She bent down and scooped Little Slime off the ground; it chirped "pu-jiu, pu-jiu" in delight and rubbed its jelly-like body against her cheek. A soft smile crept across the girl's face, but she quickly caught herself and turned to Belle and Ellen.
"My name is Tineva. I'm the guardian of these Little Slimes."
"Guardian?" Luna Belle studied her curiously. "So… are you a Slime?"
Tineva rolled her eyes, as though the question were too silly to entertain. "Of course I'm not a Slime! I'm a Water Spirit. I'm only living with them for… certain reasons."
She stroked Little Slime gently, a complicated look flickering in her eyes. Tineva's fingers glided over Little Slime's cool, slick surface while her gaze drifted toward the depths of the cave, as though the rock walls were nothing and she could still see the lost homeland beyond.
"We used to live beside Clear Water Lake, deep within the Gloomy Forest. It was quiet there; the water was pure, rich with water-elemental energy—perfect for Little Slime and the others to grow, and ideal for my cultivation."
She paused, then continued. "But about a month ago, mysterious figures in black robes and bird beak masks appeared in the forest. They drove hordes of monsters, attacking and driving out the original inhabitants."
"Black robes and bird beak masks?" Luna Belle frowned; the description sounded anything but friendly.
"Yes." Tineva nodded, anger flashing in her blue eyes. "They coveted Clear Water Lake, calling it some sort of… node. They used a vile ritual to corrupt the water and built a crude altar on the shore. The lake's water-elemental creatures were either tainted or fled. Because of their unique constitutions, Little Slime and the others weren't polluted right away, but their habitat was ruined, and the attackers kept sending magic wolves to harass us…"
Ellen twirled the lollipop in her mouth and chipped in indistinctly. "Magic wolves? Dark-blue fur, amber eyes, claws wreathed in black mist, and they spit energy orbs?"
Tineva stared at Ellen in surprise. "You've met them?"
Luna Belle pointed at Ellen, pride coloring her tone. "We ran into one on the grasslands. My Ellen dealt with it."
Respect crept into Tineva's gaze. "Those Gale Magic Wolves are among their fiercest minions. We couldn't beat them. To protect Little Slime and the rest, I had no choice but to lead everyone away, hiding until we finally found this abandoned cave. The cave is well hidden, but it's nothing like Clear Water Lake. Little Slimes need pure water-elemental energy to thrive; staying here too long will only weaken them. Sometimes we have to venture out for food and clean water. We must have strayed too close to human farms and been branded a nuisance that needs clearing out…"
The truth was laid bare. The so-called Slime menace had begun when the mysterious black-robed figures drove them from their home. Luna Belle felt awful. She glanced at Ellen; Ellen's red eyes met hers with the same message. There was no way they could finish this request.
Tineva hugged Little Slime closer and said, "Powerful people like you… you didn't attack, you even listened to me… I'm already grateful." She lifted her head, hope and hesitation mingling in her eyes. "But may I dare to ask… could you help us? I don't dare hope you'd win back our home—that's too dangerous. Could you at least report the truth to the Guild and have the request withdrawn? I'll do anything!"
Looking at Tineva's fragile yet determined gaze, and hearing the soft "pu-jiu" sounds of the Slimes as if seconding the plea, Luna Belle's heart melted. She was about to agree without thinking.
Ellen, calmer, rested a hand on Luna Belle's shoulder and asked Tineva, "We can speak to the Guild for you. But do you know anything else about those black-robed people? How many? How strong? Besides the wolves, what else do they command?"
Know yourself, know your enemy—only then could they decide their next step. Ellen wasn't afraid of trouble, but she wouldn't drag Belle into needless danger.
Tineva closed her eyes, recalling. She set Little Slime down; the blue Slime gave a cheerful "pu-jiu" and rolled to Luna Belle's feet, nuzzling her ankle affectionately.
"Those black-robed figures…" Tineva drew a steadying breath, fighting to keep her voice calm. "I'm not sure of their exact numbers; they rarely move as a group—usually only two or three appear at the lake to direct the monsters. But judging by the scale and frequency of monster activity, there must be at least ten of them. And they're strong."
Her voice dropped; besides the Slimes, there had been plenty of intelligent monsters around Clear Water Lake. She had no idea whether any had escaped.
"Although they don't seem skilled at direct combat, I saw one of them simply wave a staff and effortlessly subdue a giant marsh crocodile that had tried to resist. Besides the Gale Magic Wolves, they can command Goblins and even… corrupt Oak Guardians." Tineva's body trembled; she shut her eyes, unwilling to recall the ravaged Oak Guardians. "The Oak Guardians by Clear Water Lake were tainted, lost their minds, and turned on us."
Ellen thoughtfully licked her lollipop, red eyes narrowing. "Sounds like the dark mages you read about in novels. People like that always want something big."
Luna Belle felt the weight of it all. If Tineva spoke true, these black-robed figures were a far greater threat. She met Ellen's gaze; silent understanding passed between them. They couldn't ignore this, but they wouldn't rush in blind either.
"Tineva, we understand your situation," Luna Belle knelt, gently patting the cool, springy body of Little Slime at her feet, her voice firm. "We won't carry out this request. We'll return to the Guild at once, explain everything, ask them to cancel the quest and see if we can get help investigating these black-robed figures."
Hope blazed in Tineva's eyes; she seized Luna Belle's hand, her touch cool and soft. "Really? Thank you so much! As long as the Guild stops sending people after us, we'll be content!"
Ellen watched their clasped hands and gave a languid yawn…