The Paranoid Elf Queen Turned Me Into Her Sister

Volume 3, Chapter 24 ~ Once You Pick Up This Memory, There Is No Turning Back

The moment I stood up, the stone blade in my hand cracked down like a whip, knocking it back to the ground.

“Don’t try to get up. Disobedient children need to be punished, you know.” I flipped through the Golden Chalice Butterfly interface, tapping lightly in the air with my finger, observing the resentment centaur’s movements from the corner of my eye, ready to smack its legs down the moment it tried to stand, keeping it firmly under control.

The chips I gained from this quest reward were enough. Although the guaranteed drop required 150 pulls, I felt an inexplicable confidence that these fifty pulls would be enough to draw out my exclusive weapon, [Floral Whisper: Eternal Renewal].

The more memories I recovered, the more this weapon gave me a sense of familiarity and closeness, a desire to hold it in my hand immediately.

But I did not rush in like those gacha impulses from my previous life, opening with a ten-pull. Instead, I calmly, unhurriedly moved my pale finger to the single-pull button and gently tapped it.

A purple glow flickered in the pouch, and a special alchemy potion floating with magma-like fire oil appeared in my hand.

“Ah, [Infernal Oil Purgatory]. Seems my luck isn’t great today.” I raised an eyebrow, placed the newly drawn potion inside my chest, and tapped the single-pull again.

Another purple glow, a cold gleam appeared, and the air around seemed to drop in temperature.

“[Frost’s Kiss]? Ice and fire, not a loss.” I casually tucked it into my chest and continued drawing, occasionally smacking down the resentment centaur trying to stand back up.

To other archers, a bow was a lifeline, but to me, it was a seal. Without the seal, I could fight more freely.

The resentment centaur, though without self-awareness and driven by collective resentment, seemed quite bewildered now, unable to understand why this woman was so strong, a single slap from me making it lose its balance.

“[Revival’s Verdant Breeze]. Hm, my luck really is a bit off today.”

Several more single pulls followed, all yielding single-use alchemy potions or magic scrolls, all of them purple quality without a single blue or white.

Finally, on the ninth pull, a golden glow flashed.

However, I shook my head. Although I did not yet know what I had drawn, my instincts told me it was the wrong drop.

As expected, a silver ring inlaid with a luxurious mint-colored crystal appeared in my palm, still radiating golden light that had yet to fade.

What on earth was this thing I had pulled?

I activated Divine Appraisal to check.

Name: [Putlan’s Ring of Divine Authority]

Rumored to be forged by Putlan, the Father God of Divine Authority, it doubled the wearer’s authority recovery speed, and if the consumed authority exceeded a certain threshold, it would increase in power based on the amount of authority consumed.

A tool that increased authority recovery speed? That was quite significant. So far, no alchemy potion had been developed to restore authority, and enchanted items were exceedingly rare. Authority could only be recovered naturally.

A tool that could affect authority recovery was thus exceptionally valuable.

Although I did not yet know how compatible this Putlan’s Ring would be with me, I put it on for now.

I did not dwell on it and slid it onto my ring finger, continuing to pull.

Having gone off-pity once, surely the next gold drop wouldn’t miss again, right?

I pulled a few more times, all yielding alchemy potions.

Really, I had not brought a pouch when going out, so these alchemy potions could only be tucked into my chest. This was not ideal, and no matter how much space there was, it would eventually be filled up, wouldn’t it??

At that thought, I glanced at Yimi with a smile.

“?” The fight was still ongoing, yet seeing me looking at her meaningfully, Yimi cast a puzzled glance back, feeling that this wretched woman was up to no good.

“What are you looking at me for?”

“Hey, can you help store some?” I raised the alchemy potion in my hand with a playful smile, glancing meaningfully at Yimi’s flat chest that looked like it could take flight on the spot.

“You...” Yimi clenched her tiny fists, regretting that she had gone easy with that earlier slap. If not for her good upbringing, she might have cursed out loud right there.

This woman, even at critical moments, never forgot to tease her shortcomings...

So what if she had a few extra temporary storage slots? Was that so great?

Not only was it hard to maintain balance, but food spilled easily while eating and would stain them—she did not envy them at all!

Suddenly, Yimi’s expression changed. “Hey, watch out behind you!”

I turned my head just in time to see the enraged resentment monster open its bloody maw.

Having fallen over multiple times, the centaur monster finally learned not to stand back up and instead directly spewed corrosive flames at me.

At this distance, there was no time to release [Verdant Fragrance]. Aside from [Sacred Oblivion], I had nothing to block such an attack.

A spark of insight flashed through my mind. Relying on muscle memory and the knowledge and skills that suddenly surfaced, I swung the two stone blades in my hands, locking their ends together and spinning them like a fan, breaking apart the flames rushing toward me as if wringing water from cloth.

[War Goddess Edict: Solution]

I looked at the stone blades in my hands in slight surprise. This was not because I had become stronger, but because I had used my strengths and a sudden flash of insight to resolve the attack with minimal effort.

Was this the technique of the original Teresa?

Before I could think further, a shadow loomed over me from above. I looked up to see the furious resentment demon horse raising its ghostly flaming iron hooves, bringing them down heavily upon me.

Having continuously absorbed resentment, this demonized centaur was now as tall as a clock tower. Before this colossal monster, I was like a harmless little white rabbit.

“Boom, boom, boom!!” The flaming iron hooves, carrying massive authority, came crashing down.

This resentment-infused body fed on despair and other negative emotions. As long as these feelings churned within, its authority would never run dry.

The flaming hooves pressed down like Mount Tai, with heavy force and overwhelming negative authority.

Seeing this, I threw away one stone blade, freeing a hand to conjure a tender vine bud, attaching it to the other stone blade.

Vibrant roses and radiant cornflowers bloomed upon the stone blade.

This was a combination of Forge Blade and Verdant Fragrance, where attaching Verdant Fragrance to a blade forged by authority could yield remarkable effects.

A blade forged by authority already had excellent authority flow. Adding Verdant Fragrance would allow it to perform its cutting function while enhancing its authority absorption.

The slender stone blade braced against the massive hoof, the flowers upon it rapidly absorbing the authority from the strike. The raging flames shrank from a fierce blaze to mere flickers before being entirely consumed by Verdant Fragrance.

Deprived of protective authority, I easily flipped the resentment centaur over, kicking up a cloud of dust.

I raised the blade, gathering strength and chopping down at the fragile joint of the resentment demon horse’s hoof, blue flames flickering along the blade’s edge.

Those were blade flames.

“Slash, slash!” Crisp, decisive flashes of the blade cut through, accompanied by the resentment’s shrieks and wails, severing the entire hoof at its root.

I had thought this would make the centaur monster behave, but within five seconds, black flames surged from the stump, instantly regenerating a new, intact leg.

The pages were correct. Without completely purifying this resentment, the monster would regenerate endlessly.

Killing the flesh was easy, but killing such accumulated, overwhelming resentment was nearly impossible.

The proliferation of resentment was one of the world’s laws. Flesh feared blades, but thoughts and spirit did not. Unless they naturally dissipated, they were immortal.

The centaur roared, thrusting its massive spear like raindrops toward me, the onslaught tearing apart the ground at my feet while the swirling sand obscured me at the storm’s center.

In the next moment, the sand dispersed, and a golden figure pierced through the gloom, a blade burning with blue flames plunging into the centaur’s lower abdomen.

If I could not kill it, then I would restrain it.

The blade in its belly continued to drain the resentment from its body, the flowers upon it turning from vibrant red to black before falling away in the wind.

This time was enough.

I tapped the single-pull button with my fingertip.

Yimi, watching from the side, could not understand, unable to see the Golden Chalice Butterfly interface, only seeing me skillfully dealing with the resentment centaur while my finger swiped at the air.

A golden light floated from the pouch, and I felt it, a familiar, intimate aura washing over me, like reuniting with a lifelong comrade.

The blade stuck in the centaur’s abdomen turned black, corroded, and crumbled away, freeing the monster to swing its giant spear at me.

This time, I had no room to dodge. Still in the draw state, I took the hit directly, the ghostly flames sending me flying.

“Ugh!...” This time, without Sanctuary of Sacred Wood, the damaged, battle-worn domain offered little protection, and I practically took the monster’s full power head-on.

Crimson blood trickled from the corner of my mouth, and I felt as if my organs had been displaced by the impact, a sweet taste filling my throat, warm and red.

Having taken the full strike from the resentment entity, my legs went weak, dropping me to one knee. My torn white stockings revealed patches of pale pink skin, one stocking ripped from thigh to calf, leaving only a short sock.

My princess braid was disheveled, and wiping my mouth, my emerald eyes clouded with pain as I struggled against the dizziness and discomfort, shakily getting back up.

I looked battered, my clothes tattered, the domain at my chest so damaged it barely covered my “soft frontal armor.”

Yet there was no fear on my face, and even a faint, elusive smile appeared.

The reason was simple—I had finally reclaimed my weapon.

A piece of dry wood sprouting tender green leaves hovered in my hand, rapidly growing into a carved wooden longbow like bamboo after rain.

The bow quickly shifted into a wooden handle, which I gripped, a blade of jade-like light snapping forth with a hiss.

‘User detected, identity confirmed. Would you like to activate full authority?’

This voice echoed in my mind, pulling my consciousness into a space like a dazzling galaxy.

When I came to, I found myself in this endless, dimensionless independent space.

In an instant, green sprouted and spread, transforming the ethereal galaxy into a verdant plain.

The tinkling of streams, the rustling of leaves in the wind, the warm and harmonious sounds were soothing.

A soft, tender voice hummed an unknown song, drawing my attention.

“This weapon carries many memories and insights. Are you sure you want to do this?” A golden-haired elf with a flower crown, swinging on a swing, stopped her song and asked lightly in a clear, sweet voice, her back facing me.

“If you choose to unlock it, there will be no turning back.” The golden-haired elf reminded me.

“Are the memories it carries real?” Surprisingly, I was not curious about who this gold elf was and asked her directly instead.

“They are, naturally.”

“If they are real, why should I fear the truth?”

“Because the truth is rarely beautiful and often forces you to carry a heavy burden.” The golden-haired elf answered softly.

“Oh well, I cannot persuade you, as always. Even with your memory lost, you are still the same.” The golden-haired elf’s pale, soft bare feet touched the ground, stopping the swaying swing.

“I just hope that this time, you will move forward bravely as always.”

“May you ride to victory, Elf War Goddess.”

As her words fell, the green vanished, as if it had all been a fleeting dream.

Holding my head, fragments of unfamiliar yet yesterday-close memories surged within me.

A silver-haired, gray-skinned elf girl stood before me, and the scene shifted to me lying in her arms, black flames piercing my chest.

“Teresa, get up! What is this? Tell me everything clearly!”

As my consciousness faded, I could only hear the elf girl’s cries and sobs.

With the descent into darkness, a glimmer of light appeared, and in the next moment, a baby lay crying in a swaddle.

“Congratulations! Sir, it’s a boy!” followed by a scene so familiar it could not be more familiar.

A surgical table and bright lights of Blue Star, the technology-packed equipment making me feel as if I had returned home.

Yet, in that moment, this “home” no longer felt welcoming...

This clear memory made everything clear.