Academy Life (18)

In fact, Moen’s observations were not without merit. The two consecutive conflicts had indeed caused a massive stir among the student body, and the divide in opinion was sharper than ever before.

Students with ties to the Crimson City-State generally believed that Starlight’s actions were too aggressive and violent, lacking the elegance expected of a mage, and they began to denounce him both in person and in writing.

In the eyes of the students who were frequently bullied, however, Starlight became a heroic symbol of standing up against injustice and oppression. His decisive approach even caused the hearts of many female students to flutter with admiration.

The most direct manifestation of this change was that the boys who used to frequently hang around nearby—pretending to look for books or swap seats just to catch a glimpse of Moen—had completely vanished.

After all, no one was certain of the relationship between the two, and they certainly didn't want to draw Starlight’s ire through their actions.

This was a man who dared to beat up members of the House of Red, and rumors suggested his strength was already on par with the academy’s instructors. If they did something wrong and ended up in his crosshairs, it would not end well for them.

However, in the eyes of the girls, Starlight’s image was entirely different. They pursued him with unabashed enthusiasm. In just one morning, four or five groups of girls had already approached him with invitations.

Having learned from his first experience, Starlight managed to avoid fleeing in a panic using teleportation when faced with the chattering girls. Instead, he patiently declined their kindness one by one.

Unexpectedly, Starlight’s cool rejection failed to dampen the girls’ passion; instead, it only fueled their competitive spirit and curiosity. As time passed, even more girls came to visit him.

Eventually, even Starlight’s patience began to wear thin. He looked toward Moen more than once, seeking help, but she only giggled as she watched him struggle, showing no intention of intervening.

This chaotic farce only came to a tentative close at noon. Finally, Moen used the excuse of having business to attend to to rescue Starlight from the circle of enthusiastic girls.

“It looks like I should try to avoid crowded places for the next few days. This is truly overwhelming!” Starlight glanced back at the girls, who still looked unsatisfied, and breathed a sigh of relief, a few beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The two had just returned to the small building and hadn't even settled onto the sofa when Po Kong-Mars and Xia Duo pushed the door open and walked in. Judging by Po Kong-Mars’ expression, he was clearly in a very good mood.

“Yo~ Little Star and Little Crescent, why are you back so early today? I thought you’d be reading books until tonight again!”

Seeing the two in the living room, Po Kong-Mars raised an eyebrow and smiled, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.

“Don’t even mention it. I won't be able to go to the library for a few days. Since everyone is here, I might as well say everything at once.”

Starlight waved a hand dismissively at Po Kong-Mars and sat up straight on the sofa, his expression turning serious.

Po Kong-Mars, who had intended to tease him further, immediately reined in his smile upon noticing Starlight’s expression and sat down nearby with Xia Duo.

Seeing that everyone was focused, Starlight quickly recounted the intelligence he had gathered from Ivan this morning, then quietly waited for the three to react.

“Impossible! That doesn't make sense! Since ancient times, our cooperation with the human kingdom has always been directly with the royal family. Furthermore, why would we work with the Crimson City-State, which is notorious for its xenophobia? This intelligence must be fake!”

After hearing Ivan’s speculation, Xia Duo was the first to object. To her, such groundless suspicion was completely illogical.

Po Kong-Mars, on the other hand, appeared exceptionally calm after hearing Starlight’s narrative. He gestured for Xia Duo to remain calm and analyzed the situation composedly.

“It’s true... there seems to be no precedent for this in history. But considering it from Ivan’s perspective, he isn't wrong either. The issue now lies in the authenticity of the information. Are the missing elves and the ones appearing in the Crimson Smoke Merchant Group the same group of people?”

Starlight nodded slightly and added in a low voice.

“According to what you’ve said, those missing elves were only slightly stronger than average people and had no professional training. They shouldn't have the power to make the Shadow Court’s scouts disappear. Instead, I want to ask if there are usually different voices within your race—for instance, those with different views on humans...”

“Different voices?... All major decisions within the elf race are made through the Council of Elders. As far as I know, their policy toward humans hasn't changed in years... unless...”

Xia Duo pondered for a moment, a realization seemingly dawning on her, though her words carried a hint of hesitation.

“Sister, are you trying to say this might be related to the Dark Tribe?” Moen, sensing Xia Duo’s thoughts, asked directly.

“Dark Tribe? What is that?” Starlight and Po Kong-Mars looked at each other in confusion, completely unsure of what they were talking about.

“Yes... that is my guess. If that’s the case, we need to return to the Star-Song Forest before heading to the Crimson City-State. This matter must be reported to the Council of Elders.” Xia Duo nodded to Moen and then began to explain in detail to Starlight and the others.

It turned out that among the elves living in the Star-Song Forest, besides Moen’s branch that worshipped Freya, the Goddess of Nature, there existed a small faction of elves with entirely different beliefs.

The faction Moen referred to as the Dark Tribe was the largest of these, and they called themselves the Night Elves.

This tribe had a long history with origins that were difficult to trace precisely; there were records of them as far back as the Age of Gods.

Since then, their faith had been completely different from the elves under the Tree of Life. According to Moen, they worshipped a deity known as the God of Eternal Night.

The difference in faith led to countless conflicts between the two sides. Over the long years of struggle, the conflict eventually ended with the retreat of the Night Elves.

However, Freya, the Goddess of Nature, did not banish them from the Star-Song Forest. Instead, she allowed them to settle and establish themselves in a corner of the forest.

Although both tribes had mostly minded their own business in their respective corners in the days since, the rift buried since ancient times still existed. The relationship between the two sides was far from harmonious.

The Night Elves had even rejected invitations from the Council of Elders multiple times, basically staying within their own territory.

It wasn't until the last few centuries that they finally loosened up, symbolically sending two officials to join the Council of Elders, but they generally maintained their independent attitude.

If the intelligence Ivan received was correct, Xia Duo found it hard not to turn a suspicious gaze toward the Night Elves.

“So the elf race has such internal history? But... Xia Duo, didn't you say they were a minority? The leaders of the Crimson City-State aren't stupid; they wouldn't think they could pull this off just because of that, would they?”

After hearing this history, Starlight continued to voice his doubts.

“Although the population of the Dark Tribe is much smaller than before, according to recent estimates, they still have a population in the millions. Furthermore, their doctrine does not reject conflict or killing, and the proportion of combat personnel is very high. This is also one of the fundamental reasons for the friction between us.”

Moen shook her head while sharing her perspective.