Chapter 139 – An End and the Forest of Elves

“So that’s how it is... Miss Sophia gets shy around strangers?” Wenfu mused as she watched Sophia quietly hide behind Astrid on the couch, nibbling on pastries she herself had baked, without saying a word.

Felicia, ever the disciplined one, had already left after dinner for her scheduled evening training.

Wenfu, too, had pulled herself out of her post-exam gloom. While her personal score was beyond saving, the class placement was determined by the total team score—not just individuals.

Clearly, Wenfu had dragged the team down this time. The thought filled the cat-eared girl with guilt, and she silently vowed to score better next time—she would not be the weak link again.

After dinner, Astrid sat on the lounge chair holding Sophia, Wenfu knelt on a cushioned couch, while Teresa sat in the center.

“Mhm. Sophia’s not too friendly with strangers,” Astrid replied, though her words were tactful. She knew it wasn’t just that—Sophia wasn’t even warm toward most acquaintances or even close relatives. In fact, Teresa was the only person other than herself she had ever seen Sophia actively approach. It had been genuinely shocking to see her hold Teresa’s hand without hesitation.

“Come to think of it, why hasn’t Mr. Dylin come down to eat? I saw him come home earlier.” Wenfu tilted her head.

“No need to worry about him. That’s just how he is,” Teresa stepped in at the right moment to explain. “He’s always been like this—once something comes to mind or he’s suddenly curious about a subject, he shuts himself in the library or his room to focus on it. He even forgets to eat.”

“No need to disturb him. When he gets hungry, he’ll come down on his own.”

“Wow... Teresa Missy, you really understand Mr. Dylin well,” Wenfu remarked.

Astrid, however, felt a flicker of something else stir inside her.

Her Highness Teresa really did understand Dylin... Then again, they had lived together for longer than she had known him. Of course she’d know him well.

Still... who knew Dylin better—herself, or Her Highness Teresa?

She couldn’t explain why, but the question unsettled her.

“...Sis, who’s Dylin?”

“Eh?” Astrid blinked as her little sister tugged at her sleeve like a shy hamster.

“He’s the Divine Child of our team—our team captain.”

“That name... he’s a boy, right?” Sophia asked after a moment of silence.

“Of course! Mr. Dylin is the only guy in our team,” Wenfu chimed in before Astrid could answer, smiling as she spoke.

“............”

Sophia went quiet.

She had been relieved to see that the entire team was made up of girls. Sure, girls could be a threat too, but those cases were rare. Boys, on the other hand...

From what Sophia had observed, no boy could spend time with her sister and not fall for her.

So by default, the only boy in this team had to be secretly in love with her sister.

And not only that—he was surrounded by a group of beautiful girls. Even as a girl herself, Sophia could imagine how blissful that must feel for a guy. It was practically every man’s dream.

Danger. Her sister was in danger.

Sophia immediately went on alert.

They chatted idly for a while. Though Sophia said nothing, she didn’t look like she planned to leave either. Her gaze occasionally flicked toward Teresa, sitting gracefully in the center of the couch, as if lost in thought.

“Sis.”

“Hm? What is it, Sophia?” Astrid ruffled her sister’s silver hair gently, her expression full of maternal tenderness.

As expected—an elder sister is like a mother.

“You were the runner-up in the Crown Tournament, right? Then who was the champion?” Sophia asked, feigning ignorance.

“Huh? That would be Miss Teresa, of course.”

“Miss Teresa beat you?”

“Yup!”

“Liar. Sis is super strong. If Miss Teresa were that amazing, how come no one had ever heard of her at the academy before?” Sophia looked skeptical.

“It’s hard to explain,” Wenfu added with a sigh. “I remember Mr. Dylin saying that a month ago, Miss Teresa hadn’t even gone through her Divine Awakening. Back then, she was probably about the same height as you, Sophia... and she had this super visible scar on her face...”

“...I see.” A flicker of something strange passed through Sophia’s eyes.

With just a few probing questions, she had gained a lot of new information. Her gaze toward Teresa changed slightly, and a bold hypothesis began to take form in her mind.

Elven intuition rarely failed. One month ago, Teresa had yet to undergo her Divine Awakening, was about her height, and had a conspicuous scar...

If that were true—everything lined up perfectly.

But then why was she...?

“Sis, I want an apple.”

“An apple?” Astrid glanced at the fruit tray on the coffee table. The apples were placed the farthest from her—right in front of Teresa.

“Miss Teresa, could you pass me an apple?”

“Of course.” Teresa smiled, picked up an apple—only for Sophia to stretch out her hand toward her, wordlessly asking her to bring it over.

Teresa rose with a smile, walked over, and bent down to hand Sophia the apple.

“Thank you.” Sophia accepted it, and in that instant, examined Teresa’s ears up close.

No flaws. The texture was clear. Nothing about them looked fake.

Could it be... the disguise was just too advanced?

***

Time passed quickly. At eleven o'clock, it was time for bed.

“I want to sleep here tonight. Sis, can I?” Sophia looked up at her sister with puppy-dog eyes.

Astrid turned to Teresa, a little unsure.

“No problem,” Teresa replied casually. “But I think we should at least let your guardian know.”

“That’s okay. They know I came to find my sister.”

“Then it’s fine.” Teresa stood up. “Well then, goodnight, everyone—”

Before she could even step onto the stairs, a tiny hand pinched the hem of her skirt.

“Miss Sophia?”

“...I want to sleep with you tonight, Teresa Sis.” Sophia held onto her skirt between her thumb and forefinger, looking up with big, pleading eyes.

An invitation to sleep together from a tiny elf girl.

“Sophia, you’ll trouble Miss Teresa if you do that. That’s not okay,” Astrid said firmly, surprised by her sister’s sudden clinginess.

“Please?” Sophia ignored Astrid’s tug and locked eyes with Teresa. In her mind, she and Teresa had known each other for a while now, and sleeping together between girls was no big deal. No one would find it strange.

What’s wrong with her? Why such a strange request?

Astrid didn’t understand. Neither did Teresa. But after thinking a bit, she got a rough idea.

Perhaps the girl was afraid she’d reveal her secret. Even though Teresa had promised to keep it, Sophia probably still felt uneasy. She just wanted some alone time to emphasize it again.

With that thought, Teresa bent down and whispered into Sophia’s ear, softly enough for no one else to hear:

“Don’t worry, Miss Sophia. I won’t tell anyone your secret.”

“Then... Can I sleep with you tonight?” Sophia showed no reaction, still staring at Teresa without blinking. She didn’t seem to care about secrecy—she just wanted an answer.

Teresa was surprised.

Still not reassured? Or maybe... is there another reason?

Whatever it was, Teresa had no plans of sharing a bed with anyone.

“Sophia, don’t be naughty.” Astrid finally pulled her sister back with mock sternness.

In the end, Sophia still shared a room with Astrid.

She didn’t get to sleep in Teresa’s bed, but Sophia had picked up on something else—Teresa seemed unusually resistant to sharing a bed with anyone.

Most people would feel that way, but the aversion shouldn’t be so strong when it comes to girls, right?

Maybe there’s another reason behind that too... Sophia quietly speculated.

***

The award ceremony was over. The placement exams are over.

The results came in. Each team was placed into their respective classes.

The morning the scores were posted, Wenfu got up at 6:30 and ran to the bulletin board to check rankings and collect their team’s score sheet.

As expected, she had absolutely been the anchor dragging the team average down.

Fortunately, the other four teammates (well, three, technically) were absolute powerhouses. They’d forcefully hauled this deadweight of a teammate into Class A.

It was worth celebrating, no doubt. But Teresa didn’t think it was all good—given Wenfu’s aptitude and lack of interest in study, whether she could keep up with Class A’s pace remained a big concern.

It looked like the cruel, cat-crushing tutoring sessions were far from over.

When Astrid got the score sheet, the first thing she looked for wasn’t her own score—but Dylin’s.

And she was shocked.

She already knew Dylin was capable. But this time, his score was astonishing—just a few points away from qualifying for the Runner-Up Board. Compared to the enrollment exam, this was a massive leap.

So Dylin had been working that hard recently?

She then glanced at Teresa’s score. Her total score ranked top eight across the entire school—slightly higher than Felicia’s, and only a few points behind Astrid herself, who had placed first.

As for Dylin’s reaction?

“This has nothing to do with me. It’s all thanks to Miss Teresa’s teaching,” he said.

Felicia, upon seeing her results, neither complained nor expressed satisfaction. Typical.

Wenfu, however, was absolutely crushed.

Everyone else had dazzling scores—only she was the outlier.

Especially in math: that glaring 36 was a glaring blot against the team’s average 90+.

“Not bad! Six times better than your first test. That’s a solid 666,” Dylin offered a compliment.

The others didn’t blame her either.

But Wenfu still felt like the entire team had left her in the dust.

***

All in all, this year’s freshman intake has concluded.

Each team was now placed in their classes, and their new lives were about to begin.

As for those poor souls who had been knocked out early in the Crown Tournament... Well, they’d just have to start over and work harder.

Tomorrow, a brand-new life begins.

***

Forest of Elves.

At the place closest to the moon stood the grand, resplendent Moon Temple.

Above its silver arched structure rose a gleaming crescent moon, dazzling beneath the night sky.

“Greetings, My King.” A young elf in a long robe bowed before the one on the throne—an ethereal silver-haired beauty who looked more like a Saintess than a monarch.

“No need for formalities in private, Dorin. I’m no Elf King right now.”

“Yes.” The elf youth named Dorin stood up and looked at the noble Moon Elf upon the throne—his eyes burning with admiration.

“There’s no one else here. Speak freely,” said the Elf on the throne.

“Is there news from Golden Sun?”

“Mhm. Her Majesty the Empress of Golden Sun has asked us to compile academy data—all student records, down to home addresses and enrollment dates.”

“...Forgive my ignorance—I can’t grasp Galnorin’s intentions.”

“Of course you can’t. If you could, she wouldn’t leave this task to us,” the Moon Elf sighed.

“...Galnorin still doesn’t fully trust us?”

“Obviously. From the Soul Scan at Coleman to the current student dossier requests, she never reveals the purpose behind these tasks. It’s clearly deliberate secrecy.”

“We’ll take it step by step. The rift between the two tribes wasn’t formed in a day—and it won’t be mended in a day either.”

“But in the end... we’re still family, aren’t we?”

“Which is why... things we’re not meant to know, we shouldn’t ask. Even if we can uncover them—it’ll only deepen the mistrust.”

“...I understand.” Dorin nodded.

“Remember: just like last time, your actions must remain strictly confidential. No one can find out—especially not... the elders.”

“Rest assured, My King. I understand completely.”

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