The atmosphere was completely silent. There was no activity nor any sign of life.

We stared ahead.

“Where did the water go?” I asked in confusion because the water had completely receded. It just disappeared on its own, to who knows where. There was an uneasy and irrational feeling.

Michelle stepped closer to the outside, even while holding her head, but she still wanted to see what had happened. As I expected, she was also shocked when she saw that the water had receded.

“Where is the water?” she asked, but I shook my head, not knowing what had truly happened.

“It’s very strange. I clearly felt the water entering my lungs, and it smelled terrible, yet within a few hours it has completely receded?” Mishael said.

I stepped outside and moved toward the roots and bushes in front of me.

I touched and picked a leaf. It was true—the water had receded. When I smelled it, I caught the scent of blood and a foul odor. Even the plants were slightly wilted, as if they had been submerged. That meant what we experienced was real—something had tried to drown us.

“Are you feeling better?” I asked again, remembering that we didn’t have much time and we needed to find George.

“Yes, I feel a bit better.”

“Let’s continue,” she said confidently.

I stayed silent, looking at her pale face and tired eyes.

“Are you sure?” I asked, and she responded with a soft hum.

We hurried to continue our journey to find George.

With slow steps, I had no choice but to carry Michelle. It would shorten our time, and I had to find him quickly. The sun had disappeared, leaving only the dim moonlight, while the wind brushed through the dense leaves.

The elf clan territory was completely empty. There was no activity, no one alive—only dozens of corpses scattered on the ground, and the stench of decay filled the air.

The village and the city were in chaos. Even the water channels we once used to enter the palace had dried up.

Michelle looked around, but there was truly no one alive, and everything was in complete disorder.

“Where should we look for George?” she asked.

I fell silent. Honestly, I was already certain that George was in the hall.

Flood or not, I wanted to confirm it myself, so I decided we should go there.

The hall and the palace were close to each other, so there was a high chance they had also been affected.

In front of me stood a massive gate towering high.

Corpses were scattered everywhere. This time, I saw someone who had been bitten by a snake.

I set Michelle down and turned the body over.

“Isn’t that a snake bite?” Michelle asked, and I nodded. It was clearly a snake bite. But how could there be snakes here? Weren’t snakes supposed to avoid the elf clan?

I checked several more bodies and found that they were all bitten by snakes in different positions. Yet I couldn’t find any trace of snake carcasses.

“It seems something bigger is coming,” Michelle said, already breathing heavily.

I ran toward her.

“You look poisoned,” I said, and she held her chest.

“You have to find George… quickly.” She forced herself to stay conscious and looked at me with hope.

“Do you know something?” I asked, but she shook her head.

“I’m fine… it’s just that my chest hurts… and I feel sleepy.”

I grabbed her head and tried to keep her awake.

“Don’t fall asleep,” I pleaded, but she kept trying to close her eyes.

“Michelle… Mishael… you must not fall asleep…”

Then she completely lost consciousness.

I placed my finger near her nose to check her breathing.

I was confused. If I went inside, I didn’t know what would happen. But I also couldn’t leave Michelle behind.

With hesitation, I finally decided to carry her inside. Before that, I found a cloth to secure her so she wouldn’t fall while I carried her.

After everything was ready, I lifted her and entered.

When I opened the gate, I was met with piles of corpses bitten by snakes.

I frowned. Where did these snakes come from?

I stopped thinking about it—it only made me more confused.

With great effort, I moved the bodies aside and entered, holding my sword.

The hall was silent. There was no wind, no voices.

“George, where are you?” I called out, but there was no answer.

Slowly, I reached the garden of the hall. Many people there had also been bitten by snakes. The decorative plants and grass were completely ruined.

I began to think that this had all been planned. The hall had been locked from the outside, trapping everyone inside.

Several times I accidentally stepped on corpses—not intentionally, but because my curiosity drove me to understand what had happened.

I stood before the main door.

When I opened it, my heart pounded rapidly.

In front of me lay one of my subordinates. His hand reached toward the door, showing that he had tried to escape but couldn’t. In the end, he was bitten by a snake.

There were bluish-purple marks on his body.

I approached him and checked his breathing.

He was already dead.

There was no bloodshed.

I realized that they were all killed by venomous snake bites, leaving them unable to help each other or escape.

“Did they all die from snake bites?” I muttered in confusion, seeing that all of them had similar conditions.

I searched everywhere, even opening connected walls, but I couldn’t find George.

As I was about to leave, my eyes caught something—doors that blended with the walls. It was likely a deception mechanism, a hidden space.

I tried to open one, but it was locked.

There was a hidden keyhole.

I cleaned it and confirmed that it required a key.

I looked around but couldn’t find any key. The darkness made it difficult, so I relied on touch.

Eventually, I found something small.

It had wings, a small head, and no long tail.

“What kind of creature is this?” I muttered, as I had never seen anything like it.

I inserted my finger into its small mouth.

Suddenly, the door slowly opened.

“The door opened?” I said in surprise.

I moved closer, feeling my way forward.

As the door fully opened, candles suddenly lit up brightly, making my eyes squint.

In front of me was a staircase leading downward.

With no other choice, I began descending, checking on Michelle to make sure she was still alive.

I looked around. There were ancient carvings on the walls.

I tried to read them, even though I didn’t fully understand the script.

From what I could gather, this had all been planned thousands of years ago.

It was known only by those in the palace and those who served the government, so ordinary people never knew about the agreement.

There was a warning:

If anyone broke the agreement, their entire bloodline would be destroyed.

And now, the elf clan had broken that agreement.

That was why they were being destroyed.

A chill ran through my body as I read it.

This was the consequence of incompetent rulers who relied only on taxes from their people.

The elves themselves had little power. They were only healers, people who understood medicine.

And because of an agreement made thousands of years ago, the demons and sorcerers could easily destroy them, since the elves had no real strength besides healing.

I was stunned.

Even the hairs on my arms stood up as I realized what was happening.

A pact with demons and sorcerers…

It left me speechless.

Even ordinary people would be shocked if they knew the truth.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep