CA - Chapter 155
Chapter 155
The Guardian Ceremony, an event of great significance to the Elf Race, had ended amidst the disruption of the Dark Elves. The Tree of Life had not borne new fruit for a long time, and the Elf Queen’s condition fluctuated between good and bad. The Elves had originally thought that selecting a Guardian would improve their clan’s situation, but they never imagined that the Guardian blessed by the Forest Goddess would turn out to be a Dark Elf.
This was simply making a bad situation worse.
To the Elf Race, a Guardian was more than a simple guard tasked with protecting the Queen. Her status within the clan was equivalent to that of a vice-patriarch. After engraving a contract with the Queen, not only could she share the Queen’s life, but her power would also leap to a level second only to the Queen herself.
The Guardian was the other pillar of the Elf Race, second only to the Elf Queen, but now a Dark Elf had been chosen by the Forest Goddess.
...What if the young elf, procreated with the blood essence of a Dark Elf, also turned out to be a Dark Elf?
It wasn't that they held any deep hatred for the Dark Elves, but ever since their appearance, the situation of the Elf Race had deteriorated day by day. The prospect of another Dark Elf Queen made them feel deeply uneasy.
The Elves were filled with worry, but upon seeing Delphine’s grave expression, none of them had the heart to approach her and voice their concerns.
The atmosphere within the clan was oppressive and heavy.
“If you need me, I can stay a while longer.” After the Guardian Ceremony, Tang Qiu, who was with Kama and preparing to leave the elven territory, looked at Delphine seeing her off at the edge of the forest and said with a smile, “The Holy See has been rather quiet lately.”
Although Delphine was overwhelmed by her clan’s affairs, the situation was not yet so dire that she needed to ask an outsider for help. She was already very grateful that the golden-haired Bishop was willing to perform a purification spell on the Tree of Life. As for the rest, whatever the outcome, it was her responsibility to bear as the Elf Queen.
“Thank you, Grace.” Delphine took out a light green scroll and handed it to Tang Qiu, saying softly, “This is a summoning scroll. If there is anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
She paused after speaking, blinked her eyes, and added with a teasing smile, “Of course, since we’re friends, I won’t charge you a fee.”
Tang Qiu put the scroll away and shook her head with a light laugh. She took out a Space Gem and tossed it to Delphine. “A parting gift.”
As she spoke, she patted Kama’s head, then took the child’s small hand and turned to walk out of the forest. In a matter of moments, their figures vanished from sight.
Delphine watched until Tang Qiu and Kama had disappeared from view before looking down to inspect the Space Gem in her hand.
It contained an astonishing amount of Holy Water of Light. Delphine’s gaze slowly softened. She caressed the Space Gem and sighed silently.
The Holy Water of Light, so incredibly precious to Elves and Werewolves, seemed like common water in the hands of someone from the Holy See. From the day she met the golden-haired Bishop, the woman had always been so generous.
It was understandable that she possessed so much Holy Water of Light now, given her status as a Bishop of the Holy See, one of the three great empires. But why had she been so wealthy even when she was just a Priest?
Delphine pondered for a moment but couldn’t figure it out, so she eventually gave up. Clasping the Space Gem in her palm, she turned to return to her territory when she suddenly sensed something. She stopped in her tracks and glanced in a certain direction. Her light green eyes flickered as she said in a low voice, “...Aren’t you coming out?”
The surroundings were silent. After waiting patiently for a moment, a tall, slender figure emerged from behind a tree. Her long, silver-gray hair was casually braided down her back, and the few stray strands on her forehead could not conceal a conspicuous light green mark. With a longbow slung across her back, Patricia walked silently before Delphine, her head bowed.
Her entire being exuded an icy aura that kept others a thousand miles away. Delphine sized Patricia up for a moment, then said, “Follow me.”
With that, she turned and walked toward the territory.
Patricia glanced up at her, a complex look in her eyes. She raised a hand to her forehead and hesitated for a moment before finally following.
They maintained a distance of about a hundred meters, one walking behind the other. After they entered the territory, some Elves noticed Patricia’s presence. However, given her current status, they merely stopped what they were doing and watched in silence as she followed Delphine into the treehouse.
Although the Elves said nothing, the stares directed at Patricia caused the aura around her to grow increasingly cold.
Even though they too were fighting for the future of the Elf Race, they would never gain the acceptance of their kin simply because of who they were.
Before following Delphine into the territory, Patricia’s emotions had been somewhat turbulent. But upon sensing the attitude of the other Elves, her mood gradually turned to cold indifference.
The door to the treehouse closed, shutting out the other Elves’ gazes. Patricia took off her longbow and set it on the floor. She looked directly into Delphine’s eyes and said indifferently, “Take back the mark.”
Delphine froze, somewhat surprised. “What?”
“This.” Patricia pointed to the mark on her forehead. “I don’t need it.”
Seeing Delphine frown, she looked away, uncomfortable. Patricia was silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, “...Give it to that Bishop from the Holy See. You’d rather procreate with her, anyway.”
After she spoke, she pressed her lips together, a flash of annoyance crossing her face for having been unable to stop herself from uttering such bitter words.
Delphine was taken aback for a moment, then she smiled and said, “Are you talking about Grace?” She raised a hand to her chin, musing for a moment before continuing in a teasing tone, “Speaking of which, her qualifications are indeed excellent.”
She had intended to play along with Patricia’s words and tease her a bit to ease their strained relationship, but she hadn’t expected her comment to make Patricia’s expression darken instead.
“You really like her?” Patricia recalled how Delphine had stood there in a daze, staring at the Space Gem from Tang Qiu after the golden-haired Bishop had left. A sudden flame of anger ignited within her. Feeling both jealous and bitter, she couldn’t stop herself from advancing on Delphine, her voice low with suppressed emotion. “You can accept a Bishop from the Holy See, but you can’t tolerate us staying in your territory?”
“To you, are we Dark Elves the real enemy?”
Watching Patricia’s advancing figure, Delphine subconsciously took a step back. Her legs bumped against the edge of the wooden bed. Just as she was about to turn her head to look, a sudden weight fell on her shoulder, and a force pushed her backward.
Delphine had already raised her right hand, but a thought made her stop. She didn’t resist, instead allowing the force to push her down onto the wooden bed.
Patricia knelt on the bed with one knee, pressing down on Delphine’s shoulder with one hand as she leaned over her. She stared down into her eyes, her own silver-gray eyes slightly red. She gritted her teeth and demanded resentfully, “What have we done wrong?”
Long, light green hair cascaded over her shoulders. Because of her position, the wide collar of her dress failed to cover the skin of her chest. Delphine’s skin was fair and sensitive; the accidental brush of Patricia’s fingers was enough to leave several red marks.
Delphine hadn’t yet noticed anything amiss, but Patricia, who had been staring at her, caught a glimpse and snatched her hand back as if she’d been shocked.
As her emotions slowly calmed, Patricia silently straightened up and moved away from the bed, putting a safe distance between herself and Delphine.
“I came to have you take back this mark.” Patricia watched as Delphine sat up and straightened her clothes. Her gaze fell involuntarily to the side of Delphine’s neck before she forcibly tore it away. She wanted to touch the mark on her own forehead, but she resisted the urge and said in a cold voice, “I don’t want to be your Guardian.”
“And the Dark Elves want nothing more to do with the Elf Race.”
Delphine glanced at her and said calmly, “Is that all you came here to say?”
Patricia lowered her gaze and answered faintly, “Yes.”
After speaking, she waited quietly for Delphine’s response. When none came after a moment, Patricia frowned. She looked up, about to say something, when her forehead was suddenly flicked, neither too hard nor too soft.
Delphine, who had approached her at some unknown moment, curled a finger and tapped her on the forehead. She smiled gently. “Didn’t I teach you not to lie?”
Patricia froze. She raised a hand to cover the spot where she’d been tapped, a light flickering in her eyes that were usually as piercing as ice.
Delphine understood the grievances in Patricia’s heart. She hadn’t told her the truth before because the Tree of Life’s condition was not something she could reveal to the clan. On one hand, it would have driven the Dark Elves to despair, and on the other, it would have caused the rest of the Elves to panic.
The pressure of the Elf Race’s survival was a burden for her to bear alone; there was no need for her people to live in constant fear.
But things were different now. She could slowly reveal the truth to Patricia, because this was her Guardian.
Although she was a bit young, Delphine believed Patricia could share the heavy burden on her shoulders. If one day she was no longer here... she believed this person was capable of raising the next Elf Queen.
She had watched Patricia grow up; one could say she had taught her everything she knew personally.
“The Guardian chosen by the Forest Goddess is you, and that cannot be changed.” Delphine raised a hand to stroke Patricia’s hair, saying gently, “Will you procreate with me?”
Patricia raised her hand and gripped Delphine’s wrist, asking in a complex tone, “...Can I?”
Delphine smiled sweetly. “Of course, you can.”
Although Patricia was a Dark Elf, Delphine had given it serious thought. The blood essence of an Elf Queen should be able to overwhelm that of a Dark Elf, so there was a high probability their offspring would not be affected.
Delphine’s closeness slowly dissipated the jealousy and anger in Patricia’s heart. She was a little resentful of her own quick capitulation, but she couldn’t bring herself to refuse and walk away.
Patricia stood there in silence, her brow furrowed.
Delphine went to the table, sat down, and poured two cups of flower nectar. She gestured for Patricia to join her, but when the other elf didn’t move, she simply shrugged and began to drink on her own.
She had just raised her cup for a sip when a fruit landed on the table with a dull thud. Delphine froze, staring at the Elf Fruit on the table, momentarily stunned.
Patricia sat down across from her and expressionlessly placed several Space Gems in the middle of the Elf Fruit. When she saw Delphine looking at her, she uncomfortably averted her gaze.
“They’re for you.”
These were all things they had seized during their years outside. Whatever the golden-haired Bishop could provide, she could provide as well.
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