43 – A New Alliance
The recovery was instantaneous.
Elaine’s divine power was truly remarkable.
It seemed like she had fully awakened her strength and no longer seemed tired.
“Thank you.” I whispered as I held her, and the strong wind surrounded us, lifting us high into the sky.
The fierce wind brushed against my ears, and I could only hear Elaine’s response, “Yes, Your Highness-,” before it was carried away.
For some reason, I fainted, and I followed right behind Wint, who had fallen limp in the wind.
“Elaine! You’re alive?!”
“……”
Aquilla’s eyes widened as if she had discovered a treasure, but Elaine remained expressionless and didn’t even respond.
“Is this the owner of the magic towerju?”
Aquilla, who was perplexed, tightly gripped the magic towerju that was floating beneath her feet, and soon the knights and mages rushed up to the rooftop.
But the distance was considerable, and all I could hear were faint shouts mixed with curses from the people who appeared as tiny red dots.
Whoosh-
Aquilla flapped her wings towards Rivengard at a much faster speed than before.
The destination was the center of the vast forest where the World Tree stood.
***
The strongest master of the Tower of Flames.
The leader of the unextinguishable flames.
And the guardian of the infernal hell.
They were all referred to as the Great Sorcerer Ardor, one of the Grand Sorcerers who resided at the pinnacle of magic.
The highly esteemed Grand Sorcerer Ardor, who possessed such a renowned name, was now sitting on a chair made of vines on top of a tall tree, with his arms and legs tightly bound.
This treatment was unprecedented, and it felt like a thousand fires were boiling inside him.
How dare they tie him up in the middle of the Riven Guard Forest with nothing but his underwear on?
“To think that I, a mere…”
However, he couldn’t risk being discovered, so he couldn’t shout out loud.
All he could do was mutter quietly, softer than a breath, as if chewing on his words.
From Noble mtl dot com
And perhaps…
The reason why this moment felt so miserable to him was because of those magnificent titles that preceded his name.
Because of those extraordinary titles that were filled with exceptionalism, his current pitiful situation was being emphasized even more.
“Do whatever you want. But the moment you engage in futile actions, your invisibility will be lifted. Then what will happen? If you’re curious, go ahead and cast any spell right now.”
The man with a black hood had clearly said that.
He even pretended to slit his own throat with his palm and shouted, “Cock!” as if to startle anyone who might be listening. It was truly astonishing.
Until now, who would dare to do such a disrespectful act in front of him?
No matter how audacious the person who had kidnapped him was, this shabby treatment was truly a severe humiliation.
So it was.
Seeing the man in the robe kneeling not far away, the temptation to do something kept nagging at him.
“Should I turn this place into a sea of fire right now…?”
The man who had kidnapped him had only restrained his limbs, without taking any special precautions for his mouth.
It felt like he was being encouraged to use magic if he wanted.
“….”
And seeing the situation unfolding before him now.
It felt like he was being threatened to carefully observe what would happen next and consider the right course of action.
At first, he thought the man was truly insane.
But now, upon careful consideration.
This place was none other than the open field right in front of the World Tree.
It was a place that seemed even larger than the Bayorn Square, the heart of the vast forest.
Moreover, in this place.
There was King Gartagon of the Elves, as well as princes and princesses who possessed no less ability.
As the day went on, there would undoubtedly be warriors and commanders from all over the forest gathering here.
So no matter what kind of magic he intended to use, he would be immediately suppressed before he even had a chance to cast it, and if his identity were to be revealed, he would ultimately lose his life.
So relying on the invisibility magic provided by the mysterious man, he could only sit still like a soulless statue.
Still, one fortunate fact was that he didn’t seem to have any intention of killing him.
“….”
By the way.
My neck still throbbed with pain.
I never expected there would be a group with me…
Just before the knights broke down the door of the Tower, when the hooded man knelt down on his knees, exhausted and leaning on his staff, Arador cast a spell.
He intended to show the spicy and refreshing taste of Hellfire, a taste that could never be extinguished unless overwhelmed by overwhelming mana, to the one who had brought shame upon himself by sneaking into the Tower and committing an unforgivable act.
But just before the spell was cast, a star appeared before his eyes.
It was because he had been struck on the back of his head with something incredibly hard.
The shock was so great that he lost consciousness immediately.
When he regained consciousness and pretended to still be unconscious, he opened his eyes and saw the hooded man and the blonde woman sitting on a giant eagle.
There was no mistake.
The one who had despicably targeted his back was undoubtedly that blonde woman.
And that woman…
She was the enigmatic sorceress who had created a vast shield with a bright light last night, so bright that he couldn’t open his eyes.
Recalling the meteorite that turned to dust as soon as it touched the shield, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.
It seemed that excessive stress had caused an excessive secretion of gastric acid.
Just feeling that alone made him feel unbearable shame, but now he had been humiliated by the Tower being violated and being kidnapped by those bastards.
He felt like he was going crazy.
If all these facts were to spread as rumors…
He would be so ashamed that he wouldn’t be able to lift his head.
By the way, what was that man’s intention?
He was certain that he had come to kill him after receiving the elf’s horoscope…
However, that bastard had destroyed Martop so horribly, and now he was creating fake humans that resembled himself, making them face execution instead to save their lives.
“……”
So I kept feeling anxious, wondering how amazing demands he would make after the execution was over.
Then, Elf King Gartagon appeared in front of the World Tree.
Around him, 12 princes and princesses proudly displayed their extraordinary beauty, standing in a line.
Including the dignitaries of the Elf Kingdom and the numerous elves living in Rivengard, they were all closely observing the royal family from the densely populated giant tree or in between.
And in front of them.
The man who had captured the owner of Martop finally took off his hood and saluted the king.
The man’s face had silver hair that resembled the Elf King.
But his ears were human.
“A human with the power of the elves…!”
Ardo could easily recall the first prince of the Mersen Empire.
“How is this possible…!”
He had heard that the man had lost all his abilities and become a beggar…
He had also heard that after the death of the former empress, he could no longer control his emotions and became notorious for his evil deeds.
But the appearance of the Crown Prince today was completely different from the notorious reputation he had heard.
He seemed infinitely strong and appeared to be extremely cautious, with no end in sight.
“No way…!”
Ardo had ruled Martop for a considerable amount of time and had encountered various despicable aspects of humans.
So he couldn’t help but have the ability to infer the hidden things from what was revealed.
“Did he purposely act this way and hide his identity to protect himself from the Duke and Empress who have seized power…?”
If he had continued to sit on the throne as the Crown Prince, then surely he would have been eliminated.
It seemed somewhat plausible when I thought about it.
And if that were really the case.
His desperate situation could be described as cunning enough to even deceive his worn-out self.
There is nothing more difficult than acting foolishly while knowing everything.
As the speculation gained some credibility, the calculating mind of Aldor, specialized in profit and loss calculations, began to spin vigorously like a water mill under a waterfall.
“If he has truly maintained such a position at such a young age, he must be an exceptional king, not just a mere talent…”
Moreover.
The formidable ability that emerged from all directions faster than an arrow, destroying the surrounding vegetation like rotten wood, truly appeared to be at a transcendent level that could only be described as overwhelming.
“…”
Ultimately, Prince Eos was not only equipped with exceptional strategy and his own formidable power, but also had the terrifying backing of the Elven Kingdom.
“…In that case, it may not be completely impossible for him to become the Crown Prince again.”
Furthermore, it was the Emperor of the Empire who sent the Crown Prince to resolve the conflict with the Elves.
There was undoubtedly a complex intention hidden behind such an act.
And as the Tower Lord, who knew all too well how the world works, I could easily speculate on that intention.
“They intend to reinstate the Crown Prince as the Crown Prince…!”
With that conclusion, naturally my heart began to lean towards the First Prince.
“After all, Duke Schlein is someone who will discard anyone without hesitation if they are deemed useless or untrustworthy. He is someone who can never be trusted to stay till the end.”
The best example of that was Garund’s masterpiece.
“To think that he could ruthlessly cast aside someone he had doted on like a dog for so long…”
With that in mind, Ardor felt that it was now time to change course, like the scent of freshly bloomed incense wafting through the air.
But then, Ardor quickly turned his head at the resounding voice of Gartagon.
“Have you all seen it? My grandson, Eos, reduced the Tower of Flames to ashes and captured its master. Who else could have achieved such a great feat if not for the son of Wiblea?”
Each word uttered by Gartagon reverberated through the forest like thunder.
“My grandson, Eos. In the name of the elves, execute justice upon the vermin who dared to plan the destruction of Rivengard.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the prince swung his sword.
Swoosh-
Thud- Thud-
Ardor couldn’t help but feel a thrill, even if it was just for a moment.
Perhaps it was because he had witnessed a gruesome death that could have been his own.
Though his face looked completely different, the eerie figure wearing his own robe experienced death in such a vivid and realistic manner, as if he were a true human.
The severed head flew and blood splattered through the air, and the lifeless body fell to the ground, truly resembling a real person.
And the elves who watched this sight all cheered.
A dizzying terror continued to pound Ardor’s heart.
As time went on, the past, present, and future became even more closely connected.
If the Crown Prince had decided to kill himself, surrounded by the elves, there was no doubt that he would have suffered a pitiful death with his throat slit.
Ardor was grateful to the prince for bestowing him with grace, so that he would not experience such a fate.
The prince was undoubtedly a savior of life.
He had shown great mercy to himself, who had intended to slaughter not only the elves but also the innocent people under the command of Count Tenafel.
The feeling of gratitude in Aldor’s heart was enough to elevate his evaluation of the prince to a higher level.
“Does he possess the audacity to embrace even his enemies…?”
If that was the case, there was no reason to hesitate.
Especially now that the thread of Duke Shleyn had become thin.
He was convinced that it would not be a loss to switch to being the First Prince at this moment.
“So, let’s at least ask him to accept.”
Of course, the reason for making such a decision was because there was no other choice.
There must have been a reason why he was spared.
-“I want you.”
The prince had clearly said so.
When he first heard those words, he thought it was a mocking remark, but at that time he didn’t know the true identity.
“It’s clear. The prince is also aiming for the restoration of the Crown Prince…!”
So.
If he were to offer his life to help, he was convinced that the prince would not refuse.
And proving his conversion,
It would be enough to inform that Prince Cervis is staying near the Tenafel territory and trying to kill the prince.