Snow capped the peaks of the San Soliel mountain range year through. For those closer to the bottom, the daytime sunshine would often bring with it bursts of warmth, whereas the nights could deliver a freezing cold.
Ten kilometers north of Dragon City, an elf and a beastman were walking in the snow. The two walked together without any of the hostility that typically came with their encounters. This was a very rare combination.
“This damned weather… It seems like it’s about to snow again. I hope we don’t encounter a blizzard.”
The elf was wrapped in a thick cotton coat. He tugged at his collars to keep the wind and snow from pouring in. He muttered in a low voice with the continent’s common language.
He continued with overwhelming hate at the current environment, “I want to return to the city, lean by a warm fire, and roast one of those sweet and sour apples. Then I’ll stuff them in white bread. Hehe, that will certainly be exquisite.”
At the request of the mighty lord, all the people of the city were required to speak with the continent’s common language. This was to allow all races to communicate. It was the same as how some countries promoted their main language on Earth.
The elf pursed his dry lips.
“Hey, elf! You can go back if you can’t stand the weather. It’s enough for me to patrol alone. Looking at your skinny appearance, I’m afraid that a gust of wind would blow you away.”
The beastman next to the elf had the head of a tiger. He was robust and clad with animal fur. The wind and snow fell on it, leaving a layer of frosty white.
“Such a rude fellow! If it weren’t for the lord’s request that all patrol guards be mixed races, do you think that I would want to be with you!”
Elves weren’t good-tempered either. One could even say that they were condescending. He immediately cursed after hearing the beastman’s words.
But the elf wasn’t angry. Just by looking at them, it seems like this was just normal bantering. It could be said that this occurrence could be seen everywhere between the elves and the beastmen of the city.
“Actually, I also miss that roasted meat and white soft bread. Ah.”
The beastman gulped. For a time, they both chatted about their extravagant livelihoods, causing both of them to go hungry.
“Let’s stop talking about this. We will be able to change shifts tomorrow. Let’s just endure a bit more.”
The more they talked, the hungrier they got, so the elf decisively ended the topic. The beastman heavily nodded in assent.
The two continued their small talk when suddenly the elf’s long ears twitched. He whispered, “Something’s not right. There are some movements from the southeast. There are a lot of people approaching us fast! We can’t run!”
Although the beastman constantly butted heads with his partner, he trusted his hearing. When he heard his words, he quickly swept the surroundings for hiding spots. Unfortunately, he only found some small rocks buried in the snow. This meant that if something was really coming at them, then they would have no place to hide.
The two gripped their weapons and looked to the southeast. It didn’t take long for the beastman to also discover the sound of movements closing in. The elf and the beastman shrunk back when they saw the scurrying creatures from the distance.
The beastman looked at the bizarre monsters and knew that he was not going to be spared, so he joked, “Hey, elf. I never imagined that I would be buried with you.”
“Shut up!”
The elf’s tone was a little shaky, but he quickly calmed down.
“Elf, you will also be honored just like us beastmen!”
“Hmph, elves are not a race that fears death.”
The elf said back condescendingly.
“I like you, elf… for the people of the city, praise the dragon!”
“Praise the dragon!”
Both of them whispered a prayer and charged at the group of monsters. They knew that they could no longer run.
……
“Lady Sisna, Lady Lysfer, this is the scene.
In the snowy mountains, Sisna and Lysfer led a team of elves and beastmen to the site where the patrol was killed in action. They looked at their tattered bodies lying on the snow.
Sisna’s emerald eyes flashed with discomfort, but she quickly calmed down. As the ranger general, she had participated in countless battlefields and seen countless deaths of her compatriots. This kind of scene was not enough to shock her.
Lysfer was even calmer. For the beastmen, war and death were a common occurrence. If a clan member died, they wouldn’t be too sad, and the only natural response was to take revenge.
“Milady, we had come to take over their patrol work, but they were not in the designated place. Then we found their bodies here and quickly returned to the city to report.”
Another beastman-elf pair stood in front of Lysfer and Sisna and reported what they saw.
Sisna and Lysfer didn’t say anything as they waited for the autopsy.
Soon, one of the bear brothers and a druid came over.
“Lady Lysfer, the two bodies have signs of being gnawed on by beasts as well as wounds from weapons. It seems that they were killed by beasts and humanoid creatures, all of which were physical injuries. There are no traces of magic.”
The bearman reported.
The druid then nodded and said, “Lady Sisna, I have inspected them with spells. There is ‘shadow energy’ inside their wounds!”
““Shadow creatures?””
Sisna and Lysfer spoke in unison
“Interesting. Ever since the Gods disappeared from the world, the connection between the realms has weakened. Although the Shadow Realm is connected to the Main Continent, very few people can actually traverse between the realms. Perhaps a spell summoned them here. Or perhaps…”
Lysfer licked her lips and revealed a fierce smile. The next instant her body disappeared in a flicker.
Sisna raised her eyebrows at this, “So, it seems she isn’t just all talk.”
It didn’t take long for Lysfer’s figure to reappear. This time her expression became serious, “There is a cave two kilometers away. It’s probably connected to the Shadow Realm. I’m guessing that the killers came from there. Also, it’s highly likely that the portal was artificially constructed.”
Hearing this, Sisna’s expression also changed, “We need to report this information to the lord.”
She was a legendary rank powerhouse, so she wasn’t afraid that someone had linked the two realms together, but because this place was close to Dragon City, this information had to be reported to the lord.
“But the lord seems to be sleeping…”
Lysfer was hesitant. Only suicidal people would dare wake up a sleeping dragon, especially one at the demigod rank.
The two looked at each other and suddenly said in unison, ““Marches!””
That’s right since none of them dared to wake up the dragon, then it was better to let the human do it. Anyways, he was the weakest one among the three of them, so it was better for him to take the blame.
In an instant, the elf and the beastman reached a consensus.
With this decision, the atmosphere instantly relaxed. Sisna looked at the corpses of the patrollers and sighed, “Properly store their bodies. When we return to the city, bury them properly. As for the elf, bring him back to the Forest…”
Sisna paused mid-finish and corrected herself, “No, just bury him in Dragon City. he sacrificed his life for this city!”