'T-this human…!'
Aurora was shocked by what currently stood in front of her, occupying the range of her sight.
The man in the black mask—Ralyks—had left his position and appeared before her before she could even react.
She had never met a human that fast.
'Even that wolf man was not this quick!' Her thoughts echoed, remembering Fenrir—leader of the Mercenary Gang.
At the very least, Fenrir seemed to be a leader. This man, in sharp contrast, was merely an errand boy of the KariBlanc Group.
This sort of power wasn't meant to be wielded by him.
'But so what…?' Aurora grinned to herself.
Her Ashen Staff's automatic barrier would protect her from all kinds of harm, so it wasn't like she was in any danger.
'He's only fast. There's no way he can—'
~KRRIIAAKAAA!~
Like glass, the invisible barrier around Aurora shattered.
'W-WHAT?!'
It broke apart right before Ralyks' fist even made impact, which meant this wasn't the result of mere brute strength.
It was the result of a Skill.
"I-impossi—!'
~BOOM!~
Before her lips could conjure up the last syllable, the man's fist was planted on her face.
The air around her seemed to part, and the two Elves behind her were instantly pushed back by the sheer pressure of the landed blow.
That wasn't all, though.
"Uguooh!" Aurora let out a loud grunt as she felt her body pushed backwards.
Blood flowed from her nose, and her head spun circles as everything in her body experienced instant confusion.
Elves were naturally peaceful people.
They were pacifists.
As a result, it was very rare for them to get the opportunity of experiencing pain.
Aurora, in all her life, had only every experienced pain three times—two of those times being when she tripped and fell as a child.
Well, this sensatio was nothing like tripping and falling.
It was far, far more painful.
~WHOOSH!~
Aurora's body flew a distance and landed on the ground, sliding through dirt for a meter or two before finally stopping.
"Lady Aurora!"
"Lady Aurora!"
Lila and Lali rushed to her side, like the kind sisters they were. Both of them had tears in their eyes as they observed the slightly swollen face of their beloved older sister.
It caused a true stain on her beauty.
"LADY AURORA!" Voices echoed from behind her, as the ten hidden Elves exposed their position and charged towards her in a crying frenzy.
'N-no! Stay back and hide!' Aurora wanted to yell, but her lips wouldn't move properly.
She was still recoiling from the attack, and so it was difficult to move her body talkless of forming coherent words.
All of this humiliation was thanks to one man…
"Y-YOUU…" Her glare rested on the imbecile who placed her in such a degrading state.
He stood a couple of meters from her, hands folded as he stared at her in his all-black attire. His mask prevented her from seeing his face, but more than anything, she wished to rip the thing off his face and pummel it until everything about him became a bloody mess.
'A-ah… calm yourself, Aurora.' She told herself, a bit surprised by her violent thoughts.
The Elves around her helped raise her back to her feet, and her staff suported her as she stood. Nothing but pure hatred radiated from her eyes as she glared at the impudent human—
Ralyks
"U-urgh…"
Pain still shot around her face, but it was subsiding. Her body slowly began to recover, and within a few more seconds, her appearance was good as new.
The blood and snot was gone, and the swolleness had also vanished.
Aurora was as good as new; well, except for her gown, which was already stained thanks to her landing so disgracefully on the ground.
'Never again…' She growled as she stepped forward.
"What? You want to get beaten up more?" Ralyks asked in his impudent tone, and it infuriated her to the core.
'This… this VERMIN!'
Aurora was bursting with rage, and she indeed desired to rip him apart limb from limb, but she had to control herself.
'He was able to break the barrier cast by The Ashen Staff. He also moves faster than my eyes can keep up with.'
Clearly, this wasn't an ordinary enemy.
'I never imagined humans to be so powerful. He could definitely handle a Three Horned Dragon with that kind of power…'
To deal with someone so tricky and strong, Aurora had to rely on the perfect counter to strength.
"[Nature Magic: Sleepy Garden]."
A massive willow tree instantly emerged from the ground, taking its place behind Aurora. Flowers appeared all over the ground, creating a garden in a single moment.
Multiple colors filled the area, crearing a landscape of beauty around the Elf.
'With this, no matter his strength or speed, he'll be disarmed.' She smiled as she looked at Ralyks, who was already trapped among the flowers.
'The other man doesn't seem like anything special, so if he tries to assist, he will also encounter the same fate.'
Then, Aurora's gaze went to the Half Elf who stood and watched like the fool that she was.
'I was initially upset at these people due to the potential of their cooperation with the Dragons…'
The fact that the KariBlanc Group was in possession of the Enchanted Items that should have been taken away by the Dragon meant there was a high chance that they were working for or with the Dragon.
The chances of them slaying the Dragon who stole the Enchanted Item was slim, and it was even slimmer to think that a Dragon would be working under them or as their partner.
That meant they were the ones working for the Dragon.
'I ignored all of that due to desperation, and since they are merely weak humans, I decided to forgive their transgressions and overlook things this one time.'
Yet… YET…!
'They had to further humiliate my kind by showing the vilest abomination of all; our greatest source of shame… a Half Elf!'
At this point, Aurora could ignore it no longer.
'You will all be captured! I won't let any of you leave!'