The Paranoid Elf Queen Turned Me Into Her Sister

Volume 4 – Chapter 7: A Full Confession

“No helping it, really.” Felicia shrugged toward Teresa, glancing at the luggage piled beside her. Without question, the suitcase the size of two full-grown adults belonged to Felicia. Teresa could already imagine her effortlessly carrying it single-handed all the way to the academy. Next to it were two smaller bags stamped with adorable pink paw prints—clearly Wenfu’s, and just like her: petite and cute.

“We ran into little Wenfu on the way back, and planned to head to the dorms together. Who knew we’d stumble across a bunch of bloody wretches in the forest?”

“Bloody wretches? You mean the Imperial soldiers?”

“Who else? Those poor saps came scrambling out of the woods, filthy, wild-eyed, terrified—honestly, it was hard to tell if they were human or ghosts.” Felicia frowned at the memory.

“Gave us both quite a scare. Then we spotted three armed Beastmen chasing them down.”

“So pathetic. Supposedly ‘Imperial regulars,’ yet a dozen of them were getting chased around by just three Beastmen. No fighting spirit at all—such a disgrace.” Felicia’s voice dripped with disdain.

“Those three, huh?” Teresa glanced at the corpses on the ground.

“Yep.” Felicia kicked the Beastman corpse beside her. “These ones were different—not your typical brutes. They wore proper armor, wielded weapons that weren’t shoddy junk, and even wore felt hats. I don’t know what rank that indicates in Beastman armies, but they definitely looked like regular troops.”

“And that’s not all. Just now, I heard more movement deeper in the forest. Several large silhouettes slipped through the trees. Pretty sure they were more Beastmen.”

“What's been going on in Coleman Forest lately? Why are so many Demon Race forces infiltrating?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” Teresa shook her head. “That said, you’ve grown tremendously stronger after your Awakening, Felicia.”

She recalled how Felicia used to struggle against Beastmen like these. But now, she cuts through them like paper.

“All thanks to you, isn’t it?” Felicia tossed her a flirtatious look. “If I hadn’t absorbed Teresa-classmate’s saliva, I never could’ve completed my Awakening so fast. It’s all thanks to you~”

Teresa knew perfectly well that Felicia was being deliberately suggestive.

“You’re welcome. Just a bit of saliva. If you want more, Felicia-classmate, feel free to come ask me anytime~” Teresa replied with perfect calm.

“Oh? Even if it’s not for Awakening?” Felicia teased.

“Of course.”

“Then it’s a promise, okay?”

Watching their smiling exchange, Wenfu flushed and covered her red cheeks.

“You’ve grown quite a bit yourself, Teresa-classmate,” Felicia commented, glancing at the Beastman who had been cleanly pierced and killed with a single arrow.

She remembered that before the break, Teresa’s arrows struggled to pierce through the armor of these brutes. But now—it was effortless.

She had a strange feeling that the one who had advanced the most over break wasn’t herself—who’d been diligently training the whole time—but this golden-haired Elf girl standing before her.

“We can’t leave just yet,” Felicia said, voice serious. “If more Beastmen are hiding in the forest and come spilling out, it’ll endanger the citizens of Coleman City—or worse, the students. People would assume a new invasion’s begun. That kind of panic would be disastrous.”

In terms of responsibility, this princess of the Whiteglass Kingdom was leagues ahead of the Imperial army.

Teresa closed her eyes. The breeze brushing through the treetops also brushed past her cheeks and hair, softly lifting her long strands.

The Gold Elf girl stood still, blending with the wind, searching for that faint, abandoned trace.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and pointed southeast.

“They’re over there.”

“The rest of the Beastmen?” Felicia had heard that Elves possessed an innate affinity with nature, able to use flora as their senses.

“Mm. But... It's strange.” Teresa tilted her head.

“Strange?”

“The scent—completely unlike humans or Elves. Violent, bloodthirsty, heavy-bodied… it must be Beastmen. But their presence is chaotic, as if they’d just been in a fight.”

“Could it be travelers in danger?”

“No. I don’t sense any human aura.” Teresa shook her head.

Either way, they had to investigate.

They left Wenfu behind to watch the luggage, and the two of them headed out, weapons in hand.

“I don’t think we’ll need to do anything,” Teresa suddenly said with a strange expression as they got closer and the scent of blood became overwhelming.

“No need to…?” Felicia parted the bushes—and instantly understood.

A clearing outside the forest had been soaked in blood, staining the ground with dark, dried red. Massive green corpses of Beastmen lay everywhere, their black blood killing the grass and poisoning the soil.

The burly Beastman soldiers were strewn like trash across the clearing, not a single one left alive.

“They’re all dead?” A flicker of surprise crossed Felicia’s eyes. Though Beastmen and lightkind were sworn enemies, this was still shocking. Who could do something like this—wipe out a Beastman regiment in under ten minutes?

“I don’t think humans did this.” Teresa had already knelt beside a corpse, inspecting it.

“They were killed on their own.”

“What?”

“See? The fatal wounds were caused by axes and spiked clubs—Beastman weapons. These aren’t the types humans typically use. And the size—they're made for Beastmen.”

She pointed to another body.

“And look at their gear. Though they’re all Green Beastmen, their outfits differ. Some wear leather armor and felt hats, while others are practically naked, just a loincloth and makeshift weapons that look scavenged.”

Maybe before, Teresa wouldn’t have connected these dots. But after what happened in the Empire, her perspective had shifted.

“Beastman infighting? But why?”

“I think the mismatched gear tells the story. They’re from two separate factions. Same race—but not the same side. Of course they’d fight.”

“As for the ones who fled the forest into Coleman City, I doubt it was intentional. Likely just deserters who escaped in panic.”

“The conflict between these two Beastman factions flared up near the edge of Coleman Forest. The deserters ran blindly—and happened to encounter the Imperial patrol. Both sides had reason to attack, which explains the recent influx of Demon forces near the city.”

Felicia listened to Teresa’s analysis. It made sense—but it was still just a theory, without evidence.

She still couldn’t understand why two groups of the same kind—both Green Beastmen—would be at such violent odds.

“It’s normal. If you can’t understand it, think about your own people and the Empire. Aren’t you all humans?” Teresa caught on to her thoughts.

At those words, realization struck Felicia.

“You find it strange that kin would fight to this extent. But maybe—it’s only kin who fight to this extent.”

“Because only humans truly understand humans. By that same logic—maybe these naked Beastmen hate the armored ones even more than they hate humans.”

Felicia understood… and yet didn’t.

“But if these two Beastman forces are enemies, why didn’t I see any sign of it the last time we went to Ruglian?”

“And if this has been brewing for a while, why did it only erupt recently?”

“You remember the Gluttonous Forest we passed through during our first visit to Ruglian?”

“Of course.”

“I believe its disappearance is related.”

“Felicia, may I ask you a rather blunt question?” Teresa rose, her tone suddenly formal.

“Since when did Teresa-classmate get so distant?” Felicia smiled.

“Then I’ll ask. If your father—your king—ordered oppressive policies for his own gain… would you oppose him?”

Teresa met her gaze calmly.

“I know it’s a heavy question, but I hope you’ll answer honestly as a knight. No avoidance, no lies.”

“...........”

Felicia fell silent.

Because this question demanded she choose—between selfless justice and familial blood.

“My father… would never do that.” After a long moment, she gave a non-answer.

Teresa nodded, saying nothing more.

But that answer was enough—Teresa knew the princess had deliberately dodged the question. And that was fine.

Few people could truly be impartial and righteous. That kind of justice demanded sacrifices few were willing to make.

Choosing justice over kin risked losing everything—your friends, your family, your place in the world.

Most people wanted a loved one to shield them from storms, not someone so upright they'd report their own parents.

The road of true righteousness was lonely, unappreciated. Few walked it.

Such people were admirable… but also frightening.

On the way back, Teresa carried Wenfu’s luggage. She was already planning to report all this to Diderlay. The shifts in Ruglian were too significant to ignore.

“Letting Ruglian fester like this feels dangerous,” Felicia said suddenly.

“Oh? Then I’ve got a proposal.” Teresa had been thinking about how to bring this up—and now the timing was perfect.

Felicia and Wenfu, who was sitting on her suitcase as Teresa pulled it along, both turned to her.

“For this semester’s field course, let’s go back to Ruglian.”

“To investigate what exactly is happening there.”

“W-We’re going again?” Wenfu’s ears drooped.

“To be honest, I also have… a personal reason to go deep into Ruglian.” Teresa didn’t lie. “Something I must do.”

“Mind sharing what that is?” Felicia asked after a pause.

“To meet… an old friend.”

“Old friend?” Both Felicia and Wenfu were stunned.

An old friend—in Ruglian?

Wait. You’re a Gold Elf. What kind of "friend" do you have living in Demon territory??

There were way too many questions here.

“That’s a long story.” Teresa didn’t even know where to begin.

“Felicia, didn’t you once say you saw a phrase in a royal library book: ‘All power originates from desire’?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Felicia was puzzled.

“Do you two know… where I went during break?”

Wenfu tilted her head. Felicia shook hers.

“I went to the Empire.” As the three sat in the parlor of Crown Manor, Teresa laid it all out: what she had witnessed in the Empire, what conclusions she had reached, and what she believed.

She had always had a good eye for people—and she trusted these two teammates.

Besides, even if she told others, no one would believe it. The Empire had locked down all information. There was no harm in sharing it with them.

“The rise of cultists in the Empire… is because the endless oppression drove the people to generate incredibly pure negative emotion?” Felicia furrowed her brows, trying to digest the full implications of what Teresa had just told them.