Chapter 71: The Weight of a Mother’s Truth

The morning sun streamed in, casting a warm glow as the young girl sat before her mirror. She watched, utterly delighted, as her mother’s gentle hands gathered her golden hair, weaving it into a pair of charming pigtails.

Her mother, whose features closely resembled Yulim’s, smiled as she put down the comb. With her side ponytail swaying, the woman reached out from behind to gently pinch Yulim’s soft, round cheek.

“Our little Yulim is growing cuter by the day~”

Yulim allowed her mother to affectionately knead her cheek, her smile innocent and pure. “Hehehe~ Mama is cute too~”

“Yulim! Come play with us!”

Outside the window, the joyful shouts of her playmates were already echoing. Yulim’s green eyes lit up at the sound, and she was instantly eager to rush downstairs.

Before she could, however, her mother stopped her. The woman knelt, carefully smoothing Yulim’s pristine white dress, and offered a gentle reminder.

“Yulim, you are a young lady. When you play with big brother Hubert and the others, try to be more ladylike, won’t you? Don’t get your new dress dirty.”

“Mhm! I know, Mama!”

“Good, such a well-behaved girl~ And try not to run too far, alright?”

“Okay~”

“Go on, little Yulim, go play.”

Yulim let out a lively “Yay!” and dashed out. The woman stood, watching her daughter’s retreating figure with a tender, loving smile.

“Well, I suppose it’s time for me to do the laundry.”

Rolling up her sleeves, the woman prepared to face another busy day alone.

****

After running out, Yulim leaped from the treehouse, grabbing a vine dangling from a tree with one hand while clutching her skirt with the other. Like a tiny fairy, she descended from the sky, landing gracefully on another tree trunk.

Several of her elf playmates had been waiting there for quite some time.

“It’s Yulim!”

As soon as the meticulously dressed Yulim made her appearance, she was met with gasps of admiration from her friends.

“Hehehe~ Sorry to keep you all waiting!”

Yulim daintily held her skirt, mimicking the ladylike curtsy she had learned from her mother, a gesture that was utterly charming.

No one could ever fault such an adorable girl.

The eldest elf boy, who seemed to be the leader of the group, even started clapping. “We haven’t waited long at all! We’re so lucky to see such a cute Yulim!”

Inspired by his lead, the other children also began clapping their small hands.

“Mhm, Yulim is really so~ pretty today!”

“As beautiful as a princess!”

“I want to marry Yulim when I grow up!”

“You idiot, Lacy! Yulim belongs to everyone!”

The children giggled. Hearing the word ‘marry,’ Yulim’s cheeks flushed a vibrant red, like delicious cherries, making one want to take a bite.

Yulim shyly cupped her warm face. “M-marriage and all that… it’s too early! I’m only 37, I haven’t even become an adult yet…”

The leading elf boy, sensing the shift in atmosphere, quickly stepped forward. “Alright, everyone, stop teasing Yulim with those jokes. We’re all gathered here today for an adventure!”

At the mention of “adventure,” the children, filled with boundless curiosity for the world, grew incredibly excited.

“Adventure! Hooray!”

“Big brother Hubert, where are we adventuring today?”

The child-king, Hubert, placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest, humming twice. “A few days ago, I found a place. It has very few trees, a large open space, and it’s quite warm. Plus, hardly anyone goes there! Most importantly, it’s not the outskirts of the Forest of Elves that our parents always warn us about!”

“Today, we’ll go there and see if we can turn it into our secret base!”

“That way, we can store all the berries, snacks, and toys we pick from the forest in our secret base. And we’ll even have a place to destroy our homework and test papers without a trace! As long as we keep it a secret from each other, no one will ever know!”

Yulim and her friends’ eyes grew brighter with every word. By the end, they were practically jumping with excitement.

This was fantastic! No more homework!

“Big brother Hubert, let’s go quickly!”

“Mhm! We can’t wait!”

Hubert nodded, then waved his hand grandly. “Everyone, follow me! Don’t fall behind!”

Believing it would be a delightful adventure, the mischievous children eagerly dashed off.

As they drew closer to Hubert’s described destination, the difference was striking. Unlike the cool, damp forest, this area was warm and comfortable, as if heated, making one feel instantly lazy.

But they were abruptly forced to stop midway. The scene before them left the group of mischievous children utterly dumbfounded.

To their shock, the children discovered that all their fathers, who had left home that morning, were gathered here. They held weapons, pointed directly at a white-haired man in the clearing.

The white-haired man pleaded desperately. “Don’t kill me! I’m a guard soldier of the forbidden zone. That day, I truly just had a few drinks with my brothers, got drunk, took a wrong turn, and accidentally stumbled in!”

“I woke up looking like this! You must believe me!”

The adults, however, ignored his pleas, their gazes icy as they stared at the surrounded man. “Since you know you’ve become like this, you should know you’re already a monster!”

“Monsters must die!”

The white-haired man froze, then screamed frantically. “But I haven’t killed anyone!”

“What about at night? Who knows if the curse will act up and you’ll kill everyone!”

“Enough talk with this monster! Kill him!”

“Die!”

Arrows and daggers flew towards the white-haired man. He scrambled to escape, but he was surrounded, with nowhere to run.

An arrow pierced his shoulder, and blood soaked his clothes.

The group of mischievous children, witnessing this bloody scene from the trees, were so terrified they dared not breathe.

The pain finally ignited the white-haired man’s ferocity. With a roar, he kicked down an approaching elf, snatched the dagger from their hand, and plunged it into their heart.

*Pfft—*

Pulling out the dagger, the white-haired man belatedly realized what he had done. His hand began to tremble, and his voice quavered. “No… it’s not like this. It was them… they were forcing me… I didn’t want to kill him!”

But no one listened to his explanation. The adults were in a frenzy.

“Ah! You vile monster, you actually killed Pinon! And you said you didn’t kill anyone!”

“Damn it! Avenge Pinon!”

“Die, monster!”

The white-haired man’s eyes widened. “You wanted to kill me! Am I not allowed to resist?”

The only response was a sword cleaving towards his face. He was slow to react, and his eye was sliced open. He stumbled back several steps in agony, his rage now uncontrollable.

“Argh! You want to kill me! Then none of you will live either!”

The white-haired man swung the dagger in his hand with even greater desperation. His green eyes, at some point, had turned dark gold. With each person he struck down, he became more frenzied and violent.

His murmurs, initially incomprehensible, transformed into the roars of a wild beast. The man’s body slowly hunched over, as if something was about to burst through his back.

Ultimately, his eyes completely transformed into dark golden vertical pupils, and bone spurs tore through the clothes on his back. He had fully become a monster.

Large patches of blood stained the clearing. The adults were gradually losing ground.

Just then, an arrow, with lightning speed, pierced through the crowd with unerring accuracy, striking the monster’s head.

“Fear not, everyone! Your prince has arrived!”

“Hmph! Monster! To think you killed so many before this prince could even arrive! You shall not be spared!”

Valorman, young and heroic, wearing a wooden crown, stood on a tree branch. His eyes burned with fury as he looked down at the struggling monster in the clearing.

He leaped down, drawing his bow in mid-air, and another arrow flew. It once again pierced the monster’s head with perfect precision.

Yet, even with two arrows in its head, the monster did not die. It merely roared in pain, a hoarse shriek directed at Valorman as he landed!

Without a word, Valorman continuously nocked and drew arrows, firing several more. Each arrow struck its target with flawless accuracy.

This time, the arrows first pierced the monster’s legs, immobilizing it. Then came vital points: its heart and head.

Valorman seemed to transform into a repeating crossbow. The onlookers could only see him constantly drawing his bow, releasing countless arrows, not one of which missed its mark.

Soon, the monster resembled a blood-soaked ‘hedgehog.’ Its body swayed precariously until Valorman drew his final arrow from his back, charging it with power and letting it fly.

The arrow shot straight through the monster, its momentum undiminished, pinning it to a distant tree behind it. The entire arrowhead was embedded deep within the trunk.

*Thud—*

The monster crashed to the ground, lifeless. Only then did Valorman sigh in relief. He stood up, shaking his trembling hand, and offered the adults a confident, reassuring smile.

“Everyone, it’s over now. This prince has slain the monster.”

“Those who sacrificed their lives in this battle are true warriors. Inform their families to come to the royal palace to receive gold coins.”

“All of you who promptly discovered and participated in the monster’s encirclement can also come to the royal palace later to receive silver coins and food.”

“The forest will not forget the contributions of its brave warriors.”

Upon hearing this, the adults raised their weapons high. “Thank you, Prince! Long live the Prince!”

Yulim, hiding in the tree, pulled half her head back. She watched as, in the blood-soaked, corpse-strewn clearing, the adults cheered and crowded around the elf prince, dancing with joy as if they had won a great victory.

Yulim’s young heart was deeply shaken and scarred.

****

That night, back home, Yulim’s mind replayed the day’s events relentlessly. The woman, who had already finished three bedtime stories, saw that her usually cheerful and lively daughter was still distraught and unable to sleep. She couldn’t help but frown.

After a moment’s thought, she closed the storybook, placed it on the bedside table, and sat on the bed. She gently pulled the girl into her embrace, resting her head against Yulim’s, and asked softly, “What’s wrong, little Yulim?”

“You look like something happened today. Can you tell Mama about it?”

The warm embrace provided Yulim with ample security. She lifted her head slightly to look at her mother, and seeing that all-encompassing, gentle smile, Yulim finally mustered the courage to speak.

“Mama… I, when I went out to play with big brother Hubert and them today, I saw many adults…”

“Mhm, and then what?”

“And then… then, they started fighting… blood… so much blood flowed…”

Yulim trembled all over. Seeing this, the woman quickly hugged her daughter, gently patting her shoulder to soothe her. “Don’t be afraid, Yulim, don’t be afraid. Tell Mama why they were fighting?”

At this moment, the woman’s mind began to wonder where these little rascals had run off to play. *Tomorrow, I’ll have to give that mischievous Hubert a good talking-to. He shouldn’t be leading my sweet Yulim astray.*

Just as the woman was thinking this, Yulim’s next words made her hand still.

“I… I don’t know… They were arguing with a white-haired uncle, and then they started fighting…”

“The white-haired uncle kept saying he was innocent, but the adults kept calling him a monster…”

“But… it was those adults who made the first move…”

Children’s worlds are always simple. Yulim didn’t understand why the white-haired uncle, at first, kept begging for mercy, yet everyone remained aggressive, hitting him and calling him a monster.

He clearly had pointed ears, green eyes, and the scent of the forest on him, just like everyone else, except for his hair. Why did he end up like that?

Young and innocent, Yulim could only look to her mother for help. Yet, she noticed that the usually gentle woman now wore an expression of disgust, just like the adults from earlier that day.

Her mother spoke, “Yulim, that white-haired uncle was a bad person, an utterly evil villain. The adults killed him to protect you and to protect the forest.”

The woman now leaned against the bed, gazing at the ceiling. “Yulim, you’ve grown up, you’re a little adult now. There are some things you have a right to know.”

“You’ve always asked Mama…”

“Where your father… went?”

“He… died…”

“Killed by someone just like that innocent uncle you mentioned, someone with white hair…”

Yulim froze, her eyes wide and quickly brimming with tears. It felt as if a piece of her heart had been utterly lost.

“Mama, you said Papa just went on an adventure…”

“Papa… he… how could he…”

Her mother tilted her head back. In a place Yulim couldn’t see, her eyes were gradually filling with tears. “Yulim, your father… he was a warrior too…”

The night forest was cold. Mother and daughter huddled together, finding warmth in each other in the chilly room.

The woman reached out and gently ruffled Yulim’s hair, unable to bring herself to say, “That was a lie all along.” She feared that her daughter, after enduring multiple shocks in a single day, might not be able to accept reality, causing a drastic change in her personality or planting other thoughts.

So, the woman could only subtly convey the fact of her father’s departure, and immediately changed the subject. “Yulim… do you know, Mama is 163 years old and knows many stories about the forest. Would you like to hear some?”

“Like, for instance…”

“Why that white-haired uncle became like that, and why everyone harbored such malice towards him.”

The woman held Yulim tightly, gently rubbing her chin against the girl’s head, and began to recount the history of the past, speaking slowly as if telling a bedtime story.

“Once, the forest had a wise and benevolent god…”

“After Their demise, that place turned into scorched earth. Their departure didn’t affect everyone in the forest; everyone continued to grow up healthy and happy, living their own lives, until the king at that time decided to go there to retrieve something.”

“Three days later, he returned, his clothes tattered, his hair turned white.”

“Initially, no one thought much of it…”

“On the first day, the king’s temperament changed drastically, and he began to smash things. The second day was the same, and it continued until the third night.”

“That king murdered the palace maids and his own soldiers. By the time everyone discovered him, he had completely transformed into a monster.”

“The king’s daughter, the elf princess, then led soldiers to encircle and kill the king for two days and two nights before finally succeeding.”

“Afterward, the elf princess, wanting to uncover the reason for the king’s transformation, dispatched many soldiers to investigate the scorched earth.”

“But all who returned had white hair, their temperaments drastically altered, and after a period, they began to kill at night.”

“It was then that everyone began to fear. That scorched earth was a curse left by the divine.”

“The elf princess immediately ordered that no one was to enter the cursed land. She herself decided to venture into the cursed land alone to find the cause.”

“She left orders for her soldiers: if she returned exhibiting both symptoms of the curse, they were to kill her immediately.”

“The elf princess, fully prepared, entered the cursed land. Three days later, she returned. She only had one symptom: her hair had turned white, but her temperament had not changed.”

“However, for safety’s sake, the elf princess ordered herself to be imprisoned in the dungeon. There, she compared cases one by one.”

“A month passed, and the elf princess showed no signs of murderous intent. Everyone believed she had discovered the cause and found a way to break the curse.”

“Who knew that on that very night, the elf princess ordered the soldier guarding her to bring paper and a pen. She wrote a page of notes profusely.”

“She then immediately sent the soldier to have the notes copied and instructed him to tell the commander of the Royal Guard to come and execute her.”

“The soldier dared not disobey and notified the commander, who also rushed to the dungeon upon being summoned. Seeing the elf princess as calm as ever, the commander couldn’t bring himself to strike the fatal blow.”

“Because the elf princess had no children at the time, she was the last of the royal bloodline. So, the commander disobeyed, believing there was still a way to lift the curse.”

“Almost everyone thought the same way, believing there was still hope. But the reality was that the elf princess was thoroughly prepared. It seemed she knew from the start that the commander wouldn’t kill her, so she took the poison she had carried into the cursed land, ending her own life.”

“As she died, she clutched a piece of paper, leaving behind her final two commands.”

“[Effective immediately, all elves who encounter another elf whose hair has turned silver or white, regardless of their status, must be killed without mercy or hesitation.]”

“[Upon my death, the lineage of the Divine Bow Regiment Commander shall be recognized as the royal bloodline of the elves, governing all affairs of the Forest of Elves, and responsible for executing the aforementioned command to eradicate all elves affected by the curse.]”

“The elf princess’s death was intended as a warning, to awaken everyone. Yet, it still failed to make them realize the severity of the curse.”

“The Royal Guard Commander, disbelieving, led another group of soldiers and once again violated the order by venturing deep into the cursed land.”

“This time, however, only a blood-soaked monster, wearing the commander’s skin, returned. Finally, the Divine Bow Regiment Commander, with his soldiers, engaged in a protracted battle with that monster. It took a week to finally kill it.”

“Afterward, the Divine Bow Regiment Commander reviewed the notes the elf princess had personally left behind. Only then did he truly understand the effects of the curse.”

“[The curse is a divine punishment left by Them. They wished for those who killed to experience the pain of being killed, as a chastisement for the elf race who once raised swords to slay a god.]”

“[Those afflicted by the curse will endure continuous torment, gradually losing themselves over time until they fully transform into monsters.]”

“[The more acts of killing committed, the stronger the curse, and the faster the transformation into a monster.]”

“From then on, the Divine Bow Regiment Commander declared the cursed land a forbidden zone and strictly enforced the elf princess’s orders until his death, when a new descendant took over.”

“However, the cursed land left behind back then was simply too vast, and after several losses, the manpower remains severely insufficient even now.”

“This has led to incidents where elves still accidentally wander in and become affected by the curse. During this time, various tragic cases have occurred in the forest where entire tribes succumbed due to misplaced mercy and侥幸, [TL Note: ‘侥幸’ here means a mix of ‘luck’ and ‘wishful thinking’, hoping things will turn out well despite risks] and were completely wiped out.”

“Therefore, any elf whose hair turns white, no matter who they are, must die. Because once they are cursed, they are monsters.”

“Yulim, you must always remember this truth: a monster might be innocent, but the people they kill once the curse takes hold are also innocent.”

“You cannot, for the innocence of an individual, endanger an entire innocent race. Any hidden danger must be immediately eradicated.”

The woman spoke with such absorption that when she finally looked at the girl in her arms, she found her daughter had fallen asleep, tears still clinging to her lashes.

The woman paused, then sighed, gazing out at the dim forest beyond the window. Her eyes gradually welled up with tears.

Silent sobs echoed in the cold room.