The young elf soon introduced herself in the most noble way she could.
"My name is Lara…"
'She didn't introduce herself as someone's daughter… she must be an orphan.'
"I am a worker who came with several other warriors to colonize these lands, but unfortunately, I got separated from the group" Light carefully observed her words. In the most gallant tone possible, he comforted the young lady.
"Don't worry, miss, we will take you to where your group is." The words hit the woman like an arrow—what did he mean by "we"? Triss flew over to them, leaving a bright trail in her wake.
"Hey, I heard what you said, and there's no way we're helping her!"
"Shut up, fly, we're helping her!" Seeing them argue and how small his companion was, her heart quickly lightened. When they finally finished cursing each other down to the tenth generation, they remembered that it was late and they should light a fire.
They quickly set up camp, with Light offering the freshly hunted bear meat to the elf, who accepted it gladly. Despite the cheerful atmosphere, there was still a lingering suspicion about her—she could very well be a Faceless. Triss was particularly vigilant, which was why she originally didn't want to help.
Although Light was someone with few friends, he and the girl couldn't stop flirting with each other, raising even more suspicion. The bastard couldn't smile without the elf blushing. Light was only an Initiate, and the girl constantly interacted with Disciples and even a Guardian.
After they ate, the girl finally fell asleep, and it was time for the two of them to have a real conversation.
"What are the chances she's a Faceless?" Light abruptly asked.
"High. It's hard to imagine someone getting separated from the group and getting so comfortable around a stranger" Triss replied, her eyes narrowing and her tone full of threats.
"If we let our guard down, she'll likely attack. The best time for her to engage in a one-on-one fight is now, while we're sleeping."
"And how do we resolve this?"
"Kill her. If she's still the same after death, it was a necessary risk, and she can only blame bad luck." Mana began to gather in Triss's hand.
"Have you had enough fun? Can I finish this already?" Light gestured for her to stop the attack.
"She might just be an innocent girl. Let's take her to the camp and let the colonists deal with it" Triss responded with a disapproving tone.
"We're taking a huge risk going there."
"We'd have to deal with them eventually. A friendly first contact shouldn't cause any major problems."
"We're bringing a ticking time bomb to them—how is that friendly?" Light had no arguments left, so he just turned over and went to sleep.
The next day, they woke up and began heading towards where the colonists were setting up camp. Triss kept her guard up the entire time.
The journey to the colonists' camp was silent, with only the sound of dry leaves crunching under Light's feet and Lara's soft footsteps. Triss flew slightly ahead, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings. The tension was palpable, and Triss's wary gaze on the elf didn't help ease the atmosphere.
Light, well-intentioned, tried to break the uncomfortable silence, turning to Lara with a friendly smile.
"So, Lara, what made you leave everything behind to start a new life in a new land?"
Lara looked at him with a simple smile, but her green eyes darkened. "I didn't choose this life, but it's all I have left. These warriors are all I have, and I'll do whatever it takes to help establish our new lands."
Her words sounded sincere, but Light couldn't help noticing a slight hesitation. He exchanged a quick glance with Triss, who continued to watch them with suspicion.
"Your courage is admirable, Lara. But you must know that these lands are dangerous and full of monsters" Light said, his tone still friendly but with a slight touch of concern.
"I know" Lara replied, the smile disappearing from her lips. "I've seen many disturbing things since we arrived here. But I have nowhere else to go."
As they walked, the vegetation around them began to change, becoming denser and more mysterious. The trees closed in on them, their canopies blocking out the sunlight, creating a twilight that seemed to swallow everything around them. The elf turned to the two of them.
"I need to stop for a bit; can you wait here?" They exchanged glances quickly and agreed to let her go.
A few minutes passed in the silence of the forest. The headache began when two Laras returned. Now the problem was clear—they looked at each other in shock. How could there be a living reflection of themselves walking around? Light could understand better than anyone…
"Calm down, miss, we have a monster disguised here" he said, and both immediately responded to get rid of him as quickly as possible. Turning to Triss, Light asked again if there was a way to differentiate them, to which she responded with a brief nod. Light tried to look at their statuses.
***
Name: Lara
Title: [None]
Status: Lost
Rank: [None]
Race: Elf
Aura: 0
Strength: 1
Agility: 2
Endurance: 1
Skills: [None]
Characteristics: Docile, Needy, Determined, Fragile.
Observation: A young orphaned elf who was abandoned by everyone and everything. She had no choice but to volunteer to explore the new lands, as this was her only opportunity not to turn to prostitution or die of hunger.
***
Both showed the same statuses—impossible to differentiate… With a sigh, Light drew his sword.
"Sorry, I have no choice but to kill both. When in doubt, it's the best option." Both the real one and the impostor turned pale for a moment, an oppressive, bloodthirsty aura spreading through the area. Unable to withstand the pressure, one of them fell to the ground. Meanwhile, the other quickly lunged at him.
A single horizontal slash was enough to cut the enemy in two. This Faceless wasn't even an Initiate, so it was someone weak from a weak race.
"Hey Triss, I found a way to differentiate them."
"I'd like to see how many times that works. I'm sure that wouldn't have worked with an Initiate." The girl, still in shock on the ground, analyzed the situation, and Light extended his hand to her once again.
"Don't worry, my dear, I certainly wouldn't harm you." The elf couldn't hear Triss's whispers behind them.
"He was clearly going to kill them both…" Light was eager to slice that nosy fairy in two. In fact, his intention was to attack both the one who ran and the one who fought. If the girl hadn't been so fragile, he would have taken her head off. Triss reminded them to hurry.
"We're close to the camp. Let's move."