It was like the effect of falling dominoes, where one event triggers a series of others. Perhaps at first there were only two guards, but moments later, four more appeared, followed by two more from the upper floor, and three others preparing to climb from the lower level.
All I had was a dagger at my waist. My bow and arrows were shattered when I fell onto the cargo. I no longer had my Viglet, which had broken during the hunt some time ago. Though I had weapons, I still felt uncertain that they could get me out of this chaotic situation. After passing a corridor intersection, I veered right, as three more men were pursuing me from the left.
"Damn! They're relentless!"
Fortunately, they couldn't use Esze to chase me. Earlier, they had tried to attack, but their strikes missed and destroyed a vase. Perhaps the items in this place were too valuable, and after that, they stopped using Esze. I glanced back, and I saw there were dozens of soldiers. Each of them carried spears and shields.
I decided to take the stairs down. But I stopped when I saw a line of Elvian soldiers waiting for me at the bottom. They had formed a shield wall to prevent me from passing.
I panicked. Behind me, there were many pursuing, and ahead, they blocked my path. They were trying to corner me from both sides. But I didn't lose my wits. I grabbed vases and other small items from the corridor and threw them at the soldiers' heads. Reflexively, they all raised their shields to protect themselves.
This was the moment I had been waiting for. In a flash, I sprinted down the stairs. While their shields were still raised, I leaped high and used the shields as stepping stones. My plan worked. Now, I was right behind their backs. Without wasting a moment, I dashed into the corridor.
"Goodbye, Dumb Long-Ears!" I shouted loudly. I couldn't stop myself from laughing, so relieved to have escaped the chase. Once I was sure no one was following me, I escaped through an open window.
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The sky above turned into a colorful canvas as the sun set. Yet, its beauty couldn't distract me from the danger that followed. The sound of birds, usually soothing, now seemed like a threat. I had to find a way out before the Long-Ears captured me.
At this point, I had reached the ground, no longer atop the towering trees. It had taken me a whole day to get here. After the previous incident, I was more cautious in every move I made. With the Elvian soldiers patrolling more frequently, my movements became increasingly restricted. They must have already spread word about the intruder, which meant more soldiers were hunting me down.
I pressed my back against the wall, peeking out from my hiding spot. Below, there were still many houses and shops. The district here looked even more elite and luxurious than the one above the trees. Each house was made of brick and stone, not wood. The architecture was high-class—complete with verandas, massive pillars, large backyards, and even a fountain as large as a football field. This was clearly a noble or aristocratic Elvian district.
Fortunately, I had found an unused warehouse. It seemed to be a storage area for old weapons belonging to the Elvian soldiers. There were many rusted weapons scattered around, confirming my suspicion, as this warehouse was near the barracks.
This time, I wouldn't act recklessly. Even though my stomach was empty and growling, I wasn't foolish enough to break into someone's house again. That would make me exactly what they had labeled me: an intruder.
I waited until nightfall. Looking back, it seemed pointless because the Elvians could see in the dark. It would be easy for them to spot a small bird in the pitch-black night. Still, the only ones who could spot me wandering the city at night would be the soldiers. By nightfall, the common folk would be inside their homes, resting.
While waiting, I lay on a long bench in a corner of the room, thinking about Glafelden. I wondered what Dimas was doing now. I hoped he wasn't too panicked or rash enough to follow me here. And Grussel, what would he say when he heard I'd ended up in Elvian territory? He would surely think of me as reckless and useless. And Almira—what would she say when I managed to infiltrate the Elvian city?
For a moment, I found myself longing for the grilled squid I used to buy in the city. Its salty and savory taste was so delicious that I could remember it perfectly.
"Ah... damn it! Thinking about food just makes me more hungry!" I said as I rubbed my stomach.
CRACK!
Suddenly, the warehouse door opened. My eyes met two Elvians who entered, chatting with one another. In an instant, all three of us froze and stared at each other. There was silence for a while. After quickly assessing the situation, the two men jumped back in alarm.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? And this smell... where is it coming from?" One of the Elvians suddenly covered his nose, probably unable to tolerate the sour brine that still clung to my body.
"Ah, could you be the Smelly Intruder the commander mentioned?" shouted the other.
I reflexively stood and took a few steps back to maintain distance. Panic and surprise were certainly overwhelming, but what irked me most was the "Smelly Intruder" label they had given me. Yes, I smelled, but I didn't want it!
"Ha! Who are you calling smelly, huh?" I retorted, challenging them slightly.
The two men eyed me carefully. Their gazes made me uncomfortable, even though I was still wearing clothes. It was as though their eyes were stripping me bare from head to toe.
"Just like the commander said."
"Exactly."
"She's truly a Haier-Elvian! This girl reminds me of the mixed race that last lived hundreds of years ago."
Wait! Do they already know who I truly am?? This must be the work of the Elvian with the ponytail who caught me in the closet earlier. He was the first to know my true identity. It was probably him who spread the word. If it wasn't him, then who?
It seemed that man was a high-ranking military officer, or perhaps a person of influence in this city. He could easily spread information. This was bad! If this reached Glafelden, it would cause a lot of trouble.
But putting that aside for now, I was cornered. Not only had my position been compromised, but my true race had been exposed as well. My mind was racing with thoughts, but for now, I focused on escaping. My eyes darted around quickly, scanning the room filled with old weapons. Suddenly, an idea struck me.
I quickly grabbed a large shield, big enough to cover half my body. It was heavy, so I wouldn't throw it like the vases before. The two Elvians hesitated in the doorway, waiting for my next move.
Once I positioned the shield in front of me, I charged forward. The two men tried to block my escape by crossing their spears and standing firm. At the last moment before impact, I threw myself forward. If it were a test of pure strength, I would lose to these two. But with the weight of the shield and the force behind my charge, I managed to break through.
The two men were knocked back slightly. Taking advantage of the moment, I sprinted away at lightning speed. One of them quickly recovered and began chasing me, while the other ran in the opposite direction. It seemed that one of them was going to inform the rest of the soldiers. If it were like this, my escape would be much harder than before.
"Hey, stop right there!" shouted the soldier chasing me.
"Are you stupid!?" I yelled back.
Why would I stop? Did he think every thief or intruder would stop just because they were yelled at like that? I wasn't some obedient pet.
During the chase, something seemed off about this soldier. I realized that when I was chased by Elvian forces in the multi-story room earlier, they didn't use Esze, likely because they were worried about damaging the valuable items and furniture around. But didn't every Elvian have access to Esze? So why wasn't this man using it? We were in an open space now.
Less than a minute after leaving the warehouse, more Elvian soldiers appeared. About ten of them emerged from the main street between the houses. I quickly turned into a narrow alley to slow them down. The alley was only a meter wide, forcing the Elvian soldiers to pass through one by one. I saw a few others taking a longer route.
That made me panic. I had only just arrived in this city, and there was no way I knew the ins and outs of its streets. I was afraid of taking a wrong turn or running into a dead-end. And with the increasing number of soldiers chasing me, or the hidden traps they had set, I could be in even more danger. For now, I just ran wherever there was room to escape.
"There she is!"
"Catch her alive! Don't let her escape!"
Now I understood. Thinking back, the Elvian with the ponytail had ordered my capture alive that morning. No wonder no one had attacked me. It was ironic—my capture was practically an invitation, and I had to accept it.
The situation became even more dire when thirty more soldiers appeared ahead, blocking the path. Like a rat cornered, I took any path or opening I could find. I even had to break into someone's house to escape to the back street. My crime seemed to be escalating.
I froze when I saw a blockade ahead with rows of soldiers at the intersection. I then dashed down a side street and climbed onto the roof of a house, leaping across rooftops and over fences like a ninja performing under the cover of night.
I had to keep running for several minutes straight, and I was exhausted. But when I looked back, I saw no one chasing me anymore. It seemed my trick had worked and fooled them. But that didn't make everything better. The fact that I was still trapped in this city hadn't changed. The Elvian soldiers were already starting to block the streets. I didn't expect things to escalate this much.
"How serious is the crime of an intruder anyway? Why are they acting like this?" I thought to myself.
Right now, I was leaning against a fence in a narrow alley, catching my breath as best as I could. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and neck. My eyes scanned the area, and it seemed quiet and still. The Elvian soldiers might be searching elsewhere.
And then, it happened quickly. While I was resting, a group of people dressed in black emerged from the massive trees. They descended rapidly using ropes. My eyes couldn't keep up with their speed. Before I knew it, they had reached the rooftops or the top of the fence.
The group of seven raised their swords toward me simultaneously. Their swords were slightly different from the usual Elvian soldiers' weapons. These were thinner and lighter, designed for critical strikes or to kill in the blink of an eye.
"Give up, intruder! We'll treat you well if you throw down your weapon!" one of them said.
"Treat me well? If that's the case, can you just let me leave?" I replied half-jokingly, trying to stay in a defensive stance with nothing but a dagger. But they didn't react at all to my joke.
Fear began to creep over me. The aura of this group was entirely different from that of regular soldiers. Their expressions were fierce, and their eyes sharp. They looked like an elite military unit.
"I'll give you three seconds to surrender. The commander ordered us to bring you back unharmed. But I'm not one to follow orders when dealing with troublesome opponents."
"What will you do if I surrender?"
"You don't need to know," he answered curtly.
After being accused of infiltrating and causing chaos in the city, I wasn't sure they would keep their word. This was a very bad invitation, and I wanted to refuse it. But how could I escape from here? Maybe I could fool the regular soldiers, but it didn't seem like that would work with this group. They'd surely strike me down at the first sign of a suspicious move.
Their swords gleamed menacingly, a silent threat to every victim they encountered.
"One!" He began counting. I panicked and froze, as if rooted to the ground. "Two!!"
The atmosphere grew even more tense when dozens of Elvian soldiers arrived, surrounding the alley from both directions. I clicked my tongue. This narrow street was filled with soldiers, and the rooftops were guarded by elite forces. There was no escape. The situation became critical when he shouted, "Three—"
CLANG!
The sound of metal ringing filled the air as my dagger fell onto the cobbled street. Before he could finish counting, I deliberately dropped my weapon. I surrendered.
I sat down on the street, resigned as the soldiers approached. Several of them helped me to my feet and bound my hands.
"Throw this woman into the prison! Then interrogate her! Make her tell us her purpose for coming here!"