Berserk: The Prophet

.........

"Ha ha..."

Seranti ran into the dense forest in the east. It was a snowy night, and his footprints were enough to be buried by the snow. However, Seranti's clothes were still too thin for the winter. The remaining effects of the medicine had started to take hold, and he was burning up and his lower body was inexplicably swollen.

He had experienced too much that night, and this indescribable feeling filled him with shame and humiliation. Recalling everything he had suffered in the castle, he broke down in tears, wishing he could bury himself in the snow to lessen this unspeakable torment.

dawn.

The effects of the medicine finally wore off, and Seranti stood up from the snow. His body was stiff from the cold, and the heavy snow had almost buried him. Such heavy snow was rare in Long River Town in winter, making this winter quite special.

After the heat, only cold remained. Perhaps because he had been frozen for so long, the cold now felt warm. He moved his stiff body, but Seranti didn't know where he was going. Perhaps the only thing he had to do was to walk into the dense forest that his mother longed for.

Unfortunately... the weakened Seranti was robbed by a group of bandits. Unsurprisingly, he was captured.

"Damn, we've really hit the jackpot, boss."

"Ok?"

"W-w-w-it...it's a pointy-eared elf!!"

"Wow, we're going to be rich this time!"

"Hahaha, finally I don't have to be a bandit anymore!!"

Several bandits were overcome by their desire for money. Some of them thought Thranduil was handsome and wanted to try their luck, but they were scolded by their leader. One reason was that they were afraid they wouldn't get a good price, and the other was that the leader thought it was disgusting to sleep with a man. He gave his underlings a severe scolding.

That's how Thranduil escaped their clutches. They took him a long way, probably because they had finally caught such a money bag. Apart from being tied up and fed and pampered by them every day, when Thranduil developed a high fever, he almost scared them to death. They begged and pleaded with their own money to buy medicine, practically kneeling down to beg Thranduil, their ancestor, not to die.

Seranti was then sold to Ramon, who liked to auction off elves. Having avenged his great enemy, Seranti didn't know what to do next, so his eyes were glazed and he seemed listless. He didn't care what happened to him anymore.

"Hmm... to be precise, this isn't a pure elf. Where did you catch this half-elf?"

"Uh...it seems to be the forest near Long Lake Town."

"Hmm... how about this, I'll take it for 266 dinars."

"Huh?! How could this be? Aren't elves supposed to start at least at 500 dinars?!"

“He’s a half-elf, not a purebred. Every year, there are half-elves who want to try their luck in the forests of Long River Town, but in my opinion, the chances of being accepted by those pointy-eared people are not very high, especially if they run into the Aldarians... You’re lucky. If you’re not satisfied with the price I’ve offered, then you should find someone else.”

"Okay...we'll sell."

The group gritted their teeth and gave up. After all, it was rare to catch such exotic creatures as elves. If they actually caught a real pointy-eared elf, who knew what kind of retaliation they might face? After all, those pointy-eared elves would patrol the forests of Long River Town from time to time, and their lives were far more precious than money.

"Half-elf...hmm, I'd better sell him to Barkley, who's never seen an elf before," Ramon muttered. He also had a slave guild in Barkley, thanks to the Red Brotherhood.

............

The feeling of drifting in the ocean made Seranti uneasy and dizzy. Fortunately, he hadn't eaten much and didn't vomit; he just slept for a long time.

Upon arriving on the new land of Seranti, they sensed a distinct atmosphere compared to Pendor. The people, regardless of their social status, dressed in fashionable clothes they had never seen before, and spoke with an accent different from that of the Pendor continent, sounding as if they had spent a lot of time by the sea.

This group planned to take Serantira to Crest, the capital of Barkley, for auction.

Unfortunately, on the way to Pence, they were intercepted in the forest by a group of Snake Cult bandits. The Snake Cult warriors and Cobra Knights had never seen such a beautiful half-elf before. When they saw Thranduil's face, they couldn't wait to dismount, take off their armor, and start tearing at Thranduil's slave-made clothes.

This external stimulus jolted the listless Seranti back to his senses. He struggled desperately, his strong will to survive and his determination to maintain his dignity awakening him. What on earth was going on?!

"Hehehe, quite energetic! First time playing with such a beautiful Pokémon, it's even more exciting if it's a guy, hiss~"

"hiss~"

Several warriors of the Serpent Cult made the distinctive sounds of the cult, their naked bodies staring greedily at Seranti lying on the ground, his clothes torn. They couldn't wait any longer and pounced on him, tearing at Seranti's slender limbs as they prepared to violate him.

Despair filled Seranti's eyes, and tears fell silently. Had he just escaped one abyss only to fall into another?

"Whoosh!" "Swoosh!"

"Pfft," "Pfft," "Ugh..."

Several arrows pierced the air, and a young man riding a chestnut horse appeared. He discarded the crossbow in his hand, drew the greatsword from his back, and killed several naked Snake Worship Cult warriors. With a swift stroke, the men lay sprawled on the ground.

Having broken free of their control, Seranti quickly sat up, still shaken, and covered himself with the torn pieces of clothing. The thought of what those men had just done made him tremble uncontrollably. Why did they do this? Why would men do such a thing?!

"Are you okay, miss?"

The young man dismounted and draped his bright red cloak over Serant's fair body, wrapping him up. He noticed the man's pointed ears and was surprised. Was he an elf, a creature only found on the continent of Pendor? If he were to kidnap him and marry him, it would surely infuriate that old man!

Seranti hadn't quite recovered and hadn't heard what the person was saying. He wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, finally feeling a bit safer, and then he relaxed.

The sound of horses' hooves came from afar; it was the young man's personal guard.

"Young Master, you ran too fast! Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine, let's keep going."

The young man had no intention of going back. After all, he had run away to escape an arranged marriage, and inheriting the family business was just too much of a hassle. He was stuck in the castle all day and hadn't seen the world yet. He wanted a thrilling adventure.

"Girl? Would you like to go on an adventure with me?" The young man squatted down and looked at Seranti.

Seranti looked at the young man with a puzzled expression, frowning. What girl? How could someone so young have such poor eyesight? The young man was stunned when he saw her appearance. This...this was more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen, even more beautiful than his mother. His heart pounded.

"...I am a man."