novelraw Chapter 240 : Chapter 240
Chapter 240 : Chapter 240
Volume 4, Chapter 28 — “The Demon Race Beyond the Forest”:
“Really unlucky.” Felicia extended a fair hand to test the air, feeling a trace of dampness. In less than a quarter hour, the oppressive heat turned humid and stifling.
Suddenly, the sky filled with dark clouds, blotting out the previous clear blue.
“It’s about to rain. We won’t have a good time today. And there’s no forest nearby. We should set camp right here.” Felicia shaded her eyes and looked upward, offering her suggestion.
“Rain is essential nourishment for the earth.” Teresa pinched a raindrop between her fingers, her voice soft and ethereal.
“Save your poetry for after we pitch the tent.” Felicia set down the giant pack she’d been shouldering, dismantled it, and distributed the tent components to Astrid and Teresa.
Wenfu clutched her hands, wanting to help but realizing she couldn’t. Yimi, more practical, accepted that she couldn't help either, and seated herself on the bundle of gear to read while Teresa and Astrid erected the tent.
Felicia did not expect help from Yimi or Wenfu—everyone knew only three of them in the group had strength and combat ability; the other two were noncombatants or mascots.
“Meow!?” The raindrops, originally sparse, thickened. Wenfu quickly folded in her ears and hugged her tail, trying to avoid letting her fur get damp.
The three girls were not inexperienced in camping. With nimble motion, they finished erecting the tent.
Because the team was all female, they brought only one large tent (with a spare), more than enough for five persons.
“Boom, boom…” Thunder rumbled through the clouded sky, drowning the steady rain in its deeper resonance.
Wenfu stuffed her fingers in her ears and shrank behind Yimi. Yimi, seeing the tent nearly finished, jumped off the pack and followed inside.
“Afraid of thunder?” Yimi looked at the visibly fearful cat-like Wenfu.
“Um… Y‑Yimi, aren’t you afraid of thunder?” Wenfu asked with uncertainty.
“Why should I be? Thunder and rain are just natural phenomena: rain is the Mother Goddess’s tears, the dew that blesses earth.” Yimi, an elf inclined toward affinity with nature, couldn’t understand fear of such things.
“Mmph…” Wenfu lowered her head, poking her finger, like a child caught in wrong.
This time, Yimi also traveled with them. Dark as it sounded, Wenfu felt a measure of relief: she would no longer be the only “drag” in the party—someone else could share the mascot role.
But Yimi, though sometimes quarrelsome, was reliable at key moments—and unlike Wenfu, she wasn’t weak.
In this group, Wenfu alone feared thunder—childlike in that sense.
“Rain is growing heavier. At this rate, will the tent hold? Don’t wake to find the roof gone,” Teresa said, looking upward.
“No worries. This tent came from the royal storage. Even hail would be no problem,” Felicia said easily, confident in its strength.
Once the tent was up, Wenfu hesitated, wanting to slip in—but a sudden thunderclap spooked her so badly she removed her shoes and scrambled in, kneeling awkwardly and trembling.
Yimi quietly removed her shoes and followed inside, hugging her book.
Felicia placed the gear inside and entered.
“Teresa?” Astrid called gently. Seeing Teresa lingering outside, she asked.
“What’s wrong?” Teresa’s gaze drifted toward the gloom in the distance; in the rainy night it was veiled in mist.
“Nothing.” She shook her head, looked at the sky. “Rain’s heavier. Let’s go inside.”
“Don’t move.” Inside, Felicia sat behind Wenfu and used a towel to dry the damp fur of the little cat girl.
Rain patted the tent, drizzling into the interior.
Astrid switched on the tent’s crystal lamp. Its warm glow filled the space, and a hush of cozy warmth settled over them.
Listening to rain saturate the earth and with all of them sheltered in one tent, Wenfu felt unexpectedly safe—the thunder outside no longer felt so loud.
“We haven’t washed up yet,” Yimi said after a moment’s silence, breaking the sleep-to-be mood.
“First time traveling far, Yimi?” Astrid remarked. “Outdoors, washing daily is a luxury—circumstances don’t always allow.”
“That’s true.” Yimi looked at Felicia. Today had been their most physically active member, clad in knightly garb, short skirt, and thigh-high boots over black stockings.
Some places might already smell… better to freshen up, right?
Yimi thought it through—but didn’t voice it. She felt it might be awkward to say.
They unpacked pillows and blankets.
“Sleeping all together?” Wenfu’s eyes widened.
Astrid’s cheeks tinted faintly, though she remained outwardly composed. Ear tips flared slightly, betraying emotion.
Reading, Yimi raised her head and saw the other four preparing to sleep. She removed the durable yellow-duck jacket Teresa had given her.
Elves resist dirt, but clothing does not. She thought better of keeping the jacket on.
Teresa unfastened her thigh-high stockings but didn’t remove her uniform skirt—she seemed content to sleep as she was.
“Astrid, anything wrong?” Teresa asked, noticing Astrid watching her intently.
“No.” Astrid shook her head. Then, in a show of nonchalance—yet subtle intention—she gathered a blanket and pillow and lay down on Teresa’s other side.
“Sleep,” Astrid said, striving for calm, though her heart quivered.
Would her action seem too deliberate?
She turned her back to Teresa. A flicker of unease gleamed in her eyes.
Teresa, observing, felt affection in her eyes. This child, perhaps she wanted to rest next to her—but didn’t want to overstep.
“Astrid.”
“Mm? What is it?” Astrid tried to make her voice flat.
“Nothing.” Teresa slid behind Astrid’s head and gently ruffled her hair—an affectionate gesture reminiscent of stroking a pet.
To her, both Astrid and Wenfu were juniors needing care. The other teammates were simply juniors in the role.
Felicia removed the hair clip binding her ponytail. She inhaled Teresa’s cool minty aroma and felt her heat of desire quiet within that scent. She felt connected, as though her mind flowed with nature.
Under that elegant fragrance, her body’s restlessness grew tranquil. The golden-haired girl seemed like a calming elixir, loosening every heart.
Night fell. The five girls clung together, breathing in calm. The lamp dimmed; rain whispered outside. The tent, though tight, felt cozy.
Teresa awoke in the latter half of the night, fully alert. She felt arms wrapped around her.
Lowering her gaze, she saw Felicia, asleep, had wrapped an arm around her waist. Astrid—still asleep—held a lock of Teresa’s hair in one hand; the other hand had unwittingly grasped Teresa’s hand. Opening her eyes, she saw Astrid’s serene face.
She tried to move her leg, but it was entwined as well.
In the dreamless dark, Astrid and Felicia—one on each side—had enclosed her legs with their curving, enticing black-silk legs.
They lay as one would, seeking warmth in the cold. The more they slept, the closer they instinctively pressed toward the center.
If she moved, would it rouse them?
But if she stayed still…
Teresa’s heightened senses warned her. It was because of those senses she’d allowed herself to sleep without guards.
The rain fell outside, but the tent was no longer just rain noise.
Was it Beastmen again?
Teresa, moving gently so as not to wake the others, slipped herself free of their embrace. She saw one person already up.
In the muted night vision she made out a golden-haired elf girl in a simple nightdress, expression cool. It was Yimi—she had sensed the danger too, and apparently rose first, intending to alert Teresa.
Yimi peered through the tent flap on the rainy night beyond. Teresa understood.
After tidying her hair, Teresa donned her hair ornament and activated Divine Appraisal. A circular area centered on the tent came under her perception.
To the east, she sensed several living creatures moving swiftly toward the tent.
What were these? Beastmen couldn’t move so fast.
In the rainy night, black silhouettes moved like beasts—quadruple-limbed, but standing upright, larger than ordinary beasts.
Clearly they had locked onto a target and were speeding in. By the time ordinary prey reacted, they’d already be shredded. Some would not even wake.
In a flash, those shadows reached the tent flap. Golden eyes glowed with bloodlust; sharp teeth and claws poised.
“Swish!” The lead beast pulled aside the flap. But in its shock it saw a bright star-like point expanding in its vision.
“Boom!” The leader was pierced midair by an arrow, blasted across to a broken wall. Black blood poured from the wound. The beast struggled to remove the arrow, but it floated there, ungraspable.
Seeing its quick demise, the remaining beasts’ eyes flickered with panic.
“It survived one arrow. Strong life.” The tent flap flew again, and the golden-haired elf girl strode out into the drizzle.
Facing fierce snarling beasts, Teresa clearly saw their forms.
Wolf heads, wolf bodies—but upright.
Were these werewolves?
Teresa had heard of such creatures, seen them in demon bestiaries. Usually, werewolves did not inhabit Ruglien’s borderlands.
So that was it—the enemies beyond the forest: a werewolf enclave.
When they saw the newcomers, surprise glinted in their eyes—not expecting the intruders to be light-genus beings.
She dashed three arrows from her bow (Floral Whisper in bow form) into the night, shimmering sharply.
But three arrows vs over ten werewolves? Even if each arrow killed one, others would still attack.
The wolves presumably trusted their numbers. At the critical moment, a massive Crown Greatsword descended from above, cleaving a leaping werewolf in half—its spine pierced and pinned to the ground.
“Ah-la? Not Beastmen after all? Doesn’t matter.” The dual-tailed girl descended into realm form and lifted the sword, spraying blood across the faces of the stunned wolves—her expression fierce and exhilarated.
Her arrows pierced three wolves’ chests—but didn’t kill them outright. They backed away a few paces, feral snarls echoing.
A silver flame arced across the night, engulfing their fur in blazing heat.
Under the quiet night, Astrid stood on the tent, hands clasped, her icy beauty commanding.