Unwanted Attention

"It's time for you to play your role as a guide," Illiya said with a grand wave of his hand, full of an air of command. "Our next destination is the nearest Treasure Pavilion in town."

Darius had no objections. Instead, he chuckled and joked, "You're not actually planning to sell this magical beast, are you?"

"How could an elf do such a thing? I'm a proper elf, and proper elves don't sell magical beasts," Illiya stated seriously.

It was true—elves wouldn't do such things.

Whether humans would, however, was another matter.

Darius once again found his perception of elves shifting.

He really wanted to know who had trained this one—he didn't act like an elf at all.

However, as a professional mercenary, he knew when to rein in his curiosity.

"Since you has spoken, our next stop is the Treasure Pavilion!"

...

Haneulseong City.

Illiya lifted his head, spotting the large characters inscribed on the city gate.

He immediately began searching his memory for information about this city.

Haneulseong City was located on the border of the Areuseon Kingdom.

Although it was a frontier city, it sat atop rich mineral veins, boasting rare and valuable resources.

It was a wealthy place.

The most important thing to watch out for in the Haneulseong City was the Taeharin family—aside from the city lord, they were like local overlords.

It was best not to provoke them.

"You Taeharin family people will dissolve this engagement today, whether you want to or not! Everyone in Haneulseong City knows that your Young Master of the Taeharin family is now a cripple. He can't store even a trace of magic in his body, while our young lady is on the verge of becoming an advanced mage with a bright future ahead. She can't afford to be dragged down by you!"

Just as Illiya finished going over the city's survival rules in his mind, an arrogant voice rang out nearby.

The words carried an air of "if you don't do as I say, you're being ungrateful."

Before Illiya could figure out what was going on, the people in line ahead and behind him all surged forward to watch the commotion, forcing him to move toward the center of the disturbance.

Struggling to support Darius and help him regain his footing, Illiya looked ahead and saw two groups locked in a tense standoff.

The moment he caught sight of the emblem on one group's clothing, his vision darkened.

He had just painstakingly devised a survival plan and resolved to steer clear of both the Taeharin family and the city lord's faction.

Yet here he was, witnessing the Taeharin family's disgrace unfold right in front of him.

How did he end up in such a miserable situation?

Would it still be possible to claim he was just passing by?

No.

Reality gave him a clear answer—it was already too late.

The leader of the group confronting the Taeharin family suddenly pointed at him, a malicious smile creeping onto his face as he spoke.

"Well, since he's already useless, just a waste of existence, I'll be generous and offer you a solution. There's an elf right here—why don't you go and beg him for some Spring Water of Life? Who knows? Maybe it'll miraculously bring him back to health."

"What's wrong? Now that there's an elf present, why aren't you rushing over to ask for help? You know, as long you beg hard enough, maybe you'll be able to save your young master."

His voice dripped with mockery, his tone condescending, as though he were bestowing some great favor upon them.

It was the kind of attitude that would leave anyone uncomfortable—especially a race like elves, who valued peace above all else.

Illiya's golden eyes flickered with a flash of impatience as he furrowed his brows.

He truly couldn't comprehend whether this leader had a functioning brain or not.

Setting aside the debate over whether breaking off the engagement was right or wrong, the fact remained that the Taeharin family's young master had merely suffered an unforeseen accident that left him in poor health.

That didn't mean the family itself lacked powerful backing.

Anyone with a shred of intelligence knew that in Haneulseong City, aside from the city lord, the last people to provoke were the Taeharin family.

Why?

First, they controlled an extremely rare magic ore vein.

Over generations, their accumulated wealth rivaled that of entire nations, and their industries spanned across the continent.

Second, they had powerful connections.

Owning a magic ore vein wasn't rare, but possessing an exceptional-grade magic ore vein and managing to hold onto it?

That was another matter entirely.

From what Illiya knew, beyond these two advantages, the Taeharin family had something else: strength.

They weren't a one-man show dependent on a single prodigy.

Even if their eldest young master had an unfortunate accident, the rest of the family was still thriving.

While their talents might not have been outstanding, they worked hard enough to make up for it.

So, why on earth would someone deliberately offend them by demanding an annulment?

More importantly, did this man truly believe that anyone with basic common sense wouldn't understand the value of the Spring Water of Life?

The Spring Water of Life was deeply connected to the Elven Mother Tree.

It only produced water when a new elf was about to be born, and even then, only in minuscule amounts—just enough for the newborn elves to consume.

Every single elf drank the Spring Water of Life as their first rite of passage.

If one were to follow this leader's suggestion and lend it out, it would be no different from dooming an unborn elf.

So, did this man have a death wish?

Was he actually trying to offend both the Taeharin family and the elves at the same time?

Illiya didn't know.

But he was absolutely stunned.

Beside him, Darius's lips trembled as his wine-red eyes widened in shock.

His grip on his giant sword slackened, and it nearly slipped from his grasp.