Chapter 267: Ch 267: God's Plan- Part 1
Silvy's eyes stayed forward, her jaw tight with determination as she pressed through the dense undergrowth of the elf forest.
"Let's just get out of here before someone changes their mind."
She muttered under her breath.
Kyle, however, seemed entirely unbothered. He trailed behind her with a calm, almost whimsical pace, bending over every few minutes to pull weeds, pick rare herbs, or dig out strange-looking roots with a small blade he'd fashioned from bone and mana.
"Kyle…What are you doing now?"
Silvy called out, stopping to turn with an exasperated glare.
"Starblossom root. Great for boosting mana regeneration. Rare outside of elf territory."
Kyle replied casually, holding up a delicate plant with glowing tips.
Silvy groaned.
"You realize we're on a time limit, right? The elves may have thrown a feast for us, but that doesn't mean we should linger and start looting their forest."
"I'm not looting. I'm gathering resources."
Kyle replied coolly, slipping the plant into his pouch.
"Besides, this stuff grows wild. They're not even tending to it."
Silvy pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Fine. Just—how do you keep finding your way back to the trail after going off like that? And how are you even finding all this stuff in the first place? I've lived in this forest my entire life and even I don't know where half this stuff is."
Kyle smiled slightly, not looking up from where he was prying moss from a tree root. "I focus my mana and let it guide me.
Nature responds to it. If you're paying attention, you can feel the difference."
Silvy stared at him for a moment.
"Are you being serious right now or is this one of those moments where you say something that sounds deep but ends up being total nonsense?"
Kyle gave a faint chuckle.
"Guess you'll have to find out the hard way."
"I'd rather not. I'll follow your lead, but don't take too long. We're not exactly inconspicuous anymore."
She said flatly.
Kyle continued foraging for another hour, gathering more herbs and magical minerals, occasionally handing a few to Silvy for safekeeping.
She watched him work with a quiet sort of awe, annoyed as she was. He moved like someone who belonged out here, like the forest accepted him as one of its own.
Eventually, Kyle stood up and dusted off his hands.
"Alright. I've got enough for now. Let's head back."
The pair finally made it out of the forest clearing, the sunlight beginning to cut through the tree canopy again.
Just as they stepped onto the outer path, a sudden gust of wind whooshed overhead, followed by the soft flutter of wings.
Lysander landed gracefully on Kyle's shoulder, letting out a soft trill. Kyle reached up and scratched under the dragon's chin, causing it to rumble contentedly.
"There you are. Did you get it?"
Kyle said.
The dragon chirped again and extended its tiny claw, dropping a gleaming, perfectly cut blue gem into Kyle's waiting palm.
Silvy's eyes widened.
"No way… That's—Kyle, that's the Sapphire of Healing."
Kyle turned the gem in his hand, admiring the way the light bounced through it.
"So it is."
Silvy's voice dropped into a hiss.
"Do you know what that is? That's the most sacred artifact in elven healing arts. It's said to be a piece of the original elf tree's heart, condensed over centuries of mana. It was sealed away because of how powerful it is!"
"I know. That's why I asked Lysander to fetch it."
Kyle replied calmly.
Silvy nearly choked.
"They're going to declare war on you for this! You just saved them, Kyle! You're a hero! Why would you ruin that by stealing their most important gem?!"
Kyle looked unfazed.
"I didn't steal it. I retrieved something that would have gone to waste otherwise. That temple's collapsed. Most of their records are lost. The elves were already on the verge of extinction. If they needed the gem, they would've used it already."
Silvy stared at him in horrified disbelief.
"You can't possibly justify this. You have to put it back."
Kyle didn't budge.
"No. This gem could save lives back in the settlement. My people are dying, Silvy. If this gem can heal what medicine can't, then I'll use it. The elves already owe me—this is just... insurance."
Silvy's mouth opened, but no words came out.
A dozen protests warred in her head, but none stuck. What he said made sense. It shouldn't make sense, but it did.
She turned away, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"You're impossible."
Kyle tucked the sapphire away with a faint smile.
"And you still follow me anyway."
Silvy glared at him.
"Only because someone has to keep you from doing something stupid."
Kyle raised an eyebrow.
"Then you're going to be very busy."
Lysander chirped again, almost proudly.
Silvy groaned.
"This is going to come back and bite us, I just know it."
Silvy's reluctance was written all over her face. She walked in silence, arms crossed and eyes fixed ahead, refusing to even glance at the pouch where Kyle had stashed the gem.
Every now and then, she opened her mouth as if to say something, but shut it again with a sigh.
Kyle, of course, noticed.
"You know. "
He said casually
Silvy stopped in her tracks and stared at him, wide-eyed.
"I'm not going to. But you're free to."
Kyle added without missing a beat.
Silvy clenched her fists.
"You're unbelievable."
"This gem could save dozens of lives in the coming months. Maybe even hundreds, depending on what we run into. I'm not handing it back just to preserve someone's sense of tradition."
Kyle continued, voice calm and unapologetic.
She wanted to argue. She really did.
But deep down, Silvy knew that Kyle wasn't wrong. Still, a part of her screamed that this was wrong, that they had crossed a line that shouldn't have been touched. And yet…
"I'm not saying anything. It's better if I just pretend I didn't see anything."
She muttered finally, turning away.
Kyle gave a faint smile.
"Smart."
And with that, the topic was closed. No elves came chasing after them.
No accusations were made. No one even noticed the sapphire was missing.
The temple had been damaged, the archives lost. In the chaos of celebration and rebuilding, the loss of one artifact went completely unnoticed.
It was, in the end, a perfect crime.
As they continued walking, the forest began to thin out, the dense canopy above giving way to open sky.
Silvy glanced upward, watching sunlight stream through the leaves, but her thoughts remained murky.
Kyle walked ahead, confident as ever, humming faintly to himself like they hadn't just stolen one of the elves' most sacred treasures. His lack of remorse made her grit her teeth.
"Do you even feel bad about it?"
She asked suddenly, unable to stop herself.
Kyle didn't turn around.
"I feel bad that we had to take it without asking. But not for taking it."
His answer only frustrated her more, yet she couldn't argue. They had been through so much already. Maybe this one selfish act—if it could even be called that—was just another necessary evil.
Behind them, the sound of soft wings fluttered overhead, and Lysander swooped down to perch on Kyle's shoulder, chirping smugly as if it knew exactly what it had done.
Silvy exhaled, defeated.
"Next time, at least tell me when you're planning a heist."
Kyle smirked.
"Would you have stopped me?"
She looked away.
"…Maybe."
He chuckled, and they pressed onward—two travelers with secrets, heading back into a world that would only get more dangerous.