The mysterious elf led them out of the cave, carrying Zhifang. The entrance to his base was a couple of kilometers away.

  No one would have been able to find it. It was hidden by an illusion in the ravine. Then it required some kind of magic to open it. May had never seen anything like it before.

  They entered a cave that was brightly lit by something similar to runes covering all the walls.

  “I didn't know this mountain had such a cave system.” said May, impressed by how huge the cave was. They had been walking through it for several minutes and still hadn't reached their destination.

  “No one else knows about them except me. I hid most of the entrances to the main caves with illusions long before your sect was formed. And if anyone had discovered them, I would have known.”

  May was impressed. Hiding something like that couldn't have been easy, so it only reinforced her belief that this elf was extremely powerful. She also realized that he must be very old if he had lived here before the Sect was formed. However, this made sense to her, as elves were known for their longevity.

  Finally, they came to something that resembled farming. May was shocked and gasped loudly. It was the middle of winter, and he was farming in the middle of a cave? It was an incredible technological feat. May doubted that such a thing was even possible on Earth.

  Seeing this, the elf chuckled.

  “You may not know this, but elves are knowledgeable about nature like no one else, so something like this is easy for us. We could even grow potatoes in the desert.”

  May was impressed and glad that at least she wouldn't go hungry. However, she hoped that this type of elves weren't vegetarians, as she was craving some meat. But then she remembered something.

  “I'm sorry I didn't ask earlier, but what's your name? I'll introduce myself too, I'm May!” She said, when she recalled that she still didn't know his name.

  At her words, however, the elf only looked a little sad.

  “I don't have a name.” he replied with a slight regret in his eyes.

  May was a little surprised. She thought that maybe it wasn't customary to give names in elven culture. However, she didn't want to come across as rude. So she decided to ask for more details delicately.

  “Elves have no custom of giving names? I'm sorry, I don't know much about these matters.”

  “On the contrary. Names are sacred to elves,” he said with a stony expression, walking on. “However, the nastiest ones can lose them. That is what the council has decreed. That is why I have no name.”

  May saw sadness in his eyes; it was clearly difficult for him. Although she realized that asking about it might not be the most appropriate thing to do, she was curious about the situation.

  “Why did you lose it?” She said what she was thinking without beating around the bush.

  “Because I didn't do what the council wanted, I rebelled. And I messed up.” He replied briefly.

  May didn't press him further, seeing that he didn't want to talk about it.

  “So how can I address you? Can't I give you a name?”

  “Don't do that. It would be the greatest disgrace of my life. I may be a traitor, but I still follow elven customs. If I didn't care about ancient traditions, you'd be dead, as I wouldn't care if your mother saved me or not.” He said. “Other elves loathe those like me. They wouldn't speak to me, damn it, they wouldn't even touch me.”

  May fell silent at his words. After a moment, the elf continued.

  “But sometimes they do refer to people like me by their appearance, because it's not a name, just a physical trait, although in essence it's not much different from a name. For example, Broadnose, Cross-Eyed, or Crooked Leg.”

  May looked at him and wondered if she had any distinctive physical features.

  My first thought was “handsome,” but... That's too embarrassing. Are all elves this beautiful?

  She began to wonder if she had any characteristic she could use to address him. It had to be something nice, because she didn't want to come across as an idiot.

  Finally, she noticed that there was a scar under his left eye. She hadn't noticed it before because she hadn't been looking at him that closely.

  "You have a scar under your eye, so maybe it's an Eyescar? Or just Scar?”

  “That's fine. If it makes you feel better. You'll only be here until the situation calms down anyway.” He replied.

  May later asked him about the origin of the scar, but he didn't answer.

  From now on, the elf shared his new ‘name’ with the lion from the movie The Lion King. However, he did not resemble him in any way.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  It's a little disturbing how many people have names from cartoons, first Minnie, and now him... My ability to name people is probably a little strange…

  They continued their journey through the cave, and the two snakes that had been following them finally went their separate ways.

  From time to time, May saw various beasts in the cave: snakes, wolves, bears, but also more fantastical creatures such as harpies and trolls. She realized that this elf was quite powerful, having his own army. The Eastern Outer Court would be in trouble if he attacked.

  May decided to ask Scar about more things she wanted to know.

  “How do you know my mother and sister, Senior Scar?”

  “As I said, she saved my life. And since you don't know anything about it, she probably didn't want you to know. That's why I won't tell you anything else,” he replied calmly. “By the way, I'm not a cultivator, so you don't have to call me Senior.”

  After a few minutes, it seemed that they had reached their destination. It was a huge cave, hundreds of meters long and wide in all directions, with a ceiling dozens of meters high. In the distance, there was a waterfall, wooden houses, and farmland. It really was his home.

  The elf threw the boy to the ground. He was still unconscious, but he made a sound when he hit the ground.

  “Can't you spare him? What do you want to do with him?” May asked.

  She wanted him to live, but she wasn't going to do it at the cost of her own life. If there was no other way and he insisted on killing him, she wouldn't argue. However, she felt a slight attachment to him and felt that murdering such a young person was wrong.

  “Yes. It has to be this way. I will make good use of his body; the blood and bones of hybrids are extremely valuable resources.”

  May was slightly surprised. She remembered her lessons at the academy and knew that using humans for cultivation was considered an aspect of Evil Cultivation. It was a taboo and if caught, the punishment was death.

  “Isn't it only Evil Cultivators who use human organs?” she asked, wanting to know if her host was on the path of evil.

  “It's something made up by humans. The world isn't segregated into good and evil. In elven culture, everyone is equal before death. Humans, elves, dogs, and sunflowers all have the same right to live. If we kill one and use it, it doesn't matter what species it belongs to.”

  “If the world isn't divided into good and evil, then why do you have to kill him?” she asked, sensing a contradiction.

  “Demons aren't inherently evil. But every demon can become a vessel for greater evil. I have nothing against demons themselves, unlike humans, but I have to protect myself.”

  May felt that there was something deeper hidden in this.

  “But he didn't do anything.”

  “Yet he can. He is particularly dangerous because he is also human.”

  May wanted to convince the elf, but she didn't really know how. She lacked information and didn't know what threat the demons posed.

  “Can't you at least wait? He's my friend.” She said, hoping to buy herself some time.

  “Wait?”

  “Yes, if he's going to be killed, I want to at least know why. Could you hold off until I'm staying here?” She asked, and the elf fell into deep thought.

  “So be it. However, unlike you, he will be locked up and guarded by my beasts. He will be given food, but I forbid you to have any contact with him.” He said after a moment's thought. May thought that, despite everything, Scar also had doubts about killing such a young person. “I will also provide you with information about demons, and you will come to the same conclusion as me. However, that is a matter for later.”

  “Thank you for understanding." she replied. All that mattered to her now was that she had postponed his execution. At least she had some time to solve this problem.

  Then Scar showed her where she would be living. It was a rather modestly furnished cottage, more like a tent. There wasn't much there, but she hadn't expected anything better. All that mattered to her was safety.

  May breathed a slight sigh of relief and lay down for a moment. She needed a moment to rest after all that.

  She decided to check her status for the first time in a long time.

  Just as I thought, my Water Knight Art skyrocketed after my fight with the parasite.

  After she took the pill, her awareness soared, and the fight increased her understanding of this martial art by a huge margin.

  The time at the academy also increased her other stats.

  But now... My progress will slow down.

  There weren't many things she could do in the cave.

  Unless...

  Asking him to teach her didn't seem like the worst idea. He was strong and seemed quite trustworthy. The question was simply whether he would be willing to teach her something. He was, after all, a non-human, and humans didn't get along very well with non-humans.

  But in consideration of my mother...

  She decided to give it a try.

  “No.” he replied curtly.

  May was a little disappointed, but she suspected that this might happen. She sat down on a handmade wooden chair next to Scar.

  “May I ask why?” she asked.

  “Because I can't teach you anything. I'm an elf, in case you forgot.” He replied with a hint of irony.

  May sighed and felt stupid for forgetting something so basic. Even among humans, there were different systems of magic that were not compatible, let alone between two different races. Elves must have their own type of magic that humans would not be able to learn.

  “Yes, but magic isn't everything. I may not be able to learn elven cultivation, but I can see from this place that you are also knowledgeable in other areas.” She said, glancing at the farmland.

  “You want to learn agriculture?” He asked, surprised.

  That wasn't exactly what she meant, but she decided to continue.

  “I was thinking more about herbalism or alchemy, but I don't mind farming.” She replied.

  “Well, since you'll be living here for a while, I could actually use some help around here. I can teach you something in the process.”

  “Thank you! That means a lot to me, and I'll definitely do my best.”

  “All right, then.”

  Although it wouldn't increase her fighting ability, it would still be useful. She couldn't wait to learn the secrets of the elves!