The Troublesome Elf

Elrago Habel felt his life was a tragedy, as if he had been possessed by Beshaba herself. As a member of one of the North's most renowned wizarding families, what was the greatest sorrow? Naturally, it was the inability to cast magic and become a revered, powerful spellcaster. What saddened him even more was that Elrago had once possessed enviable talent, but a disastrous magical experiment had damaged his soul and severed his connection to the Weave. Now, he could only cast a few flashy little cantrips, and his emotions had become incredibly fragile; he couldn't help but cry whenever he got excited, regardless of whether he wanted to or not.

The traumatized man did not want his life to end this way and sought something to occupy his time. Thus, the Habel Family arranged for him to escort cargo to the Mirabar region every year—in reality, it was the simplest task, and no one else in the family wanted to waste time on it, as every other member was obsessed with their own magical pursuits. Even in this simple and dull life, Elrago found his own joy: facing ambushes by Goblins, Ogres, and other monsters alongside the guards, bragging and joking in taverns, or getting into fights and getting beaten up. Aside from the "frequent crying" habit that annoyed him to no end, Elrago felt he could call himself a qualified adventurer—having abandoned the path of a spellcaster, he had found a new ideal: to become a great adventurer.

However, that wretched habit of crying meant no other adventurers would take him on as a teammate. Elrago could only brag in taverns about what a great adventurer he would have been if he hadn't lost his magic, and Alos, a tavern waiter, was one of his loyal listeners.

"Oh! My dear little Alos! Do you know what a thrilling and terrifying adventure I experienced today? You absolutely cannot imagine! I am certain of it!" After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Chen Jinyang dragged the injured guards aside to set bones and treat wounds, while the uninjured guards led the wagons into the village, unhitched the horses and livestock, and led them into the stables for feeding. As for the tearful Elrago, he dragged Alos to the side to neurotically recount today's "adventure," "The brave Elrago Habel did not flinch! Yes! Facing a giant! Facing a powerful and evil female Frost Giant! I did not."

Elrago, who was spitting as he bragged, felt someone kick him from behind. He turned to see the little girl glaring at him with her small fists clenched, her little feet tapping against his heels: "You are not allowed to speak ill of Sister Phinia! Phinia is a good giant! You are the bad guy!" The little girl had become violent as well.

Alos shrugged at his poor friend and whispered, "Phinia is William's girlfriend! Mishaer also has a very good relationship with the giant."

Elrago froze and asked in surprise, "What? William's girlfriend? That giant? Impossible! Impossible! Hahaha! A human and a giant? Hahaha! That's too funny! Haha—boo-hoo-hoo! It's too unbelievable! Boo-hoo-hoo—!" Hearing that the giant was William's girlfriend made him laugh heartily, but after a moment, it turned into sobbing. Alos helplessly spread his hands to the surprised Mishaer: "He's often like this; he can't help but cry whenever he gets excited."

The little girl giggled and scraped her finger against her cheek, saying, "You're so big and you still cry! Shame! Shame! Shame! Crybaby! I'm not playing with you anymore! I'm going to find Sister Phinia." With that, she skipped away, leaving behind a helpless Alos watching the emotionally unstable man who was laughing and crying at the same time.

Chen Jinyang grabbed the arm of a guard with a dislocated shoulder, pulling and twisting it in an instant. With a scream of "Ah—," the dislocated bone was set. The guard moved his arm, which only felt slightly sore, and asked in astonishment, "William! What was that?" Chen Jinyang smiled slightly without answering and continued to treat the next casualty. Most of the dozen or so injured had dislocated or displaced bones, which would be fine after a few days of rest; only four or five archers had their bones intentionally broken by him—Phinia's injuries could not be suffered in vain. Most of the guards had known William before, as Gnome Village was one of the necessary stopovers on the way to Mirabar, and those who frequented this trade route generally knew there was a "silly giant" in the village. But the current William had changed so much that they could hardly believe it; the fool of the past had actually become a powerful and terrifying warrior.

Chen Jinyang roughly set the bones for the archers. One of them actually had a pair of pointed ears, and his features were so beautiful it was unbelievable. If not for his Adam's apple and flat chest, Chen Jinyang would have thought he was a woman. Feeling a chill, Chen Jinyang used an even rougher method to set the bones, torturing the poor "trap" until he screamed repeatedly. Damn it! It was too disgusting! Thinking of the impulse he had felt upon seeing this guy earlier, a shamed and annoyed Chen Jinyang had the dark thought of finishing off this trap.

The "trap," pale from the excruciating pain, keenly sensed the tall human's hostility toward him. He asked in a very elegant tone, "Sir, have we met before?"

"No!" Chen Jinyang replied stiffly.

"I thought as much! My name is Alafil Nightstar, from the Nightstar Tribe of the High Forest. This is my first time participating in a mercenary adventure. Ugh! It's also my first time being this badly hurt. Hiss—! It really hurts! Do you have a prejudice against elves?" This naive rookie was quite the chatterbox.

"No!" Chen Jinyang also realized he was being too emotional; this little trap didn't seem so annoying after all, and he seemed like a simple little guy. "Alright! Stop talking! Lying quietly will be good for your injury."

"It's no trouble! I'll be better soon! If you don't believe me, look!" The elf pulled a small flat bottle from his pouch, pulled the stopper, and poured the milky white potion into his mouth. A fresh, faint fragrance spread, and the nearby guards turned to see the elf's actions, shouting in surprise: "Healing Potion?!"

Before long, the handsome elf stood up, jumping around, and said happily, "See! I told you! I'm better already. They all call you Silly William; is your name Silly William? Can I call you that too?"

Chen Jinyang had the urge to hit someone again. He said viciously, "You can just call me William! You don't need the 'Silly' part! Also, are you a Troll? How did your injury heal so fast?"

"Nah! Of course I'm not a disgusting Troll! It's all because of this! Healing Potion, a concoction that can quickly recover wounds." Alafil handed the flat bottle to Chen Jinyang and continued to ask persistently, "Why don't I need to include the 'Silly' part? Why?"

Looking at the empty bottle in his hand, Chen Jinyang felt it looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. However, facing the elf's laughable questions, Chen Jinyang couldn't vent his anger and had to cover his face and walk away, while the little rookie followed behind him, continuing his speechless verbal harassment.

Elrago, who was bragging to Alos, saw the elf chasing Chen Jinyang and said to the boy in a tone of extreme sympathy, "That guy is an anomaly among Moon Elves, kicked out of his tribe by his own people. He's a real headache; you'd best stay far away from him! Haha—William is in trouble! Sigh! What a wasteful guy, actually using a life-saving Healing Potion to treat such a superficial wound!" Alos looked at the elf in the distance, confused, and shrugged his shoulders, unable to understand.

The injuries of most of the guards meant the caravan had to stay in the village for a while. Chen Jinyang and the guards cleared the obstacles in the tavern, and the guest rooms on the second floor would provide them with accommodation. As for food, Chen Jinyang watched in shock as the guards poured large amounts of flour and vegetables from exquisite, tiny bags. The elf who had been harassing him explained quite seriously, "A Bag of Holding, a very useful magical item. Among humans, only wizarding families like the Habels can afford to be so extravagant as to use them for transporting cargo." Monsters, magic, elves, Healing Potions, Bags of Holding—merely touching the corner of this world made Chen Jinyang feel dizzy. He truly didn't know what kind of world this was.

"My god! A Fish-Eating Crocodile! How did you catch this ferocious guy? I've only ever seen this ferocious aquatic predator in books. Little Alos! How about selling it to me? Sell it to me! I'll pay you five hundred gold coins!" Elrago looked at the crocodile-headed fish monster in front of him with equal shock; such a rare catch was undoubtedly extremely precious.

"William caught it! You'll have to ask him!" Alos answered truthfully.

"This is our food for the next few days! I can't sell it to you!" Facing the caravan leader's request to buy, Chen Jinyang refused flatly.

Elrago, hearing Chen Jinyang's wasteful refusal, was beyond furious: "How can you treat such a precious Fish-Eating Crocodile as boring food! You cannot treat my beloved treasure so cruelly! Boo-hoo-hoo—" The poor crying man got excited and started sobbing again.

"That is my property! It doesn't belong to you yet!"

After repeated haggling, the poor, sobbing fellow paid the price of a magic bag and finally got his wish, and Chen Jinyang also obtained the magical bag he had coveted for so long. However, what Chen Jinyang didn't know was that the misery that gave him such a headache had finally begun.

After dinner, Chen Jinyang took Phinia to a quiet place outside the village to continue their daily impromptu exercise. Just as the two were in the heat of the moment, an unexpected voice suddenly rang out: "William! What are you two doing?" The "trap" elf Alafil appeared beside them with a look of curiosity and ignorance.

Caught in the act, Chen Jinyang was startled and immediately went soft. He hugged Phinia and roared angrily, "Get the hell out of here! Do you believe I'll kill you? You damn sissy!"

"Why do you want to kill me? Tell me! What are you doing? It looks fun! Whoa—!" The naive elf continued to ask, completely unbothered.

Chen Jinyang, embarrassed to the extreme, glared fiercely at the thick-skinned elf, pulled the fur robe around him, picked up the female giant, and turned to leave.

"Don't go! You haven't told me yet!" The elf "trap" shouted from behind, a sinister smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.