Chapter 10: The Hyena Squad’s Accusation

Two hours later, they arrived at the guild.

Elara intended to see if there was any suitable high-level spatial magic that could serve as a stepping stone for her enlightenment.

Before they even stepped through the doors, a clamor of voices reached them from within the main hall.

Upon entering, they saw a crowd gathered against one wall. Pete was at the center, weeping inconsolably, his shoulders shaking with sobs, his face smeared with tears and snot.

“It’s all my fault…” he choked out. “I was too slow… If only I had been a little faster…”

Lina, another female team member, was also wiping away tears nearby, blaming herself. “My magic was depleted then too… I couldn’t cast any healing spells, not a single one… If only I hadn’t forgotten my potion pouch, this wouldn’t have… wouldn’t have happened…”

Unable to finish her sentence, Lina buried her face in her hands and wept uncontrollably.

Standing silently behind them was Victor, a male team member. His face was so grim it looked as though water might drip from it, clearly indicating his own profound distress.

The surrounding onlookers began to whisper amongst themselves.

“The Hyena Squad has fallen again this time.”

“Injured by a magical beast, and couldn’t be brought back in time.”

“They were too confident in their own strength; they didn’t even check if they had all their potions before they left.”

“The three of them are suffering enough; let’s say less.”

“Pity that young man; he only came to Wind Chant City to make a living a year ago.”

Elara stood on the periphery, a slight frown creasing her brow.

‘If only the bleeding had been stopped earlier, he might have been saved. But why didn’t they?’

Elara attributed the reason to the squad’s hostility towards her, which made them unwilling to accept help. Yet, a human life was at stake…

‘Forget it,’ she thought. ‘It has nothing to do with me. I’m not some overly compassionate bleeding heart.’

Elara tugged at Hilvyn, preparing to head towards Serene.

But Hilvyn remained rooted to her spot.

Hilvyn’s mind was still replaying Pete’s and Lina’s words.

‘If only I had been a little faster…’

‘…Magic depleted, unable to cast healing magic…’

The scene from their earlier encounter flashed through her mind: the man with blood streaming down his back, their anxious strides, Elara asking if they needed help.

Pete had ignored them, his pace unwavering.

“Why didn’t you…” Hilvyn’s voice was soft, yet it still carried through the crowd and into the ears of the Hyena Squad.

Upon hearing her, Pete lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot. Recognizing the newcomers, he sprang to his feet with a sudden jerk.

“What do you want to say!” he roared, his voice laced with accusation. “Are you here to mock us? To mock us for being inferior, for being unable to protect our own teammate!”

Hilvyn was clearly startled by his aggressive stance, her words tangling on her tongue.

Elara instinctively moved forward, subtly shielding Hilvyn behind her.

Hilvyn eventually forced herself to continue. “When we met you at the forest’s edge just now, we could have treated him with ‘Wind of Healing’… but you ignored us and left.”

“Wind of Healing? If it was truly that, it could indeed have saved his life.”

“That’s right, and the forest has the blessing of the Wind God, making its effects even better.”

“However, the situation was critical at the time; perhaps they misjudged?”

The surrounding people began to converse and discuss once more.

Yet, Pete’s expression remained unchanged. He slammed his fist onto the table with force, the scar on his neck tightening.

Bang!

“You speak so virtuously!” His voice was deafening as he pointed at Elara. “Your captain and I are enemies! How could I possibly trust your words? If you had feigned treatment for half the day only to declare yourselves powerless, who would be responsible?!”

The moment he uttered those words, the sentiment in the room immediately shifted.

“So there was enmity, no wonder.”

“If my enemy offered to help me, I wouldn’t trust them either.”

Elara’s frown deepened. She had always considered herself and Pete mere strangers who simply didn’t interact, yet in his eyes, she was an enemy. Could her refusal to join his squad truly have generated such intense resentment?

“I… I…” Hilvyn found herself speechless, overwhelmed by the sudden counter-argument.

She was still too naive, too inexperienced.

Elara squeezed Hilvyn’s wrist, intending to simply walk away. After all, it had nothing to do with them.

Unexpectedly, Lina then turned her aggression toward both of them.

“It was you two who blocked our path, wasting our precious time!” Her voice was shrill and piercing, even more grating than Pete’s.

Her gaze was fixed intently on Hilvyn, her finger trembling as she pointed at Elara and her companion.

“At that moment, we didn’t want to argue with you, so we went around. Our teammate might have only lacked that precious time spent detouring!”

Victor then spoke up, his gaze venomous and his voice cold. “That’s right, perhaps it was just that little bit of time.”

Hilvyn froze, tears welling in her eyes, her blue gaze shimmering with unshed sorrow.

She and Elara hadn’t blocked their path at all; they had even kindly offered to help… ‘Why?’

Being stared at by a large group of people with such complex expressions was truly unbearable.

Hilvyn tried to defend herself, but Elara’s gaze stopped her.

“Words alone prove nothing.” Elara stepped half a pace forward, shielding Hilvyn as completely as possible behind her. “We certainly didn’t block your path then.”

Having such accusations thrown at them was difficult for Elara to bear as well; Hilvyn’s grip on her hand was tight.

Pete’s face was flushed, still streaked with snot and tears.

“Heh heh, you say it so easily! It’s my teammate who died, not yours!”

The surrounding crowd, already swayed by the Hyena Squad’s emotions, echoed their sentiments.

“They clearly have a grudge, yet they chose this moment to stir up trouble. I don’t think their intentions are good.”

“These two are quite strong and good-looking, but I didn’t expect their hearts to be…”

Elara forced herself to remain calm. Showing any weakness now would truly confirm their guilt.

“Ah, never mind,” Pete said, knowing when to stop. He didn’t press the issue further.

“It’s still my fault. If I had paid more attention during the battle, he wouldn’t have been so severely injured, especially since I’m not as strong as other B-rank adventurers.”

He managed to subtly target Elara with his last remark.

The onlookers gathered around again, offering both comfort and advice.

Elara glanced worriedly at Hilvyn—fortunately, she had almost stemmed her emotions, though she was still clutching Elara’s hand tightly.

“Miss Black Rose.” A soft voice called from behind them.

Elara turned, momentarily stunned. It was Serene, not in her guild receptionist uniform, but in casual clothes.

“Let’s talk in the lounge.” Serene gestured towards the guild’s staff lounge door.

The three entered one after another.

Twenty minutes later…

When Elara and Hilvyn emerged, the crowd that had been there earlier had dispersed.

As they walked down the street, Elara occasionally glanced at Hilvyn, observing her emotional state.

“Master…”

“Hmm.”

“We didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Hmm.” Elara responded softly, gently explaining to Hilvyn, “We are not in the wrong.”

“But why…”

“Because…” Elara’s eyes held a frigid glint. “Human hearts can sometimes be wicked, and a wicked heart will always reject a kind one like yours.”

****

As night fell, Hilvyn lay in bed. Her innocent nature allowed her to recover quickly, primarily thanks to Elara’s continuous attentiveness—feeding her, chatting, and explaining magical knowledge. This constant redirection kept Hilvyn’s attention occupied, gradually easing her distress.

“…And so, the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, stormed the Celestial Palace, and then what happened next?”

Hilvyn had fallen asleep.

Elara closed her mouth, quietly slipping out of bed and changing into a lightweight outfit.

She cast a glance at the silver-haired elf curled up on the bed.

Turning, she pushed open the door.

This matter was not yet over.