Reincarnated as an Elf Prince-Chapter 126: Strange Events (2)

Ardan exhaled through his nose. "This is going to suck."

She looked down at the man on the ground.

The smile didn't change, but the spark in her eyes did. Something mean flickered for half a second. Then gone.

"Still breathing," she said.

The man groaned softly.

Ardan crouched again, hand near his blade.

"Who is he to you?"

She looked bored. "An idiot."

"That doesn't answer the question."

"No. But it does give you context."

She stepped forward. Lindarion's weight shifted slightly. Just enough that she noticed.

She held both hands up. Palms out. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt him. He already did that to himself."

Lindarion kept his voice even. "Then what are you doing out here?"

She blinked. "Walking."

"Through cursed frost, past a dying man, right into our path."

She gave a small nod. "I'm very committed to my exercise routine."

Ardan stood again, slower this time.

"What's your name?" he asked.

She tilted her head. Not like she was thinking. Like she was deciding how smug to be.

"Ren."

"No last name?"

"Don't need one."

Lindarion studied her posture. No nerves. No tension in her limbs. Not faking calm, she was actually calm.

Ren stepped closer to the injured man. He didn't flinch this time, just squinted up at her like he'd seen something worse in his dreams.

She crouched.

"You really went and passed out right here?" Her voice softened an inch. Not enough to be kindness. Just familiarity.

He tried to speak. Didn't get far.

She poked his shoulder.

"You're lucky it was these two and not… well. You know."

Ardan narrowed his eyes.

"Not what?"

She ignored him.

Lindarion spoke instead. "What's his name?"

She shrugged. "Don't remember. He changes it every other month. Just calls himself 'Kel' lately."

"Kel," Ardan repeated. "And he's with you?"

"No," she said. "He follows me."

Kel groaned again.

Ren stood up with a sigh. Turned back toward them. "Don't worry. He's not dangerous."

Ardan scoffed. "He's bleeding from three different places."

"Exactly. He's bad at being dangerous."

Lindarion took a step closer to Kel. Crouched. The man's eyes flicked toward him. Dull. Resigned. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

"Why were you following her?"

Kel rasped something low. Couldn't hear it.

Ren sighed.

"He was supposed to meet someone. Passed out before he got there. Got spooked by a couple things in the trees and ran straight into a rock."

Ardan blinked. "That's it?"

Ren nodded. "That's it."

Lindarion didn't buy it. "And the blood?"

She smiled again.

"He bruises dramatically."

Ardan raised an eyebrow. "You're lying."

"Obviously."

A gust of wind stirred through the trees. The frost shifted. Somewhere in the distance, a dry branch creaked.

No one moved.

Ren lifted one eyebrow.

"Well. Are you going to carry him? Or shall I?"

Lindarion stood. Still watching her.

Kel closed his eyes again.

Ardan's jaw tightened. "And if we just leave him here?"

Ren shrugged. "Then I drag him back to town and tell everyone you tripped over him."

Lindarion glanced once at Ardan. Then back to her.

"You're not afraid of what's out here."

She met his gaze. No blink.

"Should I be?"

She didn't say it like a question. More like a joke waiting for someone smart enough to get the punchline.

Lindarion held her gaze. She didn't flinch. Just stood there with her hands in her coat pockets, like she'd walked out of a painting and never bothered to leave.

'She's confident. Too confident. And that coat… it's not for the cold.'

[Greater Core Recovery: 42%]

A small pulse bloomed in his chest. Tight. Focused. The kind of warmth that crept under muscle without asking permission.

He didn't show it.

Ren glanced toward Kel without turning her head. Her eyes barely shifted.

"He's not dead," she said.

Ardan crossed his arms. "Yet."

Kel stirred. Winced. Muttered something.

Lindarion crouched again, eyes staying on Ren. "You show up after a trail of blood, stand in front of two armed men, and expect us not to be suspicious."

Ren raised one eyebrow. "You think I need to expect anything?"

[Greater Core Recovery: 48%]

He didn't react. Didn't blink. But inside, the warmth coiled again. Slow. Controlled. Not like before when the core flared without warning.

This was different. Steadier. No light leaked through his veins. No hum in the air. Just the faint sense of alignment. A tool repairing itself without noise.

'The system's adjusting. Not rushing it this time. That's good. I'll need that.'

Kel coughed. "Can someone please argue later? Maybe after we're not standing in a monster's front yard."

Ardan didn't move. "We're not leaving until we know what she wants."

"I already told you," Ren said. "I was walking."

Lindarion kept his tone even. "You don't walk through places like this by accident."

She smiled at that. Not a friendly smile. More like she was humoring a younger sibling.

"I don't walk anywhere by accident."

Kel groaned on the ground. "She's not lying. She's insufferable on purpose."

Ren stepped forward. Her boots didn't crunch. They didn't even sink. The frost parted under her steps without melting. Like the ground itself didn't dare inconvenience her.

Lindarion tensed. Not visibly. Just a small shift in his knees. His center of balance slid back half an inch. She noticed.

Of course she did.

She stopped two paces away from him. Still calm. Still smiling.

"You've got good instincts," she said.

'I know.'

"But you're still not strong enough."

His pulse ticked faster.

[Greater Core Recovery: 54%]

The system stayed silent. It always did when others were watching. It didn't announce itself. Didn't glow or scream. It just worked. Quiet. Cold. Focused.

Ren turned her head slightly. Looked at Ardan. Then at Kel. Then back to Lindarion.

"None of you are," she said. "Yet."

Kel coughed again. "Please stop talking like you're in a prophecy."

"I'm not. I'm in a hurry."

She crouched beside him and flicked his forehead. Not hard. Just enough to make him wince again.

"You're lucky they got here first," she said. "You'd have frozen like an idiot."

"I already feel frozen."

"Then crawl."

He groaned. "You're the worst."

"I'm aware."

[Greater Core Recovery: 61%]

The warmth crawled up Lindarion's spine. His breath came easier now. His limbs didn't shake. Not that they had before.

But now the tension could sit where it belonged. Just beneath the skin. Ready if it had to be.

Ren stood and turned back toward the woods. Her eyes flicked toward the tree line. Not nervous. Curious.

Lindarion tilted his head.

"What's out there?"

She shrugged. "Something that eats idiots."

Ardan gave her a sharp look. "Then why are you walking toward it?"

"Because I'm not an idiot."

Kel hissed from the ground. "Debatable."

Ren ignored him.

She turned her back to them and began walking.

Lindarion didn't move.

She didn't look back.

The frost gave under her boots without a sound. Like it was just as confused as the rest of them.

Ardan exhaled. "She's going to get herself eaten."

Kel groaned from the ground. "No. She's not."

Lindarion tilted his head.

Ren didn't get far. Three steps. Maybe four. Then she stopped, turned back slightly, and pointed a thumb toward herself.

"Well?" she said. "Aren't we going?"

Ardan blinked. "We?"

She smiled. "You're heading through the forest right?"

Kel raised a limp hand. "Still prefer carried."

Ren went on, ignoring him. "I'm going that way too."

"You just said you were walking for exercise."

She tilted her head. "Now I'm walking with a purpose. Progress."

Lindarion didn't answer. He studied her expression. Calm. Focused. Like she already knew he wouldn't say no.

He hated how right she probably was.

'She doesn't need an invitation. She already decided she belongs here.'

[Greater Core Recovery: 72%]

The warmth pulsed again. Less like a thread now. More like a spine. Subtle, but steady. No light. No flicker. The system worked under his ribs like a second heartbeat. Repairing. Reinforcing. Quietly patient.

Ren turned her eyes to him.

"You're the leader, right?"

Lindarion raised one brow. "Who told you that?"

"No one. Just the way you stand. The way he watches you."

She nodded toward Ardan without turning her head.

"You keep your hands near your sides. Not your weapons. Means you're fast. Or want to be. But still cautious. That's a leader's mistake."

Ardan muttered under his breath. "She's actually annoying."

Ren smiled faintly. "He's the skeptical one. Good balance. You need someone like him. Keeps your optimism in check."

"I'm not optimistic," Lindarion said.

"You are," she said. "You keep going forward. That's hope. Even if you call it strategy."

[Greater Core Recovery: 76%]

He felt it coil around the inside of his chest. Quiet strength returning. He hadn't noticed how hollow it had felt before.

Now it was filling. He didn't know how long it would take, but the system wasn't rushing. It was laying foundation.

He kept his voice even.

"You don't seem like the type to follow."

"I'm not," she said. "That's why it'll be interesting."

Ardan glanced at Lindarion. "You're really going to let her tag along?"

"She's already here."

Kel let out a groan. "I feel like a prop in someone else's story."

"You are," Ren said sweetly.

Lindarion crouched beside him and checked his pulse. Weak, but steady. Whatever had torn through Kel's stamina wasn't killing him yet. Just dragging him through the dirt and laughing while it did.

Kel looked up at him. "Be honest. Would you carry me?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"You don't weigh a little."

Kel sighed and started sitting up on his own. "I hope something eats me."