Volume 3 Chapter 1 – The Night Raid

"Astrid, you're leaving for the Land of the Elves tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, tomorrow, after breakfast," Astrid replied. The Land of the Elves had already sent someone to pick her and Sophia up.

"I see. Have you packed your luggage?"

"Mostly done. Just a few small, fiddly things left."

"In that case, if Astrid doesn't mind, I can help you pack."

"Wouldn’t that trouble Your Highness?"

"It’s no trouble at all."

"I won’t be seeing Astrid for about two months... I'll miss you very much."

Astrid’s eyes flickered slightly at those words as she turned to the blonde girl beside her.

The evening breeze lifted her silk-like hair, the brilliant sunset casting its golden light over her breathtaking features. It was a perfect scene.

The two walked side by side back to the dormitory and entered Astrid’s room.

The hallway was silent, void of the liveliness and chatter of just a week ago before finals. It was a complete transformation.

"Wenfu and Felicia are also leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes, they're leaving in the afternoon. They’ve already submitted their travel forms and packed up."

Gazing at the unusually quiet hall, Astrid felt a strange emptiness in her heart.

It was just a holiday break, yet the sentimental side of her felt as if she might never see her teammates again.

"Is Her Highness Teresa staying at the academy this break?"

"We'll see. I might go traveling too," Teresa replied without giving a definitive answer.

While helping Astrid pack, Teresa discovered something interesting—a handkerchief hanging in the bathroom.

Wasn’t this the same one she had given Astrid before?

The color and look matched perfectly, and even the cheap texture in her hand confirmed it. No doubt, this tasteless handkerchief was the very one she had gifted Astrid.

But hadn’t it been thrown away? Why was it still here?

Teresa distinctly remembered finding it in the trash once.

Could it be that the one she saw back then wasn’t the same one she had given?

"Astrid, are you bringing this handkerchief with you?" Teresa waved the little bear-patterned handkerchief.

"Oh, there it is. I've been looking for it," Astrid said as she took it and carefully tucked it into a pouch.

"Is this handkerchief very important to you?"

"Yes." Astrid nodded without hesitation. "Very important."

"Oh? Was it given to you by someone special?"

"Yes." Astrid nodded silently.

"I see." For some reason, a gentle smile crept onto Teresa’s lips. "Then be sure to keep it safe."

The next morning, the escort from the Land of the Elves arrived with a carriage. Since Coleman Academy was founded by Elves, it wasn’t hard to arrange for an escort from nearby.

At the farewell, Wenfu sobbed while shoving breakfast into her mouth. It was just a normal break where everyone went home, but she was acting like it was a tragic parting.

Soon, the carriage pulled up in front of the villa. Sophia poked her little head out, scanning the crowd for her sister.

"Safe travels, Astrid." After seeing her onto the carriage, the four stood at the gate and waved goodbye.

Astrid wore her ever-calm expression, nodding once before pulling down the window curtain.

The carriage moved on, disappearing from sight.

So the semester had ended, just like that.

Teresa looked up at the golden sun overhead, shining warmly above the rooftops, and sighed at how quickly time flew.

Time slipped through one’s fingers with each passing second, and the busy mortals never even noticed.

But it was different for Elves. A few months were less than a ten-thousandth of her lifespan.

Thinking this, she looked at Felicia and Wenfu beside her.

Humans had a lifespan limit of three hundred years; demihumans, even shorter—just over two hundred.

A hundred years meant a lifetime to a human, but to an Elf, it was just the blink of an eye.

If this wasn’t a dream, what would the world and she herself look like a hundred years from now?

As the sun set, the Knight Princess and the cat-eared girl stood at the manor gates with their luggage.

"See you all in two months." Felicia waved. "Teresa, don’t bother Dylin to see you off. Let him read in peace."

"Bye-bye, Sister Teresa, Mister Dylin~..."

After saying goodbye to everyone, Teresa turned and returned to the villa, her hair glowing in the red sunset. The quiet living room made her feel a strange sense of loneliness.

It felt… empty.

When she had first arrived here, she hadn’t felt this way. Was it because she had grown used to having people around?

Shaking off the feeling, Teresa returned to her room.

With no one else in the villa, she no longer needed to be cautious. She entered Dylin’s room and packed the rest of the luggage.

Tomorrow, she too would leave.

After dinner and a bath, the large villa was quiet except for the sounds she made herself.

Tonight, she was alone. They were among the last group to leave campus. With the academy’s excellent security, Dylin didn’t bother locking his doors.

After preparing everything, he returned to his room, closed the door, and lay on the bed, saying farewell to the day.

***

A thick, pungent stench of blood roused Dylin’s consciousness. He found himself in utter darkness.

Where was this? And what was this overwhelming smell of blood?

The chilling air made him shudder.

He covered his nose and mouth. As his eyes adjusted, he noticed dark red puddles on the ground.

Blood.

Following the trail, the gray-black haze before him began to fade, revealing several blurred shadows ahead.

The closer he got, the stronger the stench grew—an overwhelming scent of dried blood.

Ten steps away, he finally saw them clearly.

They were blood-soaked corpses lying face down. Most of the blood had dried, leaving dull stains across their clothing.

They had clearly been dead for a long time.

Looking down, Dylin noticed their hair—it looked familiar.

All golden. And not just any gold—this bright, sunlit sheen was characteristic of the Gold Elves.

Their skin was too pale for humans, and their ears were long and pointed.

They were Elves—Gold Elves.

Dylin was stunned. Gold Elves were practically mythical nowadays—rare beyond comparison. Even if not treated as people, they should be considered a protected species. Who could be so cruel as to slaughter them like this?

Now that his vision had cleared, Dylin saw that he was in a village built around a giant tree. The earth was soaked in blood-red hues, smoke rising, no signs of life.

A suffocating sorrow pressed down on him, nearly taking his breath away.

What was this? How had he ended up here?

Cries echoed in the air—wails that sounded like both children and young adults.

The sorrowful voices were full of resentment and hatred, drowning Dylin in a tidal wave of negative emotion.

Then the corpses moved.

He rubbed his eyes. The next moment, the bloody bodies trembled and slowly rose, writhing like insects.

Male, female, even the young—these Gold Elves stared at him with bloodshot, vengeful eyes, as if judging a criminal.

Their gaze chilled him to the bone. Panic rose in him. He instinctively reached for the Golden Butterfly Hairpin—only to find it missing.

"It’s all your fault."

"Everything happened because of you!"

Sweet voices spoke words like malevolent spirits. They surrounded Dylin step by step, leaving him no room to escape.

"If only you didn’t exist. If only you weren’t here, none of this would’ve happened!"

Me? What…?

As they stared with murderous intent, Dylin couldn’t understand.

"Come die with us." The Gold Elves lunged like demons.

“......”

Dylin’s eyes flew open. A gleaming knife hovered less than half an inch from his throat.

His training kicked in instantly—he had to move!

Someone was straddling his waist. It was too dark to see their faces, but they were small—maybe not even chest-high.

A cold wind blew as Dylin turned his head, barely dodging the knife aimed at his forehead.

They didn’t go for the throat?

He couldn’t tell if it was a mistake or inexperience.

"Tch!" The girl above him clicked her tongue. "So the illusion wore off already?"

"Illusion?" Dylin frowned. Ignoring the strangely familiar voice, he grabbed a lamp from the bedside table and swung it.

Still, a girl? That young and already an assassin?

She had just pulled the knife from the mattress, about to strike again, when the lamp came flying. She twisted away, but lost her balance.

Dylin took the chance to throw her off and pinned her to the floor.

She tried to fight back, but it was too late. The knife was gone, and the room was too dark to find it.

Dylin turned on the crystal light.

He was in shock—he had been ambushed in his sleep, under an illusion.

He’d made some enemies, sure—but none that should be this extreme.

More terrifying was how the attacker got into the academy—and dared to assassinate a student on campus.

Warm light filled the room.

The intruder instinctively shielded her face with her sleeve, but that golden hair couldn’t be hidden.

"It’s you!?" Dylin’s voice was a mix of anger and disbelief.

He recognized her instantly—it was the girl he’d jokingly confessed to yesterday: the golden-haired legal loli named Yimi.

"Yimi??"

Now exposed, Yimi didn’t bother pretending. She stood and lowered her arm, her jade-green eyes locked onto Dylin without a word.

"Why are you doing this?" Dylin asked after a pause. "If you were offended by that fake confession, there’s no need to go this far."

"Going too far?" Yimi tilted her head with a cold smile. "So you really did lose your memory."

"Lost my memory?"

"Did you commit so many sins that you blacked them out?"

"How unfortunate. For someone like you, amnesia is a blessing." Her soft voice turned icy.

"What are you talking about? I’ve never lost my memory, and I didn’t know you before yesterday, Miss Yimi." Dylin stepped on the dropped knife. "If you can’t explain tonight’s actions, I’ll report this to the Academy."

"Teresa, your high-and-mighty voice hasn’t changed one bit," Yimi said, tilting her head. "Even without memories, personality doesn’t change."

"What Teresa? What are you talking about? There’s no Teresa here."

"Still pretending, huh? Same as always—wearing that fake mask."

"But it’s useless. You can’t deceive my eyes." Her jade eyes flashed with a pale golden light.

Dylin’s pupils shrank.

That was—Divine Appraisal.

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