Love Letter From The Future-Chapter 362: Bread and Dagger (60)

The vine Elder Poff gave proved to hold astonishing abilities.

It was as if a path was being drawn before me with every step I took. A map appeared in my mind’s eye, charting my movements as I went along.

It was a novel sensation.

I began to understand how Elder Poff could navigate the coniferous forest so effortlessly. With an item like this, it would naturally be possible to grasp every corner of the forest.

I, too, was reaping the benefits of its power.

My gaze swept across the scorched surroundings. In the place where everything had burned, a monochrome world of black and white unfolded.

The charred debris was all that remained to testify to what once stood here.

Judging by the tents and other camp facilities, it was clear this had been a military encampment. Humanity’s army reached deep into this area before succumbing to the mysterious fire.

That, above all, puzzled me.

The northern region was cold and arid.

Once a fire broke out, it carried the risk of spreading rapidly. Luckily, the ground was covered with snow; last night’s fire could have become a major calamity otherwise.

Nevertheless, the reason why the coniferous forest could maintain such a dense woodland…

Was because the environment was inherently resistant to fire.

The coniferous forest was a place where water droplets froze the instant they fell. Moreover, the wind that blew year-round was the main factor that snuffed out any fledgling flame.

Naturally, the probability of a natural fire breaking out was extremely low.

That left only one answer.

Last night’s fire had been deliberately caused.

I, however, couldn’t guess the culprit. Who would dare provoke humanity’s army?

The elves were a possibility.

Humans and elves were sworn enemies and setting fire to an encampment was a perfectly reasonable military tactic.

However, the doubt I harboured stemmed exactly from that point.

As far as I knew, the only elven village in the area was the one I was staying in. And our village hadn’t even been aware of this encampment’s location.

In other words, the prerequisites for burning this place didn’t hold up.

That left only two possibilities.

Either the elf who went missing yesterday set the fire, or a third party was involved.

The first possibility was soon ruled out.

It was because I spotted the burnt remains of a shackle, an object far beyond what elven technology could create.

So, he was abducted.

I quickly pieced the situation together.

The unfortunate elf, wandering through the coniferous forest, ended up being captured by a human reconnaissance team and was subjected to interrogation.

It would have been impossible to set a fire in such a restrained state. Moreover, it was likely the elf was being closely watched by everyone in the camp.

Having dismissed yet another hypothesis, my gaze carefully scanned the surroundings.

In one corner of the fire site, there was a peculiarly out-of-place terrain.

It was a low mound.

On top of it, swords and spears were planted, clearly marking it as a grave for fallen soldiers.

Could it be that the camp’s soldiers had returned to retrieve the bodies?

I quickly shook my head and dismissed the notion. Had they done that, they would have erased the evidence more thoroughly.

No commander would risk giving away their position to the enemy or squander the perfect opportunity to strike the elven village by surprise.

After taking such a noticeable action as setting a fire, they would have undoubtedly cleaned up the remnants left behind here.

In the end, I found no answers and had no choice but to turn back.

The missing elf’s body was nowhere to be seen. And the culprits who had set the fire in the camp encampment remained shrouded in mystery.

This could not be called a commendable outcome even as mere consolation..

But what else could I do?

I was a knight, not a professionally trained scout. There were limits to how much I could uncover.

For now, returning to the village as quickly as possible was the best course of action.

There, I could rely on the collective wisdom of the villagers.

Most of them were simple-minded elves, but among them were elders like Elder Poff. Leaning on their wisdom was my only option at this point.

Yes, that’s what I had thought.

Until I saw the village in flames.

I could sense the scorching heat flicking at my skin. It was undeniably a fire. Otherwise, what would you call that red, blazing thing?

For a moment, I couldn’t think clearly.

The human encampment burned down last night. Naturally, I had assumed they wouldn’t return for several weeks.

But it had only been a few hours.

And during that short time I was away, the village had been set ablaze. The sound of clashing weapons told me it was clearly a raid.

Who could have done this, and why?

What snapped me out of my daze was the sound of shouting, echoing one after another.

“Burn down the warehouse first! These bastards have stacked up plenty of food!”

“P-Please don’t! That’s food we’ve gathered after so long…”

“Round up all the elves and drag them to the center!”

Staggering, I forced myself to take a step forward.

My heightened senses relayed every scene to my mind. The food warehouse was among the burning buildings.

It was where the snow leopard meat from our last hunt had been stored. I remembered how happy the elves had been then.

Now it was moments away from turning to ashes.

And it wasn’t just the warehouse.

Ruget’s, Dolph’s and Isha’s huts were also ablaze. While Elder Poff’s hut was just starting to catch fire.

I couldn’t stand it any further.

I kicked off the ground, and surged forward, my body propelling closer to the village center with each leap.

There, elves bound tightly with ropes were gathered. Soldiers were dragging them toward the center.

That was when I noticed it—the Yurdina Family’s crest.

My thoughts unraveled like a severed thread. There was no way the Yurdina forces would do such a thing.

They never make the first move against elves.

Senior Delphine had assured me of this herself and it was common knowledge within the Empire. The Empire was always the victim in its dealings with the elves.

They were never the aggressors.

At least, that’s what I had believed—until today. But what was this scene unfolding before my eyes?

Unfortunately, I didn’t even have the luxury to dwell on it.

A strangled cry tore from my throat.

“Stop!”

The soldiers, who had been setting fires and dragging elves, froze in their tracks.

Everyone’s gaze, including the elves, turned to me.

Against the backdrop of the burning village, an eerie silence descended.

The soldiers remained speechless for a long while. Their eyes grew wide and they soon started exchanging uneasy glances.

I quickly surveyed the elves. Thankfully, none of them seemed to have died yet.

That meant they could still be saved.

I was Ian Percus—humanity’s hero and a man who enjoyed the unwavering trust of the Yurdina family’s heir.

It might have been different with elves but, the opponents couldn’t escape my aura of influence if they were human.

Even now, look at them.

The soldiers only stood there, hesitating with a confused look.

I let out another furious shout.

“Stop this, right now… What are you all doing? Since when has humanity stooped to attacking innocent elves?!”

At my bellowing reprimand, the soldiers began to visibly falter.

Looking uneasy, some lowered their torches, while others slackened their grip on the elves they had been dragging.

It was then I became certain.

It was working. At this rate, I could save the elves without any casualties.

Just as I was inwardly rejoicing like that.

Out of nowhere, a familiar voice struck my ears.

“…Haha, well now. To think I’d see you here.”

When that boisterous laughter rang out, the previously hesitant soldiers all stiffened at once.

They immediately snapped to attention and saluted with the utmost respect—a gesture even I had not received.

Such honor was reserved for only the most esteemed superiors.

Slowly, my gaze turned toward the source of the voice.

***

“So, in the end, you’re saying you don’t know the exact location.”

It was a rebuke, laced with a sigh.

In a corner of the Yurdina castle, inside a prepared infirmary, there were several people gathered.

Among them were Seria, the patient, as well as the Saintess, Elsie, Emma and even the Princess.

They were all individuals Ian brought along. Yuren was also there, silently standing behind the Saintess like a shadow.

She seemed visibly anxious, her unease evident in the way she kept biting her lips.

And she wasn’t the only one.

Everyone present wore troubled expressions. Only Seria, the target of the reprimand, kept her head lowered.

She muttered as though giving an excuse.

“I couldn’t pinpoint the operation’s exact location. I have a rough idea of the direction, but the coniferous forest is an uncharted space. The fact that I made it that far was already a miracle.”

“But you said Master was there in that area!”

The words burst out of Elsie in a fit of frustration.

Indeed, it wasn’t uncommon to fail to pinpoint one’s location in the coniferous forest.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t even be worth blaming someone over.

It was, in many ways, an inevitability.

But the reason the women were so agitated was due to the information Seria had brought back.

The area where Seria had last been—

There was an elven village there, where Ian was staying.

And that too, with his memories lost.

Each time they thought of that fact, the women felt their throats go dry, as if no amount of cold water could relieve their thirst.

When Seria couldn’t say anything further, Elsie clicked her tongue and turned away.

“Tsk, so why the hell was there a fire… What were you doing until it broke out?”

“I did my best!”

Seria protested, tears welling up in her eyes as if she felt deeply wronged.

“The defences were flawless. I didn’t let my guard down even for a second… and there were definitely no signs of anything or anyone other than the soldiers.”

“Does that even make sense? You must’ve missed the elves’ presence. Who else could’ve started the fire?”

However, Elsie’s attitude remained extremely cold.

Seria had no retort. Any attempt to explain herself would only further highlight her own incompetence.

Yet, she couldn’t let go of her conviction until the end.

“No, I swear, there were no signs of anyone else…”

“It’s most likely that Sister Yurdina made a mistake.”

The Saintess spoke with certainty, and Seria could only lower her eyes once more.

She looked completely dejected.

Though it didn’t seem to affect the Saintess, who looked like her head was about to explode from worry over Ian.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

“If it was an ambush in the coniferous forest, the chances are overwhelmingly high that it was the elves. If not, then…”

The Saintess parted her lips to speak but suddenly felt a certain suspicion cross her mind.

It wasn’t the most convincing hypothesis.

But what if Seria is right?

If truly no outsider infiltrated that night.

Then there was only one possible answer.

“…There must be a traitor.”

Someone capable of planting their agent in the Yurdina forces and secretly starting a fire…

There was only one possible candidate who could do that.

The Yurdina family’s traitor—the one blocking the flow of information regarding the elves.

Of course, that hypothesis was quickly dismissed.

No matter how she thought about it, there was no reason for the traitor to burn down the camp.

At least, not based on the clues they currently had.

***

Bloodstains dotted the snowy ground.

A groaning boy was firmly held by a thick gauntlet.

His face was battered with bruises and he coughed up blood, appearing as though he had endured a fierce battle.

The probable outcome was the boy’s complete defeat.

As if he was showing off, the victor held the boy by the scruff of the neck and dragged him across the ground. It didn’t take me long to figure out who the boy was.

Almost like a groan, a name slipped from my lips.

“Elder Poff…”

With a deliberate stride, the man dragging him walked right past me.

I had been frozen in place, unable to even react until that moment.. The man who appeared had so suddenly hurled Elder Poff without hesitation.

With a dull thud, he was thrown on top of the elves gathered in the center.

“Elder Poff!”

A commotion broke out among the elves.

Seeing Elder Poff, who had been the village’s pillar of support, collapse left them stricken with fear.

The man stood with his back to the chaos.

He acted as though the cries of the elves were nothing more than the symphony of an orchestra being performed for his amusement. Spreading his arms wide, he wore a satisfied grin.

His bloodstained lips curved into a cruel arc.

Just as always.

“Ah, young master, I didn’t expect to find you here! Hahaha! You must have gone through so much, mingling with these lowly elves.”

“He’s got nothing to do with any of this!”

That was Ruget’s desperate outburst.

The man’s gaze briefly darted behind him. Despite having his hands and feet bound, Ruget strained his neck as he fervently defended me.

“He’s lost his memories! He didn’t betray you humans! So leave him alone!”

“Hmm,” the man murmured, falling silent for a moment.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully before subtly signaling to one of the soldiers. At the gesture, the soldier took off in a rush, sprinting toward an unknown destination.

The man then placed his hand on his forehead with a dramatic thud.

“Unbelievable… There’s even more to report now. Memory loss, of all things?”

And then, suddenly—

A loud wham echoed in the air.

It all happened in an instant. The man’s kick struck Ruget’s temple directly, leaving him unable to even scream before he collapsed unconscious.

Watching the scene, I had no choice but to cry out the man’s name.

“Sir Alex, stop!”

At that single cry, the man’s eyes moved slowly, as if surprised.

He was an old knight with a sturdy frame.

His hair had long since turned white, but his sharp, blade-like presence remained unchanged.

Pfft, not long after, he let out a dismissive chuckle.

“You’re still as unnecessarily soft as ever, young master.”

The silent blade of the Marquis Yurdina, a loyal vassal who had devoted himself to the family for generations.

He was the culprit who had set the elven village ablaze.

***

https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken