Chapter 254: The Dark Elf Cub Who Admitted His Mistake.

Under the cover of night, Efit, dressed in a black hooded cloak, sped through a dense forest using teleportation, carrying a Dark Elf cub in each hand.

Earlier, Efit had deliberately traveled slowly while searching for the cubs, following their trail from Vanaku to Woba Grand Canyon. The journey had taken Efit through several countries and lasted an entire week.

Now that the cubs had been found, there was no reason to hold back. Efit increased the pace, using teleportation magic almost continuously to hurry back to Vanaku.

However, even a Grand Mage had limits on the distance and frequency of teleportation. Every hour, Efit had to stop for ten minutes or so to rest, recover magical power, and regain strength.

Nolan and Luka hunched their shoulders and hung their heads dejectedly. Like two kittens being carried by the scruffs of their necks, they remained perfectly obedient, not daring to squirm.

Just two hours earlier, Efit had given them both a spanking, and there were still enormous tears clinging to the corners of their eyes!

Efit might usually be easygoing, but could be terrifyingly strict when necessary. If punishment was deserved, punishment would be given, without the slightest leniency.

Carrying the two cubs, Efit teleported out of the forest and entered a village ravaged by war.

The Kingdom of Cecilia launched wars against its neighboring countries year after year, conquering one nation after another. The resulting conflicts had brought untold suffering to ordinary people.

More than half the village's houses had collapsed. The fields lay abandoned, overgrown with weeds. It was obvious that no one had lived here for quite some time.

Efit found a house that appeared relatively intact, cleaned it up a little, and lit the fireplace.

Orange firelight immediately filled the room.

From a storage ring, Efit took out bread, water, fruit, oatcakes, and a cooking pot. After warming the food, Efit divided it into three portions and arranged them on the room's only low table.

"Eat."

Nolan and Luka's stomachs had been growling for ages. They eagerly grabbed the fruit and oatcakes and began wolfing them down.

Efit thoughtfully poured them some warm water to prevent them from choking in their haste.

After placing the cups before the cubs, Efit picked up a slice of toasted bread and began eating slowly, taking occasional sips of warm water.

Although Dark Elves had been corrupted by the power of darkness and their appearances had changed, their tastes in food remained the same.

They still preferred vegetarian foods such as fruit, oatcakes, bread, nectar, and milk. They could eat small amounts of meat, but too much would make them nauseous.

The firewood crackled in the fireplace as the Dark Elves ate quietly.

A little over ten minutes later, the two Dark Elf cubs finished their meal with expressions of complete satisfaction, patting their round, full bellies.

Phew! Finally, they were full!

After all, they'd barely eaten a proper meal in two days while trying to escape those monsters.

Efit wiped the corners of the mouth with a handkerchief, picked up a cup, and took a sip of warm water. Blood-red eyes regarded the cubs calmly.

"Now, tell me. How did you encounter that Demon Lord?"

Nolan and Luka exchanged glances, too guilty to answer.

Efit's expression grew stern. An unwavering stare settled on the two cubs, accompanied by an invisible pressure that made them increasingly uncomfortable.

After several minutes, they could no longer bear it. Their little mouths turned down, and they simultaneously covered their bottoms with their hands.

"First, you have to promise you won't spank us after we tell you," Nolan bargained.

"You already spanked us earlier! It still hurts!" Luka blinked hard, squeezing out a few tears.

Efit replied expressionlessly, "That was your punishment for running away from home without permission."

Nolan knew Efit always meant what was said.

With a long sigh that made him seem like a miniature adult, he rummaged through his storage pouch, took out a box for medicinal herbs, and placed it on the table.

"This is why the big monster was chasing us."

Efit picked up the box.

"What is it?"

Luka raised a finger.

"It's a plant. A really beautiful plant."

Nolan immediately tried to ingratiate himself.

"We remembered what you taught us! If we come across a precious medicinal herb, we mustn't let it go. We should carefully harvest it and bring it home."

Luka nodded vigorously.

"That's right! Exactly!"

Holding the herb box in both hands, Efit sensed an extraordinarily dense aura of blood emanating from within.

Frowning, Efit carefully opened the lid.

The moment the box opened, an intense, pure aura of blood surged outward.

Efit instinctively leaned back, narrowing those red eyes to examine the plant inside. The expression on the adult Dark Elf's face turned grave.

The entire plant was crimson. Its stems resembled crystal, its leaves were covered in a thick layer of fine fuzz, and an unopened flower bud grew at its tip.

Had it not been harvested, the bud would eventually have blossomed into a small, blood-red flower.

Unfortunately, the plant had been uprooted and had lost its vitality. The flower would probably never bloom now.

Nolan leaned closer and asked softly, "Isn't it pretty?"

Luka said proudly, "It was growing more than three thousand meters underground, beneath the canyon! When Nolan and I found it, there weren't any magical beasts guarding it, so we picked it without any trouble."

Nolan puffed out his cheeks and complained, "Who would've thought that big monster and its minions had such good noses? We'd already run really far away, but they still caught up with us!"

"This plant must be really important. Otherwise, why would the big monster keep chasing us?" Luka propped his chin on his hand. "We killed it several times, but it kept getting stronger. Eventually, we couldn't beat it anymore, so we had to keep running."

"We originally wanted to run toward Vanaku, but we panicked and got our directions mixed up. We ended up running the wrong way."

Nolan rubbed his nose sheepishly.

"Luckily, we ran into those Little Fairies."

Luka asked curiously, "Efit, did you know that Little Fairy called Sperien before?"

Nolan blinked his large, sparkling eyes.

"Oh, right! You two seemed really familiar with each other. He even gave you medicinal herbs!"

Efit didn't answer their questions.

Instead, Efit closed the herb box and put it into the storage ring.

"This plant is no ordinary herb. I'll keep it with me for now."

The herb's bloody aura was far too strong. A low-grade storage pouch couldn't completely contain its scent, which was why the monsters had been able to pursue the cubs all that way.

Efit's storage ring, however, was a high-ranking artifact capable of preventing any scent from escaping.

"Oh."

Neither cub dared object.

Efit asked, "You went more than three thousand meters underground?"

"Uh..."

Luka froze.

Oh no!

He'd gotten so carried away that he'd spilled everything!

Efit regarded the remorseful-looking cub and sternly asked, "What have I told you before?"

Luka lowered his head in shame and stammered, "K-know our limits... and don't put ourselves in danger."

"Did you follow that advice?"

Luka shook his head.

"N-no..."

Nolan bravely spoke up.

"Efit, it's all my fault! I was the one who insisted on going more than three thousand meters underground. Luka tried to talk me out of it, but I wouldn't listen. I dragged him along to gather herbs with me!"

Luka immediately raised his head in protest.

"No, no, no! It was my fault! I wanted to find higher-grade magic stones, and you can only find those deep inside the canyon!"

"It was my fault! If you're going to spank someone, spank me!"

"No, it was obviously my fault! I've got thick skin. Go ahead and spank me!"

"Oh, come on! I already said it was my fault! Luka, stop trying to take the blame from me!"

"I'm not trying to take anything from you! I'm an honest Dark Elf! I'm just telling the truth!"

The two cubs were on the verge of fighting over whose fault it was when Efit finally snapped, "Enough!"

Nolan and Luka immediately shut their mouths.

They became as meek as two little quails, sneaking nervous glances at the stern-faced adult Dark Elf.

Efit's expression softened.

Reaching out with both hands, Efit gently stroked their heads.

Feeling the comforting touch, Nolan and Luka gradually calmed down.

"Efit~"

They called out affectionately, their voices full of childish coaxing.

Efit withdrew both hands and warned, "Don't let it happen again."

"Okay!"

The cubs broke into radiant smiles.

Hooray!

Their poor little bottoms were safe!

Of course, Efit saw straight through their thoughts.

Curling two fingers, Efit gave each of them a light knock on the head before standing up.

"Let's get moving."

Traveling outside with two young cubs was hardly safe. To avoid further complications, they needed to return to Vanaku as quickly as possible.

"Okay~"

Nolan and Luka obediently agreed.

Although they were sleepy now, getting home was more important.

Besides, they didn't have to walk.

All they needed to do was let Efit carry them while teleporting the entire way.

Efit extinguished the fire in the fireplace, picked up a cub in each hand, and teleported out of the dilapidated house.

As they traveled, they passed through numerous villages and towns.

Every settlement bore the scars of war.

Countless civilians had lost their homes and were reduced to sleeping on the streets, their faces sallow and their bodies painfully thin.

And darkness provided fertile ground for evil.

The elderly, women, and children suffered the most.

Efit kept a firm grip on Nolan and Luka, remaining vigilant while passing through these towns steeped in the aura of darkness.

Since ascending the throne, the current king of Cecilia had launched countless wars and annexed every neighboring country.

Yet after conquering those territories, he had made no effort to govern them properly.

Instead, he allowed the people to struggle in misery, letting their fears and desires swell unchecked until they became pawns of the dark forces.

This was not the behavior of a normal king.

Cecilia's geographical position made it extraordinarily important.

The kingdom bordered Vanaku and had once possessed the Sword of Carlos, earning it the title of "Guardian of the Light."

But after the Sword of Carlos was lost, Cecilia's standing plummeted.

Worse, it became the country most thoroughly infiltrated by the dark forces.

For Dark Elves wishing to travel to other parts of the continent, there were three possible routes.

They could cross the dangerous Uniba Swamp, take a ship on a long detour by sea, or travel through Cecilia.

Of the three options, passing through Cecilia had always been the safest.

But since the outbreak of war, that route had become the most dangerous of all.

When the full moon reached its highest point in the sky, Efit stopped teleporting to take another rest.

They settled beneath a giant tree, built a campfire, and scattered insect repellent around the area.

Efit sat cross-legged and entered meditation, working to restore magical power as quickly as possible.

Nolan and Luka wrapped themselves in thick cloaks and dozed off, leaning against each other.

Fifteen minutes later, Efit had recovered eighty percent of the depleted magical power.

Suddenly, those crimson eyes opened in alarm.

Efit's extended magical awareness had detected two figures approaching rapidly.

Both were saturated with an extraordinarily dense power of darkness.

Efit immediately took out a magic staff and moved the two cubs behind a protective stance.

Nolan and Luka opened their eyes groggily.

"Efit, what's wrong?"

"Don't make a sound," Efit warned in a low voice.

Sensing the tension, the Dark Elf cubs held their breath and hid behind the adult.

Soon, the two figures teleported into the vicinity of the giant tree.

An overwhelming power of darkness erupted from them, spreading through the surroundings with terrifying force.

Efit finally saw the newcomers clearly.

The Dark Elf's pupils contracted.

One was a necromancer of Saint Mage rank.

The other was a young man whose rank was impossible to determine, but whose body radiated an intensely concentrated aura of darkness.

And compared to the necromancer, the young man exerted far greater pressure.

"I was wondering who would dare camp out here. Turns out it's a Dark Elf."

The young man stood before the campfire, looking down at Efit and the two Dark Elf cubs.

Every muscle in Efit's body tensed as those crimson eyes watched him warily.

"Saen, don't get sidetracked," the necromancer, Sheen Pusen, said with a frown. "We need to reach the canyon as quickly as possible and complete our mission."

The young man called Saen raised an eyebrow.

"Dark Elf, take off your hood. Let me see your face."

It was an extraordinarily rude demand, practically the equivalent of openly harassing someone.

Efit remained motionless.

"If you have no business with us, I suggest you leave immediately," the Dark Elf replied coldly.

Saen smiled.

"I'm simply curious about the differences between Dark Elves and white Elves. I don't mean any harm. Don't worry. Once I've had a look, we'll leave."

Efit showed no reaction.

The grip on the magic staff tightened, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

The two Dark Elf cubs pressed nervously against Efit's back, terrified.

This young man was dangerous!

Just as dangerous as that big monster!

"Saen, my patience is running out!" Sheen Pusen said icily.

Saen sighed and snapped his fingers.

"All right, then. Wind, come!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a powerful gust swept through the area.

Without warning, it tore the hood from Efit's head.

Under the moonlight, long, fine strands of silver hair fluttered in the wind.

A trace of astonishment crossed the Dark Elf's beautiful face.

Those ruby-red eyes were sharp and piercing, while the smooth, delicate blue-gray skin reflected the faint moonlight, giving it a soft, ethereal glow.

Efit had never expected the young man to resort to such a trick.

The sheer shamelessness of it was infuriating.

Saen stroked his chin, examining the adult Dark Elf from head to toe before arriving at a conclusion.

"Just as I thought. Dark Elves are every bit as beautiful as white Elves. Their appearances may be different, but they have a charm all their own. That fat fool Lauk really has terrible taste!"

Shaking his head, he turned toward the increasingly impatient Sheen Pusen.

"Let's go!"

Sheen Pusen gave a cold snort and vanished instantly.

Before leaving, Saen smiled at Efit.

"Until next time, beautiful."

Under Efit's icy stare, his figure flickered and disappeared.

Only after some time had passed, when Efit could no longer sense either of their auras, did the Dark Elf finally relax.

Nolan tugged at Efit's cloak.

"Who were they?"

Luka whispered, "They mentioned the canyon."

Efit immediately scooped up both cubs, kicked dirt over the campfire to extinguish it, and teleported away without hesitation.

That necromancer and the young man were certainly no ordinary individuals.

Their destination was Woba Grand Canyon.

And there was only one thing that could have a necromancer in such a hurry: the Demon Lord that had been killed there.

Clearly, they were humans who served the Dark God.

If they discovered that Nolan and Luka had been responsible for drawing the Demon Lord into the battle that led to its death, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Sooner or later, the Dark Elf King would cooperate with the dark forces and launch a war against the white Elves.

When that happened, the casualties would be incalculable.

Efit couldn't bear the thought of the newborn Dark Elf cubs becoming sacrifices of war before they'd even had a chance to grow up.

All Efit could do was hope Sperien acted quickly, purifying the Mother Tree's branch and relocating its fruits as soon as possible to curb the growing Dark Elf population.

At least that way, the damage could be kept to a minimum.

With determination in those crimson eyes, Efit increased the speed of teleportation.