The situation became more chaotic and uncontrollable, where the two races kept throwing anything in front of them at each other. Seeing that, Isaura naturally panicked. But Darius immediately looked at her, giving a signal as if to tell the girl not to panic.
Isaura nodded and tried to take a breath to calm herself.
This time Michael's gaze turned to the elf race, "How do you explain that?"
"We fought for a while earlier. Maybe that's what caused our scent to linger even though he has already turned to ashes," Carlos explained.
"You're the ones who killed him!" Bruno shouted angrily. If not for Abraham—one of the wolf race leaders—calming him down, he might have attacked again.
Michael looked at both of them alternately before giving his command, "Instead of fighting and wasting your strength for nothing, it's better to use your power to find out who the real culprit is. Bruno doesn't know who sent those ashes, it could just be a conspiracy made so that your two races fight each other again."
"But God, this is unfair to the wolf race. We already confirmed that the scent came from Elvendria," Bruno pleaded. His eyes no longer showed anger, but the look of a wounded man. Wounded by the loss of their prince, who was his own nephew.
The wound of injustice that the commander felt, even if one-sided. And Isaura could see it clearly even if she couldn't do anything about it for now. Once again, Darius noticed it. But he quickly diverted his gaze when Isaura returned his look.
"Can't you hear the explanation from the elf race? I cannot make a decision before either of you has solid proof. The Court of Justice does not run merely on compassion. That's why, for the sake of your own races, you must seek the truth. The elves must find the truth so their race will not continue to be cornered. And the wolves must also seek justice for their prince's death." He walked towards Bruno, who still looked hesitant. "Do not worry, if the elves are truly guilty, I will give them punishment in accordance with what has been agreed upon by the realm of the Gods."
Bruno thought for a long time before finally nodding. Michael took a deep breath, "I do not want to see another battle. From now on, start looking for evidence."
After saying that, Michael returned to the sky with golden light greeting him. Making the two races glare at each other with a strong aura of hostility.
Before finally, Bruno gave the command, "Let's go. Tomorrow we will begin the investigation. We must find solid evidence so that the elves can receive the greatest punishment."
---
"I don't understand how all of this could happen? We saw it ourselves that Xander ran away after hurting us with his tail. How could he be dead?" Eliot spoke at length as soon as they arrived at the academy.
Right now, the four of them were in a room overlooking the back garden. This place was usually used for meetings that were not formal. Or perhaps it was just a hideout the four of them usually used.
"Can this still be called a coincidence? The Eternal Moon Amulet of the wolf race suddenly disappeared, then they accused us of stealing it. And now their prince is said to be dead and we become the target again. I mean, we don't even know the condition of Xander or whether he's alive or dead. I think this is the work of a third party who wants to create conflict again between the two races that have always been at odds," Evelyn explained. She was sitting on one of the wooden chairs there. Her face looked unfriendly, not much different from the other three.
"Do you think this is just a trick of the wolf race to accuse us before the Gods? I mean, we all know they are very cunning," said Eliot.
Isaura, who was standing while biting her fingernail, slowly shook her head, "I don't think so. I could see the sorrow clearly in Bruno's eyes earlier. If this was just a trick to bring down the elves, they wouldn't go that far. Especially involving the Gods. Their race also fell and suffered severe injuries earlier. They wouldn't sacrifice that much just to divide us, right?"
The situation became silent again for a while before finally Darius, who was sitting on the single chair, spoke up, "Whatever happens, we will only find the answer after conducting the investigation."
"But where do we start?" Eliot asked.
"The Darkvale Forest. The last place we saw Xander."
---
As the sun rose the next morning, the four knights along with Carlos, Ducan, and Dhruv were already in the castle hall. The four knights had already conveyed their decision to search for Xander.
"You must remember, whatever happens, you must always stay together. Never listen to anything that could separate you," Ducan explained. His body paced back and forth with both hands folded behind him.
The four bowed in respect. Then they said in unison, "Yes, teacher."
This time it was Carlos's turn to look at them with a sad gaze. They were truly his foster children, whom he had brought to the castle with love. And what was even more heartbreaking, Carlos could not send anyone to go with the four of them.
Carlos couldn't even bear to see his students hurt. He couldn't even bear to imagine it, "The other teachers and I cannot accompany you. The situation is still unstable, the wolf race may still attack. Someone must remain here on guard while you are gone."
Hearing that, Darius only nodded obediently, "We will handle this matter, Elder. You don't need to worry."
"Remember your duty well, Darius," Carlos said while patting the man's shoulder.
Darius, staring straight ahead, then swallowed hard, "Yes, Elder!"
Suddenly Dhruv approached Isaura and stood in front of her, "Isaura, you are the only one different here. You are the last wizard left in the universe. And the most precious treasure for a wizard besides power is her staff. That's why, whatever happens, never hand over Vegas to anyone. Vegas must always stay with you no matter what happens." That teacher looked at Isaura with full conviction.
As if hypnotized, Isaura immediately nodded firmly, "Do not worry, teacher. I will always protect Vegas like my own life."
"In that case, go. We do not have much time. If this truly is a conspiracy, we cannot give them much time to plan further," Carlos explained as he immediately turned his back to them, unable to bear watching them leave.
After saying their farewells, the four of them left the academy. Leaving behind the place that for years had been their home. This was actually the first time they went far away and for an indefinite period. Without a single Elder, teacher, leader, or other senior student.
---
And here they were now. In the Darkvale Forest, the last place they fought with Xander. They moved separately to make it easier to find clues.
Isaura walked alone with her nose trying to sniff every patch of ground they passed. But so far, she had not found anything.
That did not escape the gaze of the man in black, who was now watching them through a magic mirror floating in the air. The figure laughed in satisfaction, "Do you see that, prince? They don't even know they have already walked into my trap just to look for you. They truly are fools! They will never find anything about your death because you are still alive."
Meanwhile, behind him, behind prison bars, Xander could only pound the iron to escape and clear up this misunderstanding. And to reveal the evil plan of the Devil King, "You will never be able to do anything to that wizard girl as long as they are together."
The silence lasted for a while. The King seemed to move his fingers on his chin, deep in thought. Until finally he spoke, "You're right. I must separate that wizard girl from her friends."
Before Xander could protest, the man in black had already vanished. Leaving behind the mirror that Xander still watched. Filling the wolf prince's chest with even more guilt, "Oh God, what have I done? I've indirectly given that Devil King a crazy idea." His gaze then turned back to the mirror, "Isaura, no matter what happens, I hope the Devil King never gets your sword."
Meanwhile, in her place, Isaura kept sharpening her sense of smell until she closed her eyes. She didn't realize she was already at the edge of a cliff. Until a huge root, from who knows where, started pulling at her leg, dragging her into the cliff, "Darius! My leg!"
Darius, who at that time was a few meters away from Isaura, immediately ran and jumped to reach her hand, then grabbed it tightly, "Got you! Hold on a little longer, don't let go of my hand! I'll try to pull you up from there!"
But without Darius realizing, another root was also targeting him. The thing then pulled the hand Darius was using to hold Isaura, dragging him down as well. Until the two of them could only scream loudly, "AAAAA!!!"