Chapter 105: A Sword Pierced His Knee

Late at night, a shooting star streaked across half the sky, vanishing in an instant.

The vast forest slumbered in darkness, enveloped in silence save for the gentle whisper of the wind and the enchanting chorus of insects.

Bailey stood motionless in the summer night breeze, deep anger etched across his brow.

“Ugh...” He spat out the roasted meat in his mouth. “Absolutely terrible!”

These damned youngsters couldn’t even grill meat properly!

What on earth had their parents been doing all these years? How had they been spoiled into such incompetence?

Bailey was a primal elf born during the ancient wars. At fifteen, he had already taken up arms, fighting ceaselessly throughout his life, willing to sacrifice everything to protect peace.

In his era, druids had to master combat and wilderness survival from childhood—unlike these modern youths who couldn’t even grill meat right!

“Lord Bailey, the time is near,” Sylvie approached from behind. “Are we really going to assassinate that human lord?”

Bailey turned to see hesitation written on the faces of the young druids.

He felt disappointment. These young ones had lived too comfortably in Eden, so pampered that they’d lost their fighting spirit.

They planned to assassinate that human lord to frame Lin Lei.

Yet the druids hesitated, still clinging to illusions about the world. They believed the world was kinder than it was. To create peace, sacrifices must be made—this was a truth Bailey had grasped long ago, after the ancient wars.

If they hadn’t banished the Elf King, the primal elves would never have known five centuries of peace.

“This time, I won’t rely on you,” Bailey snorted coldly. He had no expectations of help from these druids.

“Give me all the information you gathered during the day.”

The druids handed over the materials on Lin Lei to Bailey—curiously, everything they had collected was about Lin Lei, from his words and gestures to his habits, every detail.

Combined with what Bailey already knew, he had nearly mastered every characteristic of Lin Lei.

“Lord Bailey, why are you gathering all this?” Sylvie asked, still unaware of Bailey’s exact plan.

“You’ll know soon enough...” Bailey produced a single strand of hair—it was Lin Lei’s hair, obtained through great effort.

He placed the hair in his mouth and donned a mask.

“I will become him.”

Before his words had even settled, a silver flame enveloped his body, rapidly reshaping his height and physique.

“Impossible—”

Sylvie gasped, her breath caught. In the blink of an eye, Bailey transformed into a figure she knew all too well—Lin Lei’s very likeness.

And this was no mere disguise; his aura and presence mirrored Lin Lei’s perfectly, indistinguishable even to Sylvie herself.

“Elemental power—”

A chill ran through Sylvie’s spine.

Bailey withdrew the hair from his mouth and spoke in Lin Lei’s voice, “You actually recognized it?”

He was somewhat surprised. Elemental power was a rare ability reached by refining one’s strength to the extreme, transcending elements and approaching the laws of nature. Bailey’s elemental power was corporeal transformation.

“I can become anyone, altering my body itself,” he explained. To master this, he had taken a different path from ordinary druids, even relinquishing the chance to become a Grand Druid.

“Lord Bailey, you are truly an ascendant!” The druids grew excited.

Elemental power marked the distinction between ascendants and mortals, and Sylvie understood this well. Unease stirred within her—if Bailey assassinated the human lord while disguised as Lin Lei, there would be no way to clear Lin Lei’s name.

Bailey’s plan seemed simple but its consequences would be profound.

“They’re already asleep. I’ll go now; you keep watch.”

Bailey moved to action.

“I must hurry and inform the young master,” Sylvie thought anxiously as she watched him disappear toward the camp.

Within the camp, humans and night elves had pitched their tents on opposite sides. If Lin Lei failed to awaken, Bailey would have the opportunity to assassinate the lord under Lin Lei’s guise.

“I need to step away for a moment.”

Seeing Bailey vanish into the night, Sylvie turned to leave the druids.

“Where are you going, Sylvie?” a female elf stopped her.

“I need to use the restroom,” Sylvie replied.

The elf’s eyes lit up. “I’ll come with you—I need to go too.”

“...Can’t you go on your own?”

“It’s a bit scary out here in the wilderness.”

“...”

Sylvie groaned inwardly.

Bailey skirted the night elves’ camp from afar, silently slipping into the human encampment. Naturally, he appeared near Christopher’s tent.

“Stop right there!”

“Your Majesty, the Supreme King?” Two assassins stepped out of the shadows. “What brings you here at this hour?”

They scrutinized Bailey but found nothing amiss—this was indeed the Supreme King.

“I have matters to discuss with the lord. Could you inform him for me?” Bailey said calmly.

The two assassins exchanged glances; one entered the tent to report, while the other stayed, watching Bailey closely.

“Are you truly the Supreme King?”

“Is there something wrong?” Bailey smiled confidently. He trusted his disguise absolutely and could remain composed under any circumstance.

The assassin, not suspecting a thing, was merely curious.

“Your Majesty, I heard you’re quite good at whistling. Could you whistle for me?”

“Here?” Bailey frowned slightly. “Very well... but I’ll need to keep it quiet.”

He began to whistle softly, the sound exactly matching Lin Lei’s whistle.

Inside Lin Lei’s tent, he was fast asleep. Blue Sky Song suddenly seemed to hear something and flew up, buzzing excitedly around him.

“Ugh... ugh... leave me alone! Go play on your own!” Lin Lei mumbled groggily, swatting at the buzzing creature. Blue Sky Song obeyed and flew off cheerfully.

Bailey’s whistle continued softly, until suddenly the assassin looked behind him in terror.

“What?”

Bailey turned to see a dull dagger dancing merrily behind him.

For a moment, Bailey was stunned. He remembered that five hundred years ago, on the lands of Skyrim, his life had been saved in an instant by a sword.

“Blue--Blue Sky Song...” Bailey’s lips trembled.

His whistle ceased, and Blue Sky Song sluggishly stopped its movements.

“Could it be...” Bailey’s eyes flared with light. Could this sword really dance to his whistle?

He cautiously whistled again. Indeed, Blue Sky Song began to dance once more.

“This, this...” Bailey forgot his purpose entirely, his gaze consumed by the enchanted sword before him—this was the Elven Sword of Fate, responding to his commands.

“It belongs to me, it belongs to me!”

His heart raced like never before. He whistled carefully, attempting to guide Blue Sky Song into his hand.

“Your Majesty, what are you playing at?” A human voice suddenly sounded behind him. Bailey was startled, his whistle faltering—that was the call to recall.

Blue Sky Song circled twice before plunging sharply into Bailey’s knee.

“Ahhh!”

A scream of agony echoed through the camp.

“Alarm! Someone is assassinating the Supreme King with a concealed weapon!”

“He’s been struck through the knee!”