Free Web NovelAt noon, after nearly an hour of tireless travel, the blue tiger finally carried the three of them back to the Elven Royal Court.
After putting the blue tiger into the Golden City, Vieya used “I still have other things to do” as an excuse to have the maid take Jasmine back to her room, then headed alone toward the main hall.
“Has Mom been getting a little too close to Sister Aislin lately...” Jasmine looked suspiciously at Vieya’s departing back, feeling both a little sullen and a little confused.
Vieya was fairly familiar with the route to the main hall—especially places like taverns, eateries, and music halls, whose locations she remembered clearly. Passing through the long street, the palace complex of the Elven Royal Court came into view. After greeting the patrolling elven guards, she was easily allowed inside.
The elves all knew the identity of this foreign guest, so the convenience and respect she was given were of the highest level.
Such a lovely bunch of elves.
Vieya really liked the relaxed, harmonious atmosphere here. Most elves were a bit slow and simple—having never left the Elven Forest since birth, their eyes were clear and free of scheming, which suited her laid-back, slack-off personality perfectly.
But soon, she thought again of the Grand High Priest from the grasslands.
Long ago, Tiya had taken her to meet the Grand High Priest. At the time, the Grassland Great Khan was in his prime and had held a banquet inviting her Hero Squad to attend, with the Grand High Priest waiting at his side.
The Grand High Priest was proficient in all kinds of divination methods, a man who placed grassland interests above all else.
‘He’s come looking now—did he discover my identity and come to test it? Did Tiya leak it? Impossible. With Tiya’s personality, without my permission her mouth is sealed tight; she wouldn’t blab everywhere.’
‘Besides, this old man popping back up—Tiya might even think her teacher has been dead for years.’
‘Then the most likely reason is that the disturbances from the recent war in the Elven Forest caught his attention. And since the forest barrier hasn’t fully recovered yet, he came to talk with the Elven Queen. Running into me was just incidental?’
That seemed the most likely explanation. Vieya was quite satisfied with the mysterious and complicated nature of her own background. Aside from students and former teammates who knew her extremely well and could catch faint traces in small details, any divination, fortune-telling, or predictive arts were completely ineffective on her.
A Grand High Priest who had exchanged fewer than ten sentences with her in total couldn’t possibly discover anything.
Of course, someone like Flaviel—who knew her inside and out from beginning to end—was an exception.
As she thought this, the elf who had been waiting outside the hall for some time proactively stepped forward and led her inside.
The moment Vieya stepped in, two gazes fell upon her.
“We have been waiting for you for quite some time, little friend. You’ve finally arrived,” the Grand High Priest said with a smile.
“Little Vieya, come sit over here with me.” Aislin’s eyes lit up as she patted the soft throne beside her.
Vieya responded with a soft “Mm,” calmly walked to the empty spot beside Aislin, sat down, and casually asked, “What are we having for lunch today? I haven’t eaten yet.” frёewebnoѵēl.com
“Huh?” Aislin didn’t quite keep up with the slime girl’s train of thought. She paused for quite a while before lowering her voice. “You’re done with your business?”
“Done. It’s just that I’m not too familiar with the Elven Forest, so finding my way took most of the day. I’m exhausted.”
“Then next time, when you have time, I’ll take you around... But my matter with this Grand High Priest is already finished. What about you?”
“Sure.”
Originally, Vieya wanted to pull out a dining table and talk while eating, but given the current situation, Aislin had no appetite at all and just wanted to send the Grand High Priest ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ off as quickly as possible.
So Vieya turned her head and asked the Grand High Priest, “Do you know me?”
“Of course I know the famous Holy Sword Wielder, Miss. After all, you are the first monster girl in history to ever grasp the Holy Sword. It would be hard not to know you,” the Grand High Priest said meaningfully. “But Miss Holy Sword Wielder seems to be on very good terms with the newly appointed Elven Queen—so good that you even share the throne.”
Vieya frowned. “What do you want to ask?”
“Sigh. A few days ago, the protective barrier of the Elven Royal Court vanished, drawing the attention of some unknown forces. Coincidentally, an old friend of mine came to me, hoping the humans of the grasslands could offer some assistance,” the Grand High Priest sighed. “Unfortunately, I was powerless. Having already retired to the fields, I could only politely refuse my old friend’s request and tell her to seek help from my unworthy student instead.”
“But I never expected that the grassland tribes my student united would be far too weak to stop those high-tier experts. This indirectly expanded the losses suffered by the elven race. As a former Grand High Priest, I am wracked with guilt,” he said, tears welling up. “In the past, the ancestors of the elven race helped our grasslands, yet now we are unable to aid the elves in their hour of crisis.”
“Then what was that just now?” Aislin asked. “Why did you use magic on me?”
Vieya looked surprised. “He even dared to ambush you?”
Aislin nodded.
“That’s a long story.” The Grand High Priest gathered his expression and said solemnly, “I was only worried that, in its moment of weakness, the elven race might attract the gaze of demons. And just as the elven race happens to be in the midst of a transition of the throne—if a demon were to take advantage of the opening and invade, seizing Her Majesty’s soul, it would be a catastrophe for the entire Western Region, and even for all of humanity.”
“It’s fine. There really was a demon at the time—inside the World Tree—but I personally killed it,” Vieya said calmly.
As soon as her words fell, both Aislin and the Grand High Priest below her changed expression sharply.
“Little friend, are you certain you encountered a demon?” the Grand High Priest asked gravely.
“Little Vieya, how is it that I didn’t know about this...” Aislin also turned to look at Vieya. Though she tried to remain calm, there was obvious panic in her eyes.
The foremost duty of every Elven Queen throughout history was to protect the World Tree. Yet a demon had appeared inside it, and she had been completely unaware... This was far too derelict!
Such a huge oversight right after ascending the throne—of course Aislin was panicking.
“It’s fine.” Vieya paused. Did a demon that weak really require this level of vigilance? She had erased it with a single strike. “I used the Holy Sword to completely annihilate it. It won’t have any impact on the World Tree.”
Hearing this, Aislin finally let out a breath. She trusted Vieya—trusted her character and her strength.
Since Vieya said it was fine, then it was probably fine. Still, she would need to go inspect the World Tree tonight.
“Little friend, are you certain you killed the demon?” the Grand High Priest pressed on.
“I used the Holy Sword,” Vieya said, then summoned it and set it down on the table.
Brilliant golden light flowed along the blade, holy aura filling the entire hall.
The Holy Sword was the nemesis of all the most evil things in the world.
“Hehe. It seems your mastery of the Holy Sword is no less than that of the previous sword bearer,” the Grand High Priest said after staring at it for a while. In the end, he still sighed, his voice tinged with desolation. “We of the older generation really are no longer up to the task. Very well—since the Holy Sword Wielder herself has said so, then these old bones of mine should return to the grave and lie quietly.”
As he spoke, the Grand High Priest rose from the guest seat, leaning on his wooden staff, and walked toward the hall’s exit.
At the threshold, he stopped. His hunched figure stood in the sunlight outside the hall, and he laughed aloud.
“Haha. Young Elven Queen—if in the future you wish to rebuild ties with the human race, you can go seek out my unworthy student. She will help you. And perhaps the next Grassland Great Khan is someone we can afford to place some expectations upon.”
With that, the Grand High Priest disappeared into the dazzling sunlight, leaning on his staff.
The two remaining people in the hall fell silent for a while.
In the end, it was Aislin who turned to look at Vieya. Wanting to lighten the heavy atmosphere, she asked,
“Is there anything you’d like to eat? I can take you and Jasmine together?”
