Free Web NovelChapter 23: Betrayal
"You... you’re insane! Your Majesty, aren’t you going to say something to this madwoman?" Gao quickly pushed Thandria’s sword away and retreated in panic to Elena’s side!
"Do you all remember the prophecy I told you about?" Queen Elena didn’t defend Sir Gao. Instead, she asked a different question.
The three advisors looked at one another in confusion, but in the end, they answered together, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"In that prophecy, I told you that the sacred tree which would save us and lead the Elf race to rise again would take us toward the heavens just as the sacred Tree of Cradle once did in the ancient era. Therefore, whatever decision His Majesty Rios makes, I will support it no matter what. Even if it requires sacrificing every sacred tree in the world—or sacrificing you, or even myself!"
"Whoever opposes him opposes me. Whoever stands with him stands with me. And anyone who wishes to stand in his way must first step over my corpse. From this day onward, the Elf race shall revere only one sacred tree... the Tree of Abyss, His Majesty Rios."
Elena spoke every word with unwavering determination, as though she had contemplated each one thousands of times before saying it. Then she looked at the three advisors and declared in a tone that permitted no argument, her gaze lingering especially on old Gao.
"Is that understood?"
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Both Thandria and Etham immediately dropped to one knee and answered without the slightest hesitation. A shiver of excitement ran through their bodies. The signs of a new era had already begun to appear... and they would become its pioneers.
As for old Gao...
"You... you... impossible!" Advisor Gao muttered, his pupils trembling with shock and agitation.
"You’re crazy. All of you are crazy! We should never have allowed you to become queen! You’re a disgrace to the Elf race! It wasn’t enough that you permitted that strange monster whose origins we know nothing about to devour our sacred tree—you also want to defile the legacy of every other sacred tree? Damn all of you! Damn that corrupted tree that has poisoned your minds! Die! The Elf race has no place for heretics like you!"
Gao’s expression twisted into something hideous as he hurled curses at the other three. Madness and desperation filled his face. Then he pulled out a staff carved from the trunk of an ancient tree, its tip crowned with a green crystal, and swung it toward Queen Elena.
Countless blades of emerald grass erupted from the ground, rapidly hardening into sharp wooden spikes before shooting toward Elena!
The queen remained standing exactly where she was and made no attempt to dodge.
Whoosh!
A miniature tornado, only slightly taller than an adult, suddenly appeared before her. From within it emerged Advisor Etham, wielding two light swords. With a single sweep, he sliced every wooden spike into pieces.
"Traitor! Go to hell!"
Lightning exploded beneath Thandria’s feet as she launched herself toward old Gao at astonishing speed, as though she had been waiting for this very opportunity. Without hesitation, she swung her sword with all her might, fully intending to sever his head!
Gao reacted just in time. Thick wooden roots burst from the earth and blocked Thandria’s fatal strike.
He hurriedly retreated and touched his own neck, feeling a brief wave of relief. He had just narrowly escaped decapitation.
But that relief lasted only an instant.
Behind him, Etham appeared once more, both swords reinforced by the power of wind. In front of him stood Thandria, her blade crackling with destructive lightning.
The major law of wood specialized in immense vitality, durability, and defense. But against major laws like wind and lightning, which specialized in overwhelming speed, agility, and devastating offense, there was hardly any room to maneuver.
The three blades descended upon Gao’s body, fully intending to chop him into tiny pieces and turn him into minced meat!
Booooom!
A deafening explosion rang out. Wind blades and arcs of lightning scattered everywhere, leaving behind a massive crater. As the dust slowly settled, Etham and Thandria stood in the center.
There was no trace of old Gao.
Not even a drop of blood remained.
"That’s enough."
Queen Elena appeared outside the crater, holding the unconscious body of old Gao in one hand without so much as a speck of dust on her clothes.
"This... Your Majesty... how?!"
Thandria and Etham stared at Elena in utter disbelief.
This was the first time they had ever witnessed the queen reveal her combat abilities, and the extent of her power filled them with dread.
How had she appeared between them without either of them noticing?
How had she taken Gao’s body away without either of them sensing it?
And since when had she possessed such terrifying strength?
...
"Take this criminal to the dungeon until His Majesty personally passes judgment on him."
Elena interrupted the flood of questions racing through their minds. She handed Gao’s unconscious body over to the guards, who had been watching the battle from the beginning, and ordered them to imprison him.
The guards had been present the entire time, but a battle of this level was far beyond their ability to interfere with.
"As you command, Your Majesty." freewēbnoveℓ.com
The guards knelt, took the former advisor away, and escorted him to the prison.
"Thandria, you will remain here with me and guard the garden until His Majesty awakens. Etham, you will oversee the affairs of the city for the next five days."
After Gao was handed over, Elena turned to the two advisors and gave her orders.
Thandria and Etham exchanged glances, each seeing the same mixture of surprise and excitement in the other’s eyes before bowing.
"As Your Majesty commands."
At that moment, one thought firmly engraved itself into both of their memories:
It seems we are about to witness the rise of the strongest Elf Queen in history!
"By your leave, Your Majesty."
Etham knelt on one knee before departing to carry out his mission.
After everyone else had left, leaving only Elena and Thandria behind...
"Come here, you mischievous little girl. Since when did you become this strong? You’ve already surpassed the previous queen by a huge margin."
Thandria wrapped her arms around Elena’s waist from behind, pressing her ample chest against Elena’s back before whispering mischievously into her ear.
"Tell me... how did it feel sitting on one of King Rios’s branches?"
Elena smiled at Thandria’s teasing, took her hands, and led her to sit beneath a nearby tree.
"Come, I’ll tell you."
Among everyone in the city, Thandria was the person closest to Elena and the one who knew the most about her secrets. They had practically grown up together, and Elena always felt safest and most comfortable around her.
To Elena, Thandria had always been like an older sister.
"I never knew my cute little kitten could become such a fierce and decisive tigress. Hehehehe."
Thandria teased her as she flicked Elena’s forehead with a finger.
"Hahaha... sometimes we have to make choices we don’t want to make."
Elena rubbed her forehead and gazed up at the sky, a bright smile hidden behind her white veil.
"I’ll always support you, no matter what you decide."
Thandria clasped Elena’s hand and spoke with complete certainty.
"I know."
