Elf Kingdom: Game of the World Tree-Chapter 139 - 138 Nightingale Shadow

Chapter 139: Chapter 138 Nightingale Shadow

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Those elves appeared quite young, at least… if judged by human aesthetics.

The oldest looked like a human at the age of twelve or thirteen, while the youngest resembled a child of five or six.

Of course, with El Moonlight as a precedent, Bento knew that even the smallest-looking elf likely had an age old enough to be his elder brother.

However, he noticed that these elves had different hair and eye colors compared to the Elf Girl.

There were blonde ones, red-haired ones, as well as brown and green-haired ones, but none had the gray-black hair like him and the girl.

According to the players’ knowledge, the elves in the “Elf Kingdom” were also divided into many tribes, and the best way to distinguish them was by their hair and eye color.

Different hair colors indicated that these young elves and the girl were not from the same tribe.

The elves huddled in the corner, with some of the youngest already sleeping soundly in their companions’ arms, though faint traces of tears were still visible on their cheeks.

And those who were older and awake watched the outside of the cell vigilantly, their faces pale. Even if they forced themselves to remain calm, they couldn’t hide the fear and confusion about the future in their eyes.

When Bento and the others were pushed in, they immediately caught the elves’ attention.

Seeing the bound Elf Girl, an older male elf immediately widened his eyes, rushed to the cell door, grabbed the bars and shouted,

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

“Night… Sister Nightingale! How… how did you also get caught?!”

His voice was clear and innocent, tinged with surprise and worry.

“Sister? Sister also got caught?”

His voice caught the attention of the other young elves.

Soon, they all flocked to the door, looking at the girl with eyes full of affection, worry, or sadness,

“Sister Nightingale! It really is Sister Nightingale!”

“Sister, did they do anything to you?”

“Lady Sister, are you hurt?”

“Sister Nightingale… how… how could you also…”

Seeing those innocent faces, the elf girl referred to as Nightingale heaved a sigh of relief, a gentle expression appearing on her face.

She nodded at the elves, giving them a reassuring look to calm them.

“Get back inside! Stop yelling!”

Seeing the elves who rushed to the cell door, two humans yelled in annoyance and cracked their whip on the cell bars, causing a chorus of screams.

Only when the elves timidly retreated to the deepest part of the cell did they stop satisfied.

“Hmph…!”

Seeing the humans’ rough actions, Nightingale widened her eyes.

She glared angrily at the man with the whip, instinctively trying to break free from her ropes, but was quickly kicked by Bento.

The girl turned back in anger, but after seeing Bento’s calm eyes, her rage gradually subsided.

She understood the meaning in Bento’s gaze—

Stay calm.

The humans did not lock Bento and Nightingale in the same cell with the young elves but took them to a more secure cell specifically designed for professionals, in a deeper part.

This cell seemed more robust and even more secluded.

And after throwing the two of them into the cell, the humans left.

Once the humans were far away, the elf girl known as Nightingale suddenly stood up.

She swiftly broke free of her ropes, pulled away the cloth from her mouth, and immediately started picking the lock at the cell door.

The girl manipulated the lock with skill, and within a minute, the heavy lock was effortlessly opened by her.

Just as Nightingale was about to rush out, she heard Bento’s voice behind her,

“Are you rushing to your death?”

As if doused with cold water from head to toe, Nightingale immediately calmed down.

Her movements paused slightly, and her clear voice quivered a bit,

“They… those are my younger siblings, I must save them!”

Bento remained silent for a moment, then said,

“Wait for reinforcements.”

After speaking, he pointed upward and then raised two fingers, shaking his head,

“Two silvers.”

Hearing his words, Nightingale returned, grabbing Bento’s shoulder with trembling hands,

“I know there’s a human with silver-level strength above, one of them even a Mage! But… but…”

Her voice carried a hint of sobbing.

“Trust me.”

Bento’s voice was deep and powerful.

Hearing Bento’s words, Nightingale gradually released her grip, kneeling to the ground,

“Can… can I really trust you? Seeing them so scared, I’m really… I’m really worried… They’re all still children, they’re all still children!”

As she spoke, Nightingale began to sob softly…

Bento remained silent.

He hesitated for a moment, then placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder to comfort her.

Nightingale cried for a while before she gradually stopped.

She wiped her reddened eyes and began to tell her story…

“I hate humans… they’re the ones who destroyed my home.”

“After the god wars a thousand years ago, the Shadow Tribe split into several branches, and ours chose to infiltrate human society and live in seclusion about a hundred years ago…”

“The most dangerous place is the safest place.”

“In fact, our tribe was skilled in concealment, changing our living location along with our identities every once in a while. Although our lives were unstable, we survived…”

“The name Nightingale was given to me by my mother; in elvish, Nightingale symbolizes beauty and freedom, and she hoped I could live freely…”

“Nightingale Shadow… it’s a beautiful meaning, but… how could that be?”

“A nomadic life is inherently fraught with dangers.”

“Later, a family elder, driven by compassion and kindness, saved an injured human knight but accidentally revealed our identity to him…”

“That knight swore he was grateful for our rescue and wouldn’t disclose our secret…”

“He indeed behaved well and spoke sincerely. Hardworking, humble, kind, loyal… he almost met every elven understanding of a knight…”

“So… the elders trusted him.”

“But… I was very much against it, I didn’t trust humans; I believed we should silence anyone who discovered our secret, regardless of who it was…”

“However, I was reprimanded by the elders who firmly and naively believed that the knight would uphold knightly principles and not betray our secret…”

At this point, Nightingale laughed mockingly,

“How could that be possible? They were humans, after all!”

“After that human left, he soon returned with a group of mercenaries…”

“What loyalty? What kindness? In the face of profit… it’s all a lie!”

“The price of a young female elf is enough to make an ordinary person a wealthy man; how could greedy humans resist?”

“That branch of our tribe was wiped out as a result.”

“I watched my father get killed by humans while resisting, and my mother… my mother was violated by them… Even I was caught by slave traders eventually.”

“I was in despair then; it was a predecessor, who was also living in human society, who saved me…”

“She wasn’t an elf, but she had great sympathy for elves. She ran an orphanage, but in reality, she sheltered elves she rescued from humans…”

“Including myself… and my younger siblings.”

“My younger siblings are not from the Shadow Tribe, but they are all poor children persecuted by humans…”

“We hid our identities, staying in the orphanage. It was the predecessor’s protection that gave us a second home…”

“Although we had to hide and conceal our identities, at least… we survived once again.”

“I was the oldest, and the predecessor taught me many things. I once followed her into human caravans and saved many companions. The younger siblings called me sister, they were very close to me, and I loved them too…”

“Later… the predecessor died in an accident.”

“As the oldest sister, I planned to carry on the predecessor’s wish and continue to maintain the orphanage, rescuing elves from humans, but unexpectedly, the predecessor’s death raised human suspicion, and they discovered our secret…”

“During one of my excursions, my younger siblings were all captured.”

“I tracked them all the way here, hoping to rescue them… but I didn’t realize how powerless I was…”

“I… I’m such a failed sister…”

“Hey…”

With tears streaming down her face, Nightingale looked sorrowfully at Bento,

“Is there really no refuge for us elves in this world?”

“Are we really destined to be mere commodities?”

“Why! Why is this happening? What did we do wrong?”

“Is kindness truly a sin? Does compassion only bring misfortune?”

“If that’s the case, I’d rather fall into darkness!”

“But… where is our future?”

After listening to Nightingale, Bento fell into silence.

A moment later, he took a deep breath and said,

“There is.”

“Is there?”

With tears glistening in her eyes, Nightingale asked,

“Even if we are saved this time, it will only be another cycle of hiding and pursuit…”

“We’ve lost our powerful strength, left only with this cursedly attractive appearance, alluring lifespan, and special physique…”

“Do we really have a future like this?”

Nightingale gripped Bento’s clothes tightly, questioning with a bitter smile.

Bento looked down at her.

His expression remained calm, but his gaze softened considerably.

“There is.”

This time, his voice was gentler,

“Both refuge and a future exist.”

As he finished speaking, the entire cell quaked slightly, sending up a cloud of dust.

Faintly, the high roar of a dragon seemed to resonate from above.

Bento took a deep breath, helping the somewhat surprised Nightingale to her feet,

“It’s here.”

His aura surged, and his eyes gradually sharpened,

“Reinforcements have arrived.”

He pulled out a dagger that he had hidden all along from his shoe!