บท 42: To Everwinter mountions

"...I took the cyclops' head, brought it straight to the archon chambers, dropped it at her feet, and said, 'Boom, looking for this!'" Vereesa excitedly told her heroic tale as we rode our elks

After she finished, she looked at us, especially me, hoping for some praise. But I just couldn't understand what there was to be so proud of about killing a sleeping cyclops.

If she had fought one while it was awake, that would have been impressive. But to kill a sleeping cyclops was no tale to tell.

"Heh, you don't have to pretend you're not impressed. I know I'm amazing," she said, ignoring the awkward silence, Vereesa continued to boast with a smug smile.

We weren't pretending; we genuinely weren't impressed. After their transformation, the blood elves were loyal only to me, so they didn't even try to act impressed. I slayed gods like they were animals, and Sylianner was a primal goddess herself, one that I would have a hard time defeating even in my prime. Of course, the Sylianner beside me was just a projection of her true self.

"No one cares about your so-called idiotic heroic deed, girl, so shut up for once in your life because I'm this close to erasing your entire existence." Sylianner warned, pinching her fingers together to emphasize her point.

"Tsk," Clicking her tongue, Vereesa, knowing that she couldn't do anything to Sylianner, leaned in closer to me.

"Hey Mally, let's go to the Human Duke's city."

"No," I replied firmly. I had no desire to go to a human city or be near them. Just imagining one of them touching me while walking among them made me sick to my stomach.

"Mally, don't be so hasty to reject me. Isn't the Human Duke your next target?"she asked, leaning in closer, her warm breath gently tickling my ear.

"Yes."

"Don't you think it's important to know about him, his troops, resources, and strength?"

"Indeed."

"What's a better way to find out than being in his own land? We could sneak in and gather all the details. Wouldn't that make your task easier?"

"We don't necessarily do it ourselves. We have scouts for such things."

"But isn't it better if you see it with your own eyes? It would help you understand what you're up against."

Vereesa's words made sense, something I didn't expect from this childish airhead sister of mine.

"What's with the look in your eyes as if I am some kind of an idiot? Are you mocking your lovely, sweet, and beautiful big sister?" Vereesa said, pulling my cheeks in frustration.

"I will consider your suggestion, Vereesa."

I should put my own discomfort aside for the sake of my kin. The information I could gather in the human duke's city could play a crucial role in the attack and potentially save lives.

****

"Don't skip your meals. I made them just for you with my own hands."

"Yes, mother."

"Don't stay up late at night. It's bad for your health."

"Yes, mother."

"If you feel cold at night, I put some bear fur inside your bag. Don't forget to wear it or you might catch a cold."

"Yes, mother." Actually, it was impossible for me to catch a cold or any disease.

"You love Mommy the most. She is the most important person in your life. You will always be with her and do anything for her without question."

"Yes, Mother." I let out a tired sigh as Mother continued on with her nightly routine, which she had followed since I left the city. Every night, she repeats the same things and then talks about her day, wanting me to stay awake and talk to her until she falls asleep. It feels a bit ironic since she is the one who tells me to go to sleep early.

"Okay, okay, don't be angry, my sweet little baby," Mother said with a soft tone, looking apologetic.

"Let me tell you about my day." Then I spent most of the night listening to her telling me about her day, down to every last little detail - way too much detail. She even tells me how she starts her day by humping my pillow, something I didn't need to know.

I wish Sylianner was here. She could just cut the connection. But after mother called, she left, saying she could only handle so much of my sister today, let alone mother.

***

Leaning against Moonfurry's belly, just as I was about to sleep after listening to mother telling her day and forcing me to tell mine so she could sleep while listening to my voice, Vereesa poked her head from behind the tree.

"Hey Mally," she said as she hopped onto my lap.

"Shoo, shoo, elf. We are trying to sleep," Sylianner said, poking her head out of my hair and waving her hand to shoo Vereesa off.

Moonfurry raised its head, glanced at Vereesa, then huffed in annoyance and rolled its eyes before resting its head back down.

"I'm not here to play this time, fairy queen. I have something important to discuss," Vereesa said with a serious expression.

"'Gasp' Impossible!" Sylianner exclaimed, pretending to be shocked by Vereesa's words.

"Leave her be, Sylianner," I told her, pushing her head back into my hair.

Then I held Vereesa's cheek and kissed her. After the kiss, she giggled and playfully punched my chest.

"Hey, don't distract me. I need to tell you something."

"Speak."

"And you just destroyed the moment we were having with your damn emotionless voice and commanding tone," she said. Her cheerful smile disappeared, and she stared at me with a blank expression.

Grabbing her chin, I forced her to open her mouth as I shoved my tongue inside and wrapped around hers. I trailed my tongue on hers as we exchanged saliva hungrily, enjoying the warmth of each other's mouths as our bodies pressed against each other. Eventually, I broke the kiss, our saliva still connecting us as Vereesa gasped for breath.

"Haaaahhh, damn you, Mally... haaahh... seducing your big sister like that," she panted, her eyes flicking between my lips and eyes. She playfully slapped her cheeks and mine, but much harder.

"Focus, you little pervert. It's not the place or time for this. I'm here to tell you that we will be arriving in Human Duke's territory tomorrow, and of course, we can't just go in like this," she pointed to our ears and she was right, there was no way we could just walk into Human Duke's territory however we wanted. The moment they saw us, they would probably launch an attack to hunt us with everything they had, and we didn't have time to sneak in either.

"That's why I made us these glamours," she said, pulling out two pairs of earrings from her bosom.

[IMAGE]

"It will give us a human appearance, so we can walk into the city like we own the place," she said cheerfully, while I despised everything about the plan.

I just nodded at her as I cursed my pathetic self. To think that I would drop so low and become so weak that I had to use glamour to make myself look like a human.

Truly pathetic, humans will pay for this humiliation.

Seeing my downcast expression, Vereesa gently cupped my cheeks and gazed into my eyes.

"It's okay, Mally. No one will think less of you because of this. You will only appear as a human so that one more of our people can live. You are really brave and kind for making this sacrifice," she said, kissing my forehead and giving me a warm smile.

"So keep your head up and smile. If not for yourself, do it for me, okay?"

After trying to comfort me for a while, Vereesa said her goodbyes and went to sleep. which I found suspicious since I thought she would sleep with me as she always did whenever she could. However, I got my answer just as I was about to sleep. I caught Vereesa taking out a cube from her bosom corner of my eye. Her hand glowed with magic runes before she tossed the cube to the ground, and it turned into a tent, similar to the ones I used while raiding human towns. It had everything a room had inside—a bed, bath, nightstand, and even a magical lamp for light.