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nObserving Ali’s somber expression, Jelia nodded gravely.

nShe wasn’t one of those little girls who understood nothing of the world.

nHaving witnessed life and death, she was acutely aware that once someone dies, they lose everything.

nBefore you can protect others, you must first protect yourself.

nThis was a phrase Howard often reiterated to Jelia, who treated it as an ultimate truth. .𝒎

nAfter ensuring the mana shield was active, Ali nodded and turned towards the overturned carriage.

nThe carriage appeared unremarkable, a common two-wheeled design seen frequently, with a canopy on top and designed to be drawn by a single horse.

nHowever, its light construction meant that it couldn’t be driven too fast even on relatively smooth roads without risking overturning.

nThis was due to its high center of gravity unless it was loaded with heavy goods to weigh it down.

nAli circled the carriage, finding no obvious clues at a glance.

nThe interior of the carriage was clean, devoid not just of goods, but also of significant bloodstains.

nThe ground was a mess of footprints, among which Ali recognized Gick’s, leading distinctly in the direction of Oak Village.

nGick’s prints seemed disordered, likely the result of considerable fright at the time.

nBesides the footprints, Ali also noted several large pools of blood.

nIn fact, these had caught her eye from the beginning.

nIt was impossible to overlook such a vivid red, the color of life and equally of death.

nIn total, Ali identified eight different sets of footprints at the scene.

nExcluding three sets that belonged to Gick and his two companions, the remaining prints likely belonged to the attackers.

nThose subhumans.

n“It seems those subhumans haven’t completely regressed to primitivism, at least they know to wear shoes,” Ali deduced, sorting through the footprints to differentiate those belonging to Gick and his companions and establishing the relationships among the various tracks.

nAfter analyzing the connections between the footprints, Ali followed several for a distance before turning back.

nAfter Ali had walked away, Jelia obediently stayed within the mana shield, observing the surrounding wilderness and rubbing her nose.

nFeeling a bit scared?

nOf course.

nBeing alone in such a desolate place, one never knows what might appear the next second.

nFeeling a bit lonely?

nRather than now, it’s more accurate to say the loneliness began when Howard chose to leave on his own.

nLoneliness doesn’t arise from being alone; it’s precisely the presence of another person that brings the feeling of loneliness.

nIf one were always alone from the beginning, what loneliness would there be to speak of?

nJelia crouched on the ground, idly playing with the roots of the grass with a stick she found nearby.

nThen, she heard approaching footsteps.

nShe hastily stood up, looking towards the direction of the sound.

nIt was Ali.

nJelia let out a sigh of relief, knowing deep down that feeling unhappy was out of the question since Ali was the most reliable source of security.

n“Did you find anything?” Jelia asked as she saw Ali dismantling the mana shield.

n“Sort of,” Ali responded without giving a direct answer.

nThere were definitely clues, but Ali now hesitated whether to pursue the subhumans with Jelia in tow.

nBringing her from Oak Village was initially due to concerns over her safety alone there, but it seemed following her closely might not be much safer either.

n“Jelia, how about you stay here while I sort everything out, and then we can head back to Oak Village together?” Ali proposed, not expecting the usually obedient Jelia to shake her head this time.

n“For me right now, the safest place is by your side.”

nInstead of placing her trust in seemingly fragile shields, Jelia preferred to accompany Ali. 𝘦𝑎.𝒸ℴ

nAlthough it might appear riskier to be on the move with Ali, in reality, Ali only engaged in situations she was confident she could handle.

nThis made accompanying Ali seemingly the safer option.

nAfter a moment of thought, Ali found the logic sound and simply nodded in agreement, but not without repeatedly stressing, “If you see danger, hide immediately! Even if you see an injured enemy, don’t let your emotions get the best of you. No matter what happens, your own safety must always come first…”

nAfter emphasizing this point several times, Ali began to move forward with Jelia in tow.

nShe couldn’t be too careful; if anything were to happen to Jelia, she wouldn’t know how to explain it to Howard.

nJelia was far too important to Howard.

nUndoubtedly, if anything were to befall Jelia, Howard’s wrath would annihilate any suspect involved.

nFollowing the tracks, Ali and Jelia left the main road and boldly stepped deeper into the jungle.

n“Ali, do you think those two are dead?” Jelia suddenly asked along the way.

nAli pursed her lips, pausing for a moment before responding hesitantly, “I don’t know. I hope they’re alright, but I don’t think they’re that lucky.”

nThe bloodstains at the site of the overturned carriage could already hint at the answer.

nIt was likely grim for Gick’s two companions.

nThe temperament of half-orcs is generally volatile, partly due to their orc bloodline and partly due to various injustices they face.

nRegardless of who it is, when confronted with malice from almost the entire world, anyone would become fierce and cruel.

nIf being a saint were easy, they wouldn’t be revered as such.

nAli carefully followed the footprints through the jungle, with Jelia trailing a step behind, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

nAlthough Ali’s hearing and mana sensing were far superior to her eyesight, Jelia insisted on keeping watch.

nTo gain something, one must give something in return.

nThis was the first lesson Howard taught Jelia, and so, having been saved by Howard, she chose to offer her loyalty and her life in return.

nAs long as Howard didn’t abandon her, she would never give up on him.

nThis was a pact between a half-orc and an extraterrestrial, both abandoned, finding warmth in each other’s company.

nThe subhumans who attacked Gick didn’t seem like experts.

nSatisfied with a successful strike, they perhaps took prisoners but left without covering their tracks.

nAli found tracking the footprints not too difficult; the elf’s innate sensitivity to details allowed her to notice things that would typically escape others’ attention.

nFor instance, footprints hidden near fallen leaves and bushes, or strands of hair and pieces of fabric scraped off by branches.

nThe hair likely belonged to a half-orc, and as for the fabric…

nAli hoped it belonged to one of Gick’s companions.

nThough subhumans are not pure-blooded humans, they are also not heartless cannibals; their diet is varied but does not include human corpses.

nTherefore, if they indeed took several people with them, it could only mean that those people still held value to them.

nPerhaps as cooks?

nOr shoemakers?

nSeparation from society for too long turns any person gradually into a beast.

nFollowing the tracks for about a hundred meters more, Ali came upon an empty campsite.

nThe fire had died out, and the ground was littered with animal bones and traces of blood, suggesting the subhumans had used this place as a rest and ambush point, waiting for suitable targets to pass by on the main road before striking.

nYet, there remained one question: a hundred meters is neither far nor close.

nIf they identified their target from this spot and then rushed to attack, the target would have already moved some distance.

nUnless, they had already decided on their target and were merely waiting for them to pass by.

nPerhaps they even knew the exact time their target would come through.

nThis thought couldn’t help but bring a chilling smile to one’s face.

n“Jelia, never betray Howard,” Ali said with a cold laugh, squatting down beside the remnants of the fire, her hand exploring the coolness left after the flames had died.

nIt was indeed the feeling one would expect, like plunging into cool seawater – not despair, but a numbing embrace all around.

nJelia remained silent, her eyes filled with a touch of sadness.

nNot everyone can remain a child forever.

nSuch a sorrowful world.

nWith a silent sigh in her heart, Ali stood up, dusting off her hands, leaving dust to settle on the ground.

n“Let’s go. After attacking Gick and his group, the subhumans rested here for a while. Judging by the state of the fire pit, they couldn’t have gone far.”

nAfter speaking, Ali’s gaze lingered on Jelia’s face before adding, “If you don’t want to go, you can stay here. I believe it should be safe.”

nAli held no mercy for those damned souls.

n“No need,” Jelia shook her head, biting her lower lip, “Let’s go.”

nNodding, Ali pulled out a short knife, gripping the blade and offering the handle to Jelia.

n“You need to learn to protect yourself. Relying on others all the time is no way to grow up.”

nThe source of this content is .

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