Tracking

Walking out of the temple, Roy was filled with a sense of accomplishment. He had actually learned divine magic.

Brown Street at dusk was lined with long shadows cast by the buildings. The sun had yet to sink beneath the sea, but the distant sea surface was already glittering...

On the coastline not far below, the tide had receded to its lowest point, fully exposing the reef where Roy often fished.

Some elves in shabby clothes were combing the beach for shellfish. Almost all of them were residents living near Brown Street.

In the temple courtyard, only the head of the Goddess of Freedom Statue was still bathed in sunlight. Everything else, including the temple, had fallen into shadow.

There were few people at the docks. Only at high tide would seagoing ships enter the harbor and dock.

At this time, the Small Wooden Boats in the shallow waters by the docks had already run aground on the mudflats.

At low tide, Ms. Jillian usually rested at home.

Carrying two textbooks, Roy spent twenty-eight Kole on a breadfruit as he passed a fruit stall.

This breadfruit had five sections of flesh, almost enough for him and Belinda to eat for two days.

This fruit stall did excellent business. Its fruit was cheap and fresh, and most residents of Brown Street bought their fruit here. A few elderly elves often gathered beside the stall to sit and chat, only heading home after night had fully fallen.

The sea breeze in the evening was rather strong, blowing Roy's hair into a mess.

I should have worn a hat when I went out, Roy thought ruefully.

The light was dim, and the leaves of the olive trees by the street rustled wildly in the sea breeze.

He kept feeling as though a pair of eyes were fixed on him, yet whenever he turned around, everything seemed normal.

Roy figured he was scaring himself. He mockingly thought that he was getting older, yet more timid...

Pedestrians occasionally passed by on the street.

Roy noticed that whenever someone passed him, the feeling of being followed and watched suddenly vanished.

The moment he was alone, that feeling returned. At one corner, he even clearly heard faint footsteps.

All the way home, Roy was never quite sure whether someone was following him.

When he reached the Potion Shop at the corner, Mrs. Winnie's Night Blade Leopard was tied to a railing post outside the entrance. This big cat was always wary whenever it saw Roy.

Over the past year, Roy had spent no small amount of effort outwitting it.

But this time, the Night Blade Leopard lying outside the Potion Shop was staring vigilantly behind Roy.

Roy suddenly spun around. The street was empty, with only the sea wind howling.

The surroundings grew darker and darker, but Roy found nothing.

Yet when he turned back around, the sensation of eyes watching him from behind still refused to fade...

Roy waited at the corner for a while, but failed to run into any acquaintances he could walk with.

After staring behind Roy for a while, the Night Blade Leopard yawned and shifted its gaze onto Roy.

A Long Carriage packed with passengers appeared on the slope and quickly stopped in front of the Potion Shop. These passenger Long Carriages were more like city buses with fixed routes. Elves only needed to pay two Kole to board, then could get off anywhere along the route.

The route was fixed, but there were no fixed stops.

Someone pulled open the wooden door from inside, and Sabrina, wearing an Apricot Yellow Dress, stepped out of the carriage with her head lowered. She took a step forward and landed steadily by the street.

Then she spotted Roy standing outside the Potion Shop at a glance.

She ignored him, merely pressing down her curls that had been tousled by the sea breeze with one hand while carrying her books home with the other.

The sea breeze outlined the long, shapely curves of her pale legs beneath her dress.

The last time he and Sabrina had been alone together was last summer, when she had beaten him badly. It was after waking from that unconsciousness that Roy discovered he had transmigrated to this world filled with magic.

Although the two of them had some past grievances...

Those memories belonged to the other Roy.

To Roy, many things were extremely hazy.

It was as though every memory had been veiled by a thin layer of gauze...

So Roy chased after her without a second thought.

"Sabrina, wait..."

He gathered his courage and called out to Sabrina.

Sabrina did not turn around, but she slowed down. Only after Roy caught up did she turn her head and frown at him.

"Didn't Jillian ask you to draw portraits of those sailors?"

Roy grinned as he spoke and walked forward with Sabrina.

"...I haven't had time lately. Maybe in a few days!"

Sabrina said stiffly, her expression unnatural.

"Sure. I've been busy these past few days too..."

Roy replied casually.

At that moment, the sensation of being followed disappeared.

Roy let out a quiet breath. That person probably knows Stealth Art, but isn't very good at it and is worried about being exposed.

As he walked, he glanced back behind him again.

The long, empty street was completely deserted...

After entering his own courtyard and seeing Sabrina silently go inside, Roy warily glanced out at the street.

Moira stood by the railing of the second-floor terrace next door and waved at him.

Roy pointed toward the door, signaling that he should go inside first.

After taking off his shoes, Roy climbed the wooden stairs barefoot and arrived at the second-floor terrace.

Although Moira did not like interacting with outsiders, she had no such reservations around Roy. The two often stood on their respective terraces and chatted across the gap.

"Roy, how did your first day at the academy feel?"

Moira asked Roy curiously.

Her eyes were bright, and her features bore some resemblance to Sabrina's, though she possessed even more of the delicacy and tenderness unique to Silver Moon Elves.

She was the kind of elf girl who easily inspired pity. Aside from the differences in skin and eye color, she had inherited nearly all the strengths of the Silver Moon Elves.

Whenever she stood alone on a terrace washed in moonlight, she gave off a lonely sort of beauty.

"Not bad. I made a new friend on the first day," Roy said.

He was still thinking about the follower, hoping to observe the street from the terrace and see whether he could spot any clues.

"Roy, what are you planning to study?" Moira asked again.

"Navigation, literature and history, and martial arts." Roy answered immediately this time.

"I saw you come back with Sabrina. She's finally willing to talk to you?" Moira asked tentatively.

"Not yet..."

Sabrina's stern expression appeared in Roy's mind, and he hurriedly explained.

Moira grinned and pressed on. "Are you planning to win her back?"

Roy happened to be looking around and did not hear what Moira said clearly.

"What?"

"Nothing..."

After saying that, her figure flashed and vanished.

At the entrance to Roy's house, Ms. Belinda held a large paper bag in her arms and used the heel of her leather shoe to knock open the courtyard gate.

On Roy's first day of school, Belinda had deliberately rushed back to celebrate with him and had even bought a huge bag of food.

Her golden curls and pretty dress gave her the air of a sophisticated city beauty.

"Roy, come see what I brought back for you!"

Ms. Belinda shouted up at Roy on the terrace.

She was in a very good mood. She strode into the house, kicked off her leather boots in the entryway, and placed the paper bag on the dining table.

Roy ran down from the terrace at that moment as well.

A golden loaf of bread rolled out of the paper bag. Elves did not enjoy this kind of grain-based food, so it was clearly bought for Roy.

Roy picked one up between two fingers, held it beneath his nose for a sniff, then took a bite.

"This butter croissant is really good. It's crispy on the outside, fragrant and soft inside, and it even has sweet bean filling," Roy praised.

Ms. Belinda placed both hands on Roy's shoulders, then gave him a big hug. With heartfelt emotion, she said, "My little Roy has finally entered the academy. You'll meet friends who share your interests there, and you'll experience many wonderful things. Cherish this beautiful time, and learn as much as you can. It will be a great help in your future life..."

"I know. Thank you for everything you've done for me all these years, Mom!"

Although Ms. Belinda looked somewhat too young, Roy's tone was still full of sincerity when he said it.

Ms. Belinda rarely saw Roy display such an emotional side, and she held him tightly in her arms.

Roy caught the scent of lilacs from Ms. Belinda.

Ms. Belinda had Roy sit down, then bent over and held his face in her hands. Affectionately, she said, "Hey, I'm glad you like Elf Academy..."

From dusk until nightfall, the elf hiding in the darkness shifted his slightly numb left leg.

His stomach began growling again. He wanted to find something to eat, but he was unwilling to give up just like that.

That Half-Elf had definitely seen him climb over the temple wall and jump out. He might already suspect him.

He touched the dagger at his waist, wondering whether he could sneak in with Stealth Art, kill the target without a sound, and escape unscathed...

But then he realized that would be extremely dangerous, because a Silver Moon Elf also lived in that house.

Even if she was a soft-looking woman, he did not dare underestimate an adult Silver Moon Elf. Who knew what she had learned over the past two hundred years...

If he was discovered, he would not even be able to run away.

With that thought, the skinny elf drew his body completely back into the shadows.

These days, he had been like a rat in a sewer, spending most of his time hiding from place to place.

He had originally planned to wait until the Elf Rangers let down their guard, then flee to a village in the countryside to hide for a while.

Jefferson had already been killed. He might be next.

At the thought, the elf thief felt a chill spread through his entire body.

Life had been difficult before as well, but it had never been this nerve-racking.

He wanted to go to the tavern at the end of the street for a drink, but ultimately forced himself to endure it.

It was all that Holy Grail's fault, yet he had no way to get rid of it now.

Those Elf Rangers were investigating everywhere. Who would have thought they would make such a huge fuss over a gold-plated cup...

In the morning, before leaving home, Ms. Belinda specially prepared a simple breakfast for Roy.

"Roy, do you want to leave with me?"

Ms. Belinda stood at Roy's bedroom door and called inside.

"I'll run there by myself later..."

Roy poked his head out from beneath the blankets and answered loudly.

Only after Ms. Belinda left did Roy get up sleepily, completely unaware that an elf thief had watched outside the courtyard for half the night.

He pinched half a breadfruit from the plate between two fingers and swallowed it in one bite.

After drinking the fruit tea on the table, he grabbed his two textbooks and hurried out the door.

Sunlight spilled over the long street, wiping away all shadows.

When he ran to the street corner, he saw Sabrina holding two books as she waited for the Long Carriage, with several other people nearby.

"Good morning, Sabrina."

Roy greeted her and ran over.

Roy had assumed Sabrina would ignore him as usual.

This woman held grudges fiercely. Although she had won their last conflict, she was still unwilling to pay Roy any attention.

"...Roy!"

Hearing Sabrina call out, Roy stopped.

"When are you free? Describe those sailors who killed Jefferson to me." Sabrina bit her lip. "This afternoon... would that work?"

Roy thought for a moment before saying, "I'm not free this afternoon. After dinner."

After arranging to make portraits of the fugitive sailors that evening, Roy finally hugged his two books and ran toward Elf Academy.

Retracting her somewhat complicated gaze, Sabrina turned to look toward the sea in another direction.

At the academy entrance, Wagner Klayr stood beneath a Hibiscus Tree, anxiously looking down the street.

Only when Roy ran through the academy gates, drenched in sweat, did Klayr stop him.

After exchanging greetings, the two entered the academy together.

Elf Academy's martial arts Training Ground was next to the Shooting Range. It was a large grassy field, though much of the grass in the center had been trampled dead, revealing a circular patch of bare earth. This was the Elementary Martial Arts practice field.

By the time Roy and Klayr arrived at the Training Ground, many elves were already waiting there.

Everyone curiously looked Roy and Klayr over, but noticeably more eyes fell on Roy.

The instructor arrived late. She was a female elf wearing fitted leather armor, with a belt around her waist, a sword, a quiver, and a bow on her back. Her steps were steady.

As she passed Roy, she suddenly stopped, turned to him, and asked, "Human?"

"Half-Elf. My mother is a Silver Moon Elf."

Roy had lost count of how many times he had said that...

The female instructor stepped into the middle of the Training Ground and called for the young elves scattered around to gather. "Come, students. This is the Elementary Martial Arts class. I am your instructor, Abbott. Nora. Learning Elementary Martial Arts has certain basic physical requirements. If anyone here is in particularly poor condition, it's not too late to change courses. Go back and train properly, then come learn it next year!"