The Paranoid Elf Queen Turned Me Into Her Sister

“Let’s enter the city, but before you enter, you’d better think it through. If you’re spies sent by the Empire, this is your last chance.” The sharp-mouthed, blue-skinned humanoid monster grinned as it pointed below the city wall.

Only then did Teresa and Yimi notice that under the moat, a few swaying figures were hanging above the water. Looking closely, they were corpses hanging there, emaciated, their flesh and skin almost entirely corroded away, hair draping messily, faint white bones exposed.

“You’d better count every single maggot on those corpses clearly. If you dare betray us, betray the people inside this city, this will be your end.”

“Opening the city gates means we see you as our comrades, that we’re willing to trust you’re on our side, and we will give you enough trust. At the same time, we’re not afraid of you betraying us, if you think you spies have the ability to leave this town alive with information.”

“Let’s make it clear first. Once we confirm you’re spies from the Empire, we won’t spare any traitor, and this will be the end for parasites.” The bald, black-skinned monster standing on the city wall declared this, then threw a small stone toward the corpse hanging in the filthy gutter below.

“Alright, let them in.” Before the words fully fell, the drawbridge over the moat was lowered, the wooden planks connecting both ends.

They let us in just like that?

This air of absolute confidence seemed to show they weren’t worried at all about them being spies.

But it was indeed as that black-mouthed monster on the wall had said: this city was full of monsters, and if war broke out, everyone would take up arms. There was no way spies could escape alive.

That was probably why the Empire wasn’t sending traitors into the city anymore.

Glancing at the rotting corpses hanging in the moat below, I thought, and holding Yimi’s hand, I planned to enter the city, only to find that Yimi seemed somewhat resistant to it.

Looking at Yimi behind me (rubbing) her apron skirt, I recalled that this golden-haired loli had a very bad impression of the Demon Race, probably because the cultists in this city carried an aura quite similar to the Demon Race, causing Yimi to instinctively reject this place.

Moreover, after seeing those hanged corpses under the city wall, Yimi felt physically nauseated.

“If you’re scared, just walk behind me.” My gentle voice flowed into Yimi’s heart like warm, trickling water. Feeling the warmth of the golden-haired girl’s palm, Yimi simply let me pull her into the city.

“Click, you can tell just by looking that these two women aren’t anything good, definitely some noble’s family members.” After entering the city, the guards on the wall closed the gates, and I saw the black-mouthed man who had questioned us earlier walk down from the wall.

“Hah, brother, you must be on your first day of guard duty at the gate.” Another blue-skinned humanoid monster who could speak human language was teased from the side.

“Hm? How could you tell?”

“People dressed like this without any attempt to disguise themselves are precisely the least likely to be spies.” The blue-skinned man spread his hands.

“Hah? Why?”

“Think about it, if you were a ruler of the Empire, what kind of people would you send as spies into the city? Anyone with half a brain would know you wouldn’t send someone in wearing their noble mink robes, right? On the contrary, the more pitifully dressed, the less suspicious they’d appear to us.”

“So those dressed quite normally, who haven’t deliberately injured themselves or dressed like beggars, actually have lower suspicion than those miserable-looking types.” The blue-skinned monster shared his experience.

“Wasn’t there just such a case a few days ago? A man claiming his goods had been robbed by officers, dressed in rags and covered in injuries, ran to our city saying he wanted to defect. In less than three days after entering, we exposed him, and now he’s already hanging under the moat, drying out.” The blue-skinned man sneered, saying these words not only to chat with the black-skinned monster but also deliberately for Teresa and Yimi to hear.

“Ah? How did you expose him?”

“Isn’t it obvious? There are plenty inside the city who have experienced the same things as him. We deal with these people daily, and without exception, they all have their own unique perspectives on the goods they traded and economic matters, as that’s the skill they survive on. It can’t be faked.”

“That spy was quite dedicated. You could see he had done his homework thoroughly before coming, even deliberately injuring himself and being well-versed in his field, answering fluently. But fake is fake. He acted too calm, so calm it was like discussing strategy on paper, completely unrealistic, just following the script in answering questions.”

“As expected, we observed him and found many of his small habits unintentionally exposed that he wasn’t actually a trader before. Finally, with a slight trick, we forced him to reveal his true self.” The blue-skinned man sneered.

“There are many inside the city who have experienced similar things as you, so it’s best to tell us the truth. Only the truth needs no fear of exposure; fake is always fake.”

That was also why they felt so assured letting us in. The so-called “shut the door to beat the dog,” once inside this city gate, there was plenty of time in the future, and a spy being exposed was only a matter of time. Being hung from the bridge was also only a matter of time.

“Nothing else to say, right? You two, follow me.”

Teresa and Yimi followed behind the blue-skinned man, while the black-skinned man continued to the wall to stand guard.

Yimi quietly shrank behind me like a little tail, continuing to reject the scent on these ‘cultists.’

“My appearance is scary, isn’t it?” Noticing Yimi’s small movements, the blue-skinned monster didn’t mind at all, instead smiling as he picked up the topic himself.

“I can see, you two are different.”

“Not to mention your clothing and appearance, just the fact that you aren’t afraid when you see us already makes you very unusual.”

“You should know, ordinary villagers tremble all over in fear when they see us, having nightmares at night.” The blue-skinned man said while walking.

“But sir, you still let us in.” I said softly.

“Yes, do you know why I let you in? Because you don’t hide yourselves, being exactly as you are, not pretending to be pitiful, not playing any persona, openly and honestly.” The blue-skinned man said as he walked in front. “Listen, I don’t care what kind of people you were before, but since you’ve chosen to enter the city, everything must follow the city’s rules.”

“This is the city’s security post. If you need assistance with anything, you can come here to seek help. As long as there’s sufficient testimony and evidence, the personnel on duty here will gladly help you.” The blue-skinned man pointed to a domed hall as he spoke. It seemed this place was once a dance hall, later converted into a security station, with many of the original dance hall facilities still not dismantled inside. At the door, the words ‘Punish Evil, Eradicate Villainy’ were neatly written in the common language.

“This isn’t the only security post in the city. There are many others, easy to find anywhere.”

I also saw strange people patrolling inside the post with long spears. When they saw the blue-skinned man, their eyes paused on me for a moment before returning to him, giving him a salute.

I had thought that today’s Mosuo City had lost all order, the city overrun by monsters occupying nests that didn’t belong to them, just as the Empire’s propaganda claimed. However, the scene inside the city was entirely different from what I had imagined and what the Empire proclaimed.

There was no chaos, but prosperity, with most of the people in the streets being mutated ‘monsters.’ Surprisingly, their actions were no different from ordinary people, as if they were still human, abiding by laws and order.

Besides them, there were also normal, unmutated humans, but whether human or monster, they didn’t seem to hold any prejudice against each other. Their gazes only paused on me and Yimi briefly due to our stunning looks, showing no hostility just because we weren’t monsters.

This façade of peaceful coexistence between monsters and humans greatly surprised me.

‘Those not of our kind are sure to have different hearts’—this was a concept deeply ingrained in the bones of the human race, and not just humans; many races believed the same.

Even if these monsters were once human, their perceptions and thoughts would likely have changed after becoming monsters, feeling more connected to others who had also turned into monsters. Differences would naturally breed barriers, and as their appearances changed, they would reject ordinary humans. This was entirely normal.

Yet in this city-state, this phenomenon did not exist.

I had a hunch that these monsters and humans might have barriers and differences between them, but they shared a common goal, or rather, a common enemy.

This shared conflict pushed them to abandon all prejudice and barriers, seeking common ground while preserving differences, coexisting harmoniously.

This common enemy was the Empire.

They were all people forced into a corner by the Empire. In the face of the Empire’s exploitation, even the most numb and indifferent person would instinctively develop a desire to resist.

“Heh, don’t mind it, I never avoid this topic.” Seeing that I seemed to be intentionally avoiding mentioning his skin mutation, the blue-skinned man grinned.

“Rather, this is my medal and pride.”

“Do you know? I used to be a porter, naively thinking that as long as I worked hard, I wouldn’t starve.”

“I swallowed my broken teeth, forced out bitter smiles when bullied and oppressed, until one day I finally woke up to the fact that it wasn’t about working hard or not.”

“This isn’t a curse; it’s a blessing.” The man bared his ugly sharp teeth. “Even the Seven Saints couldn’t stand the Empire’s wanton disregard for human life, so they gave us poor souls the power to resist this giant monster.”

“We’re no longer those pitiful bugs who could only swallow our tears when bullied.”

“This power is a blessing to us, the Seven Saints’ guidance for us to overthrow this rotten nation.”

“We will make those hateful nobles pay us back a hundredfold for what they owe us!” As he said this, the blue-skinned man ground his teeth, the sound of his sharp teeth clacking together making one’s scalp tingle.

Calmly looking at the man before me, I said nothing.

“Then, what about after that?” After a long time, I asked.

“After what?” The blue-skinned man was puzzled.

“If you succeed in your revenge, what then?”

“What then? Heh, we will make those nobles and their families slaves for eternity! Let them taste our pain, and then regret it for the rest of their lives in that unending torment where they can never rise again!”

“But if you do that, won’t it just fall into another cycle?”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.” I shook my head, saying no more.

“You two coming here proves that you’ve also suffered oppression and persecution from the Empire. We’re almost at the registration point now. Tell me, what did you two do before?”

“Remember what I told you before. You’d best tell the truth. I’ve seen all kinds of people. If you lie, you can’t fool me.”

“Oppression from the Empire?” I pondered for a moment. “Does almost being labeled a cultist for taking a carriage count?”

“What else?” The blue-skinned man listened calmly.

“We aren’t from the Empire.”

“Not from the Empire?? Then what are you doing here?” The blue-skinned man’s brow furrowed instantly. “Golden-haired lady, are you mistaken about something? This isn’t a tourist spot.”

“If possible, could you let me speak a few words with your leader?”

“?? You?” The blue-skinned man was startled, clearly not expecting me to say this.

“Hah? Miss, we don’t even know your identity or background yet, and you think you can meet our commander?? Do you think you have that qualification??”

“Sir, may I ask, was that statement about revenge you made just now also your commander’s stance?”

“Of course it was. Our commander has always declared to lead us in reclaiming everything that belongs to us, including fairness!”

“That may be inappropriate.”

“Inappropriate?? What’s inappropriate??” The blue-skinned man’s attitude instantly soured, seemingly angered by my words. “Shouldn’t we take revenge on those who deserve it? Shouldn’t we resent those who wronged us??”

“Sir, you just mentioned fairness. So do you want fairness, or is it just revenge?”

“We want both.”

“In that case, if you defeat the nobles, and then you enslave them just like they enslaved you, the only difference will be that the ‘nobles’ have changed from them to you. And one day, you will be overthrown by them again.”

“Haha, what a joke! They deserve it, and as for whether we’ll be overthrown? Hmph, do you think everyone is like those heartless nobles?? We, after all, are not them.”

Hard to say.

That was really hard to say.

Everyone thinks before sitting in that seat that they won’t become them, until they sit in that seat.

There were too many stories of dragon-slayers becoming dragons.

“Miss, your words are interesting.” Suddenly, a voice cut in.

We all turned back at the same time.

I was slightly surprised. Before me stood a man clad in full armor, face hidden so that it was impossible to see his appearance.

“Commander!” Seeing this strange man, the blue-skinned man immediately knelt down in salute.