While Ian and Amivy were desperately trying to save themselves.
Back in the Imperial Capital of the Chester Empire, inside King William Reinhardt’s bedchamber.
King William was conversing with a rather plump and rotund noble minister:
“How is it, Marquis Bert Philimons? Have you found out?”
“Your Majesty, I have investigated thoroughly. Princess Amivy’s disappearance this time was truly an accident. It has nothing to do with those heretics.”
“If it’s just an accident, then it’s not entirely bad news…”
William Reinhardt, who had been gazing at the starry sky from beside the window, let out a sigh of relief, his grip on the windowsill loosening slightly.
However, as soon as William Reinhardt relaxed, Bert Philimons’ next report caused his brow to furrow once again.
“Your Majesty, although Princess Amivy’s accident this time has nothing to do with those heretics, Your servant discovered during the investigation that traces of the heretics who should have been eradicated 15 years ago have reappeared.”
“I suspect that the frequent disappearances of young people around the Imperial Capital recently may very well be orchestrated by those same heretics who kidnapped Princess Amivy from the Imperial Capital back then.”
“Hmph! A pack of evil gods’ mongrels. We were careless back then and let them slip through to take Amivy. I never imagined these heretics would be so tenacious—there were still survivors even after the Great Purge over a decade ago.”
“Minister Philimons, I once again grant you the authority to mobilize the Royal Guard. This time, you must thoroughly exterminate those damned rats once and for all!”
“By the Goddess, Your servant shall complete this task!”
Just as Bert Philimons accepted the Royal Guard Mobilization Token granted by William Reinhardt…
A report came from outside the door.
“Your Majesty, Lady Marguerite the Stargazer requests an audience…”
“Marguerite? Shouldn’t she be at the Abyss Corridor searching for Amivy and the others? Why has she returned?”
William Reinhardt pondered for a moment, then gave Bert Philimons a meaningful glance.
The latter immediately understood and vanished like a shadow into the bedchamber.
“Let Marguerite in…”
Only after Marquis Bert had completely left did William Reinhardt speak, allowing Marguerite to enter.
A moment later, Marguerite, clad in a blue mage robe, arrived at William Reinhardt’s bedchamber.
“Your servant greets Your Majesty…”
“Rise, Minister Marguerite. Shouldn’t you be at the Abyss Corridor searching for Arthur and the others now? Why have you returned so soon?”
“Your Majesty, actually, we…”
Marguerite then recounted everything they had discovered at the Abyss Corridor to William Reinhardt.
She informed him that to open the passage, they would need to borrow the Elven race’s sacred relic, the Branch of the World Tree.
After hearing Marguerite’s report, William Reinhardt instead let out a relieved breath.
“I understand now. I will find a way to borrow the Elven race’s sacred relic. Within three days at most, I will have it sent to you. Minister Marguerite, is there anything else?”
William Reinhardt’s answer surprised Marguerite greatly.
She had thought that, given the current situation where humans and the Elven race were on the verge of ‘war,’ borrowing the Branch of the World Tree would be extremely difficult.
Yet His Majesty the King had made such a relaxed promise.
“Your servant takes her leave…”
“Mm…”
Since she had achieved the purpose of this audience with His Majesty, Marguerite did not linger.
After William Reinhardt’s consent, she left the bedchamber as well.
After Marguerite left, William Reinhardt took out a green crystal ball from his spatial storage.
The crystal ball flashed three times, and a perfect, graceful projection appeared before William Reinhardt.
It was a woman seated on a throne woven from crystal and vines—the Queen of the Elven race, Funiweiya Yekaterina.
Her pale golden hair cascaded like a waterfall, with minimal adornment; only a few strands were braided into delicate plaits tucked behind her ears.
The rest flowed softly over her shoulders and the armrests of the throne, like flowing warm sunlight.
Her face was even more beautiful than ordinary elves, exquisitely almost unreal, so delicate that not a single imperfection could be seen.
Even the battle-hardened William Reinhardt could not help but lose his composure for a few moments every time he saw Funiweiya’s breathtakingly beautiful face.
“William,” she said.
“It’s been a long time. You used the Heart of the Emerald Court to contact me. Have you finally come to your senses?”
Funiweiya tilted her head slightly, her starry eyes carrying a hint of inquiry, her posture elegant and natural.
There was not a trace of the hostility one would expect from the leader of an empire ‘about to go to war’ with her.
Instead, it was the calm and composure of meeting an ally.
“Sigh… I suppose so. Funiweiya, the reason I contacted you this time is…”
Coming back to himself, William Reinhardt gave a bitter smile and stated the purpose of contacting Funiweiya Yekaterina.
“Oh? You want to borrow the Branch of the World Tree?”
After hearing William Reinhardt’s request, Funiweiya’s projection relaxed deeply into the throne, adopting a lazy posture as she looked at William Reinhardt with amusement.
“William… don’t you know that the Branch of the World Tree cannot be lent to outsiders?”
Funiweiya casually began admiring her long, fair, pale-green nails.
“Even if I agreed to lend it out, those old stubbornheads on the Council of Elders would certainly never agree…”
“I know. That’s why I came to you, not those old geezers on the Council. Let’s cut to the chase, Funiweiya—what do you want?”
William knew full well that the Elven race’s sacred relic would not be lent to outsiders.
But he understood that the current situation where the Elven race and the Human Empire were on the verge of ‘war’ was actually the result of an Imperial Grand Duke’s territory being driven to the brink of collapse by the Elves.
As everyone knew, the Elven race was a species where everyone was handsome or beautiful and long-lived.
And according to the law of ‘only the ox tires, never the field,’ combined with the tendency for males to become ‘idea generators,’
After long years of reproduction, the Elven race had reached an extreme state of ‘more women than men.’
Their own men were almost ‘worn out,’ so what were the remaining women supposed to do?
Then some ‘brilliant’ Elves came up with the idea: ‘Since our own men are gone, why not look for them elsewhere?’
Following the general Elven aesthetic standards, they naturally set their sights on the Human race, who bordered the Elf Forest and looked similar to them!
And thus, a ‘grand and spectacular’ Talent Introduction Plan was set into motion.
Moreover, due to the Elven race’s pride and self-respect, they would rather ‘starve to madness’ than settle for less.
So this ‘Talent Introduction Plan’ specifically targeted ‘high-quality males’ among humans.
As this went back and forth, the territory of Grand Duke Angelina, which bordered the Chester Empire and the Elf Forest, also ended up with a situation of ‘more women than men’!
And one Elf had the audacity to ‘introduce’ Grand Duke Angelina’s own husband away.
Unable to tolerate it any longer, Grand Duke Angelina forthrightly dispatched her troops.
That was how the standoff between humans and Elves on the border of the Elf Forest came about.