Chapter 150: The Retro-Reflection Group

"No, I'll head home first." Kevin wasn't quite at the point where he would skip going home just to join a bunch of brats in blowing up fish.

"Why go home?" Leisen asked, thoroughly puzzled. "Your mom isn't even there."

Kevin was taken aback. "Not there?"

"That's right, didn't you know?" Leisen replied. "Auntie went on a trip, and word is she won't be back until the end of the year."

Kevin paused, recalling that he usually returned home around the end of the year, and his mother had always loved wandering about, which was how she originally met his father. Now that she was living alone again, it was practically a return to her old lifestyle. Come to think of it, being an elf, she was still remarkably youthful.

"Let's go, let's go," Leisen urged impatiently. "Hurry, we have an important mission today. If we successfully blow up some fish, we'll treat you to dinner."

"What are you guys up to?" Kevin couldn't help his curiosity.

"Hehe," Leisen smiled mysteriously. "We're going to make big news."

Kevin: "..."

"Come on, I'll take you to see our newly recruited comrades." Leisen wore an expression of utmost seriousness and gravity.

Kevin sighed emotionally. "Your organization is still running?"

"What do you mean 'your' organization?" Leisen looked deeply displeased. "It's *our* organization. We've always been a cooperative group. A very official kind."

"Right, right." Kevin had no choice but to nod repeatedly. Dealing with stubborn brats could be a real headache. Figuring he had nothing better to do, and considering they were childhood playmates—moreover, they were practically the only friends he had left among the elves—he decided right then and there to follow along and take a look.

He followed Leisen through a series of twists and turns until they reached a riverbank. An old stone bridge spanned the water, connecting roads on both sides. Because this area was quite remote and rarely traveled, the stone bridge looked dilapidated. In Kevin's memory, the bridge was at least twenty years old.

Leisen agilely climbed a nearby sapling, scanned the surroundings, and nimbly jumped down. "All clear! Follow me!" Without waiting for a response, he pulled Kevin under the bridge. Seven little elves were already waiting below. The space beneath the bridge was small, consisting of a sloping riverbed on one side and clear, shallow water on the other. The clearance was so low that adults had to crouch, and only the shortest of the children could stand upright.

All seven little elves were boys with pointy ears and wide, blinking eyes. They stared at Kevin in astonishment. "Ah! Did an adult come to catch us?" "We're done for, we're going to get the paddle when we get back." "Commander, you betrayed us..."

"Ahem, quiet down," another little elf waved a hand. "This is our comrade."

"Right!" Leisen cleared his throat as well. "Some of our newer comrades might not recognize him, but this is actually one of the founding veterans of our organization, and one of the key contributors when it was first established. Secretary, bring out the roster for everyone to see."

Another little elf nearby stood up solemnly, walked over to a large stone, and saluted it. Then he shoved the stone aside and retrieved a leather-bound notebook from beneath it. The little elves crowded around and saw the bold characters written on the cover: *Anti-Light Faction Roster*. The secretary solemnly opened to the first page, where the second name listed was none other than Kevin Enquiting. The very first name was Leisen.

Looking at this scene, Kevin's thoughts were instantly pulled back over a dozen years. He vaguely remembered that the "Anti-Light Faction" was founded when he was eleven years old. Strictly speaking, the faction had been created entirely by Kevin himself, but considering his bloodline wasn't entirely pure elven, he had purposely stepped aside and let someone else be the commander.

Back then, Kevin's father had passed away about a year prior, and his young heart harbored an incomparable hatred for the Church of Light. He had even tried practicing magic to become a powerful mage so he could avenge his father. However, after making little progress for a long time, Kevin became deeply disheartened and took to browsing through his father's collection of books.

That particular year, representatives from the Church of Light happened to come to the elven forest to preach. Elves naturally believed in nature, but letting the Church preach wasn't strictly forbidden. The elves treated it like listening to a lecture just to understand what it was about, and occasionally, if someone got minor scrapes or bruises, the priests could heal them.

At the time, Kevin looked at the priests' robes with utter hatred, but he also knew he couldn't beat them in a fight. So, he began to brainstorm and sought out playmates. Using bribes of candy and some weak persuasive arguments, he convinced Leisen to join him in making trouble. Thus, the Anti-Light Faction was born. The meaning behind the name "Anti-Light" was self-evident, though Kevin's vocabulary at the time was limited, so the naming was rather casual.

Having already read quite a few books, Kevin copied down various rules and regulations straight from the texts. They had oaths, a base, a flag, and a bunch of official titles like Commander, Vice-Commander, Secretary, and Assault Captain—though most of the time, Kevin held every single position except Commander, while everyone else served as foot soldiers.

Children sometimes start things with great enthusiasm and let them fizzle out, but other times they take things with deadly seriousness. Secret organizations like this made them feel unique and gave them a deep sense of accomplishment, and sometimes their enthusiasm even surpassed Kevin's. Their primary line of work, however, was playing pranks.

Children were still children, after all; they weren't about to commit heinous crimes. Their activities usually consisted of making trouble at the chapel, splashing things, or painting graffiti on the walls. The most severe incident occurred when they accidentally set the chapel on fire. Afterward, the children received a thorough scolding from their parents, yet the Anti-Light Faction wasn't dissolved. Instead, it became more organized and systematic.

Truth be told, the elven adults more or less knew what the children were up to, seeing as it had been going on for years. But the elven elders generally maintained a tacit attitude of approval. First, they didn't believe in the Church of Light anyway, so when the kids caused trouble, the most they had to do was offer a polite apology. Second, it was dictated by elven nature: parents exercised very little control over their children as long as they didn't go too far, letting them do as they pleased.

The elven race also had schools, but ten years of basic coursework was usually about enough. Ten years of study would turn a human child into a scholar, but an elven child finishing ten years of school would find themselves still acting like a brat. In truth, they had already acquired a considerable amount of knowledge, but their temperament remained that of children—fond of pranks, playful, and naive.

Dealing with extended phases of bratty behavior wore elven families out. If there was suddenly something that could persistently attract the children's animosity and keep them from causing trouble elsewhere, it was a pretty good alternative.

However, as Kevin read more books, his worldview grew increasingly complex, and the clash of various perspectives in his mind left him momentarily lost. Finally, at the age of fifteen, he decided to set out on a journey to see the world with his own eyes. Before leaving, he promised the little elves that he would definitely return and would never quit the faction, and the little elves solemnly vowed to wait forever for his return.

From then on, Kevin returned at least once a year. Yet, the more of the outside world he saw, the more mature he became. Kevin had met priests willing to sacrifice their lives to save others, soldiers who fled in the face of battle, innocent civilians who were murdered, good people, bad people, good people who turned bad, and bad people who turned good...

Travel had matured Kevin significantly. Looking back, his past self was undoubtedly naive. Every time he came home, he spent less and less time playing with the little elves, usually accompanying his mother instead. Seeing that Kevin was always with his mother, the little elves stopped seeking him out as frequently, and even their occasional chats remained proper because adults were always nearby, and Kevin was now an adult himself.

He never expected that through a twist of fate, these little elves still remembered him, preserved his old roster, and presumably kept other documents as well. Counting from its founding, it had been fifteen years. It was quite a surprise.

"Kevin, I know you just got back and don't know a lot of things, so for this operation, you'll be in charge of observing," Leisen said, clearly acting like an old hand.

Kevin nodded. These kids were still deadly serious about it, though viewed through adult eyes, it looked rather comical.

"Everyone, look, here is the topographical map," Leisen pulled a hand-drawn map from his tunic. "At 1 PM this afternoon, the Church of Light is holding an event to release some fish. Word has it these fish were bought from local fishermen and are going to be set free in our river. The purpose is probably something like showing compassion or whatever."

"Looking at the geography here, they've built a wooden platform by the river, and a lot of people are going to gather around to watch. The priest will definitely spout nonsense before dumping the fish into the water. What we need to do is blow those fish up." Leisen's small finger drew a circle on the map, clearly designating the operation site.

Kevin leaned in to take a look. The map was a bit crude, but it was laid out logically with neat handwriting and clear markers. A human brat could never have drawn something like this—then again, Leisen was a twenty-nine-year-old brat.

"Since a few of us have gone up against the church folks multiple times, our appearance will definitely draw the attention of the whole town. We probably won't be able to get close to the viewing platform. But the current here is quite fast, so once the fish are released, they'll be carried downstream. We'll set our ambush right at this bend in the riverbed. Not only is it a great spot for blowing up fish, but the onlookers will be able to see it too. When they watch all the released fish get blown sky-high, hahaha..." Leisen danced around with excitement at the thought.

"But how are we going to blow up the fish?" another little elf asked nervously. "None of us know fire-segment magic."

"It's fine, I managed to get my hands on this!" Leisen carefully produced a bright red crystal.

"Whoa," the group of little elves gasped. "Did you steal that from your dad?"

"What do you mean I stole it from my dad?" Leisen protested indignantly. "I bought this using my own saved-up allowance."

"Really?" The other little elves looked skeptical. Even Kevin found it hard to believe. While it was true that Leisen's family was well-off, a fire-affinity crystal like that would cost at least a few dozen gold coins, and if it contained an inscribed magic array, it would be even more expensive. It didn't seem like something a child could easily acquire, even a twenty-nine-year-old child.

"Believe it or not, I saved my allowance for three months," Leisen retorted. "Anyway, we'll use this crystal, infuse it with spiritual energy, and toss it into the water to blow up the fish."

"Whoa, won't that ruin the crystal?" an elf asked, sounding regretful.

Leisen spoke to everyone in a deep, earnest tone: "Do you know why we call each other comrades? Because we are people with ideals, and we must uphold our own beliefs. The adults of today have degenerated; how can we allow the Church of Light to come here and preach? We must use our own strength to drive them away. The process might be grueling, and it might take a very long time, but we cannot back down. One day, we will drive the Church of Light out."

Leisen waved his little hands as he lectured the group. Kevin lowered his head and rubbed his brow, because he suddenly remembered that these used to be his exact lines. Back then, he was the one who always gave the speeches; he never expected to hear the exact same monologue fifteen years later.

"Right! For our beliefs!" The little elves raised their fists in unison. One of them reached too high and smacked his hand against the ceiling beneath the bridge. "Ow, that hurts."

"Wait," the secretary nearby suddenly spoke up. "I have a suggestion. Since we now have an adult with us, our plan can be even more flawless."

Kevin blinked. "About that..."

"That's right!" The proposal instantly won the backing of the majority. "We're just kids, so they already have counter-measures prepared for us." "If an adult suddenly shows up, they'll definitely piss their pants." "Scare the piss out of them! Scare the piss out of them!"...

"Ahem," Kevin gave a dry cough. "After all, I'm an adult now. If I take part in something like this, I'll be held responsible."

The little elves fell silent. A moment later, they sighed collectively. "Adults are so inconvenient." "It's better not to grow up." "Actually, we used to have several members who left because they grew up..."

Suddenly, Leisen smiled. "It's fine! You're wandering around the world anyway. Once you finish this job, you'll leave, and they won't be able to catch you."

Kevin: "..." *(To be continued.)*