35. Infermur, the City Where the Dragon Awakens (2)
Ainard’s face was stained with confusion, fear, and anger. It was against the royal laws of the Elven Kingdom, but Ainard was practically sprinting through the palace.
“General! Armed in the palace…!”
“Where is His Majesty?!”
“His, His Majesty is currently in the sanctuary…!”
“Move aside!”
Ainard roughly shoved the shoulder of the royal guard and barged through the door. Guimerin’s palace was deep and vast. The king’s sanctuary was located in the heart of the palace, and armed entry was strictly forbidden.
However, the guards could not stop the furious prince’s steps. Moreover, they too were feeling the oppressive atmosphere that now enveloped the palace and the commotion coming from the sea.
“Your Highness. No one is allowed beyond this point.”
“…Lady Meladia. Step aside.”
“If it’s urgent news, I will deliver it to His Majesty. I apologize, but Your Highness must wait for a moment. The royal sanctuary is off-limits to anyone except His Majesty and those he has personally authorized. Even you, Your Highness, cannot enter.”
“How dare you command me?!”
“It is the king’s order. Please comply.”
“How dare you!!”
Ainard’s hair stood on end. Those who have reached the pinnacle of warriorhood carry magic within their bodies.
Like a calm sea, his always orderly magic surged with rage in an instant, tearing through the air.
But Meladia was no less a formidable opponent. The king’s personal guard and executioner. Among the elves, there was no one stronger than her in the Guimerin clan.
Meladia threateningly placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and crouched slightly. Ainard, enraged by Meladia’s stance, gripped his own sword hilt. The two warriors’ stances aligned.
Regardless of their emotions, they were warriors who had reached the pinnacle. Almost instinctively, their eyes locked onto each other’s openings. A tense atmosphere swirled between them.
“Calm down. You cannot harm the royal bloodline.”
“Impudent and insolent! I am the prince of this kingdom, and by any other measure, the admiral of the fleet! How dare you, a mere guard dog, try to stop me?!”
“Yes, even a guard dog has its own laws and duties. If I reveal this to my master, would it not be the duty of a guard dog to stop it?”
“How dare you threaten the royal bloodline!!”
Ainard and Meladia exchanged heated words but refrained from drawing their swords. The foundation of elven swordsmanship lies in a single decisive strike.
Strike second, but strike first. Elven swordsmen of their caliber could observe their opponent’s technique and exploit the opening.
Even if their skills were not equal, the one who struck first in a battle of openings would often lose more than half the advantage. They stood glaring at each other, maintaining their stances.
At that moment, the sanctuary door opened, and a servant dressed in ceremonial robes quietly walked out.
“His Majesty has summoned you, Your Highness.”
“…Very well. Meladia. I will settle this with you later.”
“As you wish.”
Meladia shrugged her shoulders, released her sword, and stepped aside. Ainard gritted his teeth and entered the sanctuary.
-Kurrrrung…
From afar, a massive vibration struck. All the ships in the harbor were colliding and breaking apart, but Guimerin’s flagship seemed almost unscathed despite the enormous waves.
Inside the flagship, it was as calm as if nothing was happening outside. Though tension lingered among the soldiers, the ship and its furnishings remained undamaged and peaceful.
Moreover, the sanctuary located within the ship was even more serene. King Guimerin leaned against a massive tree in the center of the sanctuary, looking down at the approaching Ainard.
On the pristine white table before Guimerin, a servant quietly bowed and stepped back as Ainard approached. Guimerin gestured lazily.
“Come and sit, my son. Is this your first time in the sanctuary?”
“…Yes.”
The sanctuary’s ceiling was bathed in light resembling the sun. The sanctuary was covered in lush green grass. Ainard hesitated, carefully stepping on the earthen floor.
‘Ah…’
Is this what the continent feels like? Ainard shuddered momentarily. Pure-blooded elves could never set foot on the continent, and Ainard was born after the elves were driven to the sea. The sensation of soil was entirely foreign to him.
“Yes, the continent is like this. There are places harder than this, and places softer than this. Isn’t it a pity? That the elves gave up that vast land and now cling to swaying tree dwellings, spending their days in consumption?”
Guimerin took a sip of tea and laughed. Ainard quickly composed himself and stood before Guimerin. Ainard looked down at Guimerin.
“Your Majesty. The dragon is about to awaken.”
“I know.”
“…General Aildern has betrayed the elves by allying with Franzrit. Whatever the price, it is an unforgivable act of treason.”
“The price was simple. The desire to become a vampire’s thrall and advance inland.”
“…Is that possible?”
“It is possible. Who do you think sent this secret letter?”
Guimerin pulled out a secret letter written in chicken blood from Franzrit. Ainard bit his lip.
“Surely not…!”
“It was quite a meaningful experiment. I handed over the woman you trusted most to Franzrit’s bats. To conclude, it was successful. Yolande is now living inland.”
“…You handed over… my mother… to the vampires?!”
Ainard staggered in shock and shouted.
“Why, why would you do that?!”
“Is there a reason it shouldn’t be your mother? If it were the bloodline of some lowly laborer, would that be acceptable? From my perspective, your mother and every other elf carry the same weight. I am the king, and the king does not favor any subject.”
Moreover, Yolande was trustworthy. Guimerin smiled as he looked at Ainard. Ainard felt a chill run down his spine.
The king does not see people as ‘individuals.’ He treats elves as a ‘species.’ Like ants… like a child looking at ants.
“Aildern, that child, knew this too. That child personally took Yolande to Franzrit. That must have been when that child began to harbor different thoughts.”
“…The fleet is in crisis. General Aildern has blockaded the harbor, and the dragon’s resurrection is imminent inland. Your Majesty, we must evacuate. The inland is dangerous.”
“Do you wish to abandon the inland?”
“We cannot covet what we cannot have and drive our people to their deaths!”
Ainard could not understand the king’s actions. After all, elves cannot set foot on land.
So why, why must we be bound to this wretched harbor and offer our precious people as food for the dragon?
“My son. Do you know why our race cannot set foot on land?”
“…Was it not because our gods disappeared from the Hall of the Gods in the Temple of the Gods?”
According to elven legend, at the end of the Celestial War, the elven gods vanished, and the elves, having lost their blessing, lost their dominion over the continent and were cursed by the Temple of the Gods.
In human legends, it is said, ‘The arrogant…’
