New Century Warriors

Chapter 5. Past Events

Loya will always remember the best day of her life.

That was about five years ago. She secretly ran away from the great forest and came to a human city, thinking that she could experience a thrilling adventure with her excellent magical talent. However, she ran out of her meager travel expenses as soon as she arrived at the nearest human city, Hillius.

After finally registering as an explorer, she discovered that there were no quests that a new mage could complete alone. Even when she mustered the courage to ask for help, no team was willing to accept a newbie who didn't even have a staff. After several days, when she was extremely hungry, thirsty, and tired, a group of people who looked like they had ill intentions surrounded her and asked her to press magic runes on a piece of magic parchment, saying that if she did so, they would provide her with food in the future.

Magic parchment is a magical item that can only be produced in underground labyrinths. Although the production volume is good, it cannot be manually replicated by engineers, so it is quite expensive. Its only function is to sign contracts. No matter how outrageous the conditions written on it are, as long as another person is willing to press their own magic rune, the contract will immediately take effect. If the person fails to do what is written on the magic parchment, then a curse will be automatically triggered, and they will become the slave of the holder.

It is often used for large transactions, power negotiations, and even marriage certificates of the wealthy, but its presence here is highly suspicious. Even without looking at it, Loya knows that the contents of the parchment are definitely detrimental to her.

But there was no other way; if we didn't eat, we would starve to death.

Just as Loya was about to press her magic rune, an unfamiliar man barged in, slapped her hand away, and started cursing. She had never heard such vulgar language before, which could harm so many family members, so much so that the young lady sitting opposite her quickly turned red and tearful.

I don't remember much of what happened after that, but I do remember that after things quickly escalated, the person who was confronting that gang became a law enforcement officer who arrived. That person took her out with her rumbling stomach and used some money he got from who-knows-where to treat her to something to eat. It was the first time in her life that she had ever eaten meat. The elders in the great forest always said that meat was poisonous, but they never said that it was so delicious that it would make you want to cry.

Perhaps it wasn't just because the meat was so delicious, but also because the sense of security from being protected during my most helpless moment made me want to cry. Looking back now, I think the opportunity to fall in love was in that first encounter.

Yes, although she never said it out loud and questioned her feelings countless times in her heart, Luo Ya has now admitted that she likes Lei Ye, her teammate with whom she has spent five years.

If BYD continues to be so arrogant, the entire Hills will become his mother.

"Why did it turn out like this...?"

On the night she watched Raino leave her house, after seeing him through the crack in the door, Loya sighed and couldn't help but mutter this to herself.

This was a desperate measure on her part; she truly had no other choice.

At first, their relationship progressed slowly, but there were occasional sparks of romance between them. Loya enjoyed this daily life and secretly looked forward to the day when Raino would confess his feelings.

Not long after, their two-person team encountered an unexpected incident. After a series of actions by Lei Ye and an unavoidable battle, the black circus that came to Hillius was forced to disband. Among the rescued circus members was a fat woman named Anlashi who, for some reason, kept coming to Lei Ye to repay his kindness, offering him food and showing off her amazing skills. Loya watched as the two of them quickly grew closer, and in the end, she got this bloated woman to join the River of the Forest.

Loya was heartbroken, Loya's hands trembled, Loya was helpless.

Since the Forest River currently only has two members, it definitely needs new members to develop further. And Anrashi's stamina and skills are not bad, making him a very reliable teammate.

But Loya, being a young girl herself, was on high alert, worrying every day whether she was going to use that lewd body to seduce Lei Ye. Loya couldn't sleep at night if Lei Ye looked at Anlaxi even twice, fearing that Anlaxi would get pregnant because of those two glances.

Soon, Loya no longer needed to worry, because not long after, Raiye began calling Anlashi "Mom".

Haha.

Before she could even be dumbfounded, Raino brought over a red-haired girl with twin tails from the Great Library, saying that this little dwarf also wanted to join the Forest River.

Although I really wanted to refuse, I couldn't find a suitable reason, because this person is such an outstanding talent.

The talented teammate Loya is willing to accept it, but the beautiful girl teammate Loya is very unwilling to accept it.

Loya was heartbroken, Loya's hands trembled, Loya was helpless.

Everything was heading towards the worst possible outcome. The time that was originally just for the two of them was being taken away in large quantities, and the number of beautiful girls in the Forest River was increasing, more and more, as if they could multiply on their own. Even when Loya used underhanded tactics, she couldn't stop them.

There was truly no other way; Loya was filled with despair.

The only saving grace is that in the end, all the beautiful female teammates became Raino's mothers. But this isn't entirely good news, because Loya still doesn't understand what the concept of a mother is, nor does she know why Raino needs so many mothers. Who knows if Raino might start a relationship with one of his mothers at any time?

Most importantly, the so-called mothers' attitude towards Lei Ye is not innocent, and we must not take it lightly at all.

In the following period, Loya was busy with only two things: one was to prevent Lei Ye from finding more mothers, and the other was to limit the actions of her teammates who had become mothers against Lei Ye. The former consumed a lot of Loya's energy, while the latter was relatively simpler, because they would also pull against and check each other, and with her, it gradually became a state of eight kingdoms.

This whole thing, which resembled a palace intrigue drama, lasted for several years until it ended a few months ago.

That noon, Loya overheard the rest of the Forest River Squad, except for her and Raino, having a secret meeting at the base.

After eavesdropping for a bit, Loya was dumbfounded.

These people have stopped their internal conflict sometime ago! They can even calmly drink tea and discuss how to share Lei Ye. Seven people, one day a week, is just right.

If not my girlfriends, then what about me?

That noble lady, it's one thing for others, but didn't you keep saying you only accept one-on-one pure love? Why did you compromise? You need to stand up for yourself.

And what about me? Isolating me, huh? That's going too far!

Then Loya heard their reasons for not including her, which she found to be utter nonsense. These people unanimously believed that Loya's attitude towards Lei Ye was terrible, so she must be the only one who had no interest in Lei Ye. Even if she did, they didn't care about her; this woman didn't seem like a good person.

Bullshit! Lei Ye and I are the real old comrades-in-arms, okay? You newcomers can't understand the unbreakable bond between us, and you treat him badly, you treat him badly...

Nobody understands tsundere characters anymore!

We arrogant characters talk more than we act. You really think I love bananas that much? Buying bananas every few days is just me secretly spoiling him. Besides, you say I'm unladylike for licking banana peels every time, but actually I'm the only one secretly enjoying indirect kissing. You don't know anything!

This incident was the trigger, and the explosion occurred that very night when Raiye approached Loya alone and asked her to go to the suburbs to see the stars.

This day is finally here.

Loya always had a question: all of Lei Ye's later teammates became his mothers, so why didn't Lei Ye talk about it with her? She had a vague guess. She thought that for Lei Ye, and for herself, the two of them, who met in their rookie days and grew up together, should be special to each other.

The moon is so beautiful tonight, it's perfect for confessing your love.

...There are so many mothers-in-law to deal with after marriage.

Although she had something to complain about, Loya chose to remain silent. She had indeed had enough of the troubles caused by her arrogant personality, and these rivals were all the bitter fruit of her lack of honesty.

She was very grateful to Raino for taking this step forward.

The girl decided that starting tonight, she would do everything in her power to become gentle.

"Can...can you be my mother?"

"I do!...Hmm?"

...

We'll have to ask an expert for help.

Loya wrote a letter and invited her mother, whom she hadn't contacted for many years, to come over from the great forest.

Lorraine, the undisputed master of romance in the Great Forest!

She was the only woman in the great forest who had dated three men, possessing extremely rich experience in love. At this moment, Loya was filled with the determination to win back Lei Ye, but she didn't know how to do it, so she had to ask this love expert for advice.

"It's so nice, a big city," Lorraine said, quite pleased with the small villa she had arrived at. She touched this and that, then plopped down on a white wooden chair in the living room, crossed her legs, and said, "I've gotten a preliminary understanding of the situation from the letters. It's late, but you're smart to ask your mom to come over. Lorraine, listen to me, love is actually very simple. There's only one thing you need to do from beginning to end."

Lorraine waved her hand, her tone firm and resolute.

"Take away all his happiness that has nothing to do with you!"

A veteran is a veteran; his words are astounding.

"W-what do you mean...?" Loya asked, somewhat apprehensive.

"You can figure out the reasons yourself. Here are some more specific instructions: First, you need to get rid of the other people. Didn't you complain to me that your time alone with Lei Ye was taken away? Since you can't get back the time that was taken from you, you can only deal with the people who took your time."

"...No, no matter what, they are all comrades-in-arms."

"Partners are partners, and rivals are rivals. The two are not mutually exclusive. And it's not about killing them, but about finding a way to erase their status as rivals."

"W-what do you mean...?"

"You're the captain of the Forest River, aren't you? Make good use of that position."

"You want me to kick them all out? That won't do, that's going too far."

"The goal is to separate them; you only need to kick one person out."

Startled, Loya opened her mouth wide.

"Could it be?!"

"It's just what you think, but don't rush. Let me investigate. You need to understand that doing this is like declaring war on several other people, so we have to be fully prepared. In short, you need to create as much time as possible to be alone with Raino after that."

Loya was still a little confused and didn't quite understand what it meant to be fully prepared. Seeing her like this, Lorraine sighed and gave her more specific instructions.

First of all, getting rid of Lei Ye is not the goal, but a means. The most important thing is to find a way to cut off contact with other people.

So before that day arrives, stop Raiye's work and get the others busy. This will make him realize that he is not that important in the team and that it can operate easily without him. In fact, the team is already severely redundant, so this can be easily achieved.

If possible, it would be best to persuade Raino to leave the city. At the same time, use your position as captain to delay others from discovering that Raino has left. During this time, use the strongest love skills of the elves to easily win Raino over.

"What is the strongest love skill of the Elf race...?" Loya was still confused.

"So I'll have my mom investigate first. If he's not a good person, I can't let you use those dirty tricks. Don't rush, let me find out what this kid is up to first," Lorraine said.

Loya waited a few days, wanting to see what surprise her love expert mother could bring her, but for some reason, Loya gradually became silent.

He stopped teaching Loya her dating tips.

He always avoided Loya's gaze when coming and going.

She even bought several sets of black stockings from somewhere and put them on her legs.

Loya sensed something was wrong. One day, she noticed several sets of finely packaged thick books in Lorin's luggage. Out of curiosity that her mother, who had no diligence, actually read books, Loya couldn't help but flip through them. She was shocked to find that she had seen all the names in the books in Lei Ye's notebook.

When Lorraine took the books to ask her about them, she was silent for a moment, then patted Loya on the shoulder.

"Give up, Loya. My little Lei is incredibly wealthy; you can't handle him."

...

Loya went through a period of extreme suffering.

Her mother was taken away by Lei Ye.

Lei Ye was taken away by her mother.

Loya was heartbroken, Loya's hands trembled, Loya was helpless.

The preliminary work was almost done, and although Loya wasn't mentally prepared, she still forced the plan to start.

To be honest, it didn't go very smoothly.

Originally, when they were about to kick Lei Ye out, they discussed it gently in order to be more gentle about what they would do later. However, Luo Lin, who was tied to the side by her, kept wriggling, which annoyed Luo Ya.

As for Lorraine's insistence that Lei Ye must be very rich, Loya originally didn't believe it, having witnessed firsthand the kind of life Lei Ye had led over the years.

But those hardcover books were real, and the fact that they could appear in remote forests meant that their reach must have been quite wide. Just thinking about it, that must have cost a lot of money.

So Lei Ye was keeping it a secret from his old teammate.

The more Luo Ya thought about it, the more she couldn't help but recall Lei Ye's entire process of searching for his mother over the years. She already had many doubts and couldn't understand what kind of brain circuit these women had, that they would follow Lei Ye so devotedly after only knowing him for a short time.

Looking back now, I think it must have been bribery.

Just like when he rescued Anlashi from the shady circus, Lei Ye claimed he saved her with just words, but thinking back, he did ask the contracted employees about the ransom when he first came into contact with the circus...five large gold coins. And when he helped the noble lady resolve her engagement issue, her greedy father suddenly changed his mind, which is also very suspicious...

Loya had never seen Lei Ye complain about being poor in front of others; he was always all smiles. He would only show a troubled expression and complain about his recent troubles in front of her.

Thinking this made Loya very angry, and she couldn't help but say a few more words.

This made the conversation less than pleasant.

That very night, Loya regretted it. Even if Lei Ye was really hiding something, was now the time to be angry about something like this? These past few days, she had a very bad feeling that the next few days would be the most critical time. One mistake could mean the end of everything. She had to go all out and not be willful in the slightest.

However, the day after she had adjusted her mindset, Luo Ya couldn't find Lei Ye anywhere.

Hearing that there were still hammer-wielding nuns running around on the streets, which seemed unsafe, Loya thought of going to check out the day-rental hotel where Lei Ye was staying, but no one was there.

She waited there until nightfall, then returned home empty-handed. As she passed the Forest River outpost, she noticed that the lights were on, and she could hear the laughter of girls eating late-night snacks and discussing their adventures.

Loya stood in front of the door, her fists clenched tightly. She had assigned everyone the most difficult tasks she could find in the guild, but they couldn't even last two days.

The only remaining option is a desperate, all-or-nothing confession.

The next day, Loya unusually put some effort into her makeup, hid her special weapon in a basket, and went out to find Lei Ye.

...

The basket fell to the ground, and the limited edition slime jelly inside rolled onto the floor. Loya opened her mouth, but forgot all the sentimental lines she had memorized that morning.

My goodness, where did you get this mother from?

Loya's world has collapsed.

Moreover, this mother is more powerful than ever before. The previous ones were quite shy at first, but after they became very familiar with each other, they started to flirt with Lei Ye intentionally or unintentionally. But this guy came up and got so close and even rubbed his lewd things against her. It's too evil.

But in that moment of distraction, the two had already disappeared. Just as Loya was about to chase after them, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. When she turned around, she saw someone pick up a slime jelly from the ground and run away.

Oh my god, why are all the people of Hillus so mean!

In order to retrieve the gift she was going to give to Lei Ye, Luo Ya had no choice but to prioritize chasing after the petty thief.

After that, they went to look for Lei Ye again, but wasted several hours and still couldn't find him.

...until the watch on Loya's wrist lit up.

The watch, Lei Ye's only creation as an engineer, used the kind of display tablets used by the Explorers Guild to record personnel files. It was quite high-end, and she and Lei Ye each used one.

Besides telling time, it has a unique function: to send an alarm to another watch when in danger.

Raino and Loya happen to be the two people in the Forest River that need the most protection.

But she had never needed to use this function before. When she saw it flashing, Loya panicked and frantically pressed buttons on her watch.

The characters on her watch were flashing, and Loya vaguely remembered that this represented the highest level of alarm, indicating a huge danger that could threaten the safety of the city. Along with it came a special "compressed file." Loya remembered that Lei Ye had explained this term, which could be used to quickly transmit large amounts of information.

However, Loya forgot how to operate it. She poked and prodded, but couldn't figure it out, and became more and more anxious.

"How do you relieve stress with this thing?!"