Eileen slipped around to Shane’s side, scanning him from head to toe. She then glanced at the waterskins brought by the attendants, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
Then, wearing a sly smile, she suddenly lunged forward while everyone’s attention was elsewhere and wrapped her arms tightly around Shane’s leg.
“Sir!”
Shane felt a sudden weight on his leg. Looking down, he saw an elf with light blue hair kneeling on the ground, arms clamped around his thigh. She looked up at him, her grey-blue eyes glistening with watery sheen.
“Please, take me in!”
Shane’s brow furrowed in sheer bewilderment, but the elf gave him no chance to speak, babbling at breakneck speed, “Look at me! I’m clever, quick-witted, great at fighting and running, and I can cook!”
“Even though I have nothing but this sword on me right now, I can work, and I can even warm your bed!”
As the elf’s claims grew increasingly absurd, Shane felt a wave of irritation. He lifted his leg, trying to shake her off.
But instead of letting go, she clung on even tighter.
“Sir, look into my sincere eyes!”
She tilted her face up, her grey-blue eyes wide and round. Her expression looked remarkably genuine—provided one ignored the twitching corners of her mouth that she couldn't quite keep down.
Shane tried to shake his leg again, but still failed to dislodge her.
Elon watched the scene unfold with a mix of confusion and subtle speechlessness. He stepped forward and looked down at the elf. “Let go of him first. If you have something to say, stand up and say it.”
“No way! What if he runs away the moment I let go?”
Eileen replied with righteous indignation. She shot a glare at Elon, then looked back up at Shane, resting her chin on his thigh as she whined pitifully, “Sir, I’ve been lost in the desert for days without food or water. If I hadn’t run into those sand scalers, I would’ve been buried under the sand by now.”
“You have water and food, so you surely won't miss whatever a single extra mouth consumes. I eat very little, just one meal a day, really!”
She nodded vigorously as she spoke, her earnestness almost convincing.
But that would only work on someone else. Shane didn’t care about any of it. He simply said in a flat tone, “Let go first.”
“Only if you promise to take me in.”
“Let go first.”
“If you don’t promise, I won’t let go.”
Shane looked down at her, and she stared back up at him. The two locked eyes for five seconds—Shane expressionless, Eileen smiling like a blooming flower.
In the end, Shane gave up. He turned his head toward Elon, the meaning in his eyes clear: “Help me.”
Elon sighed inwardly at the sight. He stepped forward, leaning down. “Are you an elf?”
“Can’t you tell?”
Eileen tilted her head, making her pointed ears even more prominent. “A genuine, certified elf. A Ranger from the Seventh... Squad of the Elven Empire, sent to investigate the Golden Sea.”
“A Ranger?”
Elon studied Eileen with a meaningful look before continuing his inquiry. “The Elven Empire’s Rangers usually don’t operate alone when dispatched. Where are your companions?”
Eileen’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, her bright smile remaining firmly in place. “My companions? We got separated.”
“We hit a sandstorm in the desert, and I lost them. It was about three... no, five days ago.”
“Then who is your squad leader?”
Eileen clearly hadn’t expected this question. Her expression stiffened for a split second, but she quickly flashed another smile. “Ilusil Morningdew.”
“Ilusil?”
Elon looked up to exchange a glance with Shane, repeating the name. Then he looked back at Eileen. “Are you sure?”
Eileen nodded immediately. “Yes, that’s the name. She’s our Ranger squad leader. Extremely powerful, way stronger than me.”
Upon receiving her confirmation, Elon’s expression tightened slightly. He swept his gaze over Eileen once more. “Can you be more specific? For instance, which teleportation array at which outpost did your squad depart from before you set out?”
This time, a distinct shift occurred in Eileen’s expression. The corners of her mouth twitched downward for a fraction of a second before quickly snapping back to their original position. Subtle as it was, Elon’s sharp eyes caught it.
“The outpost...”
She tilted her head as if trying to recall. “It’s... the one over in the Western Region... What was it called again? My memory is terrible, I can never remember names.”
“Golden Branch Outpost? Or Silver Leaf Outpost?”
“Golden Branch! Yes, that’s the one, Golden Branch.”
“I’m afraid there is only one outpost in the Western Region, and it is called Elwindar, which means ‘Song of Evermeet’ in the Imperial tongue.”
Elon stared at Eileen, his scrutiny plain to see. Under his watchful gaze, Eileen finally pulled back her smile and released Shane’s leg.
“Fine, I admit it.”
Eileen looked up with a helpless sigh, squeezing out a strained smile. “Everything I just said was a lie.”
“There is no Ranger squad, and I didn’t get separated. I ran away from the Empire all by myself.”
Having just been lied to, Elon was naturally skeptical. He raised an eyebrow. “And the reason?”
“The reason?”
Eileen tilted her head and blinked. “Because I stole a very valuable book from the Imperial Library. I was found out, so I ran.”
“What book?”
“I forgot the name, but it’s the really expensive kind anyway.”
Elon sighed softly in his mind and exchanged a glance with Shane. Both could read the same thought in each other’s eyes: “This girl is lying again.”
At the same time, Elon felt a bit of a headache. In his memory, while elves liked to beat around the bush, it was usually just out of a preference for euphemisms. He had never met an elf who couldn’t utter a single word of truth like this one.
“What should we do?”
Shane spoke up. Knowing little about elves, he could only consult Elon, who was far more knowledgeable on the subject.
Elon stroked his chin, pondering Eileen’s identity, before voicing his suspicion. “Based on my understanding of the Elven Empire, for someone in your situation, there is only one likely identity.”
“You are a fugitive who escaped from the Empire.”
Eileen’s expression faltered for a fraction of a second, but she immediately beamed an excessively bright smile. “Oh my, you saw right through me.”
Her tone was light, showing not a shred of embarrassment at being exposed. “So, how do you plan to handle a fugitive like me?”
On the side, Shane gave Elon an odd look. The latter made no attempt to explain, merely raising a hand to placate him before replying, “We’ll take you back first and let Her Highness decide.”
“Do you have anything else to say?”
Eileen stood where she was, the moonlight catching the tips of her pointed ears. She tilted her head, wearing an enigmatic smile. “Actually, yes.”
“Can I have some more of that water? It’s really delicious.”
Elon stared at her. After a couple of seconds of silence, he waved an attendant over, took a waterskin, and handed it to Eileen.
Meanwhile, Shane had already mounted his horse, looking down to observe the gulping elf.
Rate on N.U.
