Chapter 291: Severity of the Situation

"Oh, Yggdrasilia! Please give us the strength to face those unholy demons...!"

Mutterings echoed inside the shrine as Elysia devotedly knelt before the altar of the World Tree with her eyes filled with hope.

Tap— Tap— Tap—

The sound of footsteps echoed inside the hall, snapping the sacred queen from her prayers.

"Elwood, Sylvanna, you guys..."

Elysia had a confused expression on her face as she stood and turned around to face her two most loyal aides.

What greeted her sight was the same faces of the friends she had been with throughout her life.

The elven woman with emerald green eyes and hair the shade of the earth, Sylvanna le Naralith.

The other was an elven man with green hair, the shade of tree leaves, and the same color of eyes as the former, Elwood le Rosalith.

""We greet the Sacred Queen chosen by the World Tree as her incarnation upon this world.""

The two genoflected and greeted her with loud and firm voices.

A flash of light flickered in Elysia’s eyes before she smiled and nodded in appreciation, "Ah, my two best friends! It’s nice to see you, as always!"

"By the way, what’s the current situation on the frontlines?" She asked after a brief pause.

Sylvanna was the first to speak, "Your Holiness, the traitors are spreading at a terrifying pace. There have been numerous conflicts among the groups of survivors. Since the traitors can hide among them, it has bred distrust, making it even harder to maintain what little peace remains..."

Listening to her words, Elysia’s calm expression turned into a frown, feeling the increasing severity of the situation.

’I didn’t expect the situation to worsen this fast... It’s as if everything had already been planned beforehand...’

The so-called traitors were none other than the elves who became demonic worshippers, also known as demonic elves.

Elysia thought for a moment and asked, "Is there still no way of telling them apart?"

"So far, the shrine maidens and the sages haven’t said a word in the past few days. However, we believe that it would not be long before they were able to find a solution."

Elwood replied before thinking for a moment and continuing, "As for the forces attacking us, we discovered that they seemed to be members of Thoughtless Temperance after countless days of brainstorming and investigating."

’Thoughtless Temperance...’

Elysia’s frown got deeper as she clarified, "The cult serving under the Demon Lord of Lust?"

"Yes, Your Holiness..." Sylvanna nodded in affirmation.

"Understood. I shall contact the forces and ascertain the arrival of reinforcements. I will remain here to guard the shrine. Report to me should you have anything to convey or request. You may go."

Elysia waved her hand elegantly as she spoke.

Both Sylvanna and Elwood, still kneeling on one knee, bowed their heads, "We humbly take our leave, Your Holiness."

The two then stood up in unison, bowed once again, before heading outside the shrine while Elysia turned to look at the altar once again.

"..."

A hesitant expression appeared on the queen’s face as she seemed to have something she wanted to say, but could never really find the words.

This impasse lasted for a few moments before her voice rang inside the shrine.

"Trunk."

—

As soon as the word left Elysia’s lips, something seemed to have changed in the surroundings, as it became unbearably quiet.

"I am here."

A dignified voice sounded behind Elysia, but she did not turn to look at the person who had just arrived.

However, from the glossy surface of the magical orb before her, she could just make out a faint, kneeling, shadowy figure reflected within it.

A difficult expression appeared on Elysia’s face as she spoke, "Some of The Branches may have been compromised, mobilize The Roots as the Sacred Tree might be in peril. That is all."

"Anything for The Crown."

The dignified voice echoed through the shrine as the reflection of the vague figure on the magical orb faded along with it.

Elysia’s face was filled with determination as she touched the magical orb in front of her.

This orb was a magical artifact blessed by the World Tree herself, being the sole thing that controlled and monitored the whole Forest of Eternity.

It was an ancient sacred artifact called the Eternal Orb.

An artifact gifted by the World Tree itself, passed down through generations of Pontifexes of the Temple of Life.

It was also the artifact she used to communicate with the outside world.

At this moment, Elysia made some gestures with her fingers, controlling the Eternal Orb hovering between her and the altar in the front.

Information appeared on the magical orb, which made her bite her lips.

’Out of all the Adventurer Guild Branches, cities, and other forces Ligera had forwarded our letter to, only one has accepted?’

Elysia felt a pang in her heart as she tried to stay optimistic, ’Well, that’s normal. It had only been a few hours since we sent out our request for reinforcement, and even less time had passed since Ligera forwarded it to other forces...

"In fact, it would be normal even if there’s no one who accepted the request yet, since I’m sure that they’re still having their meetings... I’m just being too impatient.’

As Elysia was immersed in her thoughts, she began breathing rhythmically, trying to calm herself down before turning her gaze towards the information on the Eternal Orb once again.

Her expression of worry soon turned into one of puzzlement.

"What force is this? This is the first time I have seen this name... Could they be a new force, perhaps?"

Elysia tilted her head slightly, "But why would they immediately accept the request? Could it be that they just wanted to make a name for themselves as a new force? That can’t be... since Ligera only forwarded the letter to the most trustworthy forces..."

"Still, this is good..."

Despite the numerous questions in her mind, a relieved expression still appeared on her beautiful face, and she felt the burden in her heart lighten instantly.

"To think that a force immediately accepted the request..."

Elysia stared at the name of the organization for a long time, engraving it in her mind, "Sanguine Order, huh? I hope I can meet them soon..."

She then began manipulating the Eternal Orb as she wrote another letter.