Chapter 290: The Dark Elf’s Thoughts.

After finishing their meal and recovering their strength, the adventurers were just preparing to break camp when three more parties arrived.

None of the three groups was particularly large, with only seven or eight members each. Humans were in the minority; most of the newcomers were dwarves and beastmen.

The deep snow was particularly unforgiving to dwarves. Every time they took a step, they sank so far into it that they were almost completely buried. Their taller, stronger beastmen companions had to haul them back out.

No wonder these three parties had fallen so far behind Nasak's group. With dwarves in their ranks, moving quickly was practically impossible.

Their stamina, however, was impressive. Even after traveling for so long, they showed no signs of fatigue or breathlessness.

So when the hundred-man party prepared to leave, the three newly arrived groups didn't stop to rest. Instead, they immediately followed.

They had to keep up with the main group. Otherwise, they might not survive the night.

As more than a hundred and fifty people made their way through the snowy mountain forest, the Light Squad stood out like a sore thumb.

The other adventurers were broad-shouldered, thickset, and powerfully built. Even the dwarves were sturdy and muscular. By contrast, apart from one Dark Elf, the Light Squad appeared to consist entirely of humans. Every one of them was slender and fine-featured, and two were slim young women.

They looked far too clean and innocent to be adventurers. They resembled a group of noble sons and daughters out on a pleasure trip.

What astonished the other adventurers, however, was how effortlessly these youngsters moved. They were agile, nimble, and remarkably sure-footed, climbing the snowy mountain with apparent ease.

If they hadn't needed the hundred-man party to lead the way, they probably could have moved even faster.

Shu Li did his best to ignore the curious gazes directed at him. He extended his perception outward, keeping watch over their surroundings to ensure his companions' safety.

They were already deep in the snowy mountains, where danger could appear at any moment. Apart from the Hunting Squad, there were also magical beasts native to the region.

These beasts were all ice-attributed and completely unaffected by the cold. Their favorite hunting tactic was to conceal themselves beneath snowdrifts and wait for prey to wander within reach.

To them, adventurers were walking meals, an irresistible temptation. If the group hadn't been so large, several of the magical beasts they'd encountered earlier would already have pounced.

Shu Li glanced at the Dark Elf walking ahead.

No wonder Moresy had suggested following the hundred-man party.

It was safer!

Climbing mountains was boring enough. Climbing snowy mountains was downright miserable.

Before they knew it, the sun had set. The temperature plummeted, and the adventurers finally stopped to make camp.

Nasak's party chose a hollow in the mountainside as their campsite. As before, they cleared a flat area, then piled snow into a circular wall a meter high to provide their tents with as much protection as possible.

The other adventuring parties moved quickly, competing for the best spots near the hundred-man group.

The Light Squad took their time. Only after everyone else had chosen their places did they select a relatively distant spot near the entrance to the hollow, where they could come and go easily.

There was no need to camp too close to the others. If something went wrong, being hemmed in would only make escaping more difficult.

The fourteen members divided the work among themselves. Some cleared the snow, others built the snow wall, gathered firewood, pitched tents, or prepared ingredients for dinner.

Everything proceeded smoothly and efficiently, and before long, their campsite was ready.

The delicious aroma of cooking food drifted through the camp.

Falm, who had spent the entire day sleeping, finally emerged from the Fire God's Mark. It stood in front of the campfire, opened its mouth in an enormous yawn, and stretched its four short, chubby limbs.

Seeing how lazy and comfortable it looked, Shu Li couldn't resist poking its belly.

Falm nimbly dodged his finger.

Then it spotted the roast meat suspended over the fire. Its eyes lit up, and it immediately pounced, completely unconcerned about the flames.

Shu Li's eyes widened.

“That's Seidler's roast meat!”

Falm took a large bite and began chewing with obvious enjoyment. Then it raised its tail and pointed toward Shu Li's storage pouch, indicating that he should take out something else to replace the stolen meat.

Shu Li was sorely tempted to drag the little beast out and give it a thorough spanking.

Unfortunately, Falm knew perfectly well that it had the upper hand. It crouched smugly among the flames and refused to come out.

“I'm sorry,” Shu Li apologized to Seidler.

“It's all right,” Seidler replied. “I brought plenty of roast meat.”

Shu Li reached into his storage pouch and took out three fresh, pear-shaped fruits as compensation.

Seidler declined. “There's no need. Keep them for yourself.”

Fresh fruit was extraordinarily precious in the Kingdom of Snow. Even adventurers generally carried dried fruit rather than fresh produce.

“I have plenty more.” Shu Li held the fruits out insistently.

Seidler hesitated.

Before he could decide, Moresy, who was sitting beside him, reached out and accepted them with a cheerful smile.

“Thanks!”

Seidler shot him a cold glare, looking as though he wanted to say something.

Moresy pretended not to notice the reproach in his eyes. He placed two fruits in Seidler's hands and kept one for himself.

“It's not every day we get fresh fruit. Go on, try it.”

Clearly, he was the one who couldn't resist eating it.

Seidler sighed, picked up a fruit, and took a bite.

His golden eyes widened slightly.

What an extraordinary taste!

The flesh was delicate and bursting with juice, its sweetness balanced by a faint tartness. The flavor was so delightful that he couldn't resist taking another bite.

What surprised Seidler most was that after only two or three bites, he felt completely refreshed and invigorated.

This was no ordinary fruit.

Moresy held his half-eaten fruit between his fingers, deep in thought.

He was a Dark Elf more than two hundred years old. Apart from the Faerie Forest and the Elven Kingdom, there was hardly a corner of the Austin Continent he hadn't visited.

Fruit was a staple food of the Dark Elves.

Whenever he traveled somewhere new, he made a point of sampling every kind of fruit the region had to offer.

Yet the fruit in his hand was entirely unfamiliar. He had never seen anything like it before. That was precisely why he'd shamelessly accepted it on Seidler's behalf—he wanted to taste it himself.

Dark Elves had exceptionally sensitive palates.

One bite was enough for Moresy to realize that this was not something ordinary humans could cultivate.

Nor could Dark Elves, for that matter.

The flesh contained an abundance of the power of light.

Moresy owed his ability to suppress the dark power within him to a certain potion.

Every Dark Elf faced the same problem upon reaching adulthood: an increasingly volatile temper. As their strength grew, so did their violent impulses, until controlling themselves became progressively more difficult.

Moresy despised losing control. He hated the thought of becoming a slave to darkness and had spent years searching for a way to restrain himself.

By a fortunate coincidence, he had discovered Efit, a genius potion-maker among his people.

Efit was a quiet, unassuming Dark Elf who disliked drawing attention and would rather remain beside the Elven Mother Tree than shoulder any important responsibilities.

Moresy had observed him for a long time and noticed that his violent impulses were unusually faint. More remarkably, he never lost control.

What allowed him to remain so rational?

Moresy soon suspected that the answer lay in potions.

He spent an entire month pestering Efit, trying every possible means to obtain a potion capable of suppressing dark power. Eventually, he managed to buy one.

He never learned the potion's name or ingredients.

All he knew was that drinking it had given him a new lease on life.

And now, the fruit he had eaten today had produced the very same effect.

Moresy turned toward the young man chatting with his companions, his bloodred eyes filled with uncertainty.

Was he really just an ordinary mountain villager?

Supposedly, these youngsters came from the Cesis Mountains.

Was it because they lived so close to the Faerie Forest that they could cultivate such unusual fruits, rich in the power of light?

Moresy finished the fruit, still craving more.

Seidler noticed him staring intently at Shu Li and frowned.

“Don't get any ideas about him.”

Moresy blinked.

“Wait... What are you thinking? How could I possibly...”

He met the white mage's golden eyes, abruptly changed tack, and flashed a roguish grin.

“Are you jealous?”

Seidler remained expressionless as he tucked the rest of his fruit into his storage pouch.

Emboldened, Moresy reached out and draped an arm around his shoulders.

“Don't worry,” he said tenderly. “You're the only one I love. I'd never let anyone else turn my head.”

A vein throbbed on Seidler's forehead.

Without the slightest hesitation, he shoved Moresy away.

Caught off balance, Moresy toppled backward and landed flat on his back, limbs sprawled in the air.

“Hahahaha!”

Dixio burst into exaggerated laughter at the sight.

The others joined in.

Shu Li covered his mouth, his gaze darting between Seidler and Moresy.

Although he'd been chatting with his companions, he'd still been paying attention to the pair. Fairies had exceptionally sharp hearing, so naturally he'd caught the Dark Elf's declaration of love.

During their journey through the desert five years earlier, Moresy had flirted with Seidler at every opportunity.

Back then, Seidler had rejected his advances outright. He hadn't believed a word of Moresy's sweet talk.

Five years later, Moresy was still delivering his romantic lines with the same carefree, shameless attitude.

But Seidler's hostility toward him had disappeared. In fact, when Moresy fell, a faint trace of guilt crossed his face.

Shu Li had to admit that Moresy's relentless pursuit had finally begun to pay off.

As the saying went, perseverance could wear down even stone.

No matter how hard Seidler's heart had once seemed, it was gradually beginning to soften.

Shu Li lowered his hand and sighed inwardly.

Could a Dark Elf and a human mage really have a happy ending?

After [N O V E L I G H T] all, human lifespans were limited.

Unless Seidler managed to advance to the level of Mage Sovereign and extend his life indefinitely, their time together would inevitably be cut short.

Yet since the end of the War of the Gods, Danlov had been the only human to attain the rank of Mage Sovereign.

He possessed extraordinary talent and had received personal guidance from the Elven King. Only with those advantages had he been able to reach that level.

The chances of Seidler becoming a Mage Sovereign seemed rather slim.

“What are you thinking about?”

Ace's soft, gentle voice sounded beside his ear.

Shu Li snapped out of his thoughts and turned, only to meet a pair of tender green eyes.

His heart gave an involuntary flutter.

He quickly lowered his gaze to conceal his reaction.

“N-Nothing.”

He had almost forgotten that there was a human beside him who liked him too.

What a troublesome situation.

If he rejected Ace outright, he was afraid of hurting him. But if he didn't reject him, he worried that Ace would only fall more deeply in love.

Ace tilted his head toward the Dark Elf, who was picking himself up off the ground, then smiled faintly.

“Are you worrying about their future?”

“Uh...” Shu Li's cheeks reddened. “H-How did you know?”

“Just a feeling.”

Ace looked away and added more dry wood to the campfire.

“Actually, you don't need to worry. If those concerns were enough to stop them, they wouldn't choose to be together in the first place.”

Shu Li spoke awkwardly.

“But... they're different races, after all.”

Ace watched the flames climb higher and higher.

“When two people truly fall in love,” he said softly, “differences in race, lifespan, gender, and status can all become insignificant.”

“But...” Shu Li cupped his burning cheeks. “I've always felt that settling for a little temporary happiness is such a bad bargain. If you're going to love someone, shouldn't you love them forever? Until the end of time, until the world itself comes to an end?”

Ace turned and gazed steadily at him.

Shu Li grew increasingly uncomfortable under his gaze. He swallowed nervously.

“D-Did I say something wrong?”

“No.”

Tiny points of light seemed to sparkle in Ace's green eyes.

“You're absolutely right. Love that lasts forever is the only kind worth having.”

Shu Li's breathing turned unsteady.

He abruptly sprang to his feet.

“Let's get some rest!”

Without waiting for Ace's reply, he hurried into his tent.

The Light Squad had pitched five tents that evening. Cyndi and Nasha shared one, while the boys were divided into groups of three.

When assigning the tents, Shu Li had indulged in a little selfishness and arranged to share with Dixio and Angel.

True, nothing strange had happened in his dreams when he'd shared a bed with Ace at the inn the previous night.

But what if he had another strange dream tonight?

Sleeping separately was definitely safer.

Seeing Shu Li retire to his tent, the others gradually got up and prepared for bed.

Angel picked up Falm, who had eaten and drunk its fill, and began whispering a long string of words into its ear.

“Gah?”

Falm stared at him.

He wanted me to go harass the mercenaries in the middle of the night?

“Well? Are you going to do it or not?”

Angel reached into his storage pouch and produced a fresh sea fish about a foot long.

Falm's eyes instantly lit up.

It stretched out its short, chubby paws and wrapped them around the fish.

“Where'd you get this?” it asked.

“Amanda gave it to me.” Angel repeated his question. “So, will you do it?”

“Absolutely!”

Falm opened its mouth wide and tore off a mouthful of fish.

All I have to do is scare a few humans? Easy!