The distant poisonous grass slope began to emit thick smoke, and a wind-attribute magician used the wind to send the toxic smoke into every corner of the forest. No matter how capable the Dark Elves were, this poisonous smoke would be enough to make the Orcs suffer, and their advance would certainly be severely impacted.
But having played this trick, Setsuen would surely know I had arrived. What move would he make next?
Suddenly, I found myself a little excited. Did this mean I wasn't a mature commander yet?
I sat alone in the VIP lounge on the upper level of Gaia, with my knights guarding the entrance to prevent other Elves from disturbing me. Lily, by my command, began copying the Elf tribal documents stored in the secret chamber, as well as all information about slimes.
"Baron, may your humble subordinate enter?"
"Hehehehe, nothing would please me more."
From the voice, I knew the person who came was Setsuen, the commander of the Magical Archer Legion. According to Lily, though she appeared only sixteen or seventeen, she was actually older than Lily, likely over four hundred years old.
Setsuen calmly sat on the chair beside me, watching the grass-burning tactic being executed in the distance.
"Please allow me to apologize to the Baron for those children just now; they didn't mean to be hostile to you."
"I understand."
"..."
Uncharacteristically, I fell silent when accompanied by a beautiful woman, and the atmosphere between us suddenly became awkward.
Perhaps it was because I had recalled unpleasant memories, so I lacked the mood for flirting, and my usually active mind was as constipated as if it couldn't think of any topic.
Thinking of flirting, I suddenly remembered that guy.
"Lady Setsuen, do you know a 'Dying Old Man' who is a dying old man?"
Setsuen was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at me and nodding slightly.
"Does the Baron know this person too?"
"Don't call me Baron; Avanti is fine. Unfortunately, I do know this guy. I heard that the nobility had issued a warrant for him, so I just asked out of curiosity to see what the reward for capturing him was."
"Hehehehe... a dying old man? You might get a clearer answer if you ask Sebiel. Actually, whether it's a Holy Elf or a Dark Elf, female Elves from nine to nine hundred years old would know his name. He even has a legend in our tribe. Mr. Avanti, are you interested in hearing it?"
"Of course, I am."
Setsuen smiled before speaking, making me unable to help but laugh. But I could imagine that old man had done something outrageous again.
"The legend says..."
"Hmm..."
"The legend says that if a woman speaks to him, she will become pregnant."
"Hehehehe... Hahahaha... That's not a legend; it's simply a fact! Hahahaha!"
I couldn't help but clap and burst into laughter.
What a Dying Old Man; even I have to admire you. It seems the female Elves who "died" at his hands are not a thousand, but eight hundred. He could probably form a women's army. How impressive!
"By the way, Lady Setsuen, what did you come to see me about?"
"No, nothing. I just wanted to meet the rumored battlefield magician."
"You've met me. What's your evaluation?"
"Excellent eloquence, courage, and insight, but your thoughts and methods are hard to grasp."
"I'm not hard to grasp. Just talk to me in private for one night, and I guarantee you'll understand me clearly."
"Hehehehe... To add, you don't seem to be any different from an ordinary man."
I couldn't help but laugh out loud. This girl named Setsuen was very interesting, but at the same time, a sense of vigilance arose within me.
"It's getting late, Miss Setsuen. You came here to assassinate me, didn't you? Why haven't you made your move yet?"
Her beautiful, smiling face instantly turned cold, and an astonishing killing intent emanated from her sparkling eyes. At the same time, I noticed that she had a dagger in her hand, I didn't know when.
As the general of the Magical Archer Legion, Setsuen's strength was definitely above mine, and we were on a limited-space balcony. Plus, she had a weapon in her hand. If a battle commenced, there was a high chance I would be killed before I could summon my guards.
"Sebiel called you a battlefield magician. I originally scoffed at it, but seeing you today, I understand the saying, 'A great reputation is never empty.' How did the Baron know Setsuen's motive?"
"It's quite simple, it's your phrase, 'You don't seem to be any different from an ordinary man.' From my observation, Elf males are more conservative and simple-minded, so your words should refer to human males. But this is too strange, because I remember that no female Elves have visited the Empire for many years, so why would you know about the men of our country? That's why I became suspicious and discovered your intention. Miss Setsuen, how about we play a game, consider it my last wish before I die."
"Hmph, what courage. What game do you want to play?"
"The game is simple, but also complex. If I say half a wrong word next, you can immediately kill me."
Setsuen was slightly startled but quickly regained her composure. The dagger in her hand pointed at my throat, reflecting a blue luster in the sunlight, presumably coated with potent poison!
"The sun's setting soon, let's start the game!"
On the surface, I was still leisurely watching the scenery, but in reality, I began to think, my mind racing at top speed. There was still a little time before sunset, but the originally enchanting scenery failed to move me. Even a slight error in my deduction could lead to an irreversible situation.
"They say the beginning is the hardest. What should I say first? How about this: I don't think you can kill me. Do you believe that?"
"Hehehe, your courage is truly extraordinary. I can say for sure that your statement is wrong, but you won't give up easily, will you? I'll set that aside for now. Do you have any other last words?"
"I have a whole of last words, but I never expected to say them today. How about I try to guess your identity?"
Setsuen's expression didn't change at all, but a hint of something mischievous yet happy flashed in her eyes. Based on this subtle hint, I knew she was definitely not a spy.
"If I say you're a spy planted by the Dark Elves, I believe you'll be very happy, won't you?"
Setsuen merely snorted coldly after I easily played a trick on her.
To decipher her motives and weaknesses, the most important clue was her assassination attempt on me. Since she knew the promiscuous habits of Imperial men, she should be very familiar with Imperial affairs. There's no reason she wouldn't know about the widely spread Three-Three-Three Heroes incident in the north. However, she didn't mention hearing about it earlier, unlike Sebiel, which is very useful information.
She doesn't want her kin to discover her interest in human affairs; this might be related to her privacy.
Another issue is her identity. Even the Grand Elder or the Crown Prince would not have sufficient reason to assassinate me at this critical juncture; otherwise, it would be a losing endeavor. The Dying Old Man also said that because the Elf people have a very strong national consciousness, and their material desires are shockingly shallow, the concept of a spy simply doesn't exist in the minds of the Elves.
Excluding political factors, it seems she decided to assassinate me based on her own preferences, which significantly narrows down the scope of inference.
A flash of insight: her intention to assassinate me must have arisen between the beginning and end of the meeting. The reason is simple: she didn't mention hearing the story of the Three-Three-Three Heroes, but she deliberately saluted me afterwards to show goodwill. This contradiction indicates that she was hesitant at the time.
"Lady Setsuen, you were too impulsive. You came to assassinate me without thinking it through. Do you even know who your target is?"
Setsuen shook the dagger in her hand, but didn't immediately stab me, which meant I had hit the mark. She was relying on this pointless bluff to conceal her thoughts.
She was hesitant then and only decided to kill me afterward, the biggest reason being that she was provoked by certain events, which made her forget the major issue of the tribe's life and death and come to vent her personal grievances at all costs.
That's right, the reason lies with Lily. My whispering to her at that time was the only thing that could have provoked Setsuen, just like infuriating Juma. Since Setsuen is familiar with Imperial affairs, she must have heard of my notorious reputation. Coupled with the influence of my intimate behavior with Lily, it must have stirred up some past memories buried deep in her heart.
Good! Since you have the guts to kill me, I'll show you just how terrifying Avanti can be.
"Hehehehe... Hahahahahahaha!"
"What are you laughing at?"
I pretended to laugh until I was out of breath. Setsuen, provoked by me, seemed very nervous. She stared at me with sharp eyes, but the hand gripping the dagger trembled.
"Boring, truly boring. To assassinate me, an Imperial envoy, for such utterly trivial reasons. And to do it when your own people's lives are hanging by a thread, you, the commander of the Magical Archer Legion, are truly a disgrace to your subordinates."
"Shut up!"
"If I said something wrong, you can kill me."
"..."
"How about it? Did I hit the mark? You want to kill me out of emotional issues. I can imagine it's related to a human man, isn't it?"
"You..."
The outcome was decided.
Just looking at Setsuen's expression, I knew I had guessed everything correctly. Her intimidating aura had also diminished. The remaining question was how to subdue her.
"This happened three to four hundred years ago, right?"
Her complexion suddenly changed drastically, and her breathing quickened uncontrollably. She exclaimed in a hushed voice, "Impossible, it's impossible! Only one person knows this, you couldn't possibly know!"
Setsuen began to become hysterical, which let me know I was getting closer to the truth of the matter, but also closer to the edge of danger.
I remembered Kalang once told me that there is a saying, "appearance is born from the heart," especially for magicians. Due to long-term cultivation of spiritual power, the state of one's mind directly reflects on their external appearance.
Setsuen's actual age is twice that of Lily, yet she appears only sixteen years old, seemingly even younger than Lily. The reason must be some unforgettable memory from her youth.
If my deduction is correct, not only her appearance but also her spiritual and magical power remained at that stage.
Lily is two hundred years old this year, so Setsuen must have been even younger then. Based on the timeline, it happened when she was around a hundred years old. Calculating the time, that would be three hundred years ago.
The person who tormented her for over three hundred years must be a human male from the Empire, just like me.
"From now on, there was a story, about three hundred years ago, about a pure and beautiful female Elf who, by chance, met a human man..."
"Stop... Stop... Don't say it..."
"That beautiful Elf had originally set her sights on becoming a respected magic master, but because of that man..."
"Die!"