Chapter 109 – Yandere, Like Her

“What’s going on?”

“Did the crystal projector break?”

“You’ve got to be kidding! It goes out right when things are getting good?!” On the Coleman Academy plaza, disgruntled voices rose as students stared at the now dim crystal and the abruptly blacked-out projection.

It was like binge-watching a gripping drama only to find there was no next episode right at the climax. Their expressions twisted into masks of pain.

“So what happened?! Did Astrid land the blow or did Teresa win?!”

The mentors at the judgment podium whispered among themselves and soon brought back grim news: the projection crystal had experienced a malfunction and would need time to be repaired. Professionals had already been dispatched.

But...

Hadn’t that crystal just undergone maintenance recently? Why would it break right during a match?

The mentors were suspicious. Unlike the students, they didn’t chalk it up to coincidence—but couldn’t pinpoint the cause either.

In truth, both mentors and students were completely in the dark.

In a moonlit shrine built of silver-white stone, a silver-haired elven youth opened his eyes from meditation. He gazed at the golden-haired girl on the monitor with a complex expression.

The result was expected—logical, even. Yet seeing it with his own eyes still made it feel unreal.

Alongside that disbelief came a long-awaited joy, and the confirmation of something he had long suspected.

So the Gold Elves still existed. And if they did, then the Sacred Tree of the Elves must still be alive too.

The Moon Elves had deluded themselves. They thought they had broken free of the "shackles" of the Sacred Tree and gained freedom—but they never truly had.

Like flowers trying to sever their roots—without nourishment, they wither and die.

Out of fear of responsibility, they’d tried to cut ties with everything connected to the Sacred Tree. In truth, those so-called “noble” Moon Elves were nothing more than short-sighted fools.

No, the plaza’s crystal hadn’t malfunctioned on its own. Someone had made it malfunction.

The moment Teresa’s earpiece fell and her ears were revealed, he’d reacted. He immediately entered meditation, accessed the control hub, and forcibly shut down the projector.

He wasn’t afraid of being found out. The control was in his hands—he could say the crystal was just old and failing, and no one could question him.

Because these concerns were minor compared to the greater principle at stake.

He knew perfectly well: if word got out that a Gold Elf, missing for centuries, had reappeared on the continent, it would attract enormous attention—and not all of it good. Some would want to uncover her secrets, others might covet the Gold Elf’s bloodline. In either case, Teresa’s safety would be compromised.

And the greatest danger wasn’t outsiders—it was her own people.

Many of the Moon Elves were still radicals, like he had once been. They despised the Sacred Tree and the Gold Elves’ rule. It was unlikely they’d welcome a Gold Elf back.

At best, they’d be indifferent. At worst, they’d see her as a threat trying to reclaim power.

The Elves didn’t harm their own—but they would imprison her.

She might be treated well, even given luxury—but she’d never know freedom. She’d never be allowed near political affairs.

And that was what the silver-haired youth didn’t want to see happen. Teresa’s every action had confirmed his belief:

Wearing an earpiece to hide her racial features—wasn’t that proof that the Gold Elves no longer trusted the Moon Elves?

And with good reason. Hundreds of years ago, in the catastrophe, the Moon Elves abandoned their duty... and the Sacred Tree.

The boy sighed. He remembered being a radical once, and now—years later—he looked back on that time with the same cringe one felt toward their embarrassing, edgy teenage self.

So no matter Teresa’s reasons, he had to protect her secret. No one—not even the highest-ranking Moon Elves—could know.

The fate of the Sacred Tree was tied directly to her. He couldn’t afford to be careless.

“Elika.”

“Yes, Elder. Grandmaster Caslin says the projection crystal malfunctioned and requests immediate repair.”

“Mm. You’ll handle it.” He didn’t even turn to look.

“But remember,” he added meaningfully as the red-haired elf woman turned to leave, “I told you to fix the problem, not the crystal.”

“I understand.” Elika nodded with full comprehension and vanished from the shrine.

***

“Lady Teresa? Are you alright?” Astrid asked gently, seeing how strange Teresa’s expression was.

“...”

Still lost in thoughts of her bleak future, Teresa rubbed her forehead and replied absentmindedly, “I’m fine.” She hadn’t even heard Astrid’s question.

Just recalling the pain of having her body torn apart and her soul forcibly extracted filled her chest with dread.

That memory—etched in her bones—was something she never wanted to experience again.

But would she have a choice? Once Bilodis learned she existed—would she just let it go?

No. Definitely not.

To that long-lived, near-immortal Elf Empress, her little sister Teresa was her only remaining obsession. She lived for that obsession.

Teresa had no doubt: that woman would do anything for her sister.

In a way, Bilodis was pitiful. She had everything—eternal life, unmatched strength, absolute power, wealth beyond imagination—and yet, she had nothing.

All the things mortals pursued meant nothing to her. They were toys.

So she lost interest in everything. The ever-changing world was just an endless river passing her by.

She survived only by clinging to her obsession—her sister.

Such a person was both tragic and terrifying. After so many centuries, that obsession had likely become her heart’s demon.

To those who had “lived too clearly,” morality meant nothing—only personal will mattered. Whatever Bilodis wanted, she would do—regardless of ethics.

In Bilodis’s world, there was only her sister.

In Blue Star terms, Bilodis wasn’t like a yandere—yanderes were like her.

If she caught Teresa—and realized the soul inside wasn’t her sister’s but a male human from Blue Star—her twisted love and despair would make her do unspeakable things.

Death might be mercy. More likely, she’d blame the failure of the resurrection on Teresa and punish her with wrath born of heartbreak.

Teresa would face the fury of an ancient, possibly hormone-impaired Gold Elf Empress.

“...”

Her normally serene face showed faint disturbance. Her lips pressed together. Her eyes, always gleaming, were now lifeless—like a soulless doll.

“Um, Lady Teresa? You’re a Gold Elf, right?” Litt finally spoke up, despite still being bound like an elf burrito. She stared at Teresa in disbelief.

“...”

“I knew it! No other elf has platinum hair and emerald eyes! You must be a Gold Elf!”

“...”

Litt, in her excitement, didn’t notice Teresa’s increasingly pale complexion or her hollow gaze.

“No wonder I felt so at ease with you, Lady Teresa—you weren’t human at all! So amazing! I’ve never seen a Gold Elf before!”

“My mother once told me: the Sacred Tree thrives on the vitality of the Gold Elves. Every leaf on its branches represents one of you. When a Gold Elf dies, a leaf falls. When there are fewer of you, the tree withers. Is that true??”

“...”

“Litt, that’s enough,” Astrid interjected, sensing Teresa’s heavy mood.

Faced with life-and-death consequences, Teresa had no energy left to care about others. She leaned her head back at a forty-five-degree angle, eyes dull, staring at the sky.

In the heat of summer, her limbs felt cold. Tears slid down her cheeks... the rest was lost to thought.

‘Attention all students: due to unforeseen circumstances, the academy’s projection crystal has malfunctioned. Technicians are en route. Please remain calm—thank you.’

A magnetic, tranquil boyish voice echoed through the secret realm.

And at that very moment, light returned to Teresa’s eyes.

The projection crystal malfunctioned?

So the moment she fell from the tree and her earpiece dropped... might not have been caught on camera?

Her soul returned to her body all at once.

But—was that truly a coincidence? Why had they announced it to those inside the battlefield too? As if someone was deliberately reassuring her: You weren’t exposed. Don’t panic.

Suspicious or not—it was best set aside for now.

“Astrid, shall we continue?” Teresa stood up.

“Huh?” Astrid looked surprised, then thoughtful.

“Lady Teresa... you don’t want your identity exposed?”

“No. And no matter the outcome, I ask you to keep this secret.” Teresa looked Astrid dead in the eyes.

“I don’t know what burdens you carry... but if this is your wish, then I’ll protect your secret,” Astrid promised, though many questions remained.

“Thank you.” Teresa felt reassured.

Elves never broke their word. Human promises might be flaky—but elven ones were sacred.

She also trusted Astrid’s character.

Teresa then turned to the still-bound Wood Elf.

“Ah! Me too! I swear! I’ll never tell anyone your secret!” Litt stammered in panic.

“Thanks, Litt. I trust you,” Teresa smiled so warmly Litt had to look away.

“Lady Teresa... can you really still continue?”

“Why so formal? I’m not your lady. Just call me classmate. That whole ‘Lady’ thing just makes me uncomfortable, okay?”

“...”

Astrid looked conflicted. Her father—the current Elf King—had always taught her that their title was just a stewardship. True rule belonged to the Gold Elves.

But he never expressed that publicly... Was that just her imagination?

“Either way—we both want to win, don’t we?”

“...Yes.” And for some reason, hearing Teresa say “not handing victory to someone else” brought someone else to mind. Astrid’s firm reply came almost instinctively.

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