Chapter 295: The Thoughtful Ace.

Shu Li woke to a commotion outside.

He hadn't slept deeply to begin with, having stayed alert for thieves throughout the night. Then, after discovering Ace's secret, he'd spent ages wrestling with his thoughts. By the time he finally settled down again, it felt as though he'd barely closed his eyes before morning arrived.

Yawning repeatedly, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, still not fully awake.

"What's all that noise outside? Is the hundred-member adventuring party breaking camp?"

"I think they've found their companions' bodies."

It was Kumandi who answered.

"Huh?" Shu Li snapped fully awake.

He turned his head and discovered that only he and Kumandi remained in the tent. Ace was nowhere to be seen.

He paused, then quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps it was better not to see him first thing in the morning. At least that would spare Shu Li some embarrassment.

Although Ace had been sound asleep and had no idea what Shu Li had done during the night, Shu Li had been conscious the entire time. One look at that handsome face would inevitably bring back every detail of what had happened.

"Let's go watch the show, too."

Shu Li rubbed his face, threw back his blanket, and picked up the fur garments lying beside the tent wall, putting them on one by one.

"All right." Kumandi rose at an unhurried pace.

Once they were dressed and stepped outside, the commotion grew even louder.

"Sperien! Kumandi!"

Dixio, bundled up until he resembled a furry ball, spotted them and waved enthusiastically.

"Come over here!"

He was grinning so broadly that he could barely close his mouth. Evidently, the "show" was excellent.

Without hesitation, Shu Li hurried over.

His gaze swept across the campsite before landing on Ace, who was standing beside Moresy in a snow-white fur coat. His waist-length golden hair had been gathered into a single ponytail that hung down his back, its brilliance heightened by the surrounding white fur.

Shu Li blinked.

He carefully studied Ace's height, shoulder width, waist, arm length, and leg length.

They were practically identical to the Elven King's!

Just how careless had he been all this time?

"What's wrong?" Kumandi asked, noticing his distraction.

"Uh, nothing."

Shu Li quickly turned away and looked toward the other adventuring parties' campsites.

Several corpses lay in each camp. The adventurers wore grim expressions as they accused and questioned one another. Those who had been close to the deceased knelt beside the bodies, wailing in grief.

Shu Li leaned toward Dixio and whispered, "When did they find them?"

"Half an hour ago." Dixio chuckled. "But they weren't anywhere near our campsite. They were under a snow fir tree more than twenty meters away."

"Huh?"

Shu Li was startled.

Who had moved the bodies and deliberately piled them beneath a snow fir tree?

"It was Ace," Angel explained from beside him.

After waking in the early hours of the morning, Ace had discovered a row of corpses lying in their campsite. He had used wind magic to "transport" all sixteen frozen bodies beneath a snow fir tree, then erased the traces around their campsite as though nothing had ever happened.

After daybreak, the other adventurers noticed that their companions were missing and went out to search for them.

Some knew exactly what their companions had gone out to do during the night, so they headed straight for the Light Squad's campsite.

They found nothing.

Every member of the Light Squad was completely unharmed.

Realizing something was wrong, the other adventuring parties immediately began searching the surrounding area. To their horror, they discovered sixteen corpses piled into a small mountain beneath a snow fir tree more than twenty meters away.

The discovery caused an uproar.

The adventurers could scarcely believe that their companions, who had been alive and well yesterday, had become frozen corpses overnight.

They hurriedly identified their fallen teammates, carried the bodies back to their respective camps, and began discussing what had happened.

Who had killed them?

Deep down, these adventurers knew perfectly well that their companions had gotten up in the middle of the night intending to steal something. Unfortunately, instead of making off with anyone's money, they had lost their lives.

There wasn't a single wound on their bodies.

They had simply frozen to death.

And yet, the surviving adventurers couldn't understand it.

Anyone capable of venturing into the Land of Snow had been carefully selected for their experience. These were seasoned adventurers, people accustomed to handling dangerous situations.

How could they possibly have died without putting up the slightest resistance, without even making a sound?

Then there was the Light Squad.

Every one of those youngsters looked rosy-cheeked, energetic, and thoroughly refreshed. Clearly, they had enjoyed a good night's sleep.

When the bodies were brought back, the rookies had gathered around to watch with innocent curiosity, as though they had absolutely no idea anyone had attempted a robbery during the night.

Even Nasak, the experienced leader of the hundred-member adventuring party, was baffled.

Had the night watchmen all been blind?

How could they have failed to notice what had happened in the middle of the night?

Shu Li was wondering the same thing.

Angel pressed his lips together to suppress a smile and whispered, "The night watchmen were in on it."

Shu Li immediately understood.

So the people assigned to keep watch had participated in the robbery, too. As a result, they had ended up as frozen corpses alongside the other thieves.

"Tsk, tsk. You reap what you sow." Shu Li shrugged.

Who told those adventurers to harbor such wicked intentions? The moment they saw someone with money, greed had driven them to steal it.

Fortunately, the Light Squad weren't genuine rookies. Otherwise, they might not have escaped the danger so easily.

Ace, however, had been even more thorough.

Without realizing it, Shu Li's gaze drifted back toward the golden-haired young man standing beside Moresy.

He had always considered Ace cautious and meticulous. At critical moments, Ace could invariably identify the heart of a problem with a single remark. He was someone Shu Li could always rely on.

When they had discussed their countermeasures last night, however, none of them had considered what would happen afterward.

Shu Li's original intention in using the Phanis Ring had been to warn and intimidate the thieves.

If the night watchmen hadn't been involved, they could have discovered their unconscious companions and immediately dragged them back to camp to look after them.

Unfortunately, Shu Li had underestimated human greed.

The thieves had frozen to death entirely through their own actions.

By quietly moving the corpses before dawn, Ace had clearly taken care of the aftermath.

The surviving adventurers might strongly suspect that the Light Squad had something to do with their companions' deaths, but without evidence, they had no choice but to swallow their anger.

In the past, Shu Li would simply have given Ace an admiring thumbs-up and praised him for a job well done.

Now, however, his thoughts were in turmoil.

If Ace really was the Elven King, everything suddenly made perfect sense.

Obviously, the Elven King had been worried that the underage Fairies lacked experience traveling outside the kingdom and might be bullied by humans. That was why he had disguised himself and accompanied them, secretly watching over and protecting them throughout their journey.

As for the way Ace looked at him...

Shu Li had misunderstood.

The Elven King often looked at him with such tenderness and indulgence! His gaze was no different from that of an affectionate elder looking upon a beloved youngster.

The more Shu Li thought about it, the more convinced he became that his deductions were absolutely correct.

His thoughts were such a tangled mess that he didn't even notice Ace approaching.

"Sperien?"

Ace lowered his head and called to him softly.

Shu Li jumped in fright and hurriedly stepped backward.

His foot slipped on the snow, and his body abruptly tilted backward.

Ace reacted instantly, extending a long arm around Shu Li's waist and pulling him back.

"Ah!"

Shu Li collided with his chest.

"Are you all right?" Ace asked worriedly.

"I-I'm fine!"

Trapped against Ace's body, Shu Li blushed furiously with embarrassment.

"Thank you!"

He pressed his hands against Ace's chest and pushed himself away, his poor little heart pounding wildly.

Ace released him with perfect composure, apparently failing to notice the guilty look in his eyes.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

Of all the questions he could have asked!

Shu Li's face turned even redder. Instinctively, he hunched his shoulders and buried half his face in his fluffy scarf.

"V-very well," he mumbled. "What about you? Angel said you got up before dawn to deal with those... things."

Naturally, by "things," he meant the corpses.

What Shu Li really wanted to know was exactly when Ace had woken up.

One in the morning counted as before dawn, but so did five.

Please don't tell me I woke him up by touching his neck!

"I slept straight through until five," Ace replied. "When I woke up, I noticed something outside, so I took care of it."

Shu Li looked up at his calm, open expression.

Gritting his teeth inwardly, he suppressed his embarrassment, forced himself to regain his composure, and broke into a broad grin as he raised his thumb.

"You really do think of everything!"

This wasn't the time for a confrontation.

He had to maintain his usual attitude and lull Ace into lowering his guard. Only then would the young man reveal more clues.

After all, what was the purpose of a disguise?

Obviously, it was to prevent anyone from discovering one's true identity!

Besides, neither the time nor the place was right.

Shu Li decided to wait until their adventure was over before confronting Ace and demanding confirmation.

Ace gazed into the boy's gray-blue eyes, which sparkled like bright stars, and the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly.

"We're running a little late today. Let's prepare breakfast first. We'll need our strength to climb the snowy mountain."

"All right!"

Shu Li nodded, his gaze lingering on the man's handsome face.

Just look at that! Even the way the corners of his mouth curve when he smiles is exactly the same!

How could I have been so blind?

Taking a deep breath, Shu Li forcibly suppressed his overwhelming urge to hunt for more clues.

He turned toward the campfire and began preparing breakfast.

Having enjoyed enough of the spectacle, the others joined him.

Meanwhile, in the hundred-member adventuring party's campsite, Vice Captain Yose stared at the seven corpses lying on the ground and gritted his teeth.

"Captain, are we really going to let this go?"

Nasak glanced toward the Light Squad's campsite, where the atmosphere was remarkably harmonious.

He shook the bottle of strong liquor in his hand, now only half full.

"Do you have any evidence?"

Yose answered through clenched teeth, "No."

Nasak put away the bottle, raised his foot, and kicked Yose in the backside.

"Then shut your mouth and swallow it!"

After receiving that kick, Yose didn't dare bring up the matter again.

Instead, he ordered his teammates to place the bodies in coffins and temporarily store them in storage pouches.

Adventurers spent their lives walking the line between life and death. Fatalities were commonplace, so they generally carried coffins with them in case the worst happened.

Back at the Light Squad's campsite, Shu Li finished his sweet oatmeal and watched the adventurers skillfully place the bodies into coffins, seal the lids, and store them in their storage pouches.

"Then why were those adventurers we saw the other day carrying coffins down the mountain?" he asked, puzzled.

Of everyone present, only Moresy and Seidler were seasoned adventurers, so naturally, the question fell to them.

"Out of respect for the dead," Seidler explained. "They still have an expedition to complete, so they have no choice but to store the coffins in their storage rings for now. Once they descend the mountain, however, they'll take the coffins out and carry them."

Moresy picked up a fresh, tender kuku fruit and added, "A storage pouch is, as its name suggests, a pouch for storing objects. The same principle applies to storage rings. The important word here is 'objects.' But the body lying inside a coffin belongs to a person. Treating a human corpse as an object to be carried around is disrespectful to the deceased."

With that, he popped the kuku fruit into his mouth and ate it in a single bite, looking as though he wished he had another.

"So that's why!"

Shu Li turned toward Hector.

No wonder Hector's father's coffin had been transported back to the Pros Empire by sea instead of being carried home inside someone's storage artifact.

Hector was thinking of his father, too.

If the Little Fairies hadn't helped him, his father's coffin might still be lying at the bottom of the sea, never to see the light of day again.

Noticing Hector's grateful gaze, Shu Li handed him an oatcake.

"It was all the guidance of the Light God."

"Thank you."

Hector accepted the oatcake.

Having eaten his fill, Shu Li contentedly rubbed his slightly overstuffed stomach.

His eyes wandered, and he noticed the golden-haired young man beside him taking out a handkerchief and elegantly wiping the corners of his mouth.

Shu Li paused.

Ace owned a great many handkerchiefs. He never seemed to use the same one two days in a row, and he used them remarkably often.

After spending so much time with him, Shu Li had somehow accumulated several of Ace's handkerchiefs himself.

At first, he had always remembered to wash them and return them. Later, as he grew busier, he had started forgetting.

The Elven King also possessed an abundance of handkerchiefs and frequently handed them to Shu Li whenever he needed one.

Over the years, Shu Li had accumulated more than twenty of them in his storage ring.

One day, while organizing the contents of his storage ring, he had come across a pile of handkerchiefs. Assuming they all belonged to the Elven King, he had mixed them together.

Now, even if someone asked him to separate them, he wouldn't be able to tell which belonged to Ace and which belonged to the Elven King.

The materials they were made from were astonishingly similar.

Shu Li licked his lips, his gaze settling on Ace with extraordinary intensity.

So the evidence has been right under my nose all along.

I just have to find it!