Chapter 302: Dark Elf village
After running at full speed, Adam’s group finally arrived at the Dark Elf village, hidden deep within a rocky canyon surrounded by towering stone formations.
As soon as they entered the village grounds, several Dark Elf warriors immediately surrounded them with weapons drawn. Their yellow eyes were filled with suspicion and hostility as they stared at Adam, Lilith, Ignis, and Isolde.
However, an elderly Dark Elf with a long silver beard and a wooden staff slowly stepped forward. His eyes widened when he saw Azrynn.
"Azrynn...! You’ve returned!" the elder said with clear relief. "We were worried something had happened to you."
Azrynn stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Elder... I’m back. But the situation is bad. The temple has become inactive. That’s why the monsters are starting to appear again."
The moment she said that, the atmosphere among the other Dark Elves changed. Their expressions turned cold and angry. Several of them began whispering among themselves.
One of the younger Dark Elf warriors stepped forward and glared at Azrynn.
"...So you failed?" he said sharply.
Another Dark Elf woman spoke up, her voice filled with accusation.
"Because of you, the Goddess must be angry! That’s why the temple stopped working! If you had just offered a proper sacrifice like always, none of this would’ve happened!"
More voices joined in, blaming Azrynn.
"You were supposed to guide people here! Why didn’t you do your job properly?!"
"Now the monsters will attack our village again because of you!"
Azrynn lowered her head, her silver hair covering her face. She didn’t argue back. She simply stood there in silence, accepting the blame.
Adam’s crimson eyes narrowed as he watched the scene. Ignis looked visibly uncomfortable, while Lilith’s expression turned cold. Isolde remained calm, but her eyes were observing everything carefully.
The elder raised his staff and spoke in a tired but firm voice.
"Enough. Azrynn has returned safely. We should at least hear what she has to say."
He then turned to Adam’s group, his yellow eyes cautious.
"...And these people... who are they?"
Azrynn quickly raised her head and spoke.
"They... they are the ones I guided to the temple. They are the reason I was able to return. Please... don’t be hostile to them."
But the other Dark Elves continued to glare at Adam’s group with clear distrust.
Several Dark Elf warriors stepped forward with their weapons raised. One of them, a tall male with a scar across his face, pointed his spear directly at Adam’s group.
"We don’t have time to talk!" he shouted. "The temple is inactive! If we don’t offer a sacrifice soon, the monsters will destroy everything! We should offer these outsiders to the temple before it’s too late!"
Another Dark Elf woman nodded aggressively.
"That’s right! They came here with Azrynn! They must be the ones the Goddess wants! We have to do it now!"
Azrynn tried to speak up.
"Wait! Listen to me! It’s not like that! The temple—"
But she was immediately cut off by the angry voices of her own people.
"Shut up, Azrynn! You already failed once! Don’t make things worse!"
"You should’ve just brought them to the temple quietly instead of bringing them here!"
Ignis’s golden eyes burned with anger. Her crimson hair began to flicker with small golden flames as her patience finally ran out.
"...These people are so stupid," she muttered. "Adam, let me burn them all. Just a little. They’re too annoying."
Adam raised his hand and gently stopped her.
"Ignis, don’t," he said calmly. "Not yet."
He then turned to face the Dark Elves. His crimson eyes were cold, and his voice carried a clear tone of disappointment and irritation.
"...Your race is truly foolish," he said. "You don’t even understand what the real priority is here."
The Dark Elves were momentarily stunned by his words. Some of them tried to shout back, but Adam continued before they could speak.
"You keep saying you need to offer sacrifices to the temple. But the Loom of Fate was never a place for blood offerings. You’ve completely misunderstood its purpose from the very beginning."
He looked around at the angry Dark Elves.
"The Loom of Fate is a place to undergo trials in order to receive blessings. It was never meant to be fed living sacrifices. All this time, your people have been doing something completely pointless."
The village fell into a stunned silence.
Azrynn’s eyes widened. Even she looked shocked by Adam’s words.
The scarred Dark Elf warrior gritted his teeth and raised his spear again.
"You dare insult us?! You outsiders know nothing about our traditions!"
Adam stared at him without flinching.
"I know enough to understand that your ’traditions’ are based on a complete misunderstanding and because of that misunderstanding, you’ve sacrificed innocent people."
Adam’s words hit the Dark Elves hard. Some of them tried to argue back, raising their voices in anger and denial.
"You’re lying! Our ancestors have been doing this for generations! The temple has always accepted our sacrifices!"
"If we don’t offer anything, the monsters will destroy us! You outsiders don’t understand anything!"
But Adam didn’t back down. He continued speaking calmly, yet his every word cornered them further.
"You keep saying the same thing, but none of you have actually seen the Goddess or received any direct message from the temple, have you? You’ve only been following old traditions without questioning them. And now, because the Loom has stopped working, your village is about to be wiped out. Tell me — has offering sacrifices ever truly solved the problem long-term?"
The Dark Elves fell silent for a moment, unable to answer.
Just as some of them were about to shout again, the elderly leader raised his staff and spoke in a firm, tired voice.
"Enough."
The arguing Dark Elves immediately stopped. They turned to look at the Elder with confused and frustrated expressions.
The Elder looked at Adam’s group, then at his own people. His yellow eyes were heavy with realization.
"Stop arguing. Look at the situation outside. These people are right. The monsters are already becoming active. We don’t have time to keep debating about old traditions. Right now, we need to understand what our real priority is."
He turned to Adam and bowed his head slightly.
"...Is that statement of yours indeed true?"
Isolde stepped forward and spoke in a calm, clear voice.
"What Adam said is correct. The Loom of Fate was never a place that demanded living sacrifices. It is a divine construct meant for granting blessings through trials. All this time, your people have been doing the wrong thing. You’ve been misunderstanding the true purpose of the temple."
The Dark Elves were visibly shocked. Some of them staggered back, while others looked at each other in disbelief.
The Elder closed his eyes for a moment, as if something had finally clicked in his mind. But even so, several of the younger Dark Elves still refused to accept it.
"...That can’t be true," one of them muttered. "If we stop offering sacrifices, then what have our ancestors been doing all this time...? It doesn’t make sense!"
