Interrogation

Seeing the familiar face of the Elf Ranger, Roy could only force a bitter smile and say helplessly, "I didn't want this either, but trouble just keeps finding me. Anyway... thank you both. If I hadn't run into you here, that guy might have dragged me into the sea and turned me into fertilizer."

Under the thick fog, the sound of distant waves made Roy uneasy. He kept feeling that the naga assassin was hiding somewhere nearby...

"Did you see what that naga assassin looked like?" the Elf Ranger asked Roy.

"I did," Roy answered honestly.

The Elf Ranger opened her notebook, intending to record some details, and asked again, "What did he look like?"

Roy hesitated. "He looked... like a male Naga Sea Clan member. Don't they all look about the same?"

There was simply no way to describe him. Scales all over his body, a hideous face, a human torso and fish tail...

Didn't all male Nagas look like that?

"That's true..."

The other Elf Ranger seemed to understand Roy's predicament...

Then the Elf Ranger who had already met Roy twice wrote in her notebook: Naga Sea Clan, adult male, three hundred and fifty centimeters long, carrying an exquisite short dagger, strong and muscular, experienced in killing.

The Elf Ranger looked at Roy and asked, "Did he say anything to you?"

Roy thought carefully before answering hesitantly, "No... does roaring count?"

The Elf Ranger looked at Roy speechlessly.

"Roy, did you know that two more human sailors were found dead on the beach last night?"

"No."

"Why did he come after you?" the Elf Ranger pressed.

Roy made a gesture that said no comment.

"Maybe because I fish around here a lot."

The Elf Ranger leaned closer and warned him quietly:

"You must have provoked them somewhere. And let me tell you, they are extremely vengeful. Once they set their sights on someone, they won't stop until one side is dead. You'd better be careful for a while. All right, you can leave now."

"Understood, Officer," Roy replied.

If he didn't leave soon, he would probably be late for school.

Roy struggled to his feet. The two Elf Rangers stepped aside, and he limped away from the beach.

By the time he walked back to Brown Street, the fog hanging over the road had begun to disperse.

A group of elves was still gathered outside the Potion Shop at the street corner. Mrs. Winnie, the boss lady of the shop, stood among them, while the Night Blade Leopard lay crouched at her feet, occasionally flicking its whip-like tail.

When Roy passed by on the other side of the street, she did not even look at him.

The elves outside the Potion Shop were busy discussing what had just happened, so they failed to notice Roy walking along the opposite side of the road...

If they had looked more carefully, they would have noticed that Roy was still wearing bloodstained, tattered clothes.

After returning home, Roy briefly treated his wounds.

The Elf Rangers had already stopped the bleeding. He merely wrapped the wounds with strips of linen.

He changed into clean clothes, skipped treatment at the temple, and hurried toward the street corner.

A Long Carriage happened to be stopped there. Roy hurried forward and barely managed to squeeze aboard as the last passenger...

Linen Bandages were wrapped around his neck and arm. Fortunately, there was still an empty seat on one of the long benches inside the carriage. He chose a corner seat and could hear someone in the carriage saying, 'Have you heard? That naga assassin came out and killed people again last night...'

The Long Carriage stopped outside Elf Academy, and Roy got off behind the crowd.

It was just before class, and the academy entrance was bustling as large numbers of elf students streamed inside.

Roy was about to join the crowd heading to class when Klayr suddenly popped out from somewhere and slapped Roy on his injured arm.

"Roy, you broke your promise!"

Klayr said angrily:

"I waited for you here all morning, and you didn't show up until class was practically about to begin!"

Roy nearly cried out. He hurriedly clutched his injured arm and said to Klayr:

"If I hadn't been lucky enough this morning, you might never have seen me again. Still, I really do owe you an apology for being late this morning!"

Only then did Klayr notice the Linen Bandages around Roy's neck and arm. The bandage around his arm was even stained with blood.

Klayr immediately thought of their mutual enemy, Steve, and angrily asked:

"Was it that bastard Steve who did this to you?"

Roy saw the elves at the academy entrance hurrying into the campus and guessed class was about to start. Last time he had been late, Instructor Nora had made him run two laps around the Training Ground. This time, he might have to keep running until class ended...

So he motioned for them to walk into the academy together and explained as they went, "It wasn't him. I don't understand what's going on either. A Naga showed up near my home recently, and he's set his sights on me."

Klayr asked worriedly, "A Naga Sea Clan member... are you all right?"

"If I weren't, I wouldn't be here running to class," Roy replied casually.

Klayr seemed to remember something. He lowered his head and fumbled with his belt, then somehow pulled two bottles of Tree of Life Sap from it.

Heaven knew how he had managed to tuck full bottles of Tree of Life Sap into his waistband.

"I happened to bring two more bottles of Tree of Life Sap. Here, take them!" Klayr said generously.

Roy looked at the two bottles of Tree of Life Sap, still pale green in color. Though this Tree of Life Sap had been diluted, it had not been diluted to the same degree as the kind Roy usually drank...

It was probably specially supplied to nobles and certainly expensive.

"You should keep them. I'm a Half-Elf, so Tree of Life Sap only works half as well on me. I have other options," Roy refused.

Klayr looked at the Tree of Life Sap in his hand. Though he was somewhat surprised by Roy's refusal, he did not try to persuade him. He only added, "Then do you want some Life Potion?"

"I still have some!"

As Roy spoke, he took out the corked test-tube bottle from his pocket and shook the pale red liquid inside...

By then, the two had already entered the academy.

They crossed a lawn and arrived at the Training Ground. The bell had not rung yet, and many students had gathered there waiting for class.

Everyone stood around in little groups.

Some were chatting, while others were still discussing the breakdown movements of martial techniques.

Roy and Klayr had barely sat down in a corner of the Training Ground when Steve approached from behind with several friends.

They had spotted Roy and Klayr at the academy gate.

Since they were on campus, Steve had not intended to bother the two of them. But then he saw Klayr pull two bottles of Tree of Life Sap from his Magic Belt and whispering with Roy all the way there. Later, Roy had even taken out a bottle of Life Potion...

What else could that mean? Obviously, the two were discussing their fight at noon and had even prepared recovery and Healing Potions in advance...

Steve followed them all the way until they sat down on the grass in a corner of the Training Ground. Then he approached with his friends and sneered at Klayr, "You two really went all out. You even prepared Tree of Life Sap and Healing Potion just to deal with me..."

Before he could finish, Steve noticed the bandages on Roy's body. He could even see the Linen Bandages wrapped around Roy beneath his collar.

Klayr stood up without any courtesy and said to Steve, "Steve, if you want to fight, then meet me at the usual place..."

"Forget it. I'll give you a few days to recover from your injuries." Steve turned, intending to leave with his friends.

But after taking two steps, Steve suddenly stopped. He turned back to Klayr and said, "As an elegant, noble, and refined Silver Moon Elf, I strongly oppose this kind of street brawling. Klayr, since the grudge between us cannot be resolved, do you dare settle it in the arena sometime? Only the winner gets to walk out standing!"

"What's there to be afraid of? When the time comes, I'll definitely knock you flat!" Klayr said, refusing to back down.

Klayr had been fighting constantly these past two days.

Steve's words completely stirred up his fighting spirit.

Though Klayr's body could not help trembling slightly as he spoke, his momentum was not weak at all.

"Then it's a deal." Steve revealed a smug smile.

This was exactly what he wanted.

Young elf nobles often developed conflicts over minor matters, and the arena existed to settle disagreements that could not be reconciled.

Of course, elf lives were extremely precious.

In the arena, they generally fought only until the other party was beaten down and could not rise again.

Steve had originally only wanted to bully Klayr during Elementary Martial Arts Training. He had never expected Wagner Klayr, who usually seemed so soft and timid, to have such fire in him.

Standing before Klayr, he smiled and said:

"Klayr, to be honest, I'm quite surprised. I never thought the most cowardly little rabbit in the Klayr family would have the courage to fight..."

"There are plenty of things you didn't expect," Klayr shot back.

During this Elementary Martial Arts Training class, Roy was injured, so he could not perform many of the movements and could only commit them to memory.

He had not even passed the complete sequence of movements for the first martial technique. Now that his injury had affected his study of the second set of breakdown movements, Instructor Nora had begun preparing to give him special attention.

That made Roy somewhat worried, but what worried him most was still the naga assassin...

After Instructor Nora finished explaining the second set of breakdown movements, Roy finally managed to get beside her before class ended and humbly asked her for guidance.

For example... if someone launched a sneak attack from behind him, what methods should he use to counterattack?

And for example... if someone slightly taller and stronger than him grabbed him by the neck, how should he fight back and break free...

Before answering those questions, Instructor Nora glanced at the bandages around Roy's neck and arm.

After considering it for a moment, she finally taught Roy two simple and effective counterattack methods.