Sylffie was having the greatest days of her life
Once again, she could travel with someone important to her
Together, they went from town to town, taking quests, raising their ranks, and creating memories
Slowly, the pain of losing Phoen and the others began to fade
But happiness never lasted forever
One day, her party accepted a quest to eliminate a group of bandits
The mission ended in tragedy
Again, Sylffie had to look at Kalih's death right in front of her eyes, trying to protect her
"S-Sylffie… run" Kalih desperately tried to protect her
Kalih stood before her, a sword buried deep in his chest
Blood dripped from the blade
The bandit holding the sword grinned
Sylffie's body froze
She couldn't move
Couldn't help him
Couldn't even scream
Once again, the only thing she could do…
…was run
"And again… he died"
Sylffie's voice became quiet
"The person with the same face died right in front of me"
"After that, I returned to the guild and reported the failed quest"
She lowered her head
"But then… something strange happened again"
"Someone approached me and tried to comfort me"
"And that person had the same face too?" Helen asked softly
Sylffie nodded
"Yes"
"At first, I was terrified"
"I thought maybe I was cursed. That everyone who got close to me would eventually die"
"So, when he tried to talk to me, I stepped away"
"I didn't want any bad thing happened to him like the others"
She smiled faintly
"But after a few days, I realized he wasn't an adventurer, he was just a farmer"
"Eventually, I started helping him on his farm"
She looked up at the sky
"Everything felt… normal"
"No monsters"
"No dangerous quests"
"Just peaceful days"
"It felt like I was living in a dream"
"For the first time, I thought…"
"…maybe I could stay beside the him forever"
The girls remained silent
"But even that didn't last, he grew older"
"His hair turned white"
"His hands became wrinkled"
"And one day, he told me he wanted to see the meteor shower one last time"
"So, I accompanied him"
"I would say that night was one of the best things that could happen in my life"
Her smile slowly disappeared
"But in the same time, she left me again, alone"
Silence filled the air
"I went back to the guild bar and I wasn't even surprised anymore when I saw another person with the same face"
She laughed bitterly
"Again, and again"
"Different names"
"Different memories"
"Different lives"
"But always the same face"
"Eventually, I realized something"
"The curse wasn't that I made them suffer"
"The curse…"
"…was that I would always meet the same person again"
She looked at her hands
"It feels wonderful to live with someone precious, but at the same time…"
"I couldn't bear to watch them disappear"
"That's why I stopped being an adventurer and came back to the Elf Country"
"Because I didn't want to experience that pain ever again"
"And now…" Ashley said quietly
"You saw that person again as Auel?"
Sylffie nodded
"Yes"
"Of course, I was filled with joy when I saw him again"
"After nearly 3 years I stayed at the Elf Country"
"I feel like, I want to go outside again"
"Adventuring together"
"Tell him everything that happened while I was here"
She hugged her knees
"But I scared…"
"Can I bear that feeling again, when he had to go and left me alone"
Helen crossed her arms
"But, what if Auel is different from the others"
Sylffie blinked
"I mean, you said that the previous persons have a positive vibe, right?"
"But Auel doesn't look a single bit like that"
"Yeah" Ashley continued "Maybe this time the story will end differently"
"Ahhh… I don't know, his gloomy vibes really give me chills" Sylffie said
She then looked at Erin
"Erin, have you never asked him why he looked like that?"
Erin thought for a moment
"Umm… I don't think I never asked him"
"Well, even if you asked him, I think I know what he gonna said" Helen said
"What is it?" Sylffie asked
"He won't tell it"
The girls silent for a moment
"Y-yeah, I think you're right" Erin said with a weak smile
Sylffie lowered her head
"I really don't know anymore…"
"Should I become an adventurer again?"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Elf Country, the boys finally arrived at the Royal Palace
Two guards immediately blocked their path
"What are outsiders doing here?" one of the guards asked coldly
"They want to talk with the cardinals" Veyn answered
"Veyn, are you out of your mind? Since when are outsiders allowed inside the palace?"
"Hey, I'm simply following the Cardinals' orders"
"They said that they wanted to talk with these people"
"If you still don't believe me, then why don't you call one of them"
The two guards exchanged glances before finally stepping aside
The group entered the palace
Its interior was magnificent
Tall pillars of white wood stretched toward the ceiling
Veyn led them into a meeting room
"So, we're going to wait again?" Rikka asked
"No, they should be here in just a moment" Veyn said
As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened
Two elves entered the room
Both wore luxurious green robes
One had glasses, while the other wore a decorated hat
Veyn and Auel immediately bow to them
The others hesitated for a second before following
"Everyone, these are the Cardinals. Sir Cael Orwyn and Sir Aren Valther"
"And Sir these are the persons that I told you about"
The Cardinals studied the group in silence
Finally, Cael spoke
"What are your true intentions?"
The boys kept silence for a while
Finally, Auel said something
"To find the missing King"
"And what make you sure that your help will finally find the King?"
"You are right, but there also no one get harmed from our help, right?"
Cael frowned
"From Outsiders? You think we need help from outsiders to find the king"
"Yes, you have spent almost 2 months investigating and still found nothing right?"
Cael's eyes narrowed
"Unless…"
Auel continued calmly
"…the real culprit is one of you"
"What did you just say?"
"May I remind you to not harm any of us"
"We are coming from outside specifically to do this quest"
"And if we didn't come back for at least 1 month, the adventurer guild will send people to check our condition"
"From there I think you know what's going to happen right?"
Cael just clicked his tongue
Aren finally spoke
"So, what actually you going to do to find the king?" Aren asked
"We have tried various ways to find the king, and found nothing"
"That's why we're here" Gramm said "We need your approval so we can check the crime scene"
"From there, maybe we can help to find the missing king"
The cardinals then whispered at each other
After a moment, Aren sighed
"Fine you can investigate the Palace, but at one condition"
"You will not move around alone"
"Veyn will accompany you at all times"
"And Veyn…"
He looked toward the librarian
"You will report everything they do"
"Yes, Sir" Veyn answered and bowed at them
"That's the end of our meeting today, you guys can start investigate from now"
The cardinals then walked out the meeting room
But before that, Rikka stopped them with a question
"Umm… excuse me, can I ask you something"
They turned their back at Rikka
"I don't know how far is your investigation, but if you would guess the culprit, who is it?"
"That's an obvious question" Cael said
"It's the Dark Elf"
Then they went outside the meeting room
"Dark…"
"… Elf"
"Wait, Dark Elf? Hey Veyn, you never told us anything about Dark Elf" Rikka said
"H-hey, calm down"
"I actually never agree that the Dark Elf is the culprit, that's why I never told you about this"
"Then, how come those cardinals said that the Dark Elf is the culprit" Rikka grabbed his clothes
"H-Hey! Please let go!"'
He carefully removed her hands
"The reason the Cardinals suspected the Dark Elf is no other from their hates in other races"
"What!?"
"But aren't Dark Elf also an Elf?" Gramm asked
"You're not wrong, but there is something that make each of us different"
"Both races possess a natural aura"
"An elf's aura makes nature flourish"
"Plants grow faster, flowers bloom, and the forest thrives"
"But a Dark Elf's aura does the opposite"
"It causes nature to wither and decay"
"That alone made many elves fear them"
"That's why they got banished from the Elf country"
"Because elf afraid that their aura will evolve and not only affect nature but also other living being"
"Even though there has never been any evidence"
"But the King also didn't believe in this thing and tried to put back the dark elf in the Elf Country"
"But his idea always rejected and now the King gave a little village for the dark elf to lived"
Gill frowned
"So, what are you saying is the cardinals suspected the Dark Elf because they thought that the dark elf is wanted to get back inside the Elf Country by kidnapping the King?" Gill asked
"Yeah, you're absolutely right"
"But…"
Veyn's expression darkened
"There is one thing that makes the Dark Elves look suspicious"
"What is it?" Rikka asked
"You remember the poisoned cake?"
Everyone nodded
"The poison found in it…"
"…can only be found in the Dark Elf village"