Elven Forest (23)
“So, in other words, you plan to forgive this child, Son?” Mom asked from her throne.
Mom didn’t have me kneel, but Lucia went down on one knee in awe. The child prostrated herself on the ground and quivered. Mom slouched to the side with one leg crossed over the other and played with her blonde hair. Her mannerisms and sitting style were the exact same as Mommy Elizabeth. They sure were good friends. Mom looked at the child with her eyes narrowed. She sighed:“Remember how many changes Mommy has made for you. Mommy is a descendant of the Galadriel Tribe, yet has to spare a dark elf. Whatever, though. Raise your head, Child. Now, salute my Son. He was the one who saved you.”
Lucia carefully stole a glance. Perhaps it was due to her once being a member of the Shadow Squad that she was in total awe at Mommy Vyvyan, who was sitting on the throne. That’d explain why she didn’t dare to budge or dare to say anything to the child in spite of worrying for her.
The child finally raised her head to look at me. She bowed her head and trembled: “Thank you so much for your benevolence, Your Highness… Thank you, thank you…”
“Don’t thank me. If you have to thank someone, you should thank Mera. If I didn’t hear you were related to her, I wouldn’t have thought of saving you.” I spun around and helped the child up.
The girl’s eyes were awfully swollen. Noticing the wounds on her face, Mommy Vyvyan came over and touched the girl’s face. The wounds on her face gradually healed, but she looked deathly pale. She lost too much blood after Mom last impaled her. She never got to rest afterwards and, instead, suffered. Not even an adult would be able to stand that, let alone a child.
“Mera… Mera… Sister Mera used to take care of me… In the past, she let me suck her blood when I didn’t have any to suck… Sister Mera took care of me in a lot of ways… Later… later on, I heard she came to Duargana. I couldn’t enter Duargana, though, so I had to capture an elf and bring them in. I didn’t kill the elf. He stepped into my trap, and the wolves gnawed him to death. I merely sucked his blood…. I had no choice. I need to suck blood on full-moon nights…”
I said, “Don’t tell me about that. I want to know about Mera.”
I felt my request was meaningless, because Mera… was dead. She was in a different state to Luna’s state before she was revived. Luna, at least, had her body intact, but Mera’s must’ve decayed already. Besides her house, she didn’t have anything else. She didn’t even have her own tomb as a matter of fact. There was no chance Mera could return to my side. What was the point of knowing her past?
“Sister Mera… I don’t know about her story… I just know Sister Mera was very kind and gentle. I didn’t have parents. My parents were killed in an attack… Sister Mera’s family took care of me… I wanted to find Sister Mera and everyone else, but… but… they’re no longer in this world…”
At that point, the child’s voice started to mix with her sobs. I looked at Mom and Lucia, only to realise that neither of them felt any hint of guilt or regret. They were no different to Mommy Elizabeth. Mommy Vyvyan, in fact, looked a little scary. I gently caressed the girl’s head: “You’re the only one left. I can understand that feeling. You’re the only one left.”
Actually, Mommy Vyvyan’s attitude did slightly change. I remember the dark elves once held her in high regard. When the Galadriel Tribe was doing everything in their power to massacre the dark elves, Mommy Vyvyan was the only one to forgive all dark elves after her ascension. She provided them with homes and domestic animals in Duargana, and she let them take on normal jobs to lead normal lives. Unfortunately, she eventually inherited her father and brother’s stance. She began to resent and wanted to kill dark elves after the Deer Hunting Festival.
“Mm… Sister Mera… no one… is left!”
The girl seemingly couldn’t hold back anymore and, thus, hugged me and wailed. I gently caressed her head. I looked up at Mom. Mom lingered for a moment and grumbled, “I won’t apologise. The dark elves asked for it. I gave them enough respect and showed them benevolence, yet they still attacked you. No matter what that Mera did, have you forgotten how you came to have that scar on you?! She almost killed you and Lucia. I swore to never forgive or show sympathy to dark elves again after that, and I stand by that oath even now! I’m still furious about it! Son, you don’t think that I can understand their betrayal, do you? They were the ones who pleaded for my help. Why did they have to resort to hurting you to save themselves? If you had to be sacrificed to save this world, I’d rather destroy this world.”
“I’m not blaming you… It’s just, mm, what I mean to say is that she’s the last dark elf. Despite what the dark elves did, I don’t think she was responsible. The dark elves who made an attempt on my life are dead. They’ve already been dealt the comeuppance they deserved. I, personally, killed Mera, too… Therefore, I think the grudges don’t have anything to do with this child. Further, I feel guilty about Mera. I can no longer make it up to her, so let me make it up to her with this child.”
I ignored the girl desperately stabbing my abdomen with a dagger. God knows where she got the dagger from, but there was no way she’d penetrate my dragon scale with a shabby dagger. Lucia snatched the dagger from her with one hand. She then looked at the child and, in a cordial manner, warned, “Let’s get along from now. You should know that Her Highness forgave you dark elves. The dark elves who resided inside the city once led peaceful lives. Miss Mera was once my friend, as well. If she didn’t commit a crime, she wouldn’t have met with that tragic ending. Hence, I hope you can be cognizant of what you can and can’t do. At the very least, what you were doing wasn’t wise.”
Before Lucia could finish, Mom stabbed the girl’s thigh with an ice pick that she generated with a wave of her hand. The girl whimpered. Mom then came over and healed her wound. Eyes on the girl, she smiled menacingly: “If I catch you doing that again, I’ll make you experience that feeling again several times. I promise I have countless ways of tormenting you. Nevertheless, you now belong to my son, so make sure to serve him well henceforward!”
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