Sedina stiffened for an instant.

It wasn’t only that she was overwhelmed by the presence of the elf who called her Plante.

‘That gaze... she’s not looking at me with the slightest goodwill.’

Eyes that treated her as nothing more than a convenient tool.

And that look—it was the same one Sedina had often faced before she met Ludger.

Her fists tightened as she tried to steady her nerves.

The elf, however, watched Sedina closely, then tilted her eyes with a faint curl.

“Hm. How strange. I had been looking forward to this, hearing you were the last of the bloodline, but you don’t really resemble her at all, do you?”

Her?

Sedina flinched before she realized it.

This person knew her identity.

Which meant remaining silent here would only be the wrong move.

“Who are you?”

“Oh my.”

The elven woman widened her eyes, as though surprised Sedina dared to speak.

“How curious. Most elves wouldn’t even dare raise their heads before me, yet you not only look me in the eye but even ask questions. Is it because half your filthy blood is mixed with that of humans? Or is it because, despite being rotten, the other half is still Plante blood?”

“...Are you an elven noble?”

Sedina pressed on undaunted.

That uncanny presence flowing from the woman pressed down on her like a weight, stirring unease in her mind.

But Sedina refused to yield.

Indeed, the elf’s presence was formidable—enough to instinctively make her shrink back.

‘But not as much as Teacher.’

Being kidnapped was humiliating.

It hurt that she had burdened Ludger, and her pride stung that she had been unable to resist at all.

But clinging to what was past wasn’t important. What mattered was how to overcome what lay ahead.

At the very least, this elf did not seem to intend to treat her simply as a hostage.

‘Even arranging a meeting like this proves it. Her eyes aren’t friendly, but I can sense at least the pretense of courtesy. How far that will go, I don’t know.’

If the woman had truly wished to treat her with goodwill, she would not have used tailing and kidnapping as her methods.

No, this elf had some purpose for her—something she intended to gain. Until then, she would bide her time.

So Sedina resolved to seize this chance to learn as much as she could.

The elf’s expression shifted as she met Sedina’s determined eyes.

First curious, then as if amused by her boldness, and finally tinged with faint irritation.

“You don’t seem to understand the situation you’re in.”

“Then are you going to kill me right here?”

“Why? Do you think I can’t?”

“Yes.”

Sedina’s answer rang with boldness.

Though outwardly she appeared resolute, inwardly she trembled, unsure when this elf might suddenly strike her down.

By reason, she was surely safe. But what if her captor was a whimsical creature who acted on impulse?

One flare of temper, and she might lash out.

‘Still, the odds are low. Coming here alone, exuding such an aura—she’s likely the one who orchestrated my abduction. With her position, she must at least have the judgment to weigh her actions.’

Her reasoning was sound.

“How entertaining. To keep that attitude even knowing what you face.”

The golden-haired elf stretched out her hand toward Sedina.

Sedina’s body froze.

Slender, white fingers brushed her cheek softly.

Yet the touch was so chilling it sent shivers through her entire frame.

It was not warmth, but something colder than ice—psychological suppression, fear incarnate.

It felt not like a hand but like the edge of a blade against her skin.

Sedina knew instinctively.

This woman wanted to kill her.

Hatred. Or rage.

And yet she restrained herself. Barely—a single thread of reason still held her back.

“How astonishing. To think what I sought so desperately was right here, so close, beneath John Doe’s wing. Truly, the shadow beneath the nest is the darkest of all.”

“...The same... First?”

“Ah. You don’t know.”

The elf smiled, and then she revealed herself.

“I am First Order Bentmin. Head of the Lifret family. The highest of nobles among elves here.”

Sedina swallowed hard.

It was shocking enough that her kidnapper was a First Order, but the woman’s true identity was beyond anything she had imagined.

“Now, do you understand what situation you are in, Second Order Sedina Roschen?”

* * *

Sword in hand, Alex strode into the darkness of the forest.

Ludger merely watched him in silence.

“Professor Ludger. Should we not assist him?”

“If we did, he’d only resent it.”

The certainty in Ludger’s tone made Vierno hesitate, torn between rushing to help or holding back.

Ludger, reading his thoughts before he could voice them, continued:

“Alex, for all he pretends otherwise, has a fierce pride. He is frustrated—furious at himself for failing to protect Sedina and for letting the pursuers escape.”

“But that was unavoidable. I was there as well. I can’t claim I was without fault either.”

“Even so, Alex won’t accept it. The moment he excuses himself by sharing the blame, he’ll stop moving forward. He won’t allow that.”

“Yet stopping is not always a bad thing, is it?”

“Perhaps. But it depends on the person. For Alex, doing nothing and resigning himself would be the same as disgrace.”

From beyond the shadows where Alex had vanished, light flared.

Screams and shouts echoed across the forest.

“It isn’t for us to interfere with how he chooses to live.”

“...I see. That is his way of life, then.”

“All we need do is seal the perimeter to prevent their escape.”

And Ludger had already finished that preparation.

“They will not flee.”

“You are certain?”

“Shadewarden warriors carry out their orders to the letter. Trained harshly, the idea of refusal never even crosses their minds. They had already encircled the border before we arrived. They will not retreat.”

Meanwhile, the clash raged on in the shadows.

Vierno couldn’t help but marvel.

The fight was stacked against Alex in every way.

The battlefield was a dense forest—the elves’ natural playground.

And the darkness.

Where darkness blinded most creatures, elves could still perceive what others could not.

They could see the faint glimmer of life force streaming from trees, grass, and soil.

Even in pitch dark, they could make out glowing outlines invisible to others.

It was this keen sensitivity that made elves so adept at spirit contracts.

‘Shadewardens, especially, are trained to conceal themselves perfectly, even from elven eyes. No knight, no matter how skilled, should be able to fight them here.’

And yet, what was happening now?

From the forest came a steady stream of screams.

No arrow struck Alex.

With a single step he leapt onto branches high above, severing the throats of elves waiting in ambush.

This was their domain, their terrain—yet Alex moved lighter, faster, deadlier than they.

It was one-sided slaughter.

“You... what are you?”

The elven warrior who had been tasked with guarding one sector of the border—Reinar—spoke.

His orders had been clear: upon discovering an intruder, kill them without hesitation, without talk.

To exchange words with an enemy was unthinkable.

Yet, at this moment, he could not help but ask.

“How... how can a human move like that? That is the stride of our elves.”

The way Alex slipped freely through the forest—

It was the gift of the elves, born into their very blood.

Just as the beastkin wielded spirit force, so too did the elves draw upon the life energy of the forest.

The degree varied with training. For Shadewarden warriors, it was possible to channel that life energy, to run upon the forest’s paths at many times their natural speed.

The elves called this gift Forest Walk.

And yet, before his eyes, this brown-skinned human was using their Forest Walk as if it were his own.

Here stood a being who shattered every truth Reinar had believed all his life.

Even the command not to show mercy faltered in that moment.

“What? This movement was supposed to be that impressive?”

Alex himself spoke as if it were nothing.

“Because you already showed me once back in Rederbelk.”

“What?”

“It was a strange kind of step. I wondered why you did it that way, but now I see—it really is perfect for a thick forest like this. Kind of a springing movement, yeah? Not like knights, who always plant both feet firmly into the ground. You can land anywhere you want.”

“What are you saying...?”

“I’m saying I just copied what you showed me. That’s all.”

Reinar’s lips trembled.

He hadn’t learned Forest Walk? He had only seen another elf use it and then mimicked it? And he was human?

“Don’t make me laugh! How dare a mere human mock us?!”

Reinar roared.

As if in answer, the hidden elves encircling Alex released their bowstrings.

Arrows rained in from all directions.

In constant motion, Alex might have dodged—but caught off guard like this, there was no way.

Reinar was sure of victory.

Until the wind swept outward around Alex.

The arrows bounced harmlessly away.

They could not pierce °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the vortex of air that spun around him.

Not even arrows imbued with spirit and nature, the kind that could punch through the iron plates of human armored troopers.

Reinar could only mutter in disbelief.

“Magic? Spirits? No... that’s...”

It was aura.

The power knights used—

The strength attained when one tempered the body to its peak.

But what he saw now—thin strands of aura unraveling like threads from a spindle, spinning in currents—it defied belief.

Aura wasn’t supposed to bend and reshape itself so freely.

What Alex was doing was like reshaping solid metal without melting it.

“Is that all your ambush amounted to? I was yawning, waiting for it to end.”

“Wait—”

“By the way, you’re the last.”

Alex did not wait for him to finish.

He sprang from branch to branch, moving as though gravity held no sway over him.

Even elves could not easily track his path.

Though he used the same Forest Walk, Alex’s speed and control surpassed theirs completely.

He could not draw on the forest’s energy or spirits, yet aura alone was more than enough to fuel it.

The imitation had surpassed the original.

And devoured it.

It wasn’t simply a matter of analyzing and copying.

This was Alex’s true gift.

His merciless blade cut down the Shadewarden elves without pause.

“Still not enough.”

Alex scowled, dissatisfied.

The opponents were too weak—unworthy of him.

He finished his work and rejoined Ludger.

“It’s done.”

“My word. You really handled all that alone...”

“Ah. Was that too much? Maybe I should’ve left a few alive?”

At this, Vierno shook his head.

“No. On the contrary, you did well. Had even one survived, the news would already be spreading. The fact that Shadewardens had already encircled our borders means this incident has already begun. To prattle about morality and conscience in wartime would be laughable.”

The words came from Vierno’s lips with an edge very different from the gentle demeanor he usually showed as a teacher.

But then, he had lived through the war a hundred years ago. There was nothing surprising about his stance.

“Let’s move quickly. The kingdom’s situation seems far from ordinary.”

Vierno was about to lead them across the border when he suddenly stopped.

This time, even he could clearly sense it.

New presences were approaching.

Not Shadewardens—these were coming from inside the border, from Dentis territory.

Soon, a pale phosphorescent glow spread through the darkness as a large band of elves emerged from the forest.

“Who are you?!”

There were over fifty of them, clearly prepared for battle.

At their head stood a strikingly beautiful female elf, her hair the same shade as Vierno’s.

“This is Dentis territory! Take another step and—!”

“Viela. It’s me.”

“U-Uncle?”

The elf called Viela widened her eyes, recognizing him.

Ludger’s group eased slightly; thankfully, it seemed no battle was coming.

‘But... something about their reaction is strange.’

Ludger narrowed his eyes at the elves. Even though they had recognized Vierno, they did not look pleased.

“What in the world...”

In Viela’s gaze toward Vierno was a storm of conflicting emotion.

“Why have you come here?”

“Viela? What is this supposed to—”

“That’s enough. Arrest them.”

At her command, the elves of House Dentis surged forward.