Mental exhaustion was a severe and troublesome injury for Olivia. No matter how grave the external wound, as long as it could heal, it wouldn’t affect her next battle. But the depletion of mental energy from overuse required a great deal of time to recover slowly.

She couldn’t even use overly powerful spells before she recovered.

After seeing Talia repelled, Olivia, who had been holding on by a thread, finally couldn’t support herself any longer. She leaned against a tree trunk and fell into a deep sleep. Polly, who was guarding her, promptly reached out to support her slumping body. Seeing Olivia’s haggard face and unconscious state, she grew anxious and was about to help her back to rest when Cynthia’s voice sounded from behind her.

“Let me.” Cynthia took Olivia from Polly’s arms, bent slightly, and lifted her horizontally. The supposed frailty of the God Race was nowhere to be seen in her. Her steps were steady as she held Olivia, and her voice showed no sign of strain. “Go and entertain the Wolf Race.”

She glanced toward Helen and Joanna, her eyes slightly lowered as she instructed, “Without Olivia’s command, do not let the Wolf Race near her.”

Polly was taken aback. “Not even Clan Leader Helen?”

Helen and Olivia had a deep friendship. Seeing Olivia injured, Helen would surely come to check on her condition.

Cynthia hummed in agreement. “She is no exception,” she said coolly.

Polly nodded seriously. Although she didn’t know why she should listen to Cynthia, she found herself instinctively obeying her command.

After getting a general understanding of the situation from Joanna, Helen, worried about Olivia, came over wanting to check on her injuries, but she was intercepted by Polly halfway.

Cynthia watched as Polly said something to Helen. The latter and the werewolves beside her all wore expressions of shock and surprise. Cynthia calmly averted her gaze.

The faint fluctuation she had sensed in the Forbidden Land, Joanna arriving early to provide support yet appearing in the Forbidden Land instead of helping Olivia—Cynthia didn’t believe this was a “coincidence.”

So-called “coincidences” were merely the deliberate schemes of a calculating person.

The Wolf Race’s vice clan leader harbored ill intentions. It seemed the entire werewolf race needed to be re-evaluated.

The person in her arms rested quietly against her shoulder, fast asleep. Cynthia could even hear her steady breathing. All thoughts concerning the Wolf Race suddenly vanished from her mind. She lowered her gaze slightly. Olivia’s long, light-green hair covered her face, preventing Cynthia from seeing her haggard and terrible complexion.

A powerful Olivia was dazzling and made her heart race, but a weakened Olivia softened her heart completely. Cynthia lowered her head and placed a gentle kiss on that light-green hair, then turned and walked away with her in her arms.

Near the Forbidden Land was a wooden cabin where Olivia often stayed. The environment here was much quieter, so Cynthia brought her directly here.

She placed Olivia on the bed and then sat on the edge. Even in her deep sleep, Olivia’s brow was tightly furrowed, and a cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Seeing Olivia like this, Cynthia’s own brow furrowed unconsciously.

She gently wiped the fine sweat from Olivia’s forehead with her fingers, then took out the Light Crystal. Grasping Olivia’s hand, she held the crystal with her and began to chant a spell in a low voice.

The Power of Light, usually domineering and aggressive when facing darkness, now became gentle. A faint golden light flowed slowly from their clasped hands into Olivia’s body.

Time passed quietly. Cynthia tirelessly chanted the Healing Spell over and over again. Only when Olivia’s tightly furrowed brow slowly relaxed did a hint of a smile finally appear on her face.

Olivia must have been too exhausted. She didn’t awaken from her slumber even after the Healing Spell stopped. Cynthia sat quietly by the bed, her gaze lingering for a moment on Olivia’s closed eyes and bloodless lips. She raised her hand slightly, her warm fingertips caressing Olivia’s face for a while before she reluctantly pulled away.

She placed the Light Crystal in Olivia’s hand, then got up and walked to the table. She poured a cup of nectar, set it on the low cabinet by the bed, and then turned to leave.

Not long after Cynthia left, Olivia gradually regained consciousness. Her body felt heavy, her thoughts chaotic. She raised a hand to her forehead and took a long moment to recover before her mind regained a sliver of clarity.

…Her last memory before falling unconscious was the sight of Cynthia’s back, holding a longbow. Olivia quickly looked up and recognized her own room, her tense nerves slowly relaxing.

Her lowered hand touched something hard and cold. Olivia looked down and was slightly stunned to find the Light Crystal.

She picked up the Light Crystal. In her hand, it was still emitting the Power of Light, warming her overly cold body.

It was Cynthia… Olivia unconsciously lowered her gaze, her eyes shifting from the Light Crystal to her own lap. Memories from before she lost consciousness flashed before her eyes. For some reason, the image of Cynthia leading the Elf Race into battle made her heart suddenly beat a little faster.

She had never relied on anyone before. Even now, she couldn’t give an answer as to why she had chosen to trust Cynthia at that moment.

The Light Crystal continuously emitted the Power of Light, soothing her exhausted state. Olivia pursed her lips, feeling a bit thirsty, just as her peripheral vision caught sight of the nectar placed by the bed.

The warmth rising in her cheeks improved her complexion. Olivia raised a hand to her hair in a concealing gesture, her pointed elven ears having turned red at some point.

Although Helen was very worried about Olivia’s condition, she didn’t insist on seeing her after being stopped by Polly. Instead, she led her people to a place near the border of the Elf Territory to wait.

Some elders found the Elf Race’s suddenly guarded attitude strange, looking at each other, all at a loss as to the reason.

“What’s wrong with the elves? Are they scared witless by the Vampires?” one elder said with a frown. “It’s not like we’re going to ambush them.”

The Wolf Race and the Elf Race had always had a good relationship. This wary and guarded attitude made them feel uncomfortable.

An elder who had seen Polly speak with Cynthia before suddenly blocking their clan leader from approaching Olivia brought it up. “This might not be Queen Olivia’s intention.”

“You mean this is Cynthia’s idea? She’s from the God Race, why would the elves listen to her?”

It was very difficult for an outsider to get involved in the affairs of another race. Helen was an old friend of the previous Elf Queen, yet she was still an outsider, and the Elf Race would never consider her opinion in any of their decisions. Of course, the Wolf Race was the same; every race was like this.

The elders began to argue over this issue. Joanna glanced at Helen’s expression and promptly spoke up to stop them. “Her Majesty the Queen is injured. It’s normal for the Elf Race to be a little cautious.”

“You should all stop making baseless guesses about others’ intentions.”

The elders exchanged glances and fell silent.

An elf suddenly leaped out from the woods. Helen heard the movement and turned her head slightly. She sensed something, raised an eyebrow, and called out, “Cynthia?”

Cynthia walked out from behind the elves, faced Helen, and said with a smile, “Clan Leader Helen.”

After arriving in the Elf Territory, Cynthia had first fought a great battle with Edeli, going to great lengths to lure him into the formation. Afterward, she had taken Olivia’s place to lead the Elf Race in battle against the Vampires. She too had not rested for days and nights, and her mental energy and Power of Light were greatly depleted. Yet, she showed no sign of fatigue. Her long silver hair still hung smoothly down her back, her exquisite and luxurious robes were not stained with a single drop of blood, and she still looked just as elegant and noble, as if she hadn’t been the one fighting for the past few days.

It wasn’t that Cynthia didn’t feel tired. After forming two arrows with the dark green longbow, the Power of Light in her body felt completely drained, and her mind was exhausted. But this negative state faded quickly. Even the cracks on her hands from using the longbow had already faded by half in a short time.

Cynthia felt that she was becoming more and more attuned to this body.

“How is Olivia?” The first thing Helen did upon recognizing Cynthia was to ask about Olivia’s condition, paying no mind to the elders’ earlier discussion.

“Her Majesty the Queen is still unconscious due to overusing her mental energy, but she should wake up soon.” Cynthia briefly explained Olivia’s condition, then stated the purpose of her visit. “I came here to borrow a few Wolf Race warriors from Clan Leader Helen. Before coming to support the elves, the God Race ran into some trouble. I must hurry back to deal with it.”

She glanced behind her and sighed, “The elves have just been through a major battle and need to rest.”

Even without considering her friendship with Olivia, Helen would not have refused Cynthia’s request. The God Race had developed rapidly in recent years and had already become another major force against the Vampires. She didn’t ask what kind of trouble the God Race had encountered and simply nodded. Just as she was about to have an elder take some people to the God Race, she heard Cynthia add, “Could Vice Clan Leader Joanna lead the group back with me to the God Race?”

Hearing Cynthia’s words, Joanna looked up slightly, her eyes deep.

Cynthia smiled faintly at Joanna and said in a sincere tone, “The vice clan leader is powerful and knows more about the Vampires and Sethite wizards than most. With her help, the God Race’s troubles will surely be resolved immediately.”

She paused for a moment, then added softly, “And with me, the vice clan leader won’t have to come in secret to offer support. My people are rather timid; it wouldn’t be good to frighten them.”

The atmosphere grew silent for a moment. Some of the more perceptive elders sensed that something was wrong and frowned instinctively.

“Of course,” Joanna replied gently, as if she hadn’t noticed the pointedness in Cynthia’s words. “The God Race are friends of the Wolf Race. It’s only right to help a friend in trouble.”

Cynthia’s red lips curved slightly. “Then let’s go.”

Joanna glanced at Helen’s expression out of the corner of her eye, and her heart sank, but she showed no emotion on her face. She turned, selected a few elders and a few warriors from among the younger werewolves, and then left with Cynthia.

An elder watched them leave, hesitating to speak. “This God Race member…”

Helen raised a hand to stop her from saying more. After a moment of silence, she said in a low voice, “When the vice clan leader returns, have her come see me.” With that, she turned and entered the wooden cabin.

Hanni, who was resting in a tree with Hanna, spotted Cynthia and Joanna leaving. Although she didn’t know what they were up to, she quickly jumped down from the tree and ran toward them like the wind.

But she was blocked on the way by a red figure.

Avira appeared out of nowhere, blocking Hanni’s path. She draped herself over Hanni’s back, lowered her head, and began to kiss her neck haphazardly, her voice thick with dissatisfaction. “Why are you always running around?”

Hanni’s body went rigid at the sudden embrace. The kisses on her neck were ticklish. She dodged to the side and said with her head down, “…What’s it to you.”

Avira raised an eyebrow and reached out to pinch her chin, trying to lift her face to meet her gaze. But Hanni was determined not to look at her and simply closed her eyes.

Avira was so exasperated she laughed. “What’s wrong with you?”

They had been fine back in the God Race territory. Hanni’s pitiful appearance when she was teased—blushing but unable to refuse her—had made Avira’s heart itch for a long time.

Seeing Hanni’s eyes squeezed shut, Avira deliberately leaned in to kiss her lips. But the moment their lips touched, Hanni reacted as if startled and shoved her away.

The push was forceful. Caught off guard, Avira was sent stumbling back several steps, her crimson eyes instantly darkening.

Hanni wiped her lips and said in a muffled voice, “Stop toying with me. You Vampires are all the same.”

It was Avira who had let Talia go in the end. Hanni had already heard it from Joanna.

Vampires were Vampires. They always stuck together. After seeing the tragic state of the elves, Hanni’s feelings toward Avira had become complicated.

She shouldn’t be involved with a vampire… Hanni pursed her lips. Avira, across from her, remained silent. Hanni didn’t dare to look at Avira’s expression and turned to run away as if fleeing.

Avira’s hand, hanging at her side, twitched, but in the end, she didn’t reach out to grab her.

Such a disobedient little puppy, no matter how one raises it. And to think she had waited here so patiently for so long. Her mood ruined, Avira scoffed. She was getting tired of it anyway. She forcefully suppressed the sudden surge of anger, irritably raised her hand, and tore open space. Her figure was quickly swallowed by the darkness.