But he truly didn’t dare to say those words out loud; the last time someone did, their head was chopped off by a Pansao cat-person that very day.
Who knows how many Apprentices that madman has taught.
"Hey there, isn’t that old Donald? What brings you here today?" the young elf called out to Donald, waving his hand. This elf was also a regular in the large dining hall, and while his identity was inscrutable, one felt a bone-chilling coldness upon approaching him, making it clear to Donald that this was certainly no ordinary being.
As for why he could still hop around after drinking soup made with Holy Water, that was a secret Donald did not wish to uncover.
Sometimes, secrets are as deadly as poison.
"Ails Huanan, greetings," Donald said to the elf, having thought this over.
"Hello, you don’t look very well, is there something troubling you?" Probing, while taking a sip of the thick holy juice, the elf then exhaled a puff of white smoke: "Splendid." He exclaimed, then began to introduce Donald to this new beverage.
"Thank you, I’ll have my usual – roasted Earth Dragon steak, chocolate dessert, and a glass of plain water."
As a Fallen Shadow Assassin, Donald certainly wanted nothing to do with Holy Water, and were it not for the special neutrality of Mark City, he wouldn’t have wanted to sit anywhere near this individual.
"You really don’t know how to enjoy life," the elf said while casually caressing the rear of a Prairie Elf passing by.
"Mr. Ails! Not again!" The little Prairie Elf blushed and glared at him.
"Hahaha, little Amy is still the cutest." The elf laughed heartily, then took another gulp of his beverage, followed by a puff of white smoke into the sky.
...He’s also a madman.
Donald accepted the roasted meat handed over by little Amy: "Thank you."
"Mr. Donald is always such a gentleman," the small Prairie Elf said with a smile while placing Donald’s ordered food on the table.
Donald offered a wry smile and nodded – back in his homeland, he was called the bloodless assassin, The Butcher, a freak, but here, he was considered a gentleman by this child.
Distance indeed creates beauty.
With that thought, Donald began cutting the meat, then noticed the elf raise his eyebrows at him.
After a moment’s thought, he decided to speak first: "Mr. Ails, is something the matter?"
"I do sense there’s something troubling you; I recall you’re from Abield, have there been troubles recently?" The elf chuckled, then added, "I just did a deal there with two friends; quite a stroke of bad luck, we ran into a Prairie Elf a hundred times scarier than little Amy. I’m the only one who made it back," he said.
By referring to Prairie Elves as ’square ears,’ Elf Ails was almost admitting he was an Undead — Prairie Elves are natural enemies of the Undead, which made Donald feel slightly more amiable towards him.
After all, in Mark City, there are few who are willing to strip away their mysterious persona.
"I was cornered by Lady Anna and Miss Lena," admitted Donald, deciding to tell the truth.
This made Ails gasp: "The Legendary Battle Mage Lady Anna Mowish and her follower Miss Lena, if you made it out alive, it must have cost you a fortune." Although the elf did not guess the exact answer, his conjecture was very close — after all, it was well-known that hardly anyone, even Legendary professionals, could escape from their pursuit unscathed.
To even survive was sometimes considered a luxury.
"I promised not to kill a single person within ten years, and not to approach the Sydney Union in that time. I signed a fair contract, and they let me go," Donald sighed, "I don’t understand where their bottom line is. Can that kid named Malin Gaiate truly grow so powerful in ten years that even I can’t kill him?"
The elf fell silent for a moment, then spoke carefully, "The Malin you mentioned, is he kind of short with a tuft of hair standing up on his head, like little Amy?"
This question also made Donald fall silent for a moment. He glanced at Amy, who was humming a Prairie Elf ballad in the resting area, and confirmed that indeed there was hair standing up on her head, just as that kid named Jane had described.
Yes, it was him. This elf was definitely a pervert.
Thinking this, Donald nodded, "That’s right, but he’s much taller. I don’t think he looks like a Prairie Elf."
"Half-blood. Sometimes half-bloods can break through the shackles of their height, usually because the bloodline of the other half is very powerful, like... a giant’s."
"How is that possible, how could a Prairie Elf possibly mate with a giant?" Donald looked at Mr. Ails incredulously, "That would be lethal."
"Why not? If the male is a Prairie Elf, then it’s possible, you fool. In the eyes of female giants, you’re just a slightly taller little brat compared to a Prairie Elf," Ails said with a sigh, "Since you’ve described Malin, I think I ran into him before. When I saw him, I decided to flee."
"You... fled at the sight of him?" Saying this, Donald became even more certain of this person’s identity—only the Undead would run away upon seeing a Prairie Elf.
"Should I have waited to die? Or else, if a larger one came out after you deal with the smaller one, I might be able to kill him with some confidence, but if an old Prairie Elf Paladin or something like that showed up, my old bones would only be left with one way out—dead in the bottom of a pot," Ails said, glancing at Donald, "But speaking of which, how did you get mixed up with him?"
"Someone hired me to kill him, said today was the day to place the hit, but last night I was cornered by Lady Anna. I still owed Lady Anna a favor, and she said this time I paid it back, but it feels like I owe her my life. After all, she could have easily not made a deal with me and let Lena stab me, much simpler," complained Donald to Ails.
Ails laughed and patted Donald on the shoulder, "It’s great that you think this way, Donald. I don’t think owing this lady is bad at all. Being able to talk to them is a dream for many, and you, you even managed to owe her one—a beautiful relationship. If I were you, I would brag about it for a year."
As they were talking, the dining hall doors were pushed open, and Donald and Ails both turned their heads, seeing a Prairie Elf dressed like an ordinary person walk in.
"Very old," Ails whispered.
Donald nodded to show he understood— the older a Prairie Elf gets, the stronger they are. This one seemed harmless, but if a real fight broke out, he might just pull a shotgun out of his Spatial Bag and transform into a Legendary hunter with bullets that track their targets.
"Little Amy, prepare a serving of rice and braised pork for me, and also, have Old Fam make a big pot of set meal, I’m bringing food for the boys."
This elder Prairie Elf didn’t seem like he came to cause trouble, which made both Donald and Ails breathe a sigh of relief.
I thought it was because of the time I stole from their warehouse. Donald sighed deeply in his heart—if this got out, he would probably have to get used to a life on the run for the next few years.
But Mr. Ails, why did you breathe a sigh of relief?
Could it be... you’ve been caught for laying hands on little Amy?
That would be great. Someone like you deserves to be killed sooner rather than later.
While he was thinking this, Donald saw the old man approaching.
Donald instinctively thought this, then noticed the old man staring at him.
He turned his head to glance at Ails and realized the guy had already slipped to the door.