I'm really not a Sanctuary Warlock.

Alice quickly urged her little red horse to follow closely behind Lynn.

……

Led by Kailan and his two companions, they traversed the dense forest, following a worn path.

Lynn remained vigilant, his mental energy subtly spreading out to sense every movement around him.

However, apart from a few startled wild animals, nothing unusual happened along the way.

The three elves walked at the front, leading the way while talking in hushed tones. Their words were filled with worry for their families and hatred for the bandits, and everything seemed so real.

About half an hour later, the trees in front of us thinned out, and a wide valley appeared before us.

A small village sits quietly in the middle of the valley.

However, before they even got close, a strong smell of blood wafted into their nostrils on the wind.

Alice instinctively tightened her grip on the reins.

Lynn's brows furrowed tightly.

At the village entrance, the wooden fence was violently smashed open, and several elf corpses lay in muddy pools of blood.

The look of disbelief still lingered on their faces.

Alice had never seen such a horrific sight before; her stomach churned, and she nearly vomited on the spot.

She bit her lip tightly, forcing herself to turn her head away, unable to bear looking any longer.

"Father!"

"Ella!"

Upon seeing this tragic scene, the two young elves behind Kalan let out a mournful cry and rushed towards the village like madmen.

Kaylan swayed, his handsome face filled with pain and anger, and he clenched his fists.

“Lord Lynn…” he turned his head, his voice hoarse, “Those beasts… they should still be in the village!”

Lynn nodded expressionlessly and dismounted.

“You stay here,” he said to Alice.

Alice nodded, her face pale, her eyes filled with worry as she watched Lynn's retreating figure.

Lynn walked slowly into the village.

The scene inside the village was even more desolate than at the entrance.

The door to the house was kicked open, and the inside was ransacked. More elven corpses lay scattered on the road, including old men and women.

Their deaths varied, clearly indicating that they had experienced a massacre with no suspense whatsoever.

“They must be in the village chief’s yard!” Kaylan said through gritted teeth, pointing to the largest wooden house deep in the village, following behind Lynn.

Lynn didn't say anything, but quickened his pace.

The village chief's courtyard was very large, surrounded by a stone wall half a person's height, and the gate was tightly closed.

Lynn walked to the door and, without hesitation, kicked it open.

"boom!"

The heavy wooden door shattered with a crash and fell inward.

Lynn slipped inside, his gaze sweeping across the entire courtyard in an instant.

Then, he froze.

The courtyard was completely empty.

Apart from some scattered debris and a few pools of blood that had not yet dried, there was no sign of any robbers.

The door to the house was open, and the inside was also empty.

"How could this be..."

When Kailan, who had followed him in, saw this scene, he also showed a shocked and bewildered expression.

"How can there be no one here? They should be here!"

"They ran away...they ran away..."

Kaylan's expression shifted constantly. He glanced at Lynn, his eyes darting away.

"Lord Lynn...it seems that the bandits have already left."

His tone was filled with disappointment and helplessness.

"It's because we were useless; we couldn't keep them."

He bowed deeply to Lynn.

"Thank you very much for your help. We won't trouble you with the rest. We'll figure out how to catch up ourselves."

Lynn looked at him quietly without saying a word.

Things are getting more and more interesting.

They went to great lengths to lure themselves here and put on such a grand show.

When they arrived at their destination, they were told that the person had already escaped, and then they were prepared to give up.

The change in attitude before and after was far too rapid.

Lynn was filled with doubts, but he remained outwardly calm.

He glanced at the slaughtered village, then at the three “heartbroken” elves before him.

"In that case, I won't stay any longer."

Lynn's tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

It's better to avoid trouble; he has more important tasks to complete.

Since the other party didn't want to continue the act, he had no interest in exposing anything.

"Take care, everyone."

After saying that, Lynn turned and left without any hesitation.

Kaylan watched Lynn's departing figure, seemingly relieved, yet also somewhat unwilling.

As Lynn walked out of the village, Alice immediately came to greet him.

"How are you, Lynn?"

“They’ve already escaped,” Lynn said calmly. “Let’s go.”

He mounted the Holy Spirit Unicorn and never looked back at the dead village.

Although Alice was filled with doubt and sympathy, she wisely did not ask any more questions and simply followed Lynn silently.

The two figures quickly disappeared at the other end of the forest.

……

Until Lynn and Alice's presence completely disappeared from the range of perception.

In the village chief's courtyard, Kailan, who had been filled with grief and indignation, seemed to have all her strength drained away, and her back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

"My master just secretly told me via telepathy that he can't handle that person, and that we should stop the plan immediately."

His voice carried a hint of lingering fear.

"We almost committed a terrible disaster!"

“I thought he was exaggerating when he said he had a relationship with Queen Sandoros, but I didn’t expect… the aura he exuded was real.”

Kaylan's expression became incredibly complex.

"It seems that his relationship with Her Majesty the Queen is deeper than we thought."

“We… traitors who betrayed Silvermoon Forest are utterly insignificant in his eyes.”

Chapter 176 Such a Special Soup

The two walked through the woods in silence, and Lynn was actually somewhat disappointed.

He had thought that after the elves finished their performance, they would reveal their true, monstrous nature.

That way, I can give this naive young lady a vivid practical lesson, letting her understand that the world doesn't work on sympathy alone.

Kindness needs to have an edge, and compassion should not be excessive.

But the result?

Those elves behaved politely from beginning to end, and even at the end, the elf named Kalan revealed a kind of... fear in his eyes.

This is very strange.

He couldn't understand what he had done to frighten them.

Lynn shook his head, temporarily suppressing these chaotic thoughts.

If you can't figure it out, then stop thinking about it.

It doesn't matter anymore, the trouble is over anyway, the most important thing now is to get on the road.

He glanced behind him; Alice had her head down, her small face hidden in the shadow of her hood, so his expression was impossible to see.

"Still thinking about what just happened?" Lynn slowed his horse down to ride alongside her.

The world is complex; sometimes what you see with your eyes isn't necessarily true, and what you hear with your ears isn't necessarily true either.

"Kindness is a good thing, but if your kindness is not strong enough to protect it, it may become a sharp blade that hurts you."

Alice listened, seemingly understanding but not quite. She bit her lower lip and asked softly, "Then... how do we tell who's good and who's bad?"

“I told you before,” Lynn said, looking at the road ahead, “that after all evil is purified, what remains is goodness.”

He added, "Until you have the ability to purify evil, treating all strangers as potential threats will make you live longer."

Alice remained silent for a long time before speaking again, but her tone was much firmer.

"I understand."

Lynn glanced at her but didn't say anything more.

Good that you understand.

I hope they really understand.

……

The two continued on their way, and the atmosphere was no longer as somber as before.

As evening approached, the sky gradually darkened, and the gray clouds hung low, seemingly foreshadowing another heavy snowfall.

They finally arrived at the second rest stop marked on the map.

It was a wooden cabin built in a sheltered spot on the mountainside. It looked much larger than the hunter's cabin that had been burned down. The roof was covered with a thick layer of snow, and wisps of smoke were rising from the chimney, making it seem especially warm in the cold air.

The wooden house was surrounded by a small yard with a fence, where several clucking hens were kept.

Everything seemed full of life.

"This is it." Lynn reined in the reins and stopped at a distance, not approaching immediately.

He closed his eyes, and his spiritual power quietly spread out, carefully examining the situation inside the wooden house.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, and the wariness between his brows eased slightly.

There were indeed only two people in the room.

A man and a woman, who appeared to be an elderly couple, showed no signs of magical energy; they were just ordinary villagers from the mountains.

They were busy preparing dinner in the kitchen.

Could it be that... the burning of the last rest stop was really just an accident?

A hint of doubt flashed through Lynn's mind, but the scene before him was indeed flawless.

“Let’s go over there,” he said to Alice behind him.

Alice nodded and followed Lynn, spurring her horse into the courtyard.