Sin and Virtue System



98. Second step into the unknown: Moss Trolls. [2]

Despite their petite appearance, Dark Elves possessed greater endurance compared to other beings.

Louise, the group's leader and General of the Dark Elf Kingdom, decided to assess their overall capabilities. As they journeyed westward, their destination being the Enchanted Forest, Louise was taken aback by the group's exceptional performance. In just one day, they had covered a significant distance, surpassing Louise's initial expectations.

"Master, are you okay?" Lisa asked, her hand resting on Logan's shoulder.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Logan," Lara added, supporting him from the other side.

"I-I'll manage," Logan replied with a forced smile, concealing the intense pain he felt throughout his body. His health had even decreased, evident from the reading on his bracelet. Logan attributed this discomfort to his damaged core—a demonic power source crucial to his abilities. Despite his compromised state, Logan's determination kept him moving forward against the odds.

Louise couldn't help but comment, "Weaklings are better off dead."

Ignoring her words, the group continued to set up camp for the night, focusing on their own tasks. Anna, one of the group members, handed Logan a diluted rejuvenating potion.

"Rest well while we handle the camp," Lara advised, hurriedly preparing the area.

Louise's frustration grew as her attempts to provoke Logan went unnoticed by the others. She desired nothing more than to see Logan act recklessly, endangering himself and proving her point.

"Why do all of you continue to take care of him? Are you all deaf?" Louise tried various methods to provoke them, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Before Louise could finish her sentence, she sensed a mortal danger she had never felt before—a sword pressed against her throat. It was Anna, typically silly and calm, who held the blade, her voice void of any emotion.

"Another word about my master, and I'll unleash destruction upon your entire race," Anna warned, her resolve evident.

The gravity of the situation struck Louise, who realized she had crossed a line. Logan, wiping off some sweat, intervened, urging everyone to calm down and avoid unnecessary conflict.

Anna locked eyes with Logan, and he nodded, signaling for her to lower her sword. Lara and Lisa followed suit, gradually regaining their composure.

Only then did Louise notice a small twirl of sand settling beside her, indicating Lara's swift reaction.

'When did she do that?' Louise wondered, her eyes widening. If not for Logan's command, she would have engaged in a futile battle against three capable women, potentially facing a significant loss. Although Louise was confident in her abilities, she couldn't fathom why this group of warriors remained loyal to a seemingly weak man.

Unbeknownst to Louise, if Logan still possessed his demonic strength, he would never have tolerated such a foul-mouthed elf in the first place.

But as Logan looked into the eyes of his girls, who were prepared for a massacre, he felt conflicted.

In his past life, he had never been treated well. His presence had been as insignificant as air to those around him. But now?

There were three girls who were fiercely possessive of him. So much so that they accompanied him even in his darkest moments.

Despite being the ones who had enslaved them and led them astray from their original paths and lives, none of them complained.

"I'll be back," Louise said before vanishing into thin air.

Logan ignored her departure and continued his thoughts.

His companions had forgiven him, but they hadn't forgotten what he had done to them.

While Lara and Anna embraced their transformation into demons, finding solace in the darkness within them, Lisa's case was different.

She had been forcibly separated from her brother, her love. Not only that, she had witnessed his demise with her own eyes.

Lisa's struggle had been the most difficult of all, yet she still cared for Logan.

"Tell me, Lisa, what happened to you after your awakening?" Logan asked.

"Hm? What awakening?" Lisa tilted her head in confusion.

"I'm referring to the moment when the demoness Barbara provoked you with her skill to kill your brother. After that, the strength you gained marked your true awakening as a demon. Do you understand?" Logan asked, implying a deeper meaning.

"Ah! That," Lisa pondered for a moment.

"I felt consumed by rage at that time. The killing intent was so intense that time seemed to slow down for me," Lisa began to explain.

"Witnessing my brother's decapitation before my eyes, all I wanted was that bitch's blood," Lisa revealed.

"Did you feel liberated from your restraints?" Logan asked, drawing a parallel between her experience and his own awakening.

"Yes! I felt something inside me that had been incomplete all this time, suddenly fulfilled, and that's when I gained the strength I needed. But..." She raised a finger.

"I lost my reason," she said with a hint of dejection.

"When I acquired that strength, I desired more and more, forgetting everything. I even attacked you during that time," Lisa lowered her head, the memory of her actions weighing heavily on her.

"So... you lost sight of the reason behind that strength," Logan inquired, to which she nodded.

"Hmm... The same happened to me," Logan contemplated.

He recalled how the system bombarded him with skills and powers, to the point where he became driven by power.

But as a Lust demon, all his desires had deviated and somehow converged into Lust alone.

He was confused.

His true desire had been to become a true demon, so why had the system let him drift away? According to the system, it had been granted to him solely to fulfill his desire.

Yet...

There was something that Logan was unaware of.

He closed his eyes.

...

The darkness enveloped the surroundings as the birds sought refuge in their nests. Louise had yet to return.

The group waited for a while, but since the preparations were complete, they proceeded with dinner.

Lara, with her expertise as a former adventurer, skillfully started a campfire. They roasted the rabbit they had hunted earlier, and the group engaged in conversation on various topics.

One pressing matter was the Dark Elf Kingdom, Darkenwood. The group discussed the lack of offerings from the kingdom and the queen's failure to provide any treatment for Logan.

So why were they still working there? Couldn't they just leave?

The answer was no. They couldn't.

This realm was an entirely different dimension, binding them to its existence.

If they wanted to leave this realm, they were unaware of how to do so. Lara, being a low-level adventurer, had no knowledge of realms. Similarly, Anna and Lisa, as students, were also clueless about such matters.

In moments like these, Logan wished the system was still there to guide him.

A significant amount of time had passed, yet Louise had not returned. The group began to suspect that she might be up to something nefarious.

Keeping their guard up, they prepared for sleep.

"Oh? Getting ready to sleep already, huh?" Just as Logan was about to sleep, he heard Louise's voice.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"None of your concern. But it's surprising. As notorious as you are, I can't sense any lust emanating from you. Have you become skilled at cleaning as well, piglet?" Louise glanced around, only to find the girls glaring at her.

Logan's health was deteriorating, and they feared that if they pushed him too hard, he might end up sleeping for several more days.

While Louise wanted to provoke him, she was exhausted from her journey. She had simply gone to scout the area, just in case. To her surprise, she found nothing of note.

It was worrisome how their journey was becoming too straightforward.

When she glanced at the camp, she was taken aback once again. Despite their cold stares, her tent had been set up, and food had been prepared for her as well.

"Hmph! Trying to win me over? In your dreams," Louise scoffed.

"Who will be on guard duty tonight?" she asked with a mocking smile while munching on her food. The girls swore that if it weren't for their current conditions, they might have buried Louise alive.

But alas, time passed. Anna decided to take the first shift for guard duty, while the others took turns. Logan wanted to relieve the burden, but he knew it would only add to their troubles instead of lessening them.

...

Logan had slept for some time, but now his eyes were wide open. He decided to join Lara, who had been on guard duty for a while.

At first, Lara hesitated, but eventually, she welcomed his company.

The two of them spent some time gazing at the stars in the sky. Logan had to admit that the starry sky in Ventra had a unique charm compared to Earth.

While Earth's nights felt lonely and cold, on Ventra, they felt warm and fulfilling.

Lara held Logan's right hand, assuring him that they were there for him. They would find a cure for him no matter what. Logan didn't know how to respond to such heartfelt concerns. This was a new experience for him.

While the duo shared a wholesome moment for a minute, Louise's ears twitched inside her sleeping bag.

"Hm?" Logan noticed the sudden shift in the atmosphere a moment too late.

"Grrr." Everyone heard a growling sound.

Logan woke up Anna and Lisa, who was sleeping while cuddling. It had become a habit for the two of them.

Everyone turned their gaze in the direction pointed by Logan, and what they saw made them utter an expletive.

"Shit!" Louise was the first to react, instinctively reaching for her spatial ring. Logan noticed this.

"What are those?" Logan asked Louise while gripping his sword.

"Tsk, Moss Trolls," Louise answered, though the sweat on her forehead indicated that her answer was not complete.

Standing before the group, towering at ten to twelve feet high, were the colossal beasts known as Moss Trolls. They stared at Logan's group with murderous intent. Their bodies were a fusion of trees and beasts, covered in a thick layer of moss and foliage that seamlessly blended with their surroundings. Their limbs resembled gnarled branches, ending in sharp claws capable of rending wood and flesh. Their luminescent eyes emitted an otherworldly glow, serving as a foreboding warning.

Their massive size was intimidating, but no one in the group was scared.

"Why are they here?" Logan asked again, his voice grave.

"I... I don't know," Louise averted her gaze and answered.

"They may be large, but they seem fragile," Lara declared, assuming a combat stance, ready to eliminate as many as possible.

"One, two, three... Fourteen," Anna calculated their numbers.

Everyone assumed an aggressive posture.

"Grr." The leading Moss Troll growled at Logan.

"What do you mean, 'your egg'?" Logan inquired.

"Grr. Grrr! Grr." The Moss Troll continued to communicate, clearly serving as the leader of the group.

Moss Trolls led secluded lives and were not usually a threat, unless...

"Someone stole your egg, and you've followed their scent," Logan translated for everyone.

"Grr! Grr!" The Moss Troll appeared infuriated but maintained its composure.

Logan glanced at Louise, whose perspiration had reached an unprecedented level.

'There's no doubt.' Logan harbored suspicions about Louise.

Approaching her, he spoke in a hushed tone. "Why did you take their egg?" His eyes were devoid of emotion.

He had never expected the general of the Dark Elf Kingdom to stoop so low as to steal an egg from an introverted community.

"I... I didn't do it!" Louise denied the accusation.

"Well, if you don't have it, then explain that to him," Logan took a step forward and pushed Louise ahead.

The petite Elf feared no one, but she knew she was guilty in this situation.

Louise and the leader of the Moss Trolls locked eyes.

Fourteen Moss Trolls stood against a small red-haired elf.

She tapped her spatial ring.

"Grr." The Moss Trolls grew impatient.

"Fuck it! Run! Run if you wish to live!" Louise's voice pierced through everyone's ears, putting them on high alert.

"Fuck! I knew this woman was trouble!" Lisa cursed as she readied her weapons.

Logan had a feeling that this journey would be a long one, but he never expected betrayal from the general of the Dark Elf Kingdom.