Elven Forest (9)
“Is it really not… some sort of trap…?”
“I… don’t think so… After all, I can’t detect any mana. There’s no magic formation on the ground, either. I don’t think anything would happen even if we went over to it.”
Mommy Vyvyan and I sat behind a tree to wait for the owner of the crucible to show up for it. The crucible was our bait. I was sure that as long as it remained here, the owner would come for it. However, the two of us staked out fo long time. We waited from morning until the sun was down behind the trees, yet nobody came.
I wondered if the crucible would rust if nobody came for it. I suspected it was a trap, in that it was bait to lure us over. Mommy Vyvyan clearly shared my thought. Mom backed off a little then examined the nearby mana again. But nonetheless, it was affirmative that there was no magic formation. In other words, it was a trap without a magic formation. I confidently scanned our surroundings. I didn’t find anything to suggest that there was a trap in the trees… I looked in the direction of the crucible.
We were in a dilemma. Should we approach the crucible of our own volition? It could’ve been a trap but might not have been. Alternatively, we could keep waiting. If we activated the trap, the culprit would spring. If we continued patiently waiting, we might’ve won. It might not have been so complex.
The creatures all had issues with their mana. Based off the information we had on hand, it wasn’t a problem. We didn’t know if it’d evolve into a problem when their mana surged on the full-moon night, though. If we didn’t resolve the issue, we might’ve had a tragedy on our hands as a consequence.
I glanced over to Mom. Mom didn’t look panicked. Elves were much more patient than humans. Mommy Vyvyan didn’t think a contest of patience would be an issue. She wasn’t in a rush to resolve the issue, but I wasn’t too enthusiastic about waiting. Who could guarantee the culprit didn’t forget it there? If we went over to it, we might’ve been able to find out what they used it for.
“Mom, I want to go and check the crucible out.”
Mom gave me a smile: “Do you? It’s not too safe to do that. Frankly, Son, if it’s a trap, an accident might happen when you touch it. Mommy told you already: dark elves might be in possession of some strange magic.”
“If it’s a trap, it’s best if I touch it, since I have my dragon scales protecting me. Common weapons designed to deal specifically with elves and magic are ineffective against me. It’s pointless for us to wait here. In fact, we may miss out on a good opportunity. If this criminal’s plan was to make us want until the full-moon night, when mana levels are boosted, it’d make the trip here for nothing.”
“Mommy should go and touch it, then. It’s a disgrace for a mother to make her child take the risk.”
“No, leave it to me, Mom. Just as you can’t accept letting me take the risk, I can’t accept letting you take the risk, either. It’s safer for me to go.”
Though I refused Mom, Mom tightly hugged me exuberantly. She kissed my forehead: “Mommy is so happy to hear that, Son, so, so happy. However, since neither of us can take the risk, neither of us should touch it, then.”
“But that’s not a plausible solution. How long will we wait here for? If something happens as a result of our delay, we’ll be held responsible; therefore, Mom, let me go. I’ll be all right. I have dragon scales now, so it’s very unlikely a trap will hurt me. Plus, didn’t you say there was no magic formation, Mom? It must be a human style trap, then. Humanity’s traps can’t possibly hurt me, so don’t worry.”
I didn’t give Mom a chance to continue arguing. I headed over to the crucible. Mom watched me with a dumbfounded look then intently surveyed the direction I headed. She kept her hand on my back the entire time so that she could immediately cast magic on me if needed. I cautiously walked over to the empty spot. There was no obvious fake grass on the ground, so I doubted there were any traps. The surroundings looked normal, and there were no mouse traps on the ground.
I arrived before the crucible. The empty space wasn’t actually very spacious. There were no traps. Thus, it would seem that the crucible was the only thing there. I turned my head around to look at Mom. She nodded. She stood straight up to try and come in front of me, but I stopped her.
It was a common looking crucible. There was nothing that made it stand out. There were some dregs left inside. I surmised it must’ve been used for boiling something, specifically the man-made mana source.
The instant my hand gently touched the crucible, it suddenly began to tremble. A cold breeze suddenly dispersed and froze all of the grass in front, turning it into a field of ice. The trap wasn’t set in the land but on the crucible.
I was completely indifferent to the ice on the lawn and my hand. Mom, to the contrary, was horrified. If I was my old self, I’d probably be an ice block already. Fortunately, I was immune to mana thanks to my dragon scales and, therefore, didn’t take any damage.
“Are you all right, Son?!!”
I quickly stopped Mom from rushing over to me. All of a sudden, I felt a prickly sensation on my face. A crisp sound came from my face. I stopped Mom from approaching me, as I heard the vibration of a bowstring. The arrow accurately hit my temple; unfortunately for my assailant, my dragon scales deflected it.
Mom froze stiff for a moment before blasting a fire ball over in the direction the arrow came from. An elf donning a cloak pathetically rolled out from the bushes and landed in front of us. She didn’t hesitate to fire another three arrows. Before I guarded against them, Mom sent the three arrows flying elsewhere with a flick of her hand, frightening the girl. She scuttled along the ground and threw a handful of dirt at us then immediately teleported away.
“She has a target to teleport to? It looks as though she really was prepared,” Mom cursed, expression violent. “Nobody is allowed to fire arrows at my son. She may have teleported away, but I can sense her traces. Let’s go, Son. We’re going to erase her existence now.”
I nodded. I snapped the arrows with a stomp then went to Mom’s side. Mom looked genuinely furious. I suppose she couldn’t accept me being attacked despite me not getting hurt.
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