"Well… fine, I suppose I can't refuse your request, Your Highness Von Draugr." She sighed. "After our journey ends, I will go with you to Randall Gorge and spend the rest of my life there. But only if our journey restores the forest to its original state—otherwise, I won't leave."
Nolan raised an eyebrow. "That's more than I could have hoped for."
The elves, however, were not pleased—of course they weren't. Lúthfa and Shafa were the most beautiful elves in the village, and they both had plenty of admirers.
But these two weren't easily won over—one was the high and untouchable High Priestess, and the other was an exceptionally skilled ranger. Ordinary suitors never stood a chance.
So what kind of suitor would they consider extraordinary? That was sothing the male elves cared about deeply, especially since, to this day, neither of the sisters had ever shown the slightest interest in any man.
Now that word was spreading that their beloved High Priestess Lúthfa might leave the Elven Forest with a vampire, her admirers were restless. Many of them whispered among themselves, as if secretly scheming sothing.
But Nolan didn't care. He wasn't afraid of any trouble the elves might cause.
Elves, when it ca down to it, weren't actually that formidable in battle. In a one-on-one fight, any random troll could smash them to pieces with a club.
On the road, Lúthfa asked Nolan, "Why do you want ? Do you just fancy this body, young vampire?"
Nolan shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it. "Among the elves, you're the finest. I want to see what you'll look like as a dark elf. When the ti cos, I'll give you the blood of House Von Draugr and make you my kindred."
Lúthfa blinked her large, glassy eyes, looking dazed. It seed she was picturing herself as a dark elf.
"If Lúthfa leaves the forest, then I'll leave too," said Shafa suddenly, walking beside them.
Unlike her capable but often absentminded older sister, this younger sister was quiet and reserved.
Nolan didn't mind at all. "That works. High Priestess Lúthfa can be the gardener, and Ranger Shafa can be the gatekeeper."
Behind them, Ligeitoli overheard the conversation, and her long ears drooped in displeasure.
Tony, as always, tried to talk to her, but Ligeitoli wasn't interested in listening.
"Cecil already has a child of his own. I want one too—soone who can inherit my strong bloodline. He'll make a great ranger one day."
Tony always ca out with these random statents. "Ligeitoli, when are we getting married?"
"I am not marrying you!" Ligeitoli huffed.
"As if! No other elf would marry you anyway. Your mother was a veela!" Tony declared loudly. His words made the other rangers frown, but he didn't care. "Besides, no one else would dare marry you—because if they tried, I'd beat them to a pulp!"
He waved his fist at Nolan's back, as if the vampire was his imaginary rival.
Ligeitoli lowered her head, staying quiet for a mont before muttering, eyes reddening, "If you look down on veela blood so much, then why are you so determined to marry ?"
"Because, after High Priestess Lúthfa and Shafa, you're the most beautiful elf!" Tony declared matter-of-factly. "You're still a bit small now, but I don't mind."
"Well, I mind, you big idiot!" Ligeitoli fud. She kicked him hard and stuck out her neck, shouting, "I hate it when people say I'm small!"
—--
On the second day after entering the swamp, the rangers encountered a group of trolls out hunting—eight of them in total.
The trolls were preying on a swamp creature known as the Antras Scorpion.
These scorpions were enormous, with deep blue shells. They weren't venomous; instead, they relied on their massive pincers to crush their prey.
Living in the swamp for so long had made them filthy, riddled with parasites. But apparently, they tasted good—like shrimp.
At least, that's what Hagrid said. So… who really knew?
The trolls, as always, were brutal. They used wooden clubs to smash the scorpions into pulp, breaking their shells. Then, the lumbering brutes gathered around the remains, using their thick, stubby fingers to pick out the at and shove it into their mouths, all while muttering sothing in their guttural voices.
"What are they saying?" Ligeitoli asked curiously.
High Priestess Lúthfa replied, "Trolls have no language. I imagine they're just making noise to express how pleased they are with tonight's dinner. Shafa, can we avoid them?"
Ranger Captain Shafa peeked ahead, studying the path for a while before saying, "I don't think so, Lúthfa. The ground to our right might look like solid mud, but it's actually a bottomless abyss. The mont you step on it, you'll sink straight in—no one has ever co back alive from there. And the left side is completely blocked by the trolls. See that pile of rocks not far ahead? That's their lair. Trolls like to stack their tools next to the rocks—they treat them as their ho. I think we'll have to find another way."
Tony wasn't happy about that. "Hey, Captain Shafa, we could just charge through! Elves excel at agility—that's sothing those clumsy trolls can't match."
Then, the fool turned to Nolan, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, of course, maybe so vampire here can't do it. He's not as quick as us elves. He'd definitely get caught by those big brutes and tossed into a pot to be stewed with those ugly scorpions—"
That was as far as he got. Because he couldn't speak anymore.
In the blink of an eye, Nolan's short dagger had struck.
Tony's hand was pinned to the ground.
The blade pierced clean through his palm, and his pale elven skin was instantly dyed red with blood.
The strike was so swift that not a single elf had been able to react in ti.
"Listen, you idiot," Nolan said coldly, pressing his unicorn wand against Tony's face. "You seem to think I have a good temper. But let tell you—I don't. I have no idea what I did to piss you off, but that doesn't really matter now, does it?"
Ligeitoli turned pale, clearly terrified. She rushed to explain. "You awful man! Let him go!"
"Oh? You an don't hurt your fiancé?" Nolan raised an eyebrow.
"I have nothing to do with him!" Ligeitoli blurted out in panic. "But… but if you hurt an elf, the village will put you on trial—"
"That's not important." Nolan's voice was indifferent. He didn't care about the rangers' hostility or their fear. Standing up, he strode toward the trolls with nothing but his wand in hand.
Then, with a flick of his wrist—
"Bombarda Maxima."
A deafening explosion rang out.
A troll's skull shattered like a bursting lon, and its massive body collapsed with a heavy thud.
The elves fell into stunned silence. Even Tony, who had been whining monts ago, was too shocked to make a sound.
No one had expected this vampire to be a wizard.
And not just any wizard—one with imnse magical power.
The remaining seven trolls roared and charged, swinging their clubs.
"Fools. Just like the elves," Nolan muttered dismissively.
With a casual flick of his wand, another troll dropped dead.
Then, in a smooth motion, he lashed out with his foot, kicking a troll's club out of its grip.
With a flick of his wand, he seized control of the flying weapon—
And brought it crashing down.
The third troll's skull split open on impact.
~~~----------------------
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