The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World Chapter 574- Please Save Cecilia (4)

Reinhardt gave a nod, scrutinizing the girl with keen attention.

The elf called Lirae watched Reinhardt in return. Actually, it went beyond watching—she struggled to hold his gaze without wavering.

GULP... Mustering her bravery, she finally spoke the words stuck in her throat.

"W-Why are you searching for a royal bloodline elf?"

Her question burst forth hurriedly, as if Lirae worried that delaying even a moment would rob her of the nerve to speak.

???

Silence hung in the air for an instant.

Reinhardt held off on replying right away. His gaze kept examining her, seeking clues from her stance and tiny movements.

"Do you know one?"

Lirae tensed up, her fists clenching on instinct.

"I-I... asked first." She tried to conceal it fast.

Desperation, terror, and something deeper... Reinhardt crossed his arms and eased back a bit, face impassive. His thoughts raced, assembling the puzzle.

During the questioning of this village's demi-humans, he'd ordered Zerina and Elina to guard his intentions and schemes closely.

The motive was clear: if his aims fell into the wrong hands, news might spread to the demons.

Should whispers of the World Tree’s revival, the Origin Seed, or High Elf Priestess escape, the demons would surely scheme to obstruct him.

He held no fear of demons targeting him directly, but he couldn't risk them disrupting his efforts—especially before he'd obtained the final piece for his strategy.

The High Elf Priestess's whereabouts remained a mystery. Demon meddling could endanger her life, a risk he refused to take.

In truth, only one High Elf held the promise to become a Priestess in this world.

This secret absolutely could not slip out.

Still, the elf girl's bold challenge hinted at hidden depths, maybe a suppressed reality.

Reinhardt chose his course.

"I am searching for a survivor of the Elfenheim royal bloodline. Someone who may be a High Elf."

Those words made Lirae catch her breath, her pupils shrinking in shock.

Reinhardt noted every detail.

"You don’t need to know my reason. Just know that whoever she is, wherever she is, I will find and protect her no matter what. With my life on the line if necessary."

Lirae locked eyes with him, detecting no lies or tricks there, and her feelings tangled into chaos. She couldn't fathom why this human vowed such devotion to a demi-human.

Didn't all humans despise demi-humans?

Didn't they view them merely as things?

Why? As a young elf under fifty years old, Lirae was barely a teen by elven standards.

Moreover, raised in Rune, she'd witnessed only humanity's cruel underbelly, twisting her view of them.

Reinhardt's fierce vow to rescue the elf he sought, while traveling with demi-humans, left her utterly baffled.

Lirae parted her lips, then shut them, as if a weight crushed her chest. Her once-bright eyes now carried guilt and sorrow.

"If..." With great effort, she forced out the question. "If that person really exists, would you truly protect her? Even if it meant going against your own people?"

Zerina and Elina nearby creased their foreheads. The elf's words suggested she held key knowledge.

Knowledge she'd withheld during prior interrogations.

Reinhardt stood firm, holding her stare steadily.

"Yes, I swear it on my name."

No pause, no flourish—just a firm, resolute reply.

For tense seconds, Lirae stayed silent. At last, her shoulders slumped, like a long-held load starting to fracture.

Tears streamed down as she sobbed.

"Sniff, sniff. P-Please save Cecilia."

The trio exchanged glances, shock plain on their faces.

At last, a lead.

Elina rushed up to embrace the weeping girl.

"I beg of you, mister, please save Cecilia."

Reinhardt approached and extended his handkerchief.

"Speak clearly."

Elina dabbed Lirae's tears with the cloth, comforting her gently.

Soon after, as the sobs subsided, she shared her tale.

"My parents and I hid away, always on the move from spot to spot. Life was tough, but we scraped by. They warned me humans were perilous. I was too young to grasp it"...

"I just saw fear in their eyes whenever human villages appeared afar. Then came the day they tracked us down—a band of armed riders on horseback. Merciless, ignoring all pleas, they hunted us like slaves"...

"My parents urged me to flee. Whatever sounds or sights, just keep running."

Lirae's frame shook, haunted by those agonizing recollections.

Elina hugged her tight, sharing in the pain.

True to their words, Lirae fled endlessly. Soon lost in woods, starving and broken, grief and fatigue crushed her.

Worse still, monsters encircled her. Weak and wounded, she braced for death.

Yet...

"And when I thought I was going to die, I met her."

Lirae's dull eyes sparked faintly.

"A girl a few years my senior. Platinum-gold hair shimmering like moonlight, eyes blue as flawless jewels. Though both elves, she stood out as extraordinary"...

"She dropped from the trees like a wild sprite and vanquished the beasts. One instant, fangs loomed; the next, silver light cleaved the monster"...

"That marked my first encounter with Cecilia."

Reinhardt listened quietly; his nagging unease deepened steadily.

Lirae went on.

After the rescue, Cecilia skipped questions about origins, simply grasping her hand, assuring safety, and sharing dried fruits.

Upon hearing Lirae's past, Cecilia wept too, then brought her home.

A treehouse nestled high in the woods, veiled by foliage and natural cover.

There, Cecilia dwelled with her parents, distant from humans, safeguarding the forest in serene isolation.

Lirae found swift welcome in that household, and gradually, her inner scars mended.

Years flowed by.

She trained alongside Cecilia.

Mastered hunting, survival, and joy once more.

But destiny seemed bent on tormenting demi-humans.

Some years on, as skilled huntresses, they delved deeper for rare herbs, sharpening their prowess.

That's when they spotted a human pursued by monsters.

The peril was obvious; without aid, death awaited.

Cecilia charged ahead impulsively. Her arrows pierced foes like shooting stars.

Lirae hesitated briefly, then aided, repelling the horde together.

Their help saved the human.

The man dropped to his knees, bowing profusely in gratitude, naming himself an adventurer from Rune Kingdom on a herb quest.

Cecilia, intrigued by the wider realm, aided him while probing with queries.

For a forest-bound elf, the outer world sparkled with enigma and allure.

Questions poured; he replied openly.

By this point in her recount, Lirae's light dimmed anew. Days later, disaster struck their haven.

One evening, returning from scouting, dread filled the air.

Metallic scent lingered, distant skies glowed red.

Racing back, horror greeted them: home half-ruined, aflame.

The nightmare scene: sanctuary shattered—blood, splintered timber, crushed greenery, countless human footprints.

Cecilia wailed, dashing into the inferno.

Lirae pursued.