Northern Moon Elf Territory.
This remote region already lay at the very edge of the Elven Empire's jurisdiction, where civilization gradually gave way to wilderness.
The roads were rugged and treacherous, dark storm clouds hung oppressively low in the gray sky, and a persistent fine drizzle fell steadily through the dense forest canopy.
The muddy ground had become completely unsuitable for wheeled carriages.
Along the narrow forest road, a squad of elite knights rode at full speed on powerful horned horses, their bodies wrapped tightly in practical rainproof cloaks against the weather.
At the front of the disciplined group rode a strikingly valiant blonde female elf whose presence commanded immediate respect.
The rushing wind violently blew the hood from her head, revealing her piercing violet eyes, overall sharp features, and smooth skin, but she paid it absolutely no mind, focused entirely on the mission.
"Captain, Blackstone Village is just ahead," a male elf spoke up from behind her position. A quality longbow was slung professionally across his back, and a well-maintained longsword hung ready at his waist.
The mounted horses burst powerfully out of the shadowy forest, and a stretch of farmland came into view.
The harvest season had just ended weeks ago, and the fields were now completely bare and desolate under gray skies.
At the far end stood a village, eerily, unnaturally quiet.
"Whoa!" Aisha commanded.
Reaching the village outskirts, the group dismounted in practiced unison. A trace of heaviness and foreboding flashed across Aisha's face as she surveyed the scene.
She scanned the surroundings with trained eyes.
The once lively, thriving village was now completely deserted, devoid of any signs of life.
Collapsed walls, broken doors hanging from hinges, and clear signs of violent combat made it look as if the entire place had been brutally torn apart by savages.
Inside the houses, everything had been thoroughly and systematically looted. Food supplies, tools, valuables, and anything remotely useful had been taken.
Not long ago, she'd received urgent orders from her commanding officers.
Orc tribes had moved aggressively south through the northern Moon Elf Territory. The Silent Moon Outpost had been destroyed for unknown reasons, and several civilian villages had been violently raided.
She'd been ordered to lead an elite ranger squad to investigate the situation and determine the threat level.
The Ranger Corps was an elite military force of Lunaria, comparable to special operations units in terms of training and capability.
Normally, such border matters wouldn't require their direct involvement. An orc incursion could be adequately dealt with by dispatching regular troops to suppress it.
But what made this particular situation deeply strange and alarming was that they had lost all contact with the outpost completely.
Border outposts existed specifically to monitor orc movements from the hostile north and provide information.
This world didn't have people like the Chinese or Americans who loved constructing massive defensive walls across entire borders.
The Elven Empire's borders shared enormous stretches of land directly with dangerous orc territory.
Along the border were numerous strategically placed outposts tasked with continuously monitoring orc tribal movements.
Each outpost was equipped with magical communication devices, allowing them to report to higher command immediately when threats emerged.
But this time, the Silent Moon Outpost had fallen without transmitting any information whatsoever.
That was deeply, profoundly unreasonable and concerning.
If something like this happened, there were only two logical possibilities.
Either every single guard had been killed instantly in a coordinated surprise attack, or all communications had been deliberately blocked for some specific tactical reason.
But based on centuries of direct experience dealing with orcs and beastmen in general, those scenarios seemed unlikely.
These creatures, whose primitive minds revolved almost entirely around eating and fighting, weren't typically capable of such elaborate tactical planning.
Once they attacked an outpost with their usual aggressive approach, the guards would detect it immediately and desperately call for reinforcements.
This entire incident reeked of something abnormal and unprecedented. That was precisely why they were here now: to uncover the truth.
If orcs were truly multiplying again and growing bold, the usual solution was to launch a preventive war and systematically erase every orc tribe near the border.
But that brutal method required enormous resources, caused heavy casualties on both sides, and could easily escalate into a full-scale war.
Orcs were born warriors, fearless even in death.
"These damn orcs are like vermin in the fields. You can never kill them all, no matter how hard you try!" Dalrix spat bitterly.
"They practically stripped this place completely bare. No one but those savage green-skins could do this."
Dalrix looked at the devastated scene with a grim, disgusted expression.
Aisha carefully examined the shattered door planks and dried bloodstains on the ground.
There had clearly been a battle here, and a brutal, desperate one at that. The doors had been forcibly smashed open with overwhelming strength.
The villagers had resisted fiercely after discovering the orcs approaching.
In the end, even their bodies had been taken away, likely as food.
"This is typical orc behavior," Aisha confirmed coldly.
"Captain, we found a survivor!" someone shouted urgently.
Hearing this, everyone immediately hurried toward the voice.
Inside a concealed cellar, they discovered a young girl no more than ten years old.
Her eyes were filled with absolute terror. She hugged her knees tightly, trembling uncontrollably. When the cellar door opened, and long-lost light suddenly poured in, she became even more frightened.
Seeing elves appear instead of orcs, she immediately burst into tears of relief.
The female elf who'd found her quickly lifted her out gently.
Looking at the traumatized girl, whose terrible fate mirrored her own tragic past, a trace of deep sorrow flickered in Aisha's eyes.
After a long while of patient comforting, the girl finally calmed down enough to speak.
"Can you tell us what happened here?" Aisha asked gently once the girl had steadied herself somewhat.
"I... I don't know... Daddy said there were bad people coming..."
"And then... then he told me to hide in here and not make a sound no matter what..."
"I say we can just go back and report now, send out the army and wipe out those damned orcs completely!" Dalrix suddenly shouted impatiently.
He didn't see the point of wasting precious time investigating further.
The girl was startled by the harsh voice and began crying again.
"Dalrix, shut up!" Aisha snapped.
"I'm the commander of this operation. Until we understand exactly what happened and why, you don't get to make strategic decisions!"
Aisha stared at Dalrix with cold authority.
She hated orcs just as much as anyone, but this situation couldn't be concluded so hastily. She had to uncover the full truth.
Dalrix looked at the visibly angered Aisha, dissatisfaction and resentment flashing in his eyes.
They were about the same age. He was only a dozen years older at most.
In terms of pure strength, he believed he was no weaker than her. He was already a level 4 archer, placing him among the empire's elite.
Yet their mentor had given command of this critical mission to Aisha, who was younger and less experienced than him.
It made him furious every time he thought about it.
Reaching mid-level strength already placed one among the empire's elite forces.
"Hmph." He snorted but said nothing more.
The others seemed used to this tense scene and remained diplomatically silent.
It was clear they wouldn't get any more useful information from the traumatized girl.
Aisha then began issuing orders.
"Gina, escort her to the nearest town immediately. The rest of you, follow me and continue tracking the orcs."
"Yes, Captain!" Gina was the female elf who had found the girl.
Leaving the child here alone was impossible and cruel. Gina lifted her up, mounted her horse, and rode off.
The rest of the squad mounted up as well.
They followed the trail left by the departing orcs.
If the orcs were returning north after the raid, they would pass by the Silent Moon Outpost, which was also one of their objectives.
They rode at full speed.
After some time...
A small stone fortress came into view in the distance.
This was the Silent Moon Outpost.
Its gates had already been destroyed.
The group entered unimpeded.
Inside, everything lay in ruins, with large amounts of blood staining the ground.
Aisha ordered everyone to spread out and search for clues while she carefully examined the details herself.
"Captain, nothing suspicious found."
"There are no survivors. Even the bodies are gone."