Chapter 28: The Trapped Mori

Chapter 28: The Trapped Mori

On the way to the inn where Hank and the others were, Mori sat in the carriage, feeling his emotions bouncing all over the place.

He really hoped that the person in the painting had no significant connection with Your Majesty.

After all, Your Majesty was an Elf, while that person seemed to be a Half-Elf or maybe even a human.

It was merely a coincidence that they looked alike.

But he also knew that even if it was merely coincidental, this matter had already entangled itself with Your Majesty.

Now, all he had to do was to find those two guys, get to the bottom of this whole situation, and prepare for the possible disaster that might come.

Perhaps soon, the Dark Elves would welcome a new compatriot.

Mori was unwilling to accept this outcome.

He definitely didn’t want to live the life of Dark Elves.

A life filled with slaughter, with no stable place to call home, and who knows? He might lose his life one day.

“Master, we have arrived.”

The carriage stopped in front of the inn, and Jim spoke to Mori inside.

Mori hurriedly got out of the carriage and said, “Let’s go inside.”

Mori and Jim walked into the inn.

Just as they entered, the Shadow in the room on the second floor had already noticed them from the windowsill.

He immediately contacted Hank to come to his room.

When Mori and Jim knocked on the door, the Shadow and Hank were already sitting inside waiting for them: “Please come in.”

Mori and Jim opened the door and walked in.

“Mori big brother, you came specifically to find us—do you have news?” Hank asked, his face lighting up with excitement.

Only then did he notice that Mori and Jim didn’t seem to carry good news.

Mori first signaled Jim to close the door, and after it was shut, he asked the Shadow and Hank, “Humans, tell me—exactly what is the identity of the person you wanted me to investigate?”

Hank looked puzzled by this question.

The Shadow seemed to be pondering, then said, “Mr. Mori, if there’s something to discuss, why don’t we sit down?”

Mori, noticing the Shadow’s nonchalant attitude, was about to explode.

But after some thought, he realized that getting angry wouldn’t resolve anything—if anything, it might make matters worse—so he restrained himself and sat down across from them as the Shadow suggested, while Jim stood behind him.

“You must have uncovered some news related to Miss Ailia, right? I’m correct in saying this?”

“That’s right! We indeed uncovered some news,” Mori replied.

Hearing the name “Ailia,” hope flickered in his heart.

Could it be that this Miss Ailia was a human or Half-Elf who resembled Your Majesty, and someone who actually existed?

This way, when the blame came down, he could explain himself.

Surely, Your Majesty wouldn’t be completely unreasonable.

“Can you share that with us?”

“Not at the moment; all I can say is that I can no longer continue this transaction. Furthermore, could you please tell me what exactly is Miss Ailia’s identity?”

Despite Mori’s confrontational tone, the Shadow remained unflappable: “Mr. Mori, your words confuse me. Miss Ailia is simply Miss Ailia. Who else could she be? Since you say you can’t continue, then according to our agreement, you must inform me of what you’ve discovered, and I shall pay you accordingly.”

“Things aren’t that simple anymore. I need to clarify the whole situation.”

“Is it that serious?” asked the Shadow.

“More serious than you might think,” Mori replied through clenched teeth, looking at the still calm Shadow.

He shouldn’t have agreed to this from the beginning.

“Alright, I can tell you a bit more. However, I don’t know much about Miss Ailia, as I am working for someone else.”

Mori’s mouth twitched at this.

Hank got you to seek me out, and now you’re working for someone else, leading me to fall into this pit!

“Then tell me everything you know.”

The Shadow didn’t refuse: “No problem. I previously told you, Miss Ailia came to the Elven Race about a year ago, and after that, we lost track of her. Almost two years ago, she should have arrived on the continent from the Elven Race. I don’t have a single piece of news about her from before or after that.”

After saying this, the Shadow shook his head.

His words caused Mori to feel a deep fear.

Because the implication of what he said was that this Miss Ailia was a person who suddenly appeared in people’s sights—that is to say, she only existed for that short period, and there was no sign of her before or after.

This represented a possibility that he understood all too well—the possibility that this Miss Ailia might not even exist, and was just someone posing as her.

But who could that person be?

Mori couldn’t help but think of Their Majesty.

According to Jim, their appearances were quite alike, easily leading one to believe there was a connection between them.

This made Mori’s headache worsen.

He desperately wanted to extract Your Majesty from this mess, yet it seemed he was getting pulled in closer and closer.

“I’ve told you what I know, so, Mr. Mori, can you reveal what you know?”

“I can only tell you that this Miss Ailia is not as simple as you think.”

“That kind of answer won’t satisfy me.”

The Shadow’s tone was calm, but anyone could hear the threatening undertone.

Both Mori and Jim eyed the Shadow warily.

“Sharing more will only land me in more trouble,” Mori explained, wanting to avoid unnecessary complications.

Of course, more than anything, he sensed the danger.

This guy was definitely not simple; he seemed amiable on the surface, but once he showed his claws, there was no doubt that one’s life could be in danger in the next moment.

“Aren’t you afraid of trouble right now?”

The Shadow no longer concealed his killing intent.

I’ve paid you, so you owe me the corresponding service.

Though it felt like a forced transaction, this was the law of the dark world.

Under the suffocating aura of the Shadow’s killing intent, Mori and Jim both felt their legs trembling.

Danger, very dangerous!

Only Hank appeared unfazed.

He just felt that the negotiation had reached a stalemate.

But he didn’t dare to say anything.

After all, the one in charge was the Shadow; he was just the errand boy.

“If you kill us here, you won’t escape either. This is the Elven Race, not your human territory.”

Though it was perilous, Mori still decided to take a gamble.

“You’re quite remarkable!”

The Shadow cast Mori a deep glance, and the killing intent around him dissipated as he spoke to Mori casually:

“If possible, I think we can engage in more in-depth cooperation.”

“I don’t want to talk business anymore; I don’t even know if I can keep my own life this time,” Mori lamented, causing Hank to feel anxious.

Clearly, Lady Ailia’s disappearance was indeed related to the Elven Race, and it entangled a significant secret.

In the face of this secret, Mori had only scratched the surface, and he could very well be silenced.

“You can tell me what’s going on. Maybe I can help you save your life; after all, I’m still interested in working with you more closely.”

The Shadow wasn’t worried at all.

Because he knew more.

In the letter, Ailia had left a message for Axi saying she was going to do her own thing, that it was her responsibility.

This indicated that she wasn’t in any danger within the Elven Race, and combined with the current situation, it was clear she must hold a high position there.

Looking at the Shadow, Mori felt deeply conflicted.

The Shadow was acting very confidently.

He didn’t know whether to trust the Shadow or not.

“Since you have no way out left, why not take a gamble? I’m quite confident in my abilities; otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to your Elven Race with just this guy beside me.”

“Fine, I trust you,” Mori said after deliberating for a long time, looking at the Shadow in front of him.

The Shadow’s abilities were indeed impressive, and from earlier, he could tell that the Shadow needed him.

Since he needed him, he would ensure his safety.

Although it might mean working for someone else, for the sake of his future and life, Mori felt that working for someone wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Then you can now reveal what you’ve found out.”

The Shadow smiled.

Though others couldn’t see his expression, they could sense his happiness.

The Shadow was undoubtedly delighted; this was a win-win for him.

As for Mori’s life, he was confident he could keep him safe.

Mori was so scared simply because “Ailia” held a high position in the Elven Race; his earlier actions might have offended Miss Ailia, so he could plead for her mercy.

After all, Miss Ailia had an excellent relationship with his boss.

“The Miss Ailia you’re looking for bears a striking resemblance to Your Majesty of the Elven Race.”

The moment he spoke, Hank and the Shadow were stunned.

Though the Shadow felt Ailia had a high status in the Elven Race, he didn’t expect her to be connected to the Elven Queen.

What in the world was happening?

Miss Ailia was the Elven Queen.

And then the Elven Queen had been wandering the continent for less than a year, before entrusting her body to a human.

Though that human was the chosen one wielding the King’s Sword, this scenario was still far too absurd.

Was this the Elven Queen fulfilling the agreements of yesteryear?

As he pondered, the Shadow suddenly realized things might not be as simple.

Was this truly a coincidence of fate?

“Are you telling the truth?”

Returning to his senses, the Shadow stared at Mori and asked.

Mori smiled bitterly and said, “I wish it were false, but it can’t be. According to my findings, aside from her ears, she’s almost identical to Your Majesty in every other aspect.”

“I see. If someone comes looking for you about this matter, you can tell them to find me, and I’ll help you sort this out.”

Hearing the Shadow’s words, Mori sighed in relief.

As long as the Shadow was willing to take the heat for him, he could claim that he was unaware of the situation beforehand.