Chapter 336 - 305: Of Course We Have to Help

Chapter 336: Chapter 305: Of Course We Have to Help

RUSTLE... RUSTLE...

The broken buckle of the Leather Armor was undone, followed by the scorched-black Lining.

Normally, a man taking off his clothes would be nothing remarkable.

Everyone there was a man, except for Hill.

But Aidi’s movements were hesitant and slow.

He subconsciously kept trying to cover his body with his arms, even though everyone present, aside from Hill, was male.

Paired with that deceptively beautiful face and the messy Tiffany blue hair scattered over his shoulders...

...the scene took on a strangely different meaning.

If you didn’t know his gender, the scene looked exactly like a group of ruffians bullying some damsel in distress.

Zelir, Marcus, and Gray all looked away, a little unnaturally.

As the last piece of clothing came off, Aidi’s upper body was exposed to the air.

There wasn’t much difference from a human’s.

However, his bone structure was more slender.

Even compared to an average person, Aidi’s frame could be considered slight. He didn’t have much muscle, and his collarbones were clearly defined.

But right now, on his otherwise fair skin, several corrosive wounds crawled like ugly centipedes.

Against the backdrop of his pale skin, the wounds were truly shocking to behold.

"Brace yourself. This might hurt a little."

"Mm..." Aidi nodded lightly.

Valles began to clean the wounds, his movements extremely gentle.

As the cloth touched the edge of a wound, Aidi’s body trembled slightly.

Valles carefully wiped away the slime clinging to the surface of his skin, bit by bit.

Then he wet a fresh cotton cloth with the clean water Zelir had created and wiped it again.

Aidi’s expression grew incredibly complex as he watched Valles—the man he had just recently scorned as a "half-breed"—meticulously cleaning his wounds.

"Alright, that should be clean enough." Valles straightened up and sighed in relief.

"Here."

Zelir stepped forward, and with a flip of his palm, he retrieved a set of clean clothes from his Storage Pouch and handed them to Aidi.

Aidi reached out and took them, but a flicker of hesitation crossed his face.

’He’d never worn human clothes before.’

"What’s wrong?"

Zelir asked, a half-smile on his face.

"Still think you’re a noble Elf, and wearing human clothes will sully your purity?"

"N-No... that’s not it!"

Aidi immediately shook his head and quickly put on the clothes.

Aidi was slightly shorter than Zelir, with a smaller frame.

The Linen shirt was a bit big on him. The collar hung slightly open and the sleeves were a touch too long, making him look even thinner.

The dry, comfortable fabric eased the earlier sticky sensation, and Aidi let out a breath of relief.

As his gaze swept over the group, an undeniable sense of shame welled up inside him.

Elves were difficult to get along with, that much was true.

On one hand, it was because of the Elf Race’s innate pride.

On the other, it was because the education Aidi had received since childhood taught him to stay away from humans.

Even when traveling abroad, he was to keep his distance as much as possible.

Over time, through constant exposure, Aidi had naturally developed a stereotype of humans.

But Elves were also a race that placed great importance on honor and gratitude.

Repaying kindness was a moral principle more important than bloodline.

Just yesterday, he had hurled insults at this team.

And today, in a situation where they could have easily gotten revenge, they had instead held no grudges and saved him...

’What on earth have I been doing...?’

Aidi fiercely condemned himself in his heart.

’I’m the absolute worst!’

Aidi stood up, gave the team a deep bow, and said sincerely,

"About yesterday, I must apologize again. I’m sorry..."

"My name is Aidi, and I am truly, truly grateful to you all... If it weren’t for you, I would have really lost my life today."

Then, Aidi went to the base of the tree and picked up the equipment that had fallen to the ground when he was strung up.

It wasn’t much—just a small pack, a Longbow, and a quiver.

Zelir paid special attention.

Aidi’s Longbow was similar in design to Valles’s, though the material probably wasn’t as exquisite as Valles’s Moonlight.

Aidi rummaged through his pack, his face flushing slightly.

Finally, he stood up hesitantly, clutching a small cloth pouch in his hand.

Aidi walked up to Zelir somewhat shyly, held it out, and spoke in a small voice.

"I... I don’t have much to repay you with. This is all the money I have left on me... Please, take it."

Judging by the muffled clinking of metal from the pouch, there weren’t even any Gold Coins inside—at most, just some Silver and Copper Coins.

Zelir was slightly moved. He waved his hand.

"It’s fine, you don’t have to. Keep it for yourself."

"Alright..."

Although he had been refused out of kindness, Aidi still felt a little embarrassed.

He took back the money pouch, thought for a moment, and then recalled the previous night’s events.

"Oh! Weren’t you saying last night that you were interested in the culture of the Elf Race...? Perhaps I can answer some questions for you."

"As long as it’s something I know, I’ll tell you everything!"

"Oh..."

Zelir smiled, turned to the side, and pointed at Valles. "It wasn’t me who was interested, it was him."

Aidi looked at Valles and blinked.

Facing Aidi’s gaze, Valles grew a bit reserved. He lifted the hair at his right temple, revealing a slightly pointed ear.

This time, Aidi didn’t show an expression of disgust.

"Um... I wanted to ask."

Valles gathered his thoughts before speaking.

"Are you an Elf from Cloud Sleep Valley?"

"Huh?"

Hearing the name of the place, Aidi’s eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know...?"