Chapter 418: Double Assassination

"That thing in your hand is—" At Jilannis’s prompting, the two Old Elves focused their attention on Ron. When they saw the Gray Mist in his hand, they both wore expressions of utter terror. "That can’t be... the Gray Mist of the Death Realm, can it?!"

"Without a doubt, that is the mark of the Final Lawgiver," the Spider Elf affirmed with a nod. "The Final Lawgiver is also known as the Lord of Many Forms. Could it be that you are...?"

"No, I’m just a mortal," Ron’s answer did not dispel the two Old Elves’ suspicion, but he had no intention of explaining further. He walked up to them, waved his hand to disperse the Gray Mist, and instead pulled several bottles of Alchemy Potions from his alchemy bag. "Here. Drink these."

"If these don’t work, we can have our Priest heal the two of you. After that, I have some questions for you—perhaps a complete, long-lived Elf can answer them for me?"

"Complete? I refuse!"

The Spider Elf didn’t resist Ron’s proposal. Instead, the other Old Elf turned his head away without a word. "Can’t you control the Gray Mist? Fine, then. Take me away! It’s better than being mixed with a pile of redundant data!"

"I was once the youngest senior scholar among the Elves. I must remain true, accurate, profound, and professional! How can I be mixed together with such an error?!"

"I don’t mind being stuck with a reckless youth," the Spider Elf scoffed. "But he’s not entirely wrong. In the years that followed, I did many foolish things, ’clever’ things, shameful things, and ’fine’ things to survive. Jian, I was no longer worthy of that sword long ago. I’ve failed the motto inscribed upon it."

"But I still want to live. I don’t want to die. It’s not easy to climb out of the grave, and I don’t want to lie back down in it so soon."

"Climb out of the grave?" Jilannis studied her half-spider, half-elf teacher. She couldn’t detect any traits or aura of Undead Creatures on him, so she decided to set the matter aside for now.

"In that case, could I trouble you to tell me why, Teacher?" Jilannis looked at the other Old Elf, who would rather die than be treated, and paused in thought. "Teacher, I want to confirm one more time: a moment ago, were you truly trying to kill me?"

"Of course. You had to die. Sorry," the Old Elf said, looking into his student’s eyes as if she were a stranger. "If you were smart enough, you would have realized that the short sword was a perfect match for you. It could have taken your life in an instant, unlike when it stabbed this stupid creature and failed to kill him."

"You say that as if you’d enjoy watching me die," the Spider Elf scoffed.

"In other words, this short sword was tailor-made just for you," the Old Elf paused, then continued, "She knows all of your weaknesses and understands how to exploit them."

"Unfortunately, my strength was insufficient, and with this variable here causing trouble, I failed. A real shame."

"So, someone hired—or perhaps requested—you to kill me?" Jilannis raised an eyebrow. In her mind, she mentally flipped through heavy, dust-covered ledgers, searching for anyone she had ever held a grudge against who could possibly still be alive.

She quickly gave up—there were simply too many, and she couldn’t be sure which one it was.

"Alright, but you must have had better opportunities, haven’t you?" the Elf Grand Mage posed her second question. "I once sought you out alone. I was completely unguarded at the time. Why didn’t you make your move then?"

"A short sword of this design, even if it’s a single-use item, could never be crafted in a short amount of time. You must have had it for several days already, correct?"

"That’s simple. You were unprepared, but so was I," the Old Elf said. "According to the plan, you weren’t supposed to find me. I was supposed to remain completely hidden behind the scenes until you were confronting this stupid creature. Then I would appear and use your mistaken ’familiarity’ with me to win your trust."

"But you... your power is far beyond my comprehension. You actually found me first! Do you think I’d really have a chance to draw the short sword in a direct confrontation and injure you... forget it, to even land a blow on you?"

"No," Jilannis’s reply was simple and clear. ’If a sneak attack couldn’t succeed, what chance would a direct confrontation have?’

"One last question: even if someone asked you, why did you agree? You were the teacher who truly spent all those years with me. Why would you agree to kill me?"

Jilannis saved this question for last because, in her eyes, it was of little importance. As her power gradually returned, she could handle even her most troublesome enemies with ease, to say nothing of some lowlife who only dared to use such cheap tricks.

"Jian, at this point, after asking all this, you still don’t understand?" The Spider Elf behind Jilannis gulped down the last of the Alchemy Potion and staggered to his feet. "Whose orders do you think he would follow?"

The Spider Elf pulled a Flame-shaped Short Sword from out of nowhere. It was the same model the Old Elf had used, but with minor differences. He raised it high and suddenly stabbed down at the nape of Jilannis’s neck!

"He listened to you, of course!"

The Spider Elf was not at all surprised to feel his short sword strike empty air. Jilannis reappeared in another location, her lake-blue eyes sweeping past the Spider Elf—who had deliberately spoken to warn her—and the Old Elf—who was looking at the jaded, veteran version of himself with bitter disappointment—before finally settling on the depths of the corridor they had come from.

Jilannis Galanord pressed the lion’s head on her shoulder. The wondrous Magic Item immediately bit down on her palm, and the Moon Elf’s blood flowed along the grooves into the vambrace. The Sword-Singing Lion Armor instantly let out a series of ringing chimes, as if it had come to life!

"Formation—" Ron raised his shortbow and shouted a warning. Everyone, including a dumbfounded Anastina, gathered around Jilannis and formed up. Ron nocked a Cloud Burst Arrow, the glow of his last charge of Dissociation Magic flickering at his fingertips. The Gray Mist remained hidden in his sleeve, unnoticed by anyone.

’The moment that despicable mastermind showed their face, he would deliver a fatal blow!’

However, as the crisp, pleasant sound of heels clicking on the ground drew near, a Moon Elf appeared. A Moon Elf in a blue-green, gold-trimmed gown. A Moon Elf wearing a light-colored ballroom mask decorated with gold, silver, and feathers, who walked gracefully forward. A mist of black and red blood floated humbly behind her, within which the pale face of Count Richthofen could be faintly seen.

Everyone looked at each other. The mask was practically useless; it didn’t stop any of them from recognizing the Moon Elf’s identity. But because of this, the ominous feeling in their hearts only rose and grew stronger.

"Jilan... nis?" Anastina barely managed to say the name, nearly biting her tongue in the process.