Taming the Dark Lord - Chapter 62

Chapter 62 – No Ordinary Elf (2)

Amelia had long known the deep, simmering hatred the Light cult had for the Dark creatures and she grew accustomed to it already, so she was really surprised when Debra agreed in letting the witch go with them in the carriage but even with that said, she wasn’t expecting Debra to let any of the witches go just like that.

After a brief silence, the witch spoke again and directed her question to Debra. “I have never killed or hurt anyone even before all of you came. On the contrary, I’ve saved countless lives throughout my life. Do you still think that I deserve to die?”

“Yes.” Debra said, completely unfazed.

She really was stubborn to a fault.

The witch didn’t say anything else after that. She looked at her palms defeatedly, realizing then that she wouldn’t be able to convince Debra no matter how hard she tried to explain, and her words would only fall into deaf ears. She sighed silently to herself, and Amelia, who had her eyes glued to her the whole time, decided that she would do whatever it takes to keep the kind-hearted witch alive, along with the disabled children.

She wanted them to be free, to live a life that was undisturbed by the Light cult.

Even though the knights were with the children and the captured witches, they seemed to have travelled fast since they still couldn’t find them even though they were in a carriage, and the sun had long disappeared and it’s already nighttime.

“Here, have some.” Debra said, handing Amelia some fruit.

Amelia wasn’t sure where Debra got them, but she took them nonetheless. The fruit was the size of her palm, and it looked so fresh and vibrant that Amelia drooled by the sight of it alone. She placed it on her mouth and took a bite, the crunching sound loud in her ears as she chewed and swallowed, the juices passing through her lips down to her throat.

Debra had her eyes fixed on Amelia the whole time, and a few seconds had passed, Amelia’s chewing gradually became much slower until she stopped chewing altogether.

She looked at Debra with a stunned face, and a gust of wind swept over making the leaves tremble and fall from its branches.

Amelia staggered towards a nearby tree trunk, and her wobbling made it look like she was also blown by the wind. She doubled over, hanging her head low and her pale face contorted into a sour expression.

“Oh my god, it’s so sour!” Amelia screwed her eyes shut, her mouth wide open in disgust as she belched. “What kind of fruit is this and why is it so sour!”

The fruit was sweet the first time you bite into it, but its sweetness would eventually simmer down until all you could taste was bitterness. And by the time you realize the horrid taste the fruit had, the juices would have seeped into your taste buds by then.

“Oh no, I seemed to have picked the wrong one.” Debra said, but her words lack concern and were full of spite, “I’m sorry Amelia. It’s my fault that I didn’t see it clearly. Please don’t be mad.”

Who was she trying to fool? She obviously did it on purpose! It was so sour that Amelia couldn’t help but heave noisily, trying to spit the vile taste that was stuck on her tongue.

She stared at Debra angrily, and standing above the campfire reflected her almond eyes beautifully, her eyelashes were smudged with tears. Even with her angered expression, her face still looked too innocent and naïve, like a soft creature that would easily open up to just about anyone.

How can someone be so naïve? Debra could not understand her at all.

What Debra learned from the high education she received as a child was that anyone could be used and thrown just like that in exchange for profit— even your closest relatives. Debra had always ingrained that in her mind and she would not hesitate to throw someone under the bus when the situation called for it.

So Debra stayed vigilant at all times, never letting her guard down no matter what. She also made it seem like she was approachable and kind when she was completely the opposite; she was rotten on the inside, as if she was filled with thorns like a hedgehog that unfurls itself when someone approached.

She was like that ever since, and she thought that everyone around her was like that as well: inconsiderate and too self-serving.

But the girl in front of her, who also happened to be her biggest enemy to date, actually trusted her enough. Debra felt like she wanted to laugh right at her face, wanted to tell her how foolish she was.

When Amelia finally got rid of the sour taste that breached her tongue, she blinked the mist from her eyes and saw a tall figure walking straight into the forest.

“Get me something good to eat!” Amelia formed her hands into an ‘O’ and bellowed, “And don’t pull tricks like that ever again!”

The figure only paused for a second before resuming her tracks towards the forest.