Lilith finally arrived near her destination after an hour of flying at full speed.
“I'm here, I'm here!”
She began to descend, looking down at the forest below.
“Wow, so this is the elven territory? It really is perfect for a vacation!”
Lilith’s eyes sparkled as she landed gently at the edge of the forest.
She took a deep breath, then pulled out her map to confirm her location. “I'm currently at the southeastern edge of the forest. The main elven city is to the northwest, so there's still some distance to go.”
She looked at the path ahead and thought for a moment. She decided to walk; flying would create too much of a stir and might get her labeled as an intruder. Besides, she was just here to enjoy her three-day vacation.
She would play for two and a half days and then head back.
After tucking the map into her personal storage space, Lilith set off toward the northwest.
She hadn't gone far when she suddenly stopped, frowning. “What's this? There seems to be a magic fluctuation nearby, though it's very faint.”
Lilith’s curiosity was piqued instantly.
Lightening her steps, she quietly crept toward the source of the faint magic.
After rounding a few large trees, a small stream came into view.
In a clearing by the stream, a blonde girl with pointed ears sat leaning against a rock.
Lilith observed for a moment and noticed a wound on the girl’s left shoulder, looking like it was caused by some kind of beast. Blood was steadily seeping from the injury.
Her face was pale, and her forehead was beaded with sweat. Her right hand pressed down on the wound, trembling as she tried to heal it. However, the light was very weak and unstable, having little effect.
The elf girl’s ears suddenly twitched. She snapped her head up and looked in the direction Lilith was approaching from.
She didn't even see who it was. Driven by survival instinct, she instantly manifested a magic arrow in her left hand and fired it toward the sound.
“Whoa!”
Lilith was startled. Fortunately, her reactions were fast enough, and she instinctively jumped to the side.
The arrow whistled past her clothes, piercing through a tree behind her before finally vanishing.
“I—I'm sorry!”
Once the elf girl saw the newcomer was just a harmless-looking human girl, her tense expression was immediately replaced by apology. The magic light in her hand dissipated.
She apologized weakly, her voice trembling from blood loss and pain. “I thought it was a magical beast tracking me... I'm sorry. Are you hurt?”
Lilith patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief. “It's fine, it's fine. I dodged it.”
Lilith didn't really mind. Even if she hadn't dodged, the arrow wouldn't have been able to pierce her skin anyway.
Right now, Lilith was more concerned about how the elf girl had been injured.
“Um, what happened to you?” Lilith asked with concern.
The elf girl glanced at her wound and endured the sharp pain to say, “I was accidentally scratched while clearing out some magical beasts.”
“Magical beasts?” Lilith asked curiously. “Are there magical beasts here too?”
The elf girl nodded. “Of course. But they didn't appear this frequently before. I don't know what's happened lately, but they're becoming more numerous and exceptionally violent. Apparently, the same thing is happening in human lands.”
Lilith was startled. “The magical beasts here are also mutating? It seems this is being caused by the First of the Four Calamities' impending return to this world.”
Lilith looked up at the sky with a grave expression, wondering what she would do if she lost the fight.
Suddenly, Lilith shook her head. “No, the battle hasn't even started yet. I can't think like that. I will definitely win.”
Lilith took a deep breath, adjusted her state of mind, and looked back at the elf girl. “Let me see your wound.”
She walked over and crouched down in front of the elf girl to examine the injury closely.
Magic unique to the demon race lingered around the edges of the wound. “This isn't an ordinary wound. Your healing magic is likely being interfered with by the magic on it.”
The elf girl looked at Lilith in surprise. She hadn't expected this human girl who appeared out of nowhere to identify the key issue at a glance.
She nodded, her voice growing even weaker. “Yes... that beast’s claws had a strange magic on them, which caused my...”
Before she could finish, her body swayed as if she were about to faint.
“Hey, hang in there!”
Lilith quickly supported her and gently placed her hand over the wound. The light of a healing spell shone from her palm.
As the light enveloped the injury, the Demonic Energy on it seemed to encounter something terrifying and dissipated instantly.
Lilith herself was briefly stunned, but she didn't dwell on it.
The elf girl let out a muffled groan. She felt the pain vanish, replaced by a sense of comfort.
She looked at Lilith in shock, her pale gold eyes filled with disbelief. “Is your healing magic really this powerful?!”
“It's alright, I guess.” Lilith scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Lilith continued to maintain the treatment, and the tissue around the wound began to regenerate.
In just over ten seconds, the gruesome wound had disappeared.
The elf girl was speechless.
She was completely stunned. She looked down at her healed shoulder, then up at Lilith, her mouth slightly agape, unable to find words for a long time.
This healing effect... it was faster than the healing magic cast by the most experienced elders in her tribe. Moreover, there was no pain at all during the process, only a warm, soothing sensation.
“Thank you... What is your name?” the elf girl asked with a hint of gratitude.
“Me? I'm Lilith. I'm a human mage here on vacation,” Lilith said with a smile. She naturally wouldn't tell the whole truth.
The elf girl used the rock to push herself up. Her wound was basically fully healed.
She tidied her messy clothes and hair, then performed a solemn salute to Lilith.
“Respected Lady Lilith, I am Aila, a Forest Ranger of the Elf Kingdom. Thank you for saving my life. If there is anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate to ask.”
Lilith was a bit embarrassed by the formal gesture. She waved her hands. “Really, there's no need to be so polite, Aila. I'm just here to have fun, see the sights, and maybe try some specialty foods?” she added, her eyes sparkling.
Aila gave a sincere smile. “Then, Lady Lilith, if you don't mind, please allow me to be your guide and show you around the capital as a way to repay your kindness.”
Lilith’s eyes brightened even more. Having a local elf as a guide would definitely be better than wandering around blindly!
However, two crimson glows suddenly lit up in the nearby bushes.
With a low growl, a magical beast pounced, aiming straight for Lilith’s seemingly defenseless back!
“Watch out!” Aila cried out in alarm. She instantly began to manifest a magic arrow, but her movements were a beat too slow.
Lilith didn't even turn around.
In the next instant, the magical beast behind her was shredded into pieces by countless tiny slashes.
Aila froze in place, her half-formed magic arrow still in hand, her eyes wide with shock.
She’s here for a vacation?
Rate on N.U.
