Chapter 435: Knights Assembly (1)

Words : 2247 Updated : Oct 18th, 2025

Madeline’s expression froze coldly. Given her usual behavior, this meant that this matter was quite serious. The kingdom Bellaruna mentioned was clearly Renar-Tirone, the kingdom of elves, which meant that the elves were preparing for war. 'It's not entirely impossible.' Madeline had seen many dark aspects of the world while wandering various places. Though the world seemed peaceful now, there were quite a few time bombs that could go off at any moment. One of them was the elven kingdom. 'It's been over 100 years since the race war. That's ancient history. But that's only from humans' perspective, not for the elves.' Elves have an average lifespan far longer than humans. While 100 years is a distant past recorded in history for humans, for most elves it was a relatively recent time they actually experienced. Madeline knew well how much the elves who experienced the war back then hated humans, that's why the empire's intelligence department kept a particularly close watch on the elves' forest. Recently, trackers from the elven kingdom had shown suspicious movements in the capital but that couldn't be seen as the starting point of a war. 'There weren't any such signs until now, why so suddenly?' Madeline asked Bellaruna again. "Are you sure you're not mistaken?" "Well...I wish I was. But looking at the information stored in the network, it doesn't seem to be the case." "Explain exactly." "There's a family that currently wields the greatest influence in the kingdom. Among the Seven Root families, Lifrey is the family closest to the World Tree." "Lifrey. I've heard of them." "The Lifrey family is gathering troops." "Does that mean war will break out right away?" "No. It hasn't gone that far yet because the other families' forces aren't moving. Even though it's Lifrey, they can't exert complete influence over the other families." At most, the Lifrey family could only handle the Shade Wardens. The other families shared similar views but couldn't align their intentions enough to jointly wage war. Conversely, there were also families that opposed Lifrey by advocating for peace and one of them was the Dentis family. "That's why the Lifrey family has been quiet until now. But suddenly moving like this means there must be something." "What could that be?" "Though I can't know the details yet because the information is completely locked, I have a guess. They probably found a clue about the full authority to handle the World Tree." "Full authority? Was there such a thing?" "Right now, the elven families and I accessing the World Tree to read and store information is only utilizing an extremely small part of the World Tree's capabilities. Moreover, what I do is practically sneaking in through backdoors." Madeline suddenly felt uneasy. "What happens if they obtain this full authority you mentioned?" "I don't know the details either. However, there's a legend passed down among the elves." "A legend?" "I'm not sure if it's true or false, but they say that if one uses the World Tree's true power, they could turn the entire continent into a forest." Bellaruna's words were certainly hard to believe but they couldn't be completely ignored. Considering the mysterious power possessed by the forest where elves dwelt, it was possible. During the race war, the elves' forest boasted impregnable defenses. Despite all sorts of high explosives and fire, the forest wouldn't burn. Madeline knew that was the power of the World Tree. What if the range of such a forest expanded? What if the world was covered in dense forest with trees that couldn't be cut by axes or burned by fire? It would truly become a paradise for elves. That's just saying it's a paradise for elves, for other species, it would be hell. "Then what is this full authority?" "I don't know the details that far. However, I did detect circumstances where the trackers found a clue and sent that information back to their country. But the timing is a bit strange." "The timing?" "The Lumensis Order that came here. After they encountered the elves, the Lumensis Order left the capital, and the very next day, a transmission was received by their home country." "That means..." "Yes. The Order must also be involved in this matter." Madeline picked up her communicator with a serious expression. * * * "Hmm. I see. Understood." After receiving the call from Madeline, Eileen ended the communication and politely apologized to her guest. "I apologize for taking an urgent call during our meeting." "Not at all. Since I requested this unplanned meeting, you needn't be so concerned." The refined response came from Yekaterina. In the imperial reception room prepared for important guests, the current imperial princess Eileen and Queen Yekaterina of the Yuta Kingdom sat facing each other. "Rather, I should be grateful that you invited me despite my sudden visit." "Your words put me at ease as well. Since you've come all this way, I hope you'll take sufficient rest." Though that proposal was polite and appreciated, Yekaterina gently declined. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I can stay long in the capital. I have somewhere I need to go." "And where might that be?" "The Theon Magic Academy adjacent to the major city of Leathervelk." Theon. With that word, the image of one person flashed through Aileen's mind but without showing it, Eileen carefully asked. "It seems you have some business at Theon." "Yes. There's someone I must meet. I received help during the Night of Mystery, and I also want to establish good relations with Theon." Eileen nodded slightly. Indeed. She had wondered why the Queen of Yuta Kingdom had come all this way, but if that was the reason, it was perfectly understandable. 'More than that, someone she must meet...' Eileen knew what had happened during the Night of Mystery from what she had heard and her gaze towards Yekaterina naturally narrowed. 'Could she possibly know that man's true identity?' Considering where Rudger had last been active before coming to the empire, she couldn't help but be suspicious. The mercenary Machiavelli who led the civil war to victory, that was Rudger's identity when he was active in the Yuta Kingdom. At that time, Rudger had sided with Yekaterina's faction as a mercenary and led the civil war to victory. Since he wasn't just fighting as a mere soldier but was called a war hero, their relationship must have been quite close. 'It's somewhat unpleasant.' Eileen didn't know what had happened between Rudger and Yekaterina. She had only encountered that fact as information, and hadn't heard the detailed stories contained within. At first, she hadn't thought much of it but after actually meeting Yekaterina, her thoughts changed slightly. 'She truly is beautiful, isn't she?' Eileen prided herself on not being inferior in beauty but the world's standards of beauty weren't perfect. It couldn't be denied that Yekaterina was also a very attractive person as a woman so Eileen couldn't help but feel somewhat defeated. Of course, Yekaterina sitting across from her had the same thoughts. 'My goodness. I'd heard rumors, but such a perfect imperial princess. Really amazing.' Yekaterina was desperately focusing on wearing a mask to prevent her true nature from showing. Her original purpose was to visit Theon, and she had no intention of coming to Devalk Palace but the position of a nation's leader was not so light. Many people were paying attention to her movements, so if she visited Theon first instead of the imperial family upon arriving in the empire, the empire would think they were being disrespected. That would become a serious diplomatic issue, so this was just paying a courtesy visit for appearance's sake. 'Though I did have personal curiosity beyond just a sense of duty.' The First Imperial Princess Eileen sitting before her was the most likely candidate to become the next emperor of the empire. Above all, she was also closely connected to Rudger, who could be called her benefactor. 'Though that man didn't explicitly reveal his background, anyone who isn't a fool would know.' Rudger was from the empire's intelligence department. No, he was certainly a special agent of an even more secret organization. His identity that wasn't properly known to the public and his abilities, above all, the biggest evidence was that his current position was as a teacher at Theon. It wasn't a place the empire could freely enter and exit, so he couldn't have faked his identity as he pleased. Having the position of a Theon teacher meant he obviously had strong backing from the empire. That backing was most likely Eileen von Exilion sitting before her now. 'The direct superior of my benefactor and moreover, an incredible beauty. For someone inadequate like me, she's an opponent who makes me feel inferior in many ways.' So for now, she had to desperately wear a mask to avoid showing any gaps. Though looking at Eileen gave her some sense of defeat, it must be evidence that she herself was still lacking. "Besides that, it seems you received quite important news, so I shouldn't take up any more of your time." "Was it that obvious?" Eileen gave a bitter smile. Her behavior was certainly discourteous to Yekaterina, but Yekaterina, befitting someone responsible for a country, understood her with a generous heart. 'Oh my. I just tried probing with an excuse, but it worked well?' Actually, Yekaterina was thinking it was fortunate as she slowly rose from her seat. "Let's have a more serious time next time. The tea I had today was really delicious." "You're welcome to visit anytime. Our empire is fully willing to establish friendly relations with the Yuta Kingdom." She was the woman Rudger had supported in the civil war, after all, that meant she absolutely wouldn't be difficult in terms of personality. With that, Yekaterina left the reception room. She would probably leave for Leathervelk with the guards waiting outside. Left alone, Eileen had no time to be distracted by other things. What was important now was the report sent by Madeline. 'The elven kingdom. I thought they had been showing suspicious movements before, but are they trying to reveal their true colors now?' Eileen shook her head and ordered the knight waiting outside. "Call for Lord Pasius." "Ah, Your Highness. Currently, Sir Pasius has left his post after being summoned." "Summoned? Who summoned him?" "Commander Luther Wardot personally called for him, I'm told." At that answer, Eileen recalled her encounter with Luther in Leathervelk. Shortly after meeting him, rumors spread that starlight had passed over the city skies of Leathervelk. Something had certainly happened but for something involving Luther, the aftermath wasn't that big. 'That means he ended things amicably without much fighting with that man.' Did some change of heart occur there? Luther, who had been quiet until now, came to the imperial palace and summoned Pasius. Is he thinking of interrogating something? "And also..." The reporting knight added more words. "What else?" "Commander Luther has summoned all the commanders of the other three great knight orders." "All three knight orders?" "Yes. So currently, all the knight commanders are gathered in one place." Eileen frowned at those words. What is he thinking? * * * Pasius, who came to the training ground, exchanged light greetings with the guest who arrived first. "I thought I was the only one called, but the Guardian Lord is here too." "Please just call me Terina normally. Such a title is too much for me." Terina Lionhowl, the commander of the Night Crawlers, one of the empire's three great knight orders, answered Pasius like that. Terina wasn't usually this friendly with others, but when dealing with a fellow master-level knight, she gave appropriate treatment, especially if they were comrades who had fought together in the capital's underground recently. By Terina's side was her adjutant Enya. Recognizing Pasius, Enya immediately bowed her head with proper courtesy. "Hmm. Moreover, if Lady Terina is here too, that means you received Commander Luther's summons?" "Yes. Which means Sir Pasius also..." "I also came after being suddenly called. But looking at the flow, it doesn't seem like just the two of us were called." "I was just thinking the same thing. Considering Commander Luther's personality, probably those who will come to this place..." The two suddenly felt uneasy at the same time. In reality, the minimum standard for those summoned was master-level knights. Of course, there were more master-level knights in the empire besides the two gathered here, notably, the commanders of the empire's three great knight orders. Terina's expression hardened severely, and just as Pasius made an awkward expression. Someone entered the training ground. "Hey. How long has it been? After only feeling the sea breeze these days, coming inland and seeing familiar faces is nice." The two master-level knights didn't answer that greeting. Only Enya widened her eyes looking at the newcomer. "Commander Johan Oceanus..." Johan Oceanus was the commander of the Stella Siren Knight Order that protected the empire's seas.

Chapter 435: Knights Assembly (1)

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