The sky turned from blue to orange. I could see the sun setting from here. Lili was still asleep under the tree after telling me her story about Gustav. How could she carry that pain for so long? And even live under the same roof as Gustav and Stella? The worst part is teaching the son of the man who betrayed her...

If I were Lili, I would've definitely killed Gustav, but she's too kind to do that.

System, open.

The screen appeared in my vision.

*/System: Main Quest

*/System: Kill Lili Aislien (13 hours remaining...)

I clenched my fist. I won't kill Lili, no matter what. But that doesn't mean I'll let her kill Gustav. If that's really going to happen, I must find another way to stop it...

Suddenly, someone called my name.

-- Leon!? --

I turned around, and it was Deo with his party.

-- What are you doing here, young master? -- Deo asked.

Just practicing magic. - I responded.

Deo introduced me to his party.

-- Young master, this is my current party: Lux, a mage like you; Xhy, a warrior; and Divi, a marksman. --

Deo's party looked like a typical MMORPG setup. Xhy had a muscular, tanky build, full of armor, wielding a huge sword. Lux, the mage, carried a staff and wore a blue cloak. Divi, the marksman, had a silver bow and red boots, looking like a classic Robin Hood. Lastly, Deo had more of a thief's role, though in this world people called him the Goblin Maniac, though he called himself the Goblin Slayer.

Then, Deo noticed Lili.

-- An elf!? -- Deo exclaimed, surprised.

The whole party instantly went on high alert. Deo pulled out his dagger, and Xhy drew his sword, while Divi and Lux prepared to launch their attacks.

Wait! Hold on— - Before I could finish my sentence, Deo launched an attack.

Lili woke up just in time and noticed Deo approaching. She quickly cast Fiery Wind, sending a blazing gust that knocked Deo back.

Lili stepped back and cast multiple fireballs.

Lux retaliated with water magic, summoning a long water whip aimed at Lili.

Lili conjured a barrier, negating the water whip. Meanwhile, Divi ran around, looking for an opening, launching arrows, while Xhy attacked the barrier head-on with his sword.

Lili leaped into the air, launching fireballs at each of them, hitting them all successfully.

Hold on!! Stop fighting! - I shouted.

Everyone froze. I explained who Lili was, and the tension eased.

Deo laughed awkwardly and apologized.

-- I'm so sorry, Ms. Lili, young master. I didn't know! Hahaha! -- Deo said, still embarrassed.

-- Well, there's been an elf causing trouble in the village—stealing, killing farm animals, and attacking civilians. We thought Lili was that elf. -- Xhy explained.

Sigh, well, Lili has always been with me, so I can guarantee it's not her. - I clarified.

Lili also apologized for almost burning them. She was much more attentive and versatile in this fight than when sparring with me. I guess she's still holding back, even during my final test.

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About this elf you're referring to, can you tell us more? - I asked.

-- Sure. Based on local soldiers' and guild investigations, the elf has child-like features—common for elves, since they age slowly. A hundred-year-old elf can still look like a fifteen-year-old. --

-- This elf was first reported by a farmer, stealing livestock food and killing animals like sheep and chickens. Afterward, many villagers reported similar incidents, with items like potions, daggers, and shields stolen. They identified the culprit as an elf because the eyewitnesses described pointy ears, fast movements and has an ability to vanished from sight, which are unique among elves. -- Deo explained.

I glanced at Lili.

-- I'm only half-elf, so I don't have that kind of unique skill... -- Lili said.

-- Anyway, what happened to this place? -- Deo asked.

As I looked around, the remnants of my battle with Lili were quite noticeable. Ice was everywhere, there were impacts on the ground, the lake was nearly drained, and the trees around were burnt.

As I mentioned, this is where I practice my magic. Heheh. - I smiled awkwardly.

-- Woah, you are really something, young master!! Our mage here, Lux, is a water-born mage. --

Water-born mages, based on a book I read before, are proficient and excellent in water magic, but their mana can't communicate with other elements, limiting their magic capabilities to liquid matter.

-- Anyway, young master, we need to go. Everyone in the guild is required to look for this elf. It's becoming a nuisance to the village. I wish someone could use detection magic to help us... -- Deo said, glancing at me.

I knew what he was thinking. He wanted me to help them find this elf. I hadn't told anyone that I could use detection magic, so if I lied and said I couldn't, I wouldn't have to help them.

-- I know how to use detection magic. -- Lili said.

Oh god, now I need to accompany them...

-- Well, that's great! Can you help us, Ms. Lili? -- Deo asked.

-- I don't want the villagers to think I'm the culprit, so sure! -- Lili agreed.

Deo pulled out a map showing the village areas.

The map had five sections: the Market Area, the Farm Area, and three Residential areas. Noticeably, there were red and green dots, each marked with a date and time.

-- The red dots indicate where the elf was seen, while the green dots mark where crimes occurred. For example, the green dot here in the farm area is where farm animals were killed, but there's no red dot since no eyewitnesses were present. If we follow the pattern, the next target would be the tool shop in the market area. -- Deo explained.

Why would an elf steal weapons and tools, especially livestock feed and kill animals? Isn't it weird? - I asked.

-- Well, we don't know much about elves and their culture. It might be a form of worship. Elves are known to worship pagan gods. -- Xhy explained.

-- I don't know much about elf culture either, even though I'm half-elf. I was born and raised in human society. -- Lili said.

System, do you have any idea?

*/System: Kill Lili Aislien...

Stop that crap and be useful for once.

*/System: Well, I'm designed to stress you out, to push you to accomplish the quest...

And who the hell programmed you to give me this pointless, stressful quest?

*/System: As I told you last time, I'm a manifestation of you. Whatever you think I am, I am. Maybe somewhere deep inside, you really want to kill Lili...

That's never going to happen... Anyway, help us here so I can go home already, stella would definitely kill me this time.

*/System: Let me analyze the map...

*/System: Upon checking, there's a 75% chance the culprit isn't alone. The timing across the map is unusual. For example, in the farm area where the elf was seen, there's only a seven-minute interval before a theft was reported at a weapon shop in the market area.

If we assume the shop owner noticed the missing item late and reported it when he realized, that would make the time interval even shorter. Even if the elf ran at top speed from the farm area to the market area, the estimated travel time would be around 15-20 minutes. So it's unlikely one elf could steal items from both places in such a short time.

I see... So is it possible there are two or more elves?

Deo, isn't it possible the elf isn't alone? - I asked.

-- Now that you mention it, there might be a possibility. But based on the descriptions from the eyewitnesses, the culprit always had the same features. -- Deo replied.

-- We should check it out ourselves. -- Xhy said.

After discussing, we immediately headed to the tool shop in the market area. I used my detection magic to scan for any suspicious movements nearby. Lili noticeably used her detection magic, but instead of relying on elements like I do, she spread her mana like threads in the air and ground, working like a spider web.

I hadn't considered using pure mana for detection magic, but with it, you can detect everything in real-time, instead of relying on vibrations like I do, which creates a slight delay since vibrations travel at the speed of sound.

Suddenly, I detected familiar footsteps. As we entered the tool shop, Stink and Lian were inside.

Lian immediately noticed me.

-- Leon, what are you doing here? And who's with you? -- Lian asked.

I'm with my master, Lili, and Deo's party. - I answered.

-- Deo? Yeah, I've heard of you, the Goblin Maniac who only takes goblin extermination jobs. -- Lian said.

-- Well, not today. I'm here to find the naughty elf. -- Deo replied.

-- Oh, we have the same quest. -- Lian replied.

Sister Lian, does that mean my father is with you today? - I asked.

-- No, unfortunately, Gustav and Sario are on a mission to exterminate Night Monkeys in another village. -- Lian replied.

-- Night monkeys aren't that strong, so Lian and I decided not to go. -- Stink added

Well, I bet you just wanted some alone time with Lian..

-- since we have the same quest, why don't we help each other out? -- lian suggested.

-- That would work. -- Xhy agreed.

-- Why don't you guys have some tea first? I appreciate you all for protecting my shop. Here's some tea and bread. -- The shop owner offered, holding a teapot and a basket of bread.

The tool shop had a variety of tools—farm tools, fishing equipment, construction tools, and even small knives and daggers. I had never seen such a shop before. In my previous world, most of these tools would be in a large supermarket, but the medieval vibe of this shop gave it a unique charm.

Midnight had already passed, but there was still no sign of the culprit. Maybe we came to the wrong place.

Deo had already fallen asleep, while Lili stayed awake, focusing on her detection magic. Stink and Divi were on the roof, waiting for an attack. Lux and Lian were reading grimoires, and Xhy stood outside guarding the entrance.

I tried to focus my mana into the ground to expand my detection magic. Suddenly, I felt something—like someone digging underground.

I noticed a large network of tunnels, and there was an opening not far from here.

I decided to sneak outside. I hope Stella and Gustav won't be mad… Well, since I'm with Lili, it should be fine.

As I neared the tunnel's opening, I detected six creatures in the dark alley as i heard metal clashing, I took a closer look and saw a girl with pointy ears, wearing a green dress, wielding a short sword. She seemed to be fighting something.

Then, Stink suddenly appeared and shot an arrow at the elf. She noticed it and dodged, then rushed toward Stink, attacking him head-on. Stink blocked her attack with his bow, but the elf vanished from sight.

-- Leon, dodge!! -- Stink shouted.

Before I could react, a small dagger flew toward me. I saw five goblins grinning before diving into the ground, covering the tunnel with stones that blended perfectly with the surface—a hidden passage.

Before I could cast a barrier, the dagger hit its mark, piercing my neck...

I couldn't breathe. I saw Stink's mouth moving, as if he was saying something, but I couldn't hear him. It felt like I was underwater. My body grew cold.

I can feel the pain from my neck, my head feels light and everything disappeared and turned dark ..

Then suddenly, As i open my eyes..

-- Welcome back, Leon... Or should I say, welcome back myself --