“Arrest those axe-wielders over there! With so many of you, it took this long just to round up a few axe-users? You’re all a bunch of Bread House loafers! See to it that they’re given a proper beating and dragged off to the Interrogation Cathedral!”
Grand Archbishop Tyrus, having witnessed this once-in-a-lifetime battle come to a close amid the dust, popped out from some unknown corner, blocking the path of the Holy Knight Order, gesticulating furiously as he shouted.
This time, the Holy Knights’ faces were all gloomy, and not a single one paid him any attention.
It seemed Samimi’s acting was truly superb; her cover as the Messenger had successfully fooled the whole world.
For those Holy Knights who had witnessed this legendary clash, and for the knight squires who had been misled by that band of troublemakers, none said it out loud, but in their hearts, all believed that the rumors about demonic cultists were baseless.
“Take them to our Sanctuary Cathedral,” Sage Knight Order Second Company Commander Ophika ordered her subordinates.
Without another word, the Holy Knights and Sage Knights ignored Grand Archbishop Tyrus and his sycophants entirely, leaving in a group, not even bothering to hand over the two Trial Nuns.
“What is the meaning of this! Are you deaf to my orders?” Grand Archbishop Tyrus roared, his face red and his plump body waddling up to bar Commander Ophika’s path.
“Grand Archbishop, you have no authority to dictate what we Holy Knights do,” Ophika replied coldly. “We will investigate thoroughly and report back to you—eventually.”
With that, she left, shoving Tyrus aside with a single slap, not caring about his dignity at all.
Samimi lay on a stretcher, closing her eyes, matching Ophika’s performance flawlessly.
After such a grand spectacle, right in front of the Royal City’s common folk, the royal family, and the gathered clergy, Samimi had successfully played dead.
Though I may look like I’m done for, I know just how much I’ve already risked.
Even though this isn’t true death, I’ve already sown the seeds of doubt throughout every corner of the Royal City.
When a rice weevil acts, it may look reckless, but there’s always a way out left in every move.
Now, the final question: who really fired that arrow at me from the shadows?
There’s no need to ponder it; Samimi already knew the answer.
Fortunately, I’d prepared for this—I’d stuffed some padding into my chest specifically to prevent a fatal wound.
But for now, this matter can’t be handled openly. As a “wounded” person, I have to leave it to my good sisters to deal with for the time being.
Grand Archbishop Tyrus’ expression changed—he knew something had gone terribly wrong, and he wasn’t a fool.
If the Trial Nuns revealed everything, he would surely be punished. They could not be allowed to live; their silence must be ensured.
At that same moment, atop a certain rooftop in the Royal City—
At the edge of the rooftop stood a silver-haired Elf—the true culprit behind Samimi’s ambush: Arrow of Dream, Chloe.
This was no idle threat from a pretty girl. She was here for real; if she said she’d kill the rice weevil, she’d see it through.
Chloe had lain in wait for ages, seizing the perfect opportunity for the kill—waiting until Samimi’s stamina and magic were almost spent after that close-quarters fight with the Holy Knights, when Samimi’s focus was entirely on her dramatic “death.”
To be honest, her timing was flawless—she nearly managed to kill Samimi then and there.
With skills and cunning like that, one could shake the world. Even if the King himself had been present, he’d surely have died. It was just that her target this time was a transmigrator with a heaven-defying fate.
And as for Chloe, there was no need to confirm whether Samimi was still alive—she’d already taken her shot, so she simply put away her Phantom Dream Bow and prepared to leave.
Whether the kill succeeded or not didn’t matter. If Samimi survived by luck, she’d just try again.
But she had only just turned around when she found a petite figure standing at the rooftop entrance, crossbow raised and pointed directly at her.
“You’re the little Elf who’s always by Samimi’s side,” Chloe recognized the newcomer. “The way you hold that crossbow, you must be that knight squire. I didn’t expect you to be an Elf too.”
She was confident her assassination had left no trace—how could anyone have tracked her down? It could only be another Elf roaming the world incognito.
After all, in this otherworldly realm, Elves were portrayed as overwhelmingly powerful. There would never be a naive little Elf out and about alone.
Don’t be fooled by their gentle smiles; Elves are actually the most complex and prideful of all races, always harboring a sense of superiority, looking down on all other humanoids.
To win their approval, you’d at least need the strength of a Hero.
So for someone to snatch up an Elf wife, it would take a stroke of luck equal to pulling a rare SSR in a gacha game.
What’s more, the Elven Clan has rules as complicated as a priest’s doctrine. Once a rule is broken, you’re branded an [Outcast].
As in our own group, there’s an Outcast Elf—a Wanderer.
“Why did you try to assassinate Samimi? If you don’t give me a satisfactory answer, I’ll kill you.” Yingqi Zhu’s boots clicked against the roof tiles. Even though she was always calm, in this moment, her every word dripped with killing intent.
A wisp of Poison Arrow’s toxic gas curled from her small crossbow—she was not bluffing.
“Wanderer…” Chloe began.
“You have no right to call me a traitor, half-elf who’s never lived in the village.” Yingqi Zhu cut her off, correcting her.
“As for Samimi, the reason I tried to kill her is simple—because of that Illusion. You saw it too, didn’t you? The Phantom Dream—what kind of dream did you see?” Chloe replied.
“That was an illusion conjured by the Female Vampire Queen. You really believed it?” Yingqi Zhu said.
“I asked what you saw in the Illusion!” Chloe suddenly snapped, her voice harsh and demanding.
“It’s none of your business,” Yingqi Zhu answered coldly.
“And why do you care about my business? Aren’t you just as unwilling to face your own nightmares?” Chloe’s hand trembled as she pointed, clearly unstable, nearly desperate.
Yingqi Zhu’s eyes grew colder still, seeing the half-elf had already gone mad. Keeping her alive would only cause more trouble.
So she prepared to pull the trigger, planning to finish it quietly, so that no one would ever know.
“Don’t.”
Just then, a tall figure appeared atop the cluttered little shack on the roof, right beside Yingqi Zhu, bow drawn and aimed at her.
“Nanxi, is that you?” Chloe’s expression flickered, sanity returning for a moment.
The newcomer said nothing.
Yingqi Zhu glanced at her as well, and instantly recognized the identity.
Someone who could get within five meters of her without a sound must be a master of stealth—another Elf, and not just any Elf, but the very best.
Currently, only the Chief Archer, Nanxi, had such skill.
“Yingqi Zhu, let her go,” Nanxi had come to protect Chloe.
“Do you know why I’m here?” Yingqi Zhu ignored Nanxi, and instead questioned Chloe.
“Why?” Chloe frowned, confused.
“Didn’t you just ask me what I saw in the Illusion? Since we’re all here, I’ll tell you. If I’m lying, Nanxi, you can kill me yourself—I have no intention of taking the fall for you.” Yingqi Zhu gave a wry smile.
Nanxi remained silent, but made no move—knowing that, now that she had appeared, nothing could be stopped any longer.
“Your real goal was to find your father from the beginning. As the Elven Chief Archer, your mission after leaving the village was to execute that traitor, the Demi-elf Father.” Yingqi Zhu explained.
“Senior… Even you were lying to me?” Chloe’s composure wavered again, staring wide-eyed at Nanxi.
Nanxi did not reply, which was answer enough.
“At least she still has a conscience; she wouldn’t kill you herself. So, she told me about it in advance, hoping I’d come here and kill you instead. Since I’m already a Wanderer, what’s one more Elf life to bear? From now on, the Clan’s target is me, and you’ll be after me as well—right, half-elf?” Yingqi Zhu analyzed with a humorless smile.
Chloe thought for three seconds, then realized everything Yingqi Zhu said was correct.
If her beloved senior were to be killed, she would surely hunt Yingqi Zhu to the ends of the earth.
Now she finally understood—her cherished senior had approached her with a purpose all along: to kill her father.
“Respected Senior, do you have anything to say for yourself? Was all of this true?” Chloe asked in a trembling voice.
Nanxi remained silent.
“The so-called Chief Archer is nothing more than the executioner of the Elven Clan. You’re a half-elf, just like me—a mixed-blood rejected by the Elves. Don’t tell me you truly believe you’re an Elf?” Yingqi Zhu added.
“Enough. Don’t say another word.” Nanxi, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.
“You make me angry just by being here! If you’ve got the guts, shoot me down, you useless Chief Archer. If you can’t handle it, just run back to your village!” Yingqi Zhu retorted coldly.
“You think I want to be this? You think everyone can just throw everything away and walk away unscathed like you? You’re the most talented Mage in our Clan, yet you shirk all responsibility!” Nanxi said with anger.
“You call me a Mage? That’s exactly why I was exiled!” Yingqi Zhu snapped.
“No, you were exiled for your arrogance and irresponsibility,” Nanxi sneered. “You’re nothing but a coward hiding in your armor.”
“And you, indecisive Chief Archer, have no right to judge me. Who was it that hid their real name, tricked me into the armor, and nearly got me killed by the hands of the Female Vampire Queen?”
They bickered without end, blaming and accusing one another, knowing full well there could be no resolution.
Chloe felt a wave of dizziness, stumbling back a few steps until she could steady herself against the roof’s guardrail, head pounding, clutching her forehead with her bow slipping from her grasp.
Yingqi Zhu raised her crossbow again and continued, “You just asked me what I saw in the Illusion, right? I’ll tell you now: I saw Nanxi killing your father, and then humanity exterminating the Elven Clan in revenge. And as for you…”