As Angie tapped Richard on the back of his hand to stop him from stepping forward, Richard gritted his teeth and glared at Gerald.
Maria hung her head in shame, while Gerald raised his eyebrows in surprise at Richard’s effort to control his anger.
In that moment, Aslan quickly looked around.
Dozens of knights were slowly gathering near their lord.
The soldiers who had been preparing the meal also followed the sergeants and their lord’s superior to protect their own lords.
There were also a few wizards. They seemed ready to cast spells at any moment, as they prepared hand signs.
Hundreds of pairs of eyes watched them. But it was a different kind of attention compared to the time with Netchagni.
Aslan saw Tiamat winking as if waiting for him to speak, and shook his head while kneeling on one knee.
Before Gerald could react with wide eyes, Aslan spoke.
“Aslan Flame-Tongue has returned after carrying out the orders of His Highness Gerald.”
Gerald raised his eyebrows again.
“I never ordered you to flee.”
Clearly referring to Phey’s escape.
Without responding to an accusation that lacked evidence, Aslan replied,
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Denying it outright, Gerald stared silently down at Aslan, then decided not to press further.
He simply asked,
“Then how well and accurately did you carry out your orders?”
Instead of answering, Aslan took something out from his robes. Slowly pulling it out, the wizards stopped forming hand signs when they noticed Aslan held a seed-like object.
The sudden appearance of the seed caught everyone’s attention. King Gerald asked indifferently,
“What is this?”
“It is the crystallization of life force by the powers of nature and creation. It is the sole treasure of this world, granting eternal youth and endless vitality to whoever consumes it.”
Aslan naturally answered without showing any sign of hesitation.
Without even replying, Gerald turned his head, but the torture mage standing in that direction bowed and said,
“If it truly holds the power of nature and creation, it wouldn’t be strange for it to have such effects.”
“So you’re saying if what he says is true, it would make sense,” Gerald responded, glaring down at Aslan while speaking through his subordinate.
The king, who didn’t appear to be nearing the end of his lifespan, asked,
“What happens if it’s partially consumed? Does it still work?”
An obvious question. Aslan shrugged as he stood up.
“What do you think?”
His tone was different from when he was kneeling moments ago.
With Aslan’s attitude flipping like turning a hand, Gerald smirked subtly.
“Let me guess. You’ll say either nothing will happen or there will be side effects, right?”
“No, I don’t know. How could I possibly know when it’s the only one in the world?”
The overt display of irritation made King Gerald smile faintly as he nodded.
“That’s a fair point.”
When the king raised one hand, the knights behind him gripped their weapons.
“I won’t accept it.”
With those words, the knights approached step by step. The sound of their plate armor clanking echoed as they neared. Aslan rolled his eyes.
“If you insist on proceeding this way… then I have no choice either. Since I haven’t fully completed my mission and can’t die yet…”
The sight of his companions preparing for battle, gripping their weapons. Aslan moved among them, pointing the seed toward his mouth.
“I have no choice but to eat it.” Aslan said this while trying to consume it, and during that brief moment, King Gerald observed the momentum of Aslan’s group.
The group maintained their combat stance but momentarily exchanged puzzled glances with Aslan.
It was as if they were wondering why he would eat something so painstakingly obtained right here and now, potentially causing trouble.
Watching Aslan hesitate not at all before eating, Gerald let out a small sigh.
Once again, Gerald raised his hand. The knights stopped, and Aslan paused just before eating the seed.
As Aslan’s emerald green eyes met Gerald’s green ones in the air, Gerald signaled the torture mage with a nod of his chin.
“Just a moment.”
The approaching wizard took the seed Aslan handed over without hesitation and began incanting.
Muttering magical symbols rhythmically, a faint light flowed through the seed. After a brief silence, the wizard broke out in cold sweat.
“…It’s exactly as the veteran of battles said. There resides within it… a powerful divine essence that seems to stem from nature and creation.”
Divinity cannot be faked. This was widely known, and thus Gerald’s eyes immediately gleamed with greed.
Maria appeared uncomfortable, but understandably so. If Gerald truly attained immortality, Maria would surely be pushed out of power entirely.
For that reason, Maria glanced at Aslan with subtle resentment, and Aslan turned away with a seemingly modest expression.
This only deepened Gerald’s certainty.
Given that Maria had been under surveillance since Aslan’s group left, it was unlikely her current attitude was an act.
Thus, Gerald stepped into the trap carefully prepared by Aslan.
Signaling the torture mage to hand over the seed, Gerald swallowed it without hesitation.
Though most people might hesitate, Gerald showed none, for his willingness to take risks was the key to his repeated successes.
That boldness had never disappointed the king until now.
Until now.
After King Gerald swallowed the seed, a short time passed in silence. Suddenly, the king grabbed his neck.
“…”
A groan filled with pain escaped. Clutching his throat, the king’s body collapsed. The knights reacted swiftly.
“Wizards! Heal His Majesty!”
“Kill them!”
Like an excellent vehicle reaching its top speed in one go, the knights’ anger surged to its peak almost instantly.
Knights drawing swords, soldiers unsheathing spears, archers aiming their bows amidst the shouts.
Toward the group of knights rushing forward, Aslan muttered without hesitation.
“Grasp.”
All Aslan needed was some time. He deployed the remaining half of Steamfalos’ wings, which were already halfway depleted.
Hundreds of feathers floated freely due to the telekinetic grasp, momentarily halting the knights’ movements.
During this, Aslan shot a few feathers toward the knight aiming to cut off Maria’s neck.
The knight struck by the flying feathers tumbled to the ground, allowing Maria to retreat slightly.
Charging knights swung their highly trained weapons—precise swords, spears, and blunt instruments—but they were deflected by the feathers.
“Revenge!”
A shouting knight charged, mages began chanting, and Tiamat, seizing the opportunity, drew her bow to create a plasma arrow.
“Stop!”
Out of nowhere, a girl’s voice rang out.
Her commanding charisma and oddly familiar tone resonated. The high-pitched voice pierced the ears, causing the knights to instinctively pause and turn their heads toward its source.
There stood a girl.
A delicate elf maiden with flowing platinum hair and radiant emerald eyes.
Her confused expression suggested she couldn’t believe her own words, betraying the elven disposition that shied away from violence.
The knights, witnessing the impossible, faltered in denial, giving Aslan the chance to turn to Maria.
The woman lying on the ground sent a bewildered gaze toward Aslan, and upon meeting her eyes, Aslan nodded.
With a gulp, Maria rose.
She naturally adjusted her clothes and suddenly shouted,
“What disturbance is this in the royal presence?”
Her voice resembled the girl’s but was more mature and clear, with perfect diction.
The knights, confused, shifted their gazes to the woman. Approaching the girl who bore a striking resemblance to herself, Maria spoke in a desperate tone.
“Are your eyes mere decorations? Are you so lacking in loyalty that you fail to recognize His Majesty in his changed form?”
It was coercion.
No one expects a human to suddenly become an elf, and it’s natural to deny the truth if your ruler suddenly transforms into one.
But coercion can sometimes be an effective tool.
Amidst the chaos and ensuing anger, the paralyzed rationality and swirling emotions, Maria surveyed the bewildered soldiers and knights before suddenly kneeling on one knee and bowing to the now-elven king.
“Hail the eternal ruler of the Vida Kingdom, His Majesty Gerald!”
Recognized by the king’s blood relative and member of the royal family, the meaning was simple enough that perceptive knights hesitated no longer.
More seasoned knights sighed dramatically at the dramatic reversal of power before kneeling, but no one cared.
One after another, the sound of knights kneeling echoed like a cascade.
“Hail His Majesty Gerald!”
The unified cries cut through the silence. Seeing this, Aslan withdrew his grasp and retracted Steamfalos’ wings.
Heaving a sigh.
Even though he believed Maria would definitely cooperate, he still sighed. Blinking his eyes, he noticed a pair of innocent green eyes staring at him from the crowd.
It was Gerald, gradually being enveloped by elven thought patterns due to the sudden transformation into an elf.
Meeting Gerald’s gaze, Aslan mouthed silently,
“Forgive me.”
As Gerald’s pupils trembled, Aslan thought.
If the Vida Kingdom under Gerald’s rule was merely an alliance partner, it was a liability.
It was uncertain whether they would truly ally or function properly within the alliance.
Rather, inducing internal division might be better.
Since it was unclear when betrayal might occur, Aslan needed to sideline King Gerald.
And he needed to do it as peacefully as possible, avoiding chaos in the Vida Kingdom and ensuring no one died.
That’s why the elf-making seed was necessary.
An immortal king transformed into an elf, one who harbors boundless goodwill toward humans and possesses eternal life—surely, there would be no problem.
Suddenly turning his head, Aslan spotted Richard wearing a complicated expression and smiled bitterly.
You probably never imagined revenge would come in this form.
But Aslan firmly believed this was the most beneficial form of revenge.
It was the only way to keep the Vida Kingdom as a strong ally and support while also achieving personal revenge against Richard.
Aslan gazed at the magnificent sight of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of people kneeling before the eternally innocent, watching desire gradually fade from King Gerald’s eyes.
