CHAPTER 656: CHAPTER 439: CRUSADE TARGET: WHITE EAGLE (PART 2)

Since fewer people have come, let the musicians play louder to make the atmosphere more lively.

Luluwo put great effort into giving Elsa some good memories before their final farewell.

Soon after, the banquet reached its end, and with it came parting,

Under everyone’s gaze, Elsa prepared herself, carrying her luggage, the greatsword and the Sword Corpse Greatsword, waving farewell to the people before heading out of the city.

She didn’t let anyone see her off outside the city, probably because she didn’t like that final farewell atmosphere. It’s better to start her journey while the banquet is still ongoing, and the lively energy hasn’t yet faded away.

Watching her distant figure disappear, people genuinely hoped for her safe travels.

"Alright, next up is the most troublesome part, cleaning the house."

Luluwo turned around, looking at the messy mansion, and called everyone over to help.

At this moment, noise erupted from outside the mansion.

"Eliphas and Princess Her Highness will give a speech today at the Founding Square!"

Meanwhile, Elsa, who had just left the city, encountered a familiar face from the Light Eagle Group.

It was someone from the Charging Team, a few of the older ones who stayed behind in the Light Eagle Group.

"Captain," the mercenary said, seemingly having run over, he looked at Elsa, commenting with emotion, "Sali the Vice-Captain wants to meet with you at Sea Moon Lake."

Elsa was startled, then nodded.

"I understand."

She changed direction and headed towards the lake outside the royal city.

Sea Moon Lake was a place where she and Sali often went to relax after they joined the Light Eagle Group and settled near the royal city. At that time, the Light Eagle Group felt like home to her, and many memories were made at Sea Moon Lake.

But now, those memories seemed somewhat off.

Choosing that place for their last meeting suited Sali’s literary temperament.

For this old friend, Elsa still wanted to see him before leaving; otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to invite him to the farewell banquet.

Not long after, the slightly humid air around the lake blew, and Sea Moon Lake arrived.

This place was surrounded by forest, occasionally dangerous monsters would appear, hence it was rarely visited. The houses built around were mostly temporary. Therefore, Elsa and her group, who often came here, converted a nearby cave into a leisure and vacation spot, giving it a secret base feel.

"It’s been a long time since I came here."

Looking at the entrance of the cave, now grown with weeds, Elsa felt a bit sentimental. Since when did they stop coming here?

"Sali, I’m here." She called out toward the cave entrance and immediately received a response.

"Ah, you’re here so soon? Wait a moment, I’m not ready yet."

There was a bit of panic in the voice, like someone preparing a surprise who hadn’t finished their preparations.

This was how Sali used to be.

Memories flooded back, and Elsa walked into the cave. The warm amber light in here made the place feel cozy, and she was familiar with every piece of furniture here. Wandering around, it brought a sense of relaxation.

The scent of incense was strong, the kind she liked, further enhancing the relaxed feeling, leaving no room for alertness.

"I’m not ready yet, how could you just walk in?" Sali’s reproachful voice came from deep inside the cave.

Elsa’s lips curled up slightly as she pushed open the door to the deepest room of the cave.

The firelight suddenly disappeared.

A blinding light burst from within the room as if to surprise someone, almost like shouting "surprise!".

"What are you doing?" She squinted her eyes against the sudden strong light, which made her uncomfortable.

A hoarse and dry voice sounded.

"El...sa?"

It was Sali’s voice, but why did it sound different from before?

Like a mummified corpse left exposed in the desert for months.

Elsa opened her eyes in confusion, and in the intense light, she saw a hunched, short, deformed beastman with matted fur curled up on the ground. He hugged himself, seemingly to shield against her gaze, finally murmuring helplessly:

"Don’t, don’t look at me..."

"Huh?"

Is that Sali?

No, no matter how you look at it—

At that moment, a strong sense of forewarning rose in her heart. Elsa felt a pain in her neck, as if something sharp had pierced her!

But at the same time as the pain, she grasped the thing that attacked her tightly in her hand, accompanied by the hair-raising sound of bones cracking, revealing the attacker’s true form.

It was a bizarre creature with features of chameleons, octopuses, dead leaf butterflies, and other animals.

Demon Clan!

This creature used its camouflage ability to blend with the environment, taking advantage of Elsa being immersed in memories, her guard lowered by the strong aroma, and her surprise at seeing Sali to launch an ambush.

"Something’s wrong..."

Suddenly, Elsa felt as if her blood was on fire; her strength was immediately drained, and she involuntarily fell to her knees, her flesh and bones being pulled by an invisible force.

The thing that caused her pain fell from her neck, different from what she thought—a dagger—it was...

A syringe!

The empty syringe seemed to still have traces of crimson liquid inside.

It was thick blood mixed with animal hair and unidentified flesh fragments.

"Elsa, no!" The tiny beastman tried to pounce over but was tightly restrained by chains from behind him.

What’s happening?

Elsa couldn’t even stand; she saw her fingernails growing longer, and fine fur sprouting from the back of her hands.