East Road Quest

Chapter 86: Diversionary Tactics

“There’s a crack in the arm.”

Sage realized it as soon as she felt Jade’s arm.

“I wondered why it hurt… Lately, I feel like an egg that breaks upon the slightest touch,” Jade said gloomily.

“Bones can break from a mere fall off a chair. If you ended up with just a crack in such a situation, consider yourself lucky.

Let’s just set a splint. The rest can be healed by Sapph,” Sage suggested, setting a broken branch against Jade’s arm and binding it with fallen leaves. Even in such circumstances, she never cut down or broke a healthy tree.

Merald, who had been scouting from the trees, descended to the ground and reported, “Taragon’s army has mobilized.”

Though it was hard to read an orc’s expression, Merald’s did not seem too pleased.

“Weren’t the elves of Teymon afraid to fight against Komora?” Sage asked while tying the leaf knots.

“Who knows? Maybe they gained courage after seeing Heldra fall. Taragon seems to be using his head, opting for nets and traps over outright killing,” Merald replied absently.

Jade, testing the firmly fixed splint, asked, “Is something bothering you?”

“Buffalord is nowhere to be seen,” Merald said, still scanning the surroundings.

“Well, his trump card was destroyed, so he must have retreated to safety,” Sage reasoned matter-of-factly.

“It seems too early for a retreat,” Merald mused, deep in thought. “He hindered me until the very moment before Heldra’s first head vanished. It would have been a good strategy to attack Jade. If I had to protect Jade while fighting, it wouldn’t have been easy to keep knocking Heldra’s heads to the ground.”

“What’s so strange about that? Buffalord has always been afraid of you. He’s consistent with hit-and-run tactics, isn’t he?” Sage remarked. Jade agreed with her, but part of him also felt uneasy like Merald.

Just then, a group of elf soldiers burst through the bushes, heading towards where Jade was.

“Why is Teymondora coming here?” Merald recognized them first and quickly stepped back to hide behind a tree.

“Teymondora?” Jade inquired.

“The elves call the leaders of each city ‘Dora,’” Sage explained.

“I thought their faith rejected the idea of rulers?”

“They still need a commander to lead the citizens. They’re elected by vote, and the term is only 40 years. The current Teymondora is a young elf named Ologran.”

“A term of 40 years shatters human conventions. How old is this young Ologran?”

“Two hundred years.”

“Why is Merald hiding?”

“He doesn’t get along with Ologran.”

“Why not?”

“Ologran dislikes the very fact that an orc guards the Dark Forest. He even tried to change the forest’s guardian through a vote once.”

“And the result?”

“The vote didn’t stand. The guardian isn’t a position given by someone. But it seems Ologran is still reviewing the laws, looking for a way.”

As Sage was explaining, Ologran arrived riding a Campion.

Jade, still not accustomed to the faces of elves, could tell that Ologran was younger than Taragon, whom he had met at the gates of Teymon. Ologran’s features were sharper, his limbs slimmer, and he was shorter. However, he concealed his small stature with broad shoulder armor and a large hat.

Beside him, young female elves in white garments rode small, pink-furred Campions in a line.

Ologran dismounted from his Campion only after positioning five female elves on either side of him.

“What custom is that?” Jade whispered.

“It’s not a custom; it’s a preference,” Sage whispered back.

Ologran approached with a bright smile and open arms.

“You’ve protected us, Sage of the Dark Forest. And I’ve heard from General Taragon that a Light Mage assisted you? Today, Teymon survives thanks to both of you. I’d like to repay you. Would you honor my invitation? I wish to throw a party for you both!”

“It’s too early to talk about celebrations, Teymondora Ologran,” Sage said.

Jade could hear Komora’s roars and the elves’ shouts from afar. Surely, the elves with their large ears couldn’t miss that.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve heard…

Ologran paused and gestured. A slim, young elf woman with jewel-like makeup on her face approached and whispered to him. After hearing her words, Ologran continued.

“…I’ve heard that most of them are disoriented from the Sage’s magical attacks, so they’re being subdued without much trouble. The Sage has cooked; there’s no need for her to do the dishes as well. The fight is over.”

“It’s not over, Dora Ologran,” Merald spoke from behind the tree.

Ologran’s expression immediately soured.

“Still not bold enough to speak openly, Orc Sentinel. Give me a convincing reason,” the Angel Chief demanded.

“The Buffalord still roams free,” came the guarded reply.

“That beast has always been a nuisance. But now that the greater terror, Helldra, has vanished, dealing with that creature is merely a matter of time, isn’t it?” the Angel Chief mused.

“A matter of time implies that time will resolve it on its own. Someone must risk death to confront and fight the Buffalord; it’s not something that just resolves itself. The way you speak makes it clear how much your underlings, the Taimon workers, must be suffering,” the retort was sharp.

“What nonsense is this!” the Angel Chief exclaimed.

“When you utter ‘deal with it,’ your workers toil and suffer to do so. And once it’s done, you’ll claim it resolved itself,” the challenger continued.

A few elven maidens giggled briefly from behind.

Orogrand turned to look at the women, but they quickly composed themselves, making it impossible to tell who had laughed.

“Then, Sentinel, I suppose I must ask you to deal with the Buffalord. After all, the only ones I’m inviting to the party are these two,” Orogrand said smoothly, turning to Jade.

“How about it? If Elforest is new to you, I would like to invite you to a party I’m hosting.”

Jade declined gently, “My comrade is injured, and I’m too worried to enjoy a party. May I accept the invitation later?”

As Jade spoke, a realization dawned, and his eyes widened. Orogrand, thinking Jade’s reaction was to him, tilted his head in confusion.

Jade quickly turned towards the tree where Merald was hiding and said, “Buffalord attacked Taimon only after seeing Merald arrive.”

“Indeed,” Merald replied shortly.

“The creature knows that Saph and I use light magic. That’s why it initially kidnapped Saph.”

“Indeed.”

“It also knows that Ruby was poisoned by Ducuboia’s venom. Then it must have seen Merald rescue us. You always said you tracked each other,” Jade reasoned.

“Buffalord must have thought I took you to Sage Mother,” Merald concluded.

“But Sage is here. Ruby and Saph are nowhere to be seen…”

“Does that mean it went after Saph?” Merald asked, then answered his own question, “Yes, that must be it. It would think that way.”

Sage asked in surprise, “Why would it go after Saph?”

“Saph announced he would use the light of annihilation to prevent me from becoming a target. But now that I’ve appeared and annihilated Helldra before Buffalord’s eyes, there are two light mages in its mind. Perhaps it thought to eliminate one while it had the chance,” Jade explained.

“That’s possible. But Saph is safe in my cabin, and the creature has never breached the magical barrier I’ve placed around it,” Sage stated firmly.

Merald countered skeptically, “Not that it couldn’t, but that it chose not to. If it breached it clumsily, you’d have strengthened the barrier or changed it, wouldn’t you?”

Sage, pride wounded, asked, “It deliberately chose not to breach?”

“I want to believe it couldn’t. But part of me thinks it feigned inability, waiting for a critical moment to breach,” Merald mused.

Merald whistled, and two Campions appeared. Climbing atop one, Jade said, “I’ll go too.”

“Follow with Mother Sage. You’re not expecting me to slow down for you, are you?” Merald said before riding off like the wind into the forest.

Jade watched his back, stunned.

After a long silence, Orogrand spoke, “Now that the Sentinel has departed, shall we head to Taimon?”

Jade replied in the language of Rome, deliberately, “If I had a vote, I would never have chosen you.”

With that, he swiftly mounted a Campion, which followed Merald.

After Jade left, Orogrand asked Sage, “What did that man just say?”

Sage summoned a forest ostrich, mounted it, and translated, “May the inner light quietly rise to an unshaken enlightenment, seeking eternal rest for the soul, free from the pains of this world…”

“Ah, a human who truly understands our culture,” Orogrand marveled, then tilted his head, “But he didn’t seem to say that much?”

“Human language is poetic and concise,” Sage replied, urging the ostrich to catch up with Jade.

Sapph sat beside the bed where Ruby lay, her body pierced with numerous needles, each connected to reed-like tubes. These devices were slowly infusing her with an antidote and a solution to restore her strength.

Occasionally, the tubes writhed as if alive, resembling grotesque plants sucking blood through Ruby’s skin.

The shackles and chains that Jade had released from Ruby with light magic lay on a table, now sparkling clean like silverware after being washed free of poison, blood, and dust.

Out of curiosity, Sapph picked up a chain between her thumb and forefinger. It was a weapon that could shatter anything it touched, whether barrier or demon, and had bound Ruby for five hundred years, yet it was light enough for Sapph to lift with just two fingers.

After the detoxification, Sage had asserted that Ruby would not awaken for about a week. Considering her robust physique, perhaps three days if lucky. Sage had emphasized several times that it was a miracle she had survived Ducubo’s poison at all.

As if Ruby were awake, Sapph spoke to her.

“Why hasn’t Sage said anything about my horns?”

She fiddled with the blunt tip of her horn. It was the first time in her life she had gone this long without covering them.

“Emerald didn’t say much either. Though in his case, it seemed more a matter of politeness.”

Ruby slept soundly.

She looked so adorable when silent.

“Perhaps in the presence of orcs, humans, and elves, one horned woman doesn’t seem so unusual. That’s probably for the best, right?”

Hunger struck Sapph, but the cabin offered nothing to eat.

The cookies Sage had left were so tasteless they were almost inedible, resembling charcoal. Though they appeared burnt, Sage insisted they were intentionally colored.

Even upon trying again, they were indeed burnt.

Sapph craved honey candies instead of cookies. As if bewitched, she reached for the candy jar Emerald had hidden away in anticipation of a treat. Then, she immediately felt remorse.

“Father should be fighting for his life right now, and here I am thinking about sweets?”

She returned the candy jar to its place.

“…I should just drink some water.”

Opening a kettle in the kitchen, she found it filled with black water. The smell didn’t help identify whether it was rinse water, an herbal concoction, or even tea fit for consumption.

Checking other kettles yielded no better options. One even contained frogs, nearly causing her to throw it in disgust.

From then on, Sapph resolved not to touch anything in the cabin.

“I’ve heard alchemy requires a lot of water, but surely they don’t fetch it from the stream every time?”

Curiosity led her outside, where, as expected, there was a well in the backyard. It was similar to the one at the convent, so she knew how to use it, but the bucket was surprisingly heavy.

Struggling, she managed to pull it halfway up, but her arms and legs trembled so much that she had to rest, hooking the rope on a catch. It was too heavy for a woman with arms like Sage’s.

“This must be a well exclusively for Emerald’s use.”

About to give up, she reconsidered, not wanting to waste her effort. Finally, the bucket came into view.

It was nearly the size of a bathtub, explaining its weight.

“Just a little more,” she muttered, pulling harder when suddenly a loud thud echoed, and the ground trembled faintly.

Startled, Sapph let go of the rope, and the bucket plummeted back down.

Splash!

She looked around, wondering if there had been an earthquake.

Birds scattered from the forest canopy. Her thirst intensified with her anxiety.

Sapph grasped the rope again.

Another thud sounded.

Sapph knew nothing about magic, but instinctively, he recognized the sound of ‘some kind of magic’ breaking.

“This house is protected by my magic. Therefore, ordinary beasts or beings with malevolent powers cannot infiltrate it. Stay without worry,” he recalled Sage’s words, trying to calm his mind, but to no avail.

No more loud noises were heard. Instead, there was the soft sound of grass being trampled underfoot.

Sapph released his grip on the bucket rope and stepped backward.

Breaking through the bushes, a dark figure approached on two legs into the backyard where Sapph stood.

It was a Buffalord.