Chapter 84: Striving for Strength

Chapter 84: Striving for Strength

At the same time, due to this war, Airael found herself even more eager to train and grow stronger.

This world operates on the principle of the survival of the fittest!

She had come to fully realize this law through the course of the war.

Moreover, after becoming stronger herself, she needed to lead the Elven Race to strength as well.

Thus, she aimed to change the current situation; while she didn’t need to restore the Elven Race to its former glory, at the very least, they could not continue to decline like this.

If not, what happened today might repeat itself—again and again…

Besides, Airael didn’t want to meddle too much in this matter.

Just thinking about it gave her a headache.

As for matters of marriage, she hadn’t given them a second thought until Suratu mentioned it.

It was an issue she had subconsciously kept ignoring.

After Suratu brought it up, she realized that marriage was indeed a huge dilemma for her.

Sadly, no matter how much she tried to avoid it, as the Elven Queen, she could not escape it.

The humans’ condition for peace was that they insisted on marrying her, this Elven Queen.

They were willing to forgo all other demands, but that one was non-negotiable.

However, the lords of the Elven Race were hesitant to agree to such a condition.

After all, Airael was their Queen, and though she had yet to officially reign and had an unclear background—nobody knew where Linis had brought her from—she still represented their racial dignity.

Moreover, Airael was also the lord of Silnas Island and the Admiral of the Navy!

If she were to be forced into marriage with a human, it would be nothing short of naked humiliation for the Elven Race.

Despite the enticing terms the humans offered, this was an entirely different story.

Thus, the Elven Council discussed this matter for several days but reached no conclusion.

The benefits of peace with the humans were evident; the Elven Race also did not want to continue fighting and urgently needed peace. However, the demands presented by the humans were hard for them to accept.

During these days, Airael, who had resolved not to involve herself too much, could not help but think about this issue in her free time, weighing the pros and cons in her mind.

Was it better to hastily gamble and fight the humans or endure like King Goujian, waiting for a chance to reverse the situation?

The former, needless to say, would surely bring disaster to the Elven Race, potentially leading to a decline from which they would never recover or outright destruction!

The latter would definitely require her to suffer.

Of course, the entire Elven Race would be affected as well, but the damage wouldn’t be significant.

On the contrary, it might provide an opportunity for growth for the Elves.

The humiliation and hatred could be transformed into motivation for the Elven Race to reinvigorate itself.

Standing on the balcony, Airael took in the beauty of the city before her.

This city had existed for over ten thousand years, according to records.

Everywhere exuded Elven beauty, steeped in rich historical ambiance.

The arena, the opera house, the Elven Royal Palace, and the Life Temple, among others.

These structures boasted a very long history.

To see such a city destroyed in war would be a grave loss!

Noticing Airael suddenly sighing, Hela, standing behind her, felt a stir in her heart and couldn’t help but call out, “Your Majesty!”

Airael turned to Hela and said, “Teacher Hela, I need to speak with Linis; there are some things I need to discuss with her.”

At this moment, Airael had come to a resolution.

However, she would not submit easily.

She would also prepare her counterattack.

Wasn’t Suratu confident in the future of the human race?

Then let’s gamble with time!

“Understood!”

Hela sighed lightly in response.

She had been watching Airael’s behavior over the past few days.

Thus, she had a fair guess about what Airael was thinking.

Now it seemed clear: their Queen had truly made up her mind.

Hela felt quite conflicted about this.

She didn’t want Airael, whom she had been caretaking, to be married off to a human.

Yet, this was currently the optimal solution.

Under Hela’s arrangement, Airael quickly arrived at the Life Temple with the protection of the Royal Palace Guards.

Inside the reception room of the Life Temple, Airael sat across from Linis.

Hela stood behind her.

Looking at Airael’s serious little face, Linis asked, “Your Majesty, did you come regarding the humans?”

“Yes,” Airael replied.

Her little face remained stern.

Being forced to make such a choice at a time like this certainly didn’t bring her joy.

Linis sighed softly and continued, “Your Majesty, you really don’t need to do this.”

When Airael brought the human Grand Mage Suratu into the Elven Royal City, Linis had already guessed what Airael was thinking.

She knew Airael inclined toward agreeing to marry a human.

“Linis, I must do this. The Elven Race has already suffered greatly in this war.”

The gruesome images of countless corpses flooded Airael’s mind again. While most were human soldiers, the bodies of Elven Soldiers were not few either.

And those casualties were just from the battle at Silnas Fortress.

Previously, the Elven Race had already lost a significant battle, incurring heavy losses.

Furthermore, there were also the Treemen captured by the humans.

Linis looked at Airael, momentarily lost for words.

She inwardly sighed again.

From Airael’s words, she understood that this war had indeed helped Airael grow quite a bit.

Sadly, the humans were strong, and the Elves were weak, and even Krul had sacrificed himself.

After her sigh, Linis spoke again, “Your Majesty, I’m very grateful you can think of the greater good for the Elven Race. No matter what choice you make next, I will support you.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Linis.”

Linis’s words brought a hint of joy to Airael’s face.

However, that fleeting joy quickly vanished. Airael looked at Linis and continued, “Linis, I have made my decision: I choose to marry a human!”

Upon hearing Airael say this, both Hela and Linis, albeit prepared for it, felt their hearts weigh heavily.

At that moment, Airael suddenly spoke again, “However, I will propose some conditions based on my agreement to marry a human.”

Linis and Hela were taken aback by Airael’s unexpected turn, both surprised.

Seeing their astonishment, Airael showed a faint smile and explained, “Since the humans are adamant about this one condition, they certainly care a lot about it. In that case, why not leverage this agreement to negotiate for more or alter the humans’ demands a little?”