Fist Is The Best Explanation.

Standing in front of the mysterious girl, both elves were momentarily at a loss.

"Store? Products?" Luce muttered under his breath, trying to make sense of the alien terms she had used.

His gaze remained fixed on the girl before him. Her hair, silver as moonlight, flowed down her shoulders with unnatural sheen. Those scarlet eyes, bright and unwavering, held a strange allure, neither threatening nor shy. Her pale skin shimmered under the sterile ceiling light, and her frame was slim, perfectly proportioned. And then she smiled. Cheerful. Welcoming. Innocent.

Something about that smile tugged at his chest.

Luce eyes didn't blink for even a second.

"Smack.'

A sharp blow landed on the back of his head.

He winced, more from surprise than pain, and turned with a low growl. Silk stood behind him, clearly unamused. Her narrowed eyes spoke volumes.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Luce straightened his posture and tried to sound composed. "Ahem. Hello. My name is Luce. You can just call me Luce."

Silk scoffed under her breath but said nothing. Instead, she drew her dagger without hesitation and pointed the blade directly at the silver-haired girl.

Evangeline, stunned but still calm, raised both hands slowly in a universal gesture of peace. "Uhm... I'm unarmed," she said cautiously.

"She might be the witch," Silk stated coldly. "The one controlling the monsters attacking our village."

"Monster? Witch?" Evangeline echoed, blinking. What in the hell are they even talking about?

"You're misunderstanding," she said quickly. "I'm completely harmless. Really."

"Hmph," Silk muttered. "Then you won't mind surrendering. We'll judge whether or not you're harmless after we tie you up."

"Wow,"Evangeline thought, forcing her expression to stay neutral. 'So the fantasy novels were right. Elves really don't care for explanations. They're all sharp ears and sharper tempers'

She weighed her options quickly.' Surrender? Risky. If I'm captured, who knows what they'll do?'

"No, no," she said hurriedly. "I think there's been a misunderstanding. Why don't we all just sit down and talk this through rationally-"

"Shut your mouth, bitch. You think we're that naive?" Silk snapped.

Then, without warning, she turned to Luce again, whose gaze had drifted back to Evangeline's face. Silk's eyes twitched in irritation. Without warning, she slapped him across the cheek.

"Snap"

"Are you stupid? Getting seduced by a witch this easily?"

Luce blinked, rubbing his cheek. "What the hell was that for?"

"Can't you feel it?" Silk hissed. "Your mana. It's gone. My skills aren't working either. This entire place is like a dead zone."

That made him pause. He closed his eyes for a second, testing his internal flow. A moment later, his brow furrowed. "You're right… I can't feel anything."

Slowly, he turned back to Evangeline, eyes narrowing, but now with suspicion and infatuation. A twisted smile formed on his lips, one that made Evangeline visibly uncomfortable.

"You... What did you do to me?" he asked, tone low. "You must've used some charm spell, didn't you? That's why I was drawn to you. Playing with a man's heart to save your skin? You're good."

"Charm? Fell? What are you even talking about?" Evangeline blinked, stunned. "I didn't do anything to you. You're just-"

"It's alright," Luce interrupted, grin widening. "If you don't want to admit it, that's fine. But you'll still have to surrender. Prove your innocence."

There was a long pause.

Both Silk and Evangeline stared at him with identical expressions, flat, cold, and filled with a very specific kind of disgust.

Luce blinked. "...What?"

Silk said nothing. The sight of her childhood sweetheart practically drooling over a human girl left a bitter taste in her mouth. To think someone she once admired could be reduced to this, lustful and undisciplined, swayed by mere appearance.

She turned her gaze away from him and spoke coldly.

"We'll deal with her first. After that, you and I will talk."

Luce's shoulders trembled. The tone in her voice made it clear she is totally mad at him, but pride pushed him forward. He drew his dagger and took a combat stance beside her without a word.

Silk launched forward, leading with a front kick aimed squarely at Evangeline's midsection. From her perspective, it was a swift and clean strike, well-practiced and effective.

But to Evangeline, her movement was sluggish.

She simply stepped back, rotating her upper body as the kick passed by her side. With calm precision, she placed her hand on Silk's leg and redirected the motion forward, using her own momentum to unbalance her.

Silk stumbled.

"…What?"

The question barely left her lips before Evangeline moved again. She stepped in, raised her palm, and drove it hard into Silk's abdomen. The blow landed with dull force, sending the elf flying backwards through the air.

She was still twisting mid-flight when the glass doors behind her opened automatically, allowing her to fly straight out of the building and crash onto the ground outside.

The elven warriors who had gathered beyond the store reacted instantly. Seeing Silk hurled out so easily, they charged without hesitation. Their attention locked on Evangeline, who now stood quietly in the middle of the store.

Luce froze for a moment, unable to process what had just happened. But the sound of the others rushing forward pulled him out of his daze. With a shout, he dashed to Evangeline's side.

"Ahhh!"

She didn't react. Still facing the doors, she hadn't even acknowledged him.

Seeing her distracted, he raised his leg and aimed a full-strength kick at her head, determined to land at least one strike and regain some pride.

The kick connected.But she didn't even budge a inches.

It was like kicking a statue. No recoil, no reaction, just a cold silence.

Only then did Evangeline turn her head slightly, eyes narrowing as she looked down at him. Her hand snapped out, grabbed his leg mid-air, and pulled sharply.

With effortless strength, she slammed him straight into the white marble floor. The store building made by system is unbreakable and will suffer no damage, which meant the full impact will absorb by Luce alone. His body bounced once, then lay still.

He didn't get back up.

Evangeline exhaled and glanced outside. The rest of the elves were almost at the entrance. She didn't look concerned, just mildly irritated.

"…Now what?"

The small panda sitting on her shoulder tapped her head. Its voice was cheerful but tinged with mischief .

"Why not deal with them all first? After that, we can ask for compensation for emotional distress. We'll split the profit."

Evangeline gave a slow smile. Not soft or amused, but sharp and evil smile tuck at her lips.

"You're right. Sometimes, the quickest explanation is fist haha."

Her tone was matter-of-fact, not boastful. But the implication was clear that she will be rich now with her evil laughter.

The panda immediately bolted from her shoulder, dashing across the counter and diving into the nearest open drawer. The compartment slammed shut behind it.

From within came a muffled, nervous mutter.

"…She's dangerous. I should remember not to provoke her again."