From Abyssal Invasion to Bursting Stars with a Single Sword
Chapter 434 - 289: Who is the Attacker?
Lu Heng looked around and made his judgments.
First, he excluded the human superpower users present. None of them, aside from Lu Heng himself, had the capabilities to severely injure Xie Shi''en on their own.
If it had been a group attack, the target would have been too large; it would have been easy to spot if so many people had left last night.
Moreover, the human superpower users present did not know about the Life Protection Box on Xie Shi''en.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Heng said, "Elder Seren, General Fiona, could the two of you sit down and have a chat?"
"Sure." Fiona agreed readily; she too wanted to know who dared to make a move in the forest.
After all, it was their Elf Clan''s forest; an attack on humans here could also work against elves.
The three of them entered a treehouse and sat down to observe each other.
Lu Heng was the first to speak, "Elder Seren, do you believe the attacker is among us or came from outside the forest?"
Seren fell silent for a long time before answering, "The trees did not detect any other creatures entering the forest besides you, but since this attacker managed to act within the forest without my notice, they naturally have the ability to enter silently."
Lu Heng turned to Fiona and said, "If the attacker is among us, then everyone capable of severely injuring Xie Shi''en is right here."
As he spoke, Lu Heng drew a circle in the air with his finger, indicating the three people present.
Fiona frowned and replied, "I trust Elder Seren would not do such a thing, and I am not the assailant. If you are sure it''s not you, then it must be someone from outside."
Lu Heng thought for a moment and then asked further, "General Fiona, do you think Captain Eric has the capability?"
Fiona shook her head, "Eric''s combat power is strong, but he doesn''t possess Advanced Natural Magic."
Seren had mentioned before, to act in the forest and evade his notice, the attacker needed to wield Advanced Natural Magic.
Lu Heng continued, "In this world, there aren''t many who possess Advanced Natural Magic, right?"
Fiona nodded in agreement, "Indeed, not many."
"Generally, those who have mastered Advanced Natural Magic are elves, right?"
"Yes, demons usually cannot wield Natural Magic."
"So, it''s highly likely that the attacker is an elf, correct?" Lu Heng pressed on.
"Very likely." Although Fiona was reluctant to admit it, she too felt that the attacker was probably an elf.
She pondered for a moment and then said, "There''s one issue you seem to have overlooked; we should first ascertain the attacker''s motive, as they wouldn''t attack someone without reason."
Lu Heng stared into the eyes of the two elves in front of him, pondering whether he could trust them.
Given Seren''s status, it seemed unlikely that he would take the Life Protection Box.
Moreover, he shouldn''t have known about the Life Protection Box on Xie Shi''en.
The only one who truly knew about the Life Protection Box on Xie Shi''en was Fiona. S~ea??h the N??eFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
After much thought, Lu Heng decided to disclose this information, "Regarding the attacker''s motive, I actually already know."
Fiona''s eyebrows raised as she asked intently, "What is it?"
"The Life Protection Box; the attacker took the Life Protection Box from Xie Shi''en," Lu Heng revealed.
Seren seemed slightly surprised and confirmed, "The Witch Demon''s Life Protection Box?"
Lu Heng nodded, "Precisely, an unused Life Protection Box. Within Elf Clan, the only ones who have seen this Life Protection Box are General Fiona and... Queen Orelana."
Fiona frowned and asked, "So you suspect me?"
Lu Heng spread his hands and replied, "I can''t eliminate your suspicion right now, since the target was the Life Protection Box. According to Elder Seren''s information, it''s likely that the attacker is an elf who''s mastered Advanced Natural Magic. In the Elf Clan, the only ones who knew about the Life Protection Box on Xie Shi''en are you and Queen Orelana."
"The Queen would never do such a thing," Fiona immediately denied.
"And you?"
"I did not."
"Then how do you explain that the attacker knew about the Life Protection Box on Xie Shi''en? Has this secret been leaked by you all?" Lu Heng pressed further.
Fiona furrowed her brows in silence, thoughtfully recalling, then shook her head, "I have not leaked it."
"And Queen Orelana?"
"It couldn''t be the Queen," Fiona said resolutely, very certain.
"What if she accidentally leaked the information about the Life Protection Box?" Lu Heng raised another query.
Fiona fell silent, and after a moment, she answered, "I will give you an answer to this question when we return to Kolos; I will ask the Queen."
The investigation reached a stalemate here.
Lu Heng also felt that neither Seren nor Fiona were the assailants.
The likelihood of Queen Orelana being involved was even lower.
If Queen Orelana had wanted the Life Protection Box, she could have kept it back at Elf Royal City; there was no need to send someone to follow to Moonshadow Forest and act there.
…
The mission to escort the Moon Well Spring Water was complete, but due to Xie Shi''en''s severe injuries, the team was delayed in the Moonshadow Forest for half a day.
Fiona stood up and said, "We must return to Kolos now, we need to get back before the crisis strikes."
She was still concerned about the crisis in Kolos City, which was a pressing matter for the Elf Clan.
Lu Heng could not keep her here to continue the investigation; even if he forcefully kept her, it would be difficult to clarify the truth about the attacker.
Moreover, resolving the crisis in Kolos City was the most important mission of this summoning.
After careful consideration, Lu Heng agreed, "You go ahead and start the journey; I''ll return to Elf Royal City after Xie Shi''en wakes up."