Martial Elf

Lamia had gathered information here and there after receiving a request from Alia to find a being that might have broken the barrier and infiltrated.

Among all the leads, the most significant seemed to come from Dale, the gate guard, right at the moment the barrier was breached.

“A traveling merchant group. Among them, a decent-looking 10-year-old girl with blonde hair, green eyes, and long ears.”

Dale had definitely used the adjective “beautiful,” but Lamia’s mind twisted the description the moment she heard it.

The human male Lamia had seen was as lacking in virtue as the orcs from her homeland across the sea, and any young girl would merely be seen as a base creature to be lusted after.

Although Lamia had also gone through a transformation, her original form had pointed ears.

This was a relatively common physical feature in the Eastern Continent.

The problem was that since coming to the Western Continent, she had never seen anyone like that, except for her sisters.

“Tracking remnants?”

Born as the child of her father, these were the ungrateful brats who betrayed and killed him.

It was strange that Alia hadn’t sent any pursuers to retrieve her father’s divine body that she had smuggled away.

Still, she had never heard of a race with blonde hair and green eyes, nor of a Roa…

While they were certainly unknown beings, there was some relief in that.

At least they wouldn’t be among the few “Elder Roas” like her father.

Such beings were inherently too weighed down by their own significance to dare cross unknown seas that might be teeming with remnants.

Alia and her sisters hadn’t come across assuredly hoping that something awaited them in the West.

They had merely attempted a venture due to a lack of options; discovering such a large continent in the West truly felt like a stroke of fortune.

Regardless, Lamia was searching for the being presumed to be the pursuer that Dale had spoken of.

As she randomly searched various locations, she suddenly remembered that the merchant had passed through the gate. She decided to look for clues at the market where merchants tended to gather.

Upon arriving at the market, she began collecting information amidst the stretched shadows.

The market itself was the most vibrant place in Pohelrn, yet people were speaking in overly excited tones at various spots.

“That large round game from earlier was the first of its kind.”

“From what I can see, the pot in the center looked to be around 200 silver coins.”

“Because of that, the Adreel family looks like they’re going to kill that dealer.”

“Oh, was that street gambling handled by the Adreel family?”

“Exactly. And it seems those guys have been moving around dark alleys since earlier; it’s unsettling.”

What? Had a rather large gambling game occurred?

Just as Lamia was about to lose interest in the conversation, the merchants’ next exchange grabbed her attention.

“But why did such a large game happen?”

“Ah, usually, there are just enough small games going on as usual.”

“And then?”

“Well, just as one game finished and another was about to start, some kid threw down a pouch of silver coins and bet everything in the middle.”

“Oh…”

“Plus, he was wearing some strange headgear, but when he took it off, lo and behold! A breathtakingly gorgeous blonde girl… well, not quite, but definitely a girl who would grow into one.”

“Oh ho!”

“With the money all at once, plus such a beautiful girl, it was as if everyone was enchanted and began following suit with their bets. So…”

The merchants continued their talks, speculating that the girl was the reason the Adreel family was gathering for the big gambling event.

Blonde, young girl, gambling, Adreel family.

The key words were roughly filtered.

Adreel family.

In the urban area, all they did was less than slaves, like insects.

Even if Alia managed to push them away, other scum would take their place; they were to be controlled, the only ones bearing the brain role.

Such insects were chasing the target she was pursuing?

Her opponent was the monster that had shattered the barrier that Alia had enforced with the help of Anakthus, a Roa in Pohelrn.

‘If I’m not careful, there might be a huge uproar…’

If those foolish beings recklessly stirred their target in the city, Alia would surely be upset.

In truth, it did not matter to Lamia what happened to this human city, but Alia had paid much attention to this city and that annoying man.

Thus, tracking the traces left by the Adreel family, she began moving with the faint scent of blood that wafted in the air, venturing to more desolate locations.

Fortunately, since it was nearing winter and the sun had just begun to set, there were many shadows to help with her travel.

Eventually, she arrived at an alleyway.

The alley, which should have been deserted, was in disarray with people everywhere.

The Adreel she’d seen a few times had his right leg bent awkwardly to the side, unable to stand properly, and there was no intact human who could stay on their feet, with many more collapsed and unable to move.

‘Not a single dead body here.’

Yet, remarkably, not a single person was dead.

With how chaotic things had become as soon as they entered the city, it seemed they didn’t much mind the attention. Was there a reason for that?

If those insects were their opponents, it would be much more trouble to control their strength so as not to kill.

Pushing that question aside, as Lamia continued to follow the traces, she eventually found her target.

‘…Definitely decent-looking.’

The target who was presumed to be the pursuer was certainly a being she had neither seen nor heard of in the Eastern Continent, but… she was quite decent-looking albeit not much compared to herself.

There was a merchant, presumably her acquaintance, alongside a human who had been beaten into near oblivion by a large deer.

Circumstantially, it seemed the merchants had beaten up the dealer, which the target was teaching how to throw a small blade.

To Lamia, it was unclear but wondrous as it was, she decided to take advantage of their moment of distraction and began observing from the shadows.

‘…It doesn’t seem like much after all…?’

The visible amount of mana wasn’t that significant.

It might not even be a quarter of Anakthus’s.

There was no indication she could easily tear Alia’s barrier apart…

Just as she pondered over whether she had miscalculated, she realized that besides her sisters, this was the only being with mana.

‘And besides, she doesn’t seem to be from the Eastern Continent…’

The qualities of the felt mana were drastically different.

‘Does she have more allies? Or is she specialized in breaking barriers?’

There was a faint energy emanating from the deer, but it was negligible, while the other two humans seemed entirely devoid of mana.

Wait, was one of them different?

Observing how the target wasn’t as formidable as she anticipated made Lamia contemplate whether to take care of it herself without reporting to Alia first, debating whether to retreat for a moment as she kept her watch.

At that moment, the target swiftly turned her head and began staring straight into the shadows where Lamia was hidden.

‘…Was I noticed? No way?’

If Lamia intentionally tried to hide, aside from Elder Roas, none of her sisters or any being from the Eastern Continent had ever found her.

Despite possessing weak combat abilities beneath her own standing, it was one of the powers that allowed her to survive until the very end in the savage lands of the Eastern Continent.

Comparing her power to that of her targets, the difference was embarrassment.

Just as she deemed it a coincidence, the target spoke.

“Kyle, have Duberv and Rudolf head to the accommodation first.”

“Huh…? What’s going on?”

“Seems so. It’s only been a day since we arrived in this city, but it feels like we’re getting tangled up in a lot.”

I’ve been detected!

Lamia’s instincts, which had saved her dozens of times before, screamed at her.

The moment she felt something was off, she immediately decided to slip away through the shadows without hesitation.

Fortunately, as it was early winter and dusk with little sunlight, there were many shadows, enabling a quick escape.

Once she created enough distance, Lamia emerged from the shadow of a building rooftop.

Having teleported multiple times in such a short period, her mana pool had taken a toll.

Yet, having created ample distance, her pursuers shouldn’t be able to follow.

She planned to take a moment to rest before reporting what had just transpired to Alia.

Just as she thought to breathe a sigh of relief.

『That’s quite an intriguing skill.』

A chill ran down her spine.

A quiet voice echoed from behind her.

『To rise from the shadows, what a rare phenomenon. You’ve broadened my horizons.』

When did they arrive? She hadn’t even sensed their approach!

Overcoming the chill racing down her back with a hardened body, Lamia forced herself to turn toward the source of the voice.

It was behind her.

Approximately 5 yards (4.5m) away horizontally and about 2 yards (1.8m) high, atop a building.

There stood a beautiful young girl who hadn’t yet reached the status of a woman.

As the sun was setting, yet the moon still hadn’t risen, her glowing green eyes twinkled alone in the dark with intrigue as they gazed down at Lamia.

Lamia froze, merely turning her head at the surreal sight.

『This strange energy—if my prediction is correct, you might have quite a story to share with me.』

In a gentle tone, as if whispering, despite the distance, her voice was as clear as if she were speaking right next to Lamia.

Lamia struggled to regain her composure while watching the being descend onto the building she was on as gracefully as if walking through the sky.

‘Alia, if I’m lucky, I might be late.’

Though she was forcefully raising an aura full of malice, the being approached with an air of nonchalance, causing Lamia to bite her lip tightly.

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