However, Leya, far away in the Gloomy Forest, had no way of knowing about the impending storm. Moreover, she was currently troubled by an entirely different matter.
“Sister Leya, can you truly not accompany me to find my people?”
Erica, adopting an utterly pitiful demeanor, clung to Leya’s arm, swaying it back and forth coquettishly. Her eyes shimmered with crystal-clear mist, making it seem as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
“Eat… Erica, can we just eat first?”
Leya, utterly exasperated, massaged her forehead. She then casually selected a fruit from her satchel, one that resembled an apple but was distinctly purple, and took a bite.
“No, no, no, Sister Leya! Please, come with Erica to find Erica’s people! Erica has so many, many friends she wants to introduce to Sister Leya!”
‘This fruit isn’t as tasty as yesterday’s,’ Leya mused. ‘Could the difference truly be in how long it’s been stored? I always feel these fruits inherently possess magic, which dissipates over time once picked. Does that also affect the taste?’
“Hmph!”
Erica, displeased, puffed out her cheeks and grumbled petulantly, “Is Erica’s charm truly less than a magic fruit? Why has Sister Leya been ignoring me this whole time? Erica is really going to get angry now!”
“Oh…” Leya shook her head, letting out a sigh.
Ever since yesterday, Erica had been incessantly chirping about this very matter right by her ear. Could it be that because Leya had used her as a pillow all night, Erica had grown resentful and devised this method to annoy her?
Leya had made it abundantly clear that there was absolutely no way she could help Erica search for her people. Yet, Erica persisted, tirelessly chattering away beside her, utterly vexing.
“I’ve already told you it’s impossible! You are truly bothersome. I have my own matters to attend to; I simply don’t have the time to accompany you on a search for your kin!”
“Boo hoo hoo… But, but there are so many fierce beasts along the way! If Erica goes alone… boo hoo hoo…”
With that, Erica once again wailed at the top of her lungs, oblivious to her surroundings.
They say girls are made of water, and Leya was genuinely starting to fear this little elf who could cry on command. Had Leya’s spirit not been so resolute, her nature so cold-blooded, she might truly have fallen for Erica’s ploy.
“I already told you, rescuing you was my absolute limit. As for anything else, your fate, life or death, is entirely up to you. I have neither the responsibility nor the obligation to meddle in your troublesome affairs, understand?”
“Boo hoo hoo… Sister Leya is bullying me! If… if it were the old Sister Leya, she would never have said such a thing!”
“Tsk, no matter what, I won’t concern myself with you anymore. Do you understand?”
Hearing Erica compare her to Saber immediately made Leya feel a pang of discomfort. She responded with an air of resolute finality.
‘The former Leya, what about the former Leya?’
‘That was still me! Still my personality, and only my personality will ever be dominant! So who dares to question the decisions I make now!?’
“You… Erica will never speak to you again! If Sister Leya insists on saying such things, then Erica will leave, just watch! And then… then when Erica becomes a poor, wandering lonely spirit in this forest, you mustn’t care about me either!”
With those words, Erica whirled around and plunged into the forest, almost without a backward glance. As she ran, she repeatedly looked back to see if Leya was following. When she confirmed Leya showed no signs of pursuit, she could no longer hold back her tears, running farther and farther away, weeping all the while.
“Tsk, that girl…”
Leya watched Erica’s tearful retreat, then bit into the so-called magic fruit with a wry smile.
‘Forget it,’ she thought. ‘It was merely a whim, just to test the power of the transformation card. It’s probably better that she left; besides, having her around would only hinder my movements.’
Moreover, it was preposterous. Heaven knew where Erica’s elf kin had gone. A few days might be manageable, but if it took months or even years to find them, would Leya ever get to live her life happily?
As she murmured to herself, for a fleeting instant, a flicker of blood-red light, barely perceptible to an ordinary person, flashed within Leya’s cerulean pupils.
“Hey, System, is the second card finished being made?”
[Yes, Host. It has been successfully converted, and the cooldown period for the first transformation card has also ended. It is now ready for immediate use.]
“Mm, excellent. Then I can rest assured!”
She believed that with the emergence of this second card, her strength would undoubtedly ascend to an entirely new level.
Furthermore, her first main quest—mastering three grand magic spells—also needed to be completed as soon as possible.
Previously, she had found it inconvenient to practice here due to the numerous attacks from wild beasts and low-tier magical creatures. But now, having discovered the city of Valantis, she was confident she could cultivate in peace within its walls.
“Valantis, I’ve arrived!”
****
“What the heck! They said the personality would be the same, and only the appearance would change. It was all a lie! Sister Leya is a complete and utter liar!”
Erica wandered aimlessly along a forest path, pouting as she kicked small pebbles by the roadside, as if trying to vent her frustration.
“To think… to think she would just ignore Erica like that, acting completely indifferent… That kind of Sister Leya isn’t the Sister Leya I know, hmph!”
Having lived her entire life in the warm, extended family of the elves, Erica had never before experienced such cold treatment. The successive betrayals and deceptions had successfully shattered her worldview concerning the human race.
“I’ll never speak to you again!—”
“Never speak to you again!—”
“Don’t speak to you again!—”
“Don’t speak to you!—”
“I’ll speak to you!—”
“Speak to you!—”
“You!—”
“Ah!—”
Having vented her inner emotions through loud shouts, Erica now felt a profound sense of relief. Her long-suppressed frustration was swept away, and she felt significantly more energized.
[Rustle, rustle—]
“Who! Who… who’s there?”
Erica inwardly cursed her misfortune, realizing only now what a foolish decision she might have just made.
“Tsk, tsk! This truly is a case of finding what you weren’t looking for without any effort at all! Tsk, tsk, little elf, if it weren’t for that shout of yours, your uncles here might not have found you so easily, ha ha ha—”
Sure enough, a dozen or so fully armed human mercenaries suddenly burst forth from the direction of the voice. They encircled Erica, watching her with amused grins as they drew closer.
“You… don’t come any closer!”
“Heh heh, little elf, do you truly believe… we’d listen to you?”
“Help… Help me, Sister Leya!—”