"Then, Knight, I'll leave Guleya to you—!"
Sitting on the carriage, Anne waved enthusiastically at the two. Guleya, however, looked at the carriage fading into the distance with a sorrowful face, like a little dog abandoned by its master, about to whimper any moment.
"Well… let's go too."
"Yes…"
The road to High Hrothgar was not easy. After all, in this era, towns were far apart. So Duanmu Huai and Guleya could only travel on foot. Except…
It was really hard to endure.
Listening to the birds chirping and staring at the scenery, Duanmu Huai couldn't help but silently grumble in his heart.
In general, traveling itself was tedious, especially long journeys like this. Without a way to pass the time, it was unbearable. And Guleya was the type who barely spoke, a closed gourd. Like now—she just followed beside him, not saying a word, her thoughts a mystery.
Haah…
Normally, Anne would be around to crack jokes and lighten the mood. Without her, Duanmu Huai realized just how important that princess was. With her, at least things weren't this suffocating. In fact, he thought the best arrangement would have been Anne accompanying Guleya to High Hrothgar, while he paired with Olgis. But clearly, Anne wanted him to get along better with Guleya, so she'd deliberately made this pairing.
But… what was he supposed to say?
Glancing at the silent Guleya walking with her head down, Duanmu Huai scratched his head. He wasn't exactly cheerful or talkative himself, and usually few dared to chat with him.
The girls around him all had different personalities. The liveliest was Anne, followed by Lorena. But Lorena, as a priestess, didn't clown around recklessly like Anne—she only spoke when needed.
By contrast, Olgis, Guleya, and Odelle Hashar were all quiet types, though in different ways.
Olgis often stayed silent because she was simply observing, like a researcher watching animals in the wild—observing, but not intervening.
Odelle Hashar gave the impression of having no inner self at all. She seemed more like a puppet than even Olgis.
Guleya felt different—like she was always thinking, but struggled to express herself.
Even now, Duanmu Huai could sense her mumbling something under her breath, but the words never came out.
Still, walking on like this was torture.
"I say…"
"Um…"
Just as Duanmu Huai was about to speak, Guleya also seemed to have gathered her courage and looked up at him. The two spoke at the same time, then exchanged glances, both startled.
"Then… you first?"
"No, no, Knight, you go ahead…"
Lowering her head again, Guleya retreated. Duanmu Huai sighed inwardly.
"Uh… nice weather today."
"Yes… it is…"
"..."
"..."
Nope. Nothing else to say.
Hmm?
Luckily, just then Duanmu Huai noticed figures walking along the mountain path ahead. His spirits lifted. Whoever they were—enemy or friend—at least they were people. Enough to break the monotony!
But when he saw them clearly, his expression darkened.
Several tall figures in golden armor walked along the path, surrounding a group of prisoners—men and women, young and old—heads hanging, trudging forward.
Duanmu Huai narrowed his eyes. Through the soldiers' long ears, he instantly recognized what they were.
Elves… so these were the elves of this continent?
In many tales, elves were portrayed as nature-loving, proud, and beautiful. But in Star Sea Online, elves were never anything praiseworthy. Whether the elves on starter planets or the Eldar from the wider galaxy, in players' eyes they were nothing good.
For most Inquisitor players in Star Sea Online, there were only two approaches to elves:
Exterminate them, or enslave them.
Peaceful coexistence? Forget it. Fighting alongside them? Don't even think about it. Dark Elves and Wood Elves deserved death. High Elves' arrogance was unbearable. And here, on this continent, elves had even dared to dictate human faith through treaties. That alone was enough for Duanmu Huai to put these long-eared degenerates on his extermination list.
So when he recognized them as elves, he stopped. Guleya, a bit slower to react, halted too, puzzled as she looked at him, unsure what he was doing.
"Wait."
Noticing her gaze, Duanmu Huai made a hand signal, then planted himself boldly in the middle of the path, blocking their way.
Soon the High Elves spotted him, but didn't stop, walking straight ahead. The leader drew his longsword and pointed at him.
"Step aside at once! We are on official duty!"
Unfazed, Duanmu Huai ignored the threat. He only glanced at the prisoners and asked,
"What crime did they commit?"
"Do you even need to ask? They violated the White-Gold Concordat, worshipping false gods. Naturally, they were arrested!"
"False gods?"
Duanmu Huai snorted coldly.
"You long-eared abominations, what right do you have to meddle in human faith?"
"What did you say?!"
The elf captain roared and swung his blade at him. But in the next instant, Duanmu Huai simply reached out, grabbed his head, and crushed it like a walnut. The elf collapsed, headless.
"Enemy!!"
The remaining High Elf soldiers panicked, drawing their weapons and charging.
"Die, xenos!"
With a roar, Duanmu Huai hurled the headless corpse at them, then charged like a furious bull. He didn't even bother to draw his Thunder Warhammer—just clenched his fists and smashed into them.
The sight alone made the elves falter. Terror surged into their hearts like invisible chains, freezing their movements. Before they could react, Duanmu Huai had already seized two elves, lifted them high, and smashed their skulls together with a sickening crunch.
"BANG!!"
Their heads burst like melons. Another elf fired lightning bolts at him, but they barely tickled. Duanmu Huai strode through the storm, grabbed its arm, and tore it apart down the middle like a rag doll.
In moments, the High Elf squad was slaughtered. The last soldier, terrified, tried to flee—only for Duanmu Huai to raise his hand. Invisible gravity yanked the elf back and slammed it into the ground.
"BANG!!!"
The elf writhed in pain as Duanmu Huai loomed over him.
"Where were you taking these prisoners?"
"Y-you… who are you? Are you with the rebels?"
"That's not the answer I want."
Duanmu Huai stepped on his leg. With a sickening crack, the limb bent the wrong way. The elf shrieked.
"Answer me."
"N-Northwatch Keep! It's a prison for rebels and captives!"
"Where is it?"
Trembling, the elf fumbled out a map and handed it over. Duanmu Huai glanced at it, then nodded.
"Good. Now you can die."
"Wait—you can't, I already answered—spare me—"
Before he could finish, Duanmu Huai stomped on his head, crushing it. He straightened, glancing at the nearby prisoners. To his surprise, they hadn't run, but huddled together, trembling in fear.
"You can go now."
He waved them off. Startled, they bowed nervously in thanks and hurried away.
Only then did Guleya approach, uneasy.
"Knight… why did you do that?"
Honestly, she hadn't even processed what had happened. Duanmu Huai had moved so fast that by the time she realized, nearly all the elves were already dead.
"Because I am an Inquisitor."
Duanmu Huai stood tall, looking at her.
"Miss Guleya, do you know an Inquisitor's duty?"
"Eh? That…"
"To protect humanity, fight Chaos, and destroy all threats to mankind. Which means…"
He cast a cold glance at the elf corpses.
"Any race that threatens humanity is my target. Elves, dragons, even gods—it makes no difference."
This world was one of his fragments. How could he allow any race here to oppress humans? What kind of Inquisitor would he be then?
"But… maybe…"
Guleya hesitated, then whispered,
"Maybe… humans could also be wrong?"
"That has nothing to do with me."
Duanmu Huai's reply was blunt.
"I am an Inquisitor. My duty is to protect humanity. It's that simple."
He stared straight at her.
"But you, Miss Guleya—which side are you on?"
"Eh?"
"Answer me, Miss Guleya."
His gaze bore into her as he asked slowly.
"Will you choose humanity—or the dragons?"
(End of Chapter)