pierced the female knight's body, unleashing tremendous force in an instant.

But the female knight did not react at all, and simply stared at the pointed ears in front of her.

The next second, with a 'crack' sound, the spear tip shattered into pieces, and the spear shaft broke off as well.

But faced with this horrific scene, the other pointed ears did not flinch in the slightest, and after the spears, other attacks followed closely behind.