As usual, Flay was sitting inside a cluster of flowers in the indoor garden. Sitting in the center of those flowers, the flowers that had already finished blooming seemed to actually show signs of blooming again.
The reason for that was due to a rune inscribed onto her body.
Flay was an elf. She came from the southern border of Farucci, the Endless Forest. As the power of the elves from that forest originated from a pitch-black ancient tree in the center of the forest, they were known as the Blackwood Elves.
The owner of this mansion, the Grand Duke of Farucci, was descended from the Grand Duke family that had befriended the Blackwood Elves for generations. Because of that, Flay, the most outstanding guard from the Blackwood Elves, has been accompanying and guarding the Grand Duke's only daughter.
Following the Grand Duke's daughter year on end, Flay had learned some of the bad habits the people of Farucci possessed -- their infatuation toward songs and stage plays.
Compared to her mistress, the Flower of Farucci, who was especially dedicated to stage plays, Flay was much more fond of singing.
Her favorite thing would be to find an isolated place and sing songs she was fond of.
The indoor garden was the most optimal place for Flay to perform in the city of Norland.
The song Flay was singing today was the song she heard from yesterday's 'Beauty and the Demon's' meet-and-greet.
Recently, what this elf heard the most in Norland was not discussions about her mistress, the Flower of Farucci. Instead, it was the 'Beauty and the Demon,' a performance she had never heard of before.
Flay admits that the performance of 'Beauty and the Demon' was indeed excellent. It was much more brilliant than all the stage plays she had witnessed by her mistress's side.
But, after her mistress watched that performance, her behavior became very strange. Every day, she would lock herself in her room. When she does come out, she would be completely dressed up in some sort of disguise and run toward Norland's slums.
It was only yesterday that she finally listened to her mother, accepted her invitation, changed into a new luxurious dress before proceeding to the Weissenasche Theater.
It was all because of that demon...
Flay suspects that if this was to continue, her dignified and graceful young lady will disappear and be replaced with a truly crude-mannered swan.
That being said, Flay must admit that the music in 'Beauty and the Demon' were truly wondrous. This was especially true for the song she heard yesterday, the song 'Let It Go.'
After listening to it only once, she had remembered the entire melody and lyrics. She was able to reproduce the song using her harp. Unfortunately, the harp would not be able to produce the same sort of fast tempo as the original song.
"Meow…"
When Flay had finished singing half the song, a pitch-black cat appeared on her shoulder and yawned.
The madam of the mansion, Madam Schroder, was allergic to cats. Because of that, cats were not allowed in the mansion. Because of that, the black cat on Flay's shoulder was not an actual cat. Instead, it was a living originium crystal.
The elves called them 'tree spirits.' This black cat was born from the Blackwood Flay was tasked with guarding. Whenever a Blackwood Guardian started doing something that perked the tree spirit's interest, they would appear beside the elf.
The song 'Let It Go' actually managed to catch the attention of the powerful Spirit of the Ancient Tree?
Flay looked at the cat crouching on her shoulder with surprise.
To the Blackwood Elves, the appearance of a Spirit of the Ancient Tree was something grand and very honorable!
Feeling excited, the elf's singing voice grew much louder. But, her long ears managed to hear a sound that does not belong to the harp.
Someone… entered this place!
Perhaps because Flay's magic was specialized in 'stealth,' she was not fond of showing herself to strangers, much less singing to strangers!
To her, being heard singing by a stranger was as humiliating of a thing as someone licking her ears nonstop. It was a sense of humiliation enough to make Flay shiver from head to toe.
But, ironically, Flay wanted more people to hear her singing. That was the reason why she would come out here to sing every day instead of singing in her own room.
But, at least for now, the she elven maiden immediately stopped singing the moment she heard the incoming footsteps. The rune on her body flickered and she disappeared from the cluster of flowers. Even the harp in her hand had disappeared into thin air.
But, the black cat seemed to not detect anything at all. It was still crouching on the grass and licking its claws.
Why… didn't the Spirit of the Ancient Tree not disappear?
The hidden elven maiden wanted to bring away the black cat. Unfortunately, she was too late. The demon had stepped into this ancient territory.
"Could it be, this black cat was the one singing 'Let It Go' earlier?"
Ciri followed the singing voice into the garden. She didn't discover any sign of anyone. Instead, she saw a black cat cleaning itself nonstop in the center of the garden.
Fond of catching little animals in the wild, Ciri's 'occupational disease' flared up at this moment. Carefully, she began to approach the black cat.
The black cat immediately detected Ciri approaching it. Before Ciri could do anything, it ran away from her and… ran over to Joshua's foot.
Joshua could sense the fluctuation of magic from the cat...
Curious, Joshua squatted down and extended his hand to touch the cat. The cat's fur felt like liquid. But, that was not what Joshua was concerned about.
This… was an originium crystal?!
Having interacted with all kinds of originium crystals for an entire month now, Joshua was able to immediately tell what the cat was… a living originium crystal! Moreover, the amount of runes it could contain was simply terrifyingly numerous!
At this moment, Joshua suddenly has an outrageous idea. But, that thought only just came into Joshua's mind when a gloomy and cold aura appeared behind his back.
The elven maiden hidden in the shadows would naturally not allow Joshua, a demon overflowing with the aura of death, to touch the Spirit of the Ancient Tree guarded by their Blackwood Elves for generations.
But, right when Flay brandished her dagger to attack Joshua's back, a staff blocked her dagger.
The dagger did not manage to reach the staff. Instead, it shattered a rune created from the staff.
Flay leaped back and looked to the female mage that blocked her attack with surprise...
"I was planning to catch this cat. But I guess I can forget about it…"
Ciri began to brandish her staff. White runes began to circulate around the staff. After this female mage did a brilliant spear performance with her staff, the runes intensified and rushed toward the elf.
That was not the conventional way mages fight. Flay has never seen such an overwhelming magic attack before.
Ciri's battle power had increased a lot since the time Joshua met her. It was mainly because her magic staff was much better than before.
Flay did not attempt to attack again. The reason for that was because the Spirit of the Ancient Tree had disappeared. It had quietly left this garden. As such, there was no reason for her to continue battling. Just like that, she disappeared into the shadows.
"Escaped? That said, I never would've expected for there to actually be an assassin after us."
Holding her staff, Cici looked all around. But, she was unable to find the elf.
"That elf is most likely not from the Nation of the Holy Church."
Joshua recalled the feeling he had when he touched the black cat from earlier and began to ponder. The amount of runes the originium crystal in the form of that black cat could contain was likely even greater than the Originium Crystal Lizards. Perhaps Joshua should capture that black cat and make it into his server?
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Translator YangWenli:
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