Chapter 90

90 – The Focal Point (5)

“Who has come to visit?!”

“It’s a High Elf. She has been alive since the Mythical Era, 10,000 years ago, and her identity was recently revealed through the Church of Light!”

As expected by Irilia, her visit created quite a stir. As a High Elf recognized by the Church of Light, which was the foremost faction, her very existence became a topic of discussion.

Moreover, the reason for her appearance was related to the recent hot topic of erosion and the impending end, making her presence even more significant.

“Damn it… of all times!”

Taizhu, who was holding a meeting with his close aides, ground his teeth. Unexpectedly, an uninvited guest from the Fox Tribe had arrived while witnesses who had reluctantly testified had suddenly gone missing after being attacked.

Taizhu and his aides hadn’t even considered that this High Elf might be connected to the abduction of the witnesses. They were at a loss on how to respond to the situation.

“Why are you overthinking it? Just treat the High Elf with utmost hospitality and win her over to our side.”

In the midst of this, it was Leorne, the Chancellor of the Fox Tribe and the uncle of the Fox King, who suggested a simple solution. As the focal point for Taizhu and his aides, Leorne confidently declared that there would be no problem.

“I’ve heard that the old Elf is taking action to prepare for the upcoming end, right?”

“That’s the same thing that Renia said.”

“What does it matter? The High Elf is just an outsider. If we cater to her well enough, we can gain everything we need. That erosion is troublesome, after all.”

Leorne brushed his beard and issued commands without hesitation. His plan was to surround Irilia with hospitality to win her favor, taking priority over the royalists. The other aides concluded that his plan made sense and was reasonable.

Only one person, Taizhu, remained silent, seemingly dissatisfied.

[Kill the High Elf. You must stop her.]

‘What on earth is this about?’

There was no grand reason behind it. It was simply a voice that had been resonating in his heart, urging him to oppose Irilia.

“Quickly prepare the banquet. We have a guest coming.”

That was all it was. Taizhu, unable to refuse Leorne’s orders without a clear reason, proceeded to host Irilia as planned while sending people out to search for the missing witnesses.

“Still no sign of them!?”

“I-I’m sorry. The other two were less guarded, and Neoru, the most important one, was washed away with the cart in the flooded river… If anything, Neoru is probably dead.”

By the time Irilia arrived, Taizhu had yet to locate the missing witnesses. Several days had already passed, but the witnesses had still not emerged.

If it was revealed that the witnesses had made false confessions, it would escalate the issue and become a hassle. Taizhu was convinced that the royalists, who opposed him and supported Renia, were plotting something.

“Expand the search area. Anyone suspicious should be confiscated and searched in the name of the Federation! We can’t be hindered by anything that has been set free.”

“Y-Yes!”

He had to be satisfied with pushing his subordinates to tighten the surveillance network. No matter how many witnesses were taken, anyone looking to use them would have no choice but to reveal themselves, and Taizhu planned to capitalize on that moment.

Even if there was someone capable of utilizing the witnesses, he calculated that if he dealt with them before they got to the witnesses, it could be covered up.

*

“I appreciate the hospitality, but it’s a bit disappointing to receive the Federation’s treatment before being welcomed by the Fox Tribe. I wonder if they won’t take offense.”

“There’s no need to worry about that at all. The kingdoms of the tribes and the Federation are one and the same. And above all, I am also the Chancellor of the Fox Tribe.”

Leorne chuckled and waved off Irilia’s words.

As planned, they began to earnestly welcome Irilia and Arisa to the banquet they had prepared.

‘It’s too obvious.’

While accepting the drink Leorne offered, Irilia inwardly scoffed. She could see clearly that the faction led by Leorne was trying to prevent her from contacting the Fox King.

However, for now, she didn’t show any signs of her awareness. There was no need to shatter their misconceptions prematurely.

“Still no news?!”

“Y-Yes. Please wait a bit longer, Your Majesty. The High Elf should soon…”

Meanwhile, someone was burning with anxiety. It was Tas, the Fox King, who was waiting for Irilia to come to him.

‘I need something, anything right now!’

Having the title of a legitimate king alone could not displace the faction led by Leorne, which had been steadily building its foundation for over ten years.

Even the dependable supporter and guardian, Renia, had been ousted by a scheme.

Tas believed that he would do anything to survive, even if that meant teaming up with an outsider.

In that regard, the High Elf Irilia was the perfect candidate. She had enough influence and was unattached, making it less of a burden to join forces with her.

He thought that as long as Irilia could say even one word of support for him, she wouldn’t forcibly drag him out as he had with Renia.

“I’ve heard that the High Elf has gone to the seat prepared by the Chancellor…”

“This can’t be happening…”

But no good news came.

He desperately tried to reach out to Irilia first, but those he sent were unable to bypass both the enemies monitoring the palace and the welcoming crowd of earlier adversaries.

In the end, Irilia fell into the hands of Leorne, the Chancellor, and Tas’s dream of begging her to restore his power was completely shattered.

‘Is this really the end?’

Hope seemed faint. On the contrary, his limbs were being plucked away one by one, including Renia.

He yearned to rush to the place where Irilia was right now, but with all the attendants in the palace replaced by Leorne’s subordinates, the king Tas was unable to do so.

“Who left the window open? The night breeze is cold.”

Thus, in despair, as he trudged into his bedroom on the third floor, he was greeted by a chilling draft that stood his fur on end.

Someone had left the window wide open when it should have been closed. Since he had chased all his attendants away, he grumbled to himself as he walked over to shut it.

“You’ve heard the news, haven’t you? The King of the Fox Tribe.”

“Ah…”

However, the moment he stepped inside the room, a girl he had never seen before was perched on the window, as if she had just entered.

An Elven girl with brilliant silver hair that resembled the moonlight was sitting there, her thin pieces of fabric draping her body in a way that felt both noble and mysterious.

“How on earth…”

“Forgive my rudeness for entering your chamber without following the proper protocol. That crafty Leorne tried everything to keep me from getting away, so I had to pretend to sleep and sneak out. Ah, I’m tipsy.”

Whether or not her words about being tipsy were genuine, the girl blushed, exuding the scent of fruit wine. It seemed she had no choice but to shrug her shoulders. Though she spoke casually, Tas did not dare respond.

He knew she was a being who had lived for a full 10,000 years. No matter how much of a king he was, he could never surpass that age.

“Why are you seeking me so desperately? You may not know, but all real power in this kingdom is held by Leorne.”

“What does that matter? The rightful king is you. The ruler of the Fox Tribe is you, not the Chancellor.”

It was a near-grumble. Tas felt as though he could confide in the High Elf, who was an outsider and a much older individual.

However, his eyes widened at her subsequent reply. Her words were exactly what he had longed to hear.

“It’s time for you to reclaim your position. Only then can you help me with my work.”

Seeing her faint smile, Irilia began to delve into the main topic.

The last words she had said, about helping her, lingered in his ears. What Irilia was offering was something that Tas had wanted more than anything else until now.

“Just having the High Elf’s support would be a great help to me.”

“Is that all it takes? You need to save your most significant ally first. I’m talking about Renia.”

“C-Can you save her?!”

Irilia’s plan was just beginning. When she mentioned Renia’s name, whom Tas believed to be utterly hopeless in salvation, Tas was taken aback and immediately knelt before her.