Chapter 143 : Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Ashirian de Silvana, the queen of Elvenheim, widened her eyes.

‘How can a human possess this level of class…….’

This wasn't the simple Haki used by a Superhuman-class knight.

Class was a power built upon existence itself, a symbol of existential power that only the chosen could use.

If the average lifespan of an elf was 500 years, a half-elf lived for 200, a high elf for 700, and royalty for 1000 years.

Meanwhile, as a royal who had lived for over 500 years, she had already built up a supreme class.

And yet, a mere human prince was unleashing a power on par with her own?

‘So Yggdrasil wasn’t just speaking empty words.’

A divine tree planted by the God Silvana, whom the fairies worshipped, and which had supported Elvenheim for over a thousand years.

Such a divine tree had prophesied that a knight of Eurasia would sever the bonds of the Elves.

And just in time, the one who had come to Elvenheim was the human before her, the Fourth Prince whose name was renowned throughout the frontier and the continent.

Seeing him display such a class, he was indeed as great as the rumors said.

‘But he’s unskilled in diplomacy.’

To think he would so easily draw his sword here in the Forest of Fairies, the very heart of the kingdom, while visiting as a representative of a nation.

A mere human.

“One who cannot even live for 100 years possesses an undeserved power. Have you dabbled in the dark arts?”

She identified the power Killian had obtained as dark arts.

‘She’s gravely mistaken about something.’

Killian also knew well about Yggdrasil.

‘It’s undoubtedly a tree planted by that fellow Silvana.’

A tree planted by a God himself.

It would have been influenced by an Authority, so it was no surprise that it had special abilities.

‘The problem is why that fellow is hostile to Eurasia…….’

Judging by the queen’s reaction, her trust in the divine tree seemed deep.

At this rate, he wouldn't be able to obtain the Nectar.

“Captain.”

Beside him, Serena shook her head.

The incident in the Holy Nation overlapped in her mind.

Killian was the Annihilation Squad Leader, but he was also the Fourth Prince.

Not all problems could be solved by swinging a sword.

‘A status like shackles.’

Killian collected the class he was emitting.

An ancient class that he had become able to draw out, at least in part, after completing his Superhuman body.

Although it was at a level embarrassing to even call a remnant, just that much had left his entire body drenched in sweat.

That sight must have looked pathetic to the Elven Queen.

“It seems there has been some misunderstanding.”

Killian sheathed his sword and took out Pale de Silvana’s letter from his breast pocket.

It was the item entrusted to him as a trivial favor.

“This is a letter from the Chief Priest of the Silvana Temple.”

“Pale?”

Ashirian’s golden eyebrows twitched.

“Bring it here.”

At her command.

Sreuk.

Green mana coiled around the letter in Killian’s hand.

The levitating letter was placed in the queen’s hand.

“Let me see for myself what is written here. Know that it is an honor, human who has learned the dark arts.”

‘She’s a self-important queen. Well, perhaps that’s to be expected.’

Unlike humans who couldn't even live for 100 years, other races were guaranteed lives of hundreds of years.

The woman before him was granted a long life even among them, so perhaps it was Killian, who had maintained a similar personality even after living for thousands of years, who was the strange one.

The queen read the letter with a blank expression.

As her eyes followed the words, a smile seemed to form on her lips.

“Ahahahahahaha.”

She burst into laughter.

As her laughter echoed through the forest, the trees and flowers of the forest swayed here and there, as she had not collected her class.

Ashirian flicked her finger, and the letter flew toward Killian.

“Look.”

“……”

The letter he received was densely filled with words written in the fairy language.

Killian, having lost his Authorities, could not understand the language.

As if mocking him, Ashirian read it slowly, one letter at a time.

“Killian Eurasia and his party have come to obtain Nectar. Pale de Silvana, a member of Elvenheim, attests to their identity and sends them to the Queen. Also, please note for your judgment that Serena Constantine is using green mana… is what’s written.”

“It is all true. I fail to understand why that is a problem.”

“Trying to converse with a dull human is not easy, even for me who has mastered the principles of reason.”

“……”

“Killian Eurasia, why do you desire Nectar?”

There was no need to bother explaining Hazard’s situation.

“Because the Head Apothecary needs it.”

She snorted at his answer.

Contrary to her lofty appearance, she was a queen who expressed her emotions clearly.

“A prince of a nation moves to acquire something needed by an apothecary? Moreover, you even shortened the time by going through two temples. I hear you also ran wild in the Holy Nation.”

“That was months ago. I must make it clear that today’s visit is a personal matter, not an official diplomatic one.”

Eurasia's Head Apothecary was a bit special and peculiar.

He said that he would not hesitate to carry out even trivial tasks if it was to achieve the prosperity and military strength of Eurasia.

“Is it because of Yggdrasil’s prophecy? Are you being hostile without even confirming the truth, just because of that?”

Either a wise queen who considered high-level political calculations, or an unqualified queen lacking basic diplomatic skills.

Killian tried to gauge which one she was.

The queen’s eyes shone sharply.

“There is no reason to tell an outsider, especially one that Yggdrasil has warned of.”

Her green mana coiled through the forest, dominating the area.

The mana, along with killing intent, spread a cold aura that enveloped the Forest of Fairies.

She muttered something in the fairy language, and at that moment, magic was invoked.

That power exuded the pressure of one who had mastered 7-star, bringing a sense of tension to the air.

‘It was the latter.’

Just as Killian was about to draw his Aether again.

“Captain.”

Serena called him once more and quietly shook her head.

Their purpose was to obtain Nectar for Hazard.

If they crossed the line any further, their relationship would become irreversible.

‘This has become troublesome.’

Killian muttered and dispelled his mana.

“I will not let you go until your true intentions are revealed. Take them away.”

As the queen commanded coldly, elves who had been hiding their bodies showed themselves.

All of them had achieved 6-star, and the one leading them also seemed to have achieved 7-star.

“Put down your swords. Resistance will not be permitted.”

Killian and his party obediently put down their swords and bows.

“Cuff them.”

At the man’s command, the three of them were handcuffed with Bongsinseok and dragged away.

Watching them, the queen smiled once more.

Unlike the one she had shown Killian, it was a gentle smile.

“Rundel.”

She said in a low voice.

Sreuk.

An elf who had been leaning against the back of a tree walked out.

“Will this suffice?”

“It will.”

“There is not much time left. I do not know why they desire Nectar, but Killian Eurasia might be able to solve Yggdrasil’s problem.”

She was in private contact with the Saintess Lan de Styx.

She had been sharing the results of the Divine Object reaction experiment with Killian Eurasia.

“If that is true, he may be able to synchronize with Yggdrasil as well.”

Synchronization with Yggdrasil, which would have been possible if she had properly inherited the throne.

She had tried to approach him by infiltrating the half-elf Id into the Annihilation Squad for that purpose, but Killian had arrived sooner than expected.

It was truly a coincidence.

“Perhaps the fate of Elvenheim rests on him. We must resolve the contamination of Yggdrasil, no matter what. Do you understand?”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Rundel, who had paid his respects, quickly disappeared.

Left alone, she unfolded the letter that Pale de Silvana had sent again.

In it was the heart of Pale de Silvana, which he had not told to Killian’s party.

It was a sentence full of apology.

“Brother, you should have taken this position after all.”

The forest was once again submerged in silence, but within it was a tension like the calm before a storm.

***

Killian sighed as he looked at himself, trapped in a hut.

It was right after he had joked that since they were fairies, they seemed to design even their prisons to be nature-friendly.

“Serena.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Do you know the feeling of getting used to being trapped somewhere?”

“……”

After a moment of silence, Serena opened her mouth with her characteristic cold face.

“Considering I will be traveling with you from now on…… I might have to get used to it.”

A certain degree of resignation was contained within her coldness.

Yet, without giving up, she was personally touching and examining the wood that made up the hut.

“It’s no use. There’s divine power flowing through the wood. It’s not a strength that can be dealt with without mana.”

Originally, elves who used mana were using tools of divine power that priests would use, and the names of the royalty included the name of Silvana.

“There’s no hybrid quite like this hybrid.”

Killian let out a hollow laugh and sat down on the floor.

‘Even in Edan’s time, they did not join hands.’

Whether it was the Empire or the Kingdom Alliance, it didn't matter to them who became the ruler of the continent, as they were tucked away in the southern frontier, living long lives.

Perhaps that was why they had lived for so long without major incidents.

‘To achieve something, sacrifices must be made.’

Opposite him, Id was examining the hut just like Serena.

“I told you it’s no use. Maybe I should have just swung my sword. If I had, I would have been able to grasp Elvenheim’s military strength.”

Just knowing how many superhumans there were would be useful information.

Serena reacted immediately.

“If you had done that, it wouldn’t have ended as a diplomatic issue. There’s no good in making enemies for no reason.”

“Shall we hear the thoughts of our first sword?”

“First, to get out of this situation, we need to clear up their misunderstanding. Do you happen to have any good ideas?”

“No. That’s why I’m asking you.”

Killian’s gaze turned to the half-elf whose ears were perked up.

“Id, what are your thoughts?”

“I believe it is important to prove that we have no ill will.”

“How?”

“The fact that Sir Serena’s mana is green, like mine, must be due to the influence of an elf.”

When Killian looked at Serena, she opened her mouth as if to answer Id.

“A long time ago, my great-grandfather helped an elf, and in return, he learned a Mana Heart refinement method. The knights of the Constantine Family have awakened green mana for generations, but…… I do not know the exact correlation.”

“That elf who taught the Mana Heart refinement method must have been a Superhuman.”

“……”

“……?”

At the reaction of the two Annihilation Squad members, Killian continued to explain.

“Not all refinement methods are the same.”

Although the difference was subtle, the solidity varied depending on what kind of resolve one had and what kind of mind image one held during the process.

“The reason elves all use green mana is that in the process of refining their Mana Hearts, they naturally think of the preservation of the forest. Just like how your Carpe Illusion, Serena, takes the form of a forest.”

He told her that the mind images of the elves were unknowingly reflected in the Constantine Family's mana refinement method.

He said that was the origin of what made the knight named Serena Constantine who she was today.

“That elf, if he was a Superhuman at least a hundred years ago, he might have reached 8-star by now.”

An 8-star elf.

His body tingled with the desire to compete at least once.

“But what does Serena using green mana have to do with anything?”

“It is to emphasize the friendship between Sir Serena’s family and the fairy race. If the one who taught the Constantine Family the mana refinement method is still alive, he would be someone with a significant voice.”

At that moment.

“You have a cute idea, half-elf.”

Kkiiik.

The door opened, and an elf entered.

A slender yet sturdy silver-haired elf.

The elf, who looked to be in his mid-thirties in human years, made eye contact with each person in the hut in turn.

“Rundel. It would be best for you to remember the name of the one who interrogates you.”