Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 207

Arnie knew what this meant. It was something that many scholars would give anything just to catch a glimpse of—an actual elven relic. Though he had inherited his mother’s elven bloodline, such an intangible thing couldn’t compare to real relics.

But…

He took two steps back and grabbed the hem of Charlie’s coat.

“I didn’t come here by choice,” Arnie said seriously. “I’m not an elf. I’d rather know when I can go home than see the ruins.”

Charlie’s hand, which had been resting on Arnie’s shoulder, remained there, but his gaze never left Spring.

Spring’s expression showed no emotion. Despite Arnie’s blunt reply, he wasn’t angered but looked at them thoughtfully.

“Do you trust him?” he asked Arnie, though the person he was referring to was clear.

This time, Arnie didn’t respond, moving halfway behind Charlie.

Charlie understood the deeper meaning behind Spring’s question.

Spring might have sensed that his existence was “unnatural”. If Arnie placed his trust and affection in someone like him, it could be seen as futile.

So Charlie crouched down and asked Arnie, “Can I talk to him alone for a moment?”

Arnie asked cautiously, “About what?”

He was sure that Oscar and Spring were meeting for the first time today, and their conversation had been minimal, but he still felt uneasy about their interaction.

“Is that okay?” Charlie asked again.

After spending time with Arnie, he had figured out how to deal with the young Dwight. Arnie could be stubborn and headstrong but was also very understanding and didn’t like forcing others to do things against their will.

As long as he expressed his wishes sincerely, Arnie usually didn’t have the heart to refuse.

“Does it have to be this way?” Arnie grumbled but didn’t outright refuse, showing reluctance.

Charlie patted his head. “Ten minutes.”

He promised Arnie that he would only be alone in the living room for ten minutes and handed him his pocket watch to play with its little mechanisms.

That pocket watch was one of the few items not washed away by the river, and although it had been soaked, it still kept accurate time.

Spring didn’t interfere in Charlie and Arnie’s exchange. He quietly watched Charlie coax Arnie out of the room and shut the door to the partition.

“This isn’t your true form,” Spring said, his tone less gentle without Arnie present. “Why are you hiding?”

Charlie sat on the floor but kept a slight distance from Spring.

“It’s unavoidable,” Charlie said honestly.

“Approaching the Dwight boy was also unavoidable?” Spring retorted softly. “He sees us as kidnappers but doesn’t know that the person beside him is the truly suspicious one.”

Charlie understood where Spring’s subtle hostility came from.

As someone who had close ties with the elves and guarded their home, Spring’s power also came from perception. His ability to sense things far surpassed Arnie’s and had revealed to him that Charlie didn’t belong to this world.

“I would never harm Arnie,” Charlie said. “In this regard, we stand together. You should sense that.”

“But you’re not honest,” Spring said. “He doesn’t know your true identity or where you come from.”

“He will know one day,” Charlie said.

Spring pressed, “When is ‘one day’?”

Charlie thought for a moment. “In twelve years… His birthday is in May, so in twelve years, five months, and eight days.”

Spring’s expression finally changed. He scrutinized Charlie’s face for a while before saying, “Is that where you come from?”

“No, it’s a bit further than that.” Charlie briefly summarized Khalif’s ambitions and magic. Even without mentioning the Holy Grail, what he described was enough to unsettle Spring. He leaned forward slightly, his brows furrowed.

“Foolish,” he muttered. “Utterly foolish.”

“Khalif should be dead by now, but affected by the magic, I am still searching for the right path back,” Charlie said.

“Your magic waves are strong. I knew as soon as you entered the forest,” Spring said. “Time magic is dangerous. Since you aren’t malevolent, you can stay here.”

Charlie suspected Spring said this for Arnie’s sake—the Nawen tribe seemed to extend their goodwill towards the elves to Arnie.

“I have reasons I must return,” Charlie said.

Spring looked up at him.

Charlie glanced at the partition door. On the other side, Arnie was sitting in the living room.

“He’s waiting for me,” Charlie said.

Spring also looked at the partition door, then back at Charlie, seeming to understand something from Charlie’s precise talk about the timing of their meeting. His gaze turned scrutinizing.

“What about the boy’s future?” Spring asked. Though a seer, his inspirations only came during key events. He didn’t know everything, especially about the unknown future.

Spring loved all children. Even though he had only known of Arnie’s existence for a few days, it didn’t stop him from caring for him as an elder.

Though Arnie might never know this.

“He… does not have a smooth path, but he becomes an outstanding person. I miss him dearly.”

As Charlie said this, he remembered the grown-up Dwight. Despite spending all this time with young Arnie, he hadn’t forgotten his memories of adult Dwight. His longing only grew stronger.

Spring was silent for a while, then suddenly asked an unrelated question, “Do you know what the treasure that was taken from the Nawen tribe is?”

Charlie truly didn’t know. Such tribal secrets wouldn’t be revealed to an outsider, and although he had speculated, he had no leads about this secluded tribe.

But Spring brought it up now, causing Charlie’s heart to skip a beat.

……

Arnie absentmindedly played with the pocket watch for a while, then got distracted by the sounds outside. He pushed a chair over, stood on it, and looked out the window.

Outside, there was a group of children around his age, each carrying a small bag, talking loudly and excitedly as they walked. At the front, a person who looked like their leader was talking to Wind and Green. Halfway through their conversation, they seemed to glance towards the seer’s house, and Arnie quickly ducked back inside.

There were many children in Lemena too, but Arnie didn’t like playing with his peers. He found them illogical and emotionally erratic, which he thought was troublesome.

He knelt on the chair and looked at the partition—Oscar hadn’t come out yet, so Arnie checked the time on the pocket watch again.

Three minutes left.

Arnie peeked out the window again. The group was getting closer, and he could see that none of them looked particularly happy or relaxed, especially the adults, who seemed both serious and anxious.

The one who knocked on the door was Green.

Arnie didn’t go to open the door but dragged the chair back to its original place—it was especially difficult on the carpeted floor. Just as he finished, the partition door opened.

Charlie peeked out, saw someone was knocking, and came out.

“Time’s up,” Arnie said, standing by the chair.

Charlie took his hand, and they went to open the door. Green stood very close to the door and entered as soon as it opened.

“Where’s the seer?” she asked, though it seemed she was familiar with the house as she walked straight to the partition without pausing.

Wind followed her in, his face full of worry.

“What’s wrong?” Charlie stepped aside to let them in.

“Are you finished talking?” Wind asked.

Charlie nodded, then asked again, “What’s happened?”

Wind glanced outside, where several children were peeking in curiously, apparently very interested in Arnie.

“A child is missing,” Wind said. “Today was their outing day… but this is very unusual. We always strictly teach the children not to leave the group. They wouldn’t act on their own. The seer can communicate with the forest. We must report to him immediately.”

Charlie could sense a change in Wind’s attitude towards them, perhaps due to learning about Arnie’s lineage, but more likely because of the seer’s attitude. Wind had clearly let down his guard significantly. Two days ago, he would have avoided such questions.

Whatever the seer had told Green, she came out of the partition looking somewhat strange.

Charlie and Arnie soon understood her expression.

“Your people have kidnapped a child,” she said sternly. “They have infiltrated the forest.”

Alfred?

Both Charlie and Arnie thought of the name simultaneously.

But Alfred would never harm a child. Charlie knew, and so did Arnie.

“Do you have any evidence?” Arnie asked angrily.

“You—”

“Green,” Wind interrupted her, then turned to Charlie. “It seems the Duke isn’t far from the forest… Let’s go back for now.”

Charlie picked up Arnie and nodded.

Arnie felt a bit relieved. He didn’t believe Alfred would harm the Nawen tribe’s children—Brandenburg Knights were nothing like the green-eyed man who had kidnapped him!

But since Green said so, it meant his knights had indeed entered the forest, with the only goal being to find him.

Wind’s guess was also correct. Alfred wouldn’t act alone. One Brandenburg Knight appearing here meant the entire knight order was approaching, and Duke Dwight would certainly come personally for his child.

Unless the Nawen tribe wanted to risk their entire tribe and forest, they would choose to return him. Arnie understood the logic, but he wouldn’t feel truly at ease until he saw his father. Now, he felt a bit relieved.

This happiness even made him temporarily forget the unpleasantness of the seer talking to Oscar alone.

“Alfred wouldn’t kidnap a child,” Arnie reiterated seriously to Charlie.

“I know,” Charlie said equally seriously. “‘Kidnap’ is just Green’s interpretation. I believe the seer’s original words weren’t like that.”

Otherwise, the Nawen warriors wouldn’t have remained so calm. When Wind brought them back to the treehouse, the Nawen people they saw were either unaware and relaxed or serious but not extremely angry. This made Charlie think the seer’s message was more like, “The missing child is currently with the visitors from Lemena.”

Green, however, interpreted it as the Brandenburg Knights taking the child out of revenge or to leverage against the Nawen tribe—after all, the “outsiders” had stolen the tribe’s treasure first. This girl, having spent a long time with the seer, likely took care of the children regularly, so her excessive worry and misinterpretation were understandable.

“They don’t understand. If the missing child is with Alfred, that’s a good thing,” Arnie said angrily. “It’s almost dark.”

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