"Someone was here. They left traces, but the cleanup was professional—they've completely masked any tracks that could be used for pursuit."
Lange knelt, reaching out to rub some soil between his fingers. After sensing it for a moment, he narrowed his eyes and spoke to the men behind him.
"Spread out. See if there are any lingering marks in the vicinity. You two, follow me into the cave to check the situation."
Whoosh—!
As soon as the words left his lips, the men behind Lange scattered into the woods. He led the remaining two subordinates into the Groveside Cave.
The moment they stepped inside, Lange's heart sank at the sight of several wolf carcasses sprawled on the ground. He knew the Beastmen here had established a strange bond with the local pack; those creatures would never harm the wolves.
Furthermore, the wounds on the carcasses spoke volumes.
A small "blood hole" had punched clean through the skull—a testament to the terrifying piercing power of the strike. The Beastmen possessed no techniques capable of such precision.
"Lord Lange, something's wrong. There's no scent of blood in the inner chambers, but there are clear signs of a struggle."
"And the Beastmen?"
"Gone. Completely vanished."
"What?!"
Lange gasped in shock and sprinted deeper into the cavern. When he found a complete absence of bloodstains despite the obvious evidence of a violent clash, his stomach did a slow roll.
He searched the area meticulously. Not only was there no trace of Beastman blood, but there was no blood from any other animal, nor were there any skeletal remains.
This was the most irrational part. Beastmen didn't clean up bones where they lived; they kept them as trophies. In their culture, the bones of prey were symbols of status.
"This is going to be a problem..."
Lange's expression was grim. They knew next to nothing about their enemy, and the site hadn't yielded a single shred of actionable intelligence.
"I recall Lord Nibla dispatched another squad of Storm Knights, didn't he?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Find them. Tell their captain to search the villages and towns on the outskirts of the forest for any sign of outsiders."
Having issued his orders, Lange flicked his cloak back and marched to the cave entrance. He addressed his regrouped men: "Everyone, focus the search on the forest perimeter. You two—head to the beach and check the coast!"
"Sir!"
"Lord Holuf, the town has sent out a large number of men to track us."
"I know. How was the cleanup?"
"Everything has been dealt with."
"Good. It won't be long before they reach the coast. We need to pick up the pace and reach the cave Lord Mohg mentioned."
"Should we inform Lord Mohg of the situation?"
"There's no need to disturb him with such trifles. We can handle this ourselves. We'll report once we've secured the cavern."
"Understood."
Holuf looked back toward the direction of the forest and the town.
"Remember: if you spot their scouts, do not engage. Observe their movements and report back. Also, find a way to notify our brothers gathering intelligence in the town. Have them pull out immediately. I expect a lockdown is coming soon."
"Yes, sir!"
"Whew... what is this? Training for when I finally have my own territory?"
Mohg rubbed the bridge of his nose and finally set down his pen. After a long, arduous struggle, he had managed to clear the majority of the documents Rellana had dumped on him.
And then... the sky had turned dark. Another day gone. He had no idea how much longer Rellana intended to stay at the Academy.
She surely doesn't plan on making me do this every day, does she?!
The thought made Mohg stiffen.
No, he couldn't let Rellana continue to slack off at the Academy. He had to find a way to get her back to Caria to begin the necessary preparations. The Golden Order would be marching south soon. As one of the Carian Royal Family's top combat assets, how could she justify idling here? It was unacceptable!
Mohg slapped the desk and stood up, hurrying toward the exit. However, Professor Raelus was already waiting for him at the door.
"Professor Raelus? What brings you here?"
Mohg blinked in surprise, his face turning pale. He half-expected the man was there to drag him off to more sorcery lessons.
"Cough... you don't need to look at me with such suspicion. I'm not here to make you study. Lady Rellana asked me to wait for you. She wants you to meet her in the Dean's office once you've finished the paperwork."
"The Dean's office?" Mohg paused.
The Dean? If he remembered correctly, during Rennala's reign, she personally held that title. Did that mean... the Queen of the Full Moon wanted to see him?
"I understand. But before I go, I have one question."
"Hm? Ask away," Raelus said, nodding.
"Where exactly is the Dean's office?"
Knock, knock.
"Lady Rellana, it is I, Gwyn."
"Enter."
After a convoluted series of directions—the Academy truly was a labyrinth—Mohg finally arrived at the Dean's office.
He pushed the door open and saw Rellana sitting in the primary seat. Next to her, however, sat another figure...
It's you! The blue-skinned monster!!
To be honest, Mohg was momentarily stunned. The face before him was almost identical to the Ranni he remembered from the future.
However, realizing that the "Ranni" of this era hadn't even been born yet—or at least wasn't an active player—he quickly corrected himself. This wasn't the Ranni of his memories; this was Ranni's mentor.
The Snow Witch—Renna. Just as Ranni would eventually claim, her doll's appearance was modeled after her secret teacher.
In other words, Mohg thought, those who claim to love Ranni's look don't actually love Ranni—they love her teacher.
After all, Ranni's true, original body was a tall, red-haired noblewoman.
"And this is...?"
"A loyal ally of our Carian Royal Family, the Snow Witch," Rellana introduced. "The reason I called you here is that the Snow Witch requested to see you personally."
Mohg's intuition prickled. He had a sinking feeling that whatever she wanted with him, it wasn't going to be pleasant.
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Elden Ring: As the Consort, I Reject Miquella (400 Chapters – Ongoing)
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