Chapter 269: Blood Prison Grass for the Elf King.

Crystal Castle was unusually deserted today.

The Little Fairies and some of the Elves had gone to harvest wheat, while the young Elf and most of the remaining Elves had gone to the temple to pray. Only a handful of Elves remained at their posts.

"Where's the King? Did he go to the temple too?" Shu Li asked Galot.

The only young Elf was about to awaken his magical attributes. Surely the Elven King would accompany him to the temple and oversee the ceremony.

"The King went to Miradi Palace with them," Galot replied.

Shu Li's little head drooped.

I knew it...

Lake Shengze'an was quite a distance from Crystal Castle. Even riding a unicorn, the round trip would take more than two hours. And since there was no telling how long the awakening ceremony would last, the King probably wouldn't return until the afternoon at the earliest.

Should he wait here, or go back to the magic academy, get some sleep, and return tomorrow?

Shu Li couldn't decide.

Seeing how dejected the Little Fairy looked, Galot couldn't help asking, "Do you need to see the King about something?"

Shu Li nodded vigorously.

"Yes. Something very important."

That strange plant had been guarded by a Demon Lord, and both a necromancer and a nightmare demon had been drawn to the Woba Grand Canyon because of it. He had to find out where it came from and what it was used for.

Galot stroked his smooth chin thoughtfully.

"Well... why don't I send the King a message?"

"Huh?" Shu Li hesitated. "Wouldn't that interrupt Isral's awakening ceremony?"

"Don't worry," Galot said with a smile.

He made a gesture and activated a telepathic spell, a high-level ability that only mages of Saint Mage rank or above could use.

Shu Li fluttered his gauzy wings, circling Galot like a firefly.

After a while, Galot lowered his hand and addressed the anxious Little Fairy.

"Isral has already begun sensing magic inside the temple, and the ceremony won't be over anytime soon. The King says he'll return immediately."

Shu Li's face lit up.

He launched himself at Galot, wrapped his arms around one of his fingers, and rubbed his cheek against it.

"Thank you, Galot!"

Galot seized the opportunity to give the Little Fairy's head another affectionate rub.

"All right. Go wait for him in the King's courtyard."

"Okay!"

Shu Li released his finger and flew happily out of the courtyard, taking the aerial route.

Galot stood in the corridor, smiling as he gazed up at the sky.

"Enjoyed getting to pet the little fellow, did you?"

A voice thick with resentment sounded behind him.

Without turning around, Galot asked, "Jealous?"

"Hmph." Ilio walked up beside him and folded his arms. "Of course I'm not jealous. I get to spend time with the little ones at the magic academy every day. I can pet them whenever I want."

Galot turned his head and noticed a small scrape on Ilio's face.

His eyes widened in surprise.

"Who injured you?"

Ilio touched the mark on his cheek.

"A cunning nightmare demon."

Galot frowned.

"You encountered a demonic creature?"

"Not just a demonic creature. There was a necromancer, too. I've come back to give the King a full report."

Galot nodded.

He took an exquisite little medicine box from his storage ring and handed it to Ilio.

"This is an ointment I made. It heals wounds and prevents scarring."

Ilio extended two fingers and caught the box between them.

"Thanks."

Galot stared at the scrape on his face.

"Elves are a race of beauty and elegance. How can you allow your face to be injured?"

Seeing that Galot was about to launch into a lengthy lecture, Ilio immediately retreated three meters and raised a hand to stop him.

"I'm going to apply the ointment. You enjoy the scenery."

Galot was a notorious perfectionist.

Once he set his sights on someone, they could forget about having a moment's peace for the next three days and nights. He wouldn't leave them alone until he'd made absolutely certain there wasn't a single imperfection anywhere on their body.

Ilio tossed the medicine box into the air, caught it deftly, and vanished.

Galot spread his hands, a mischievous glint flashing in his golden eyes.

Shu Li flew all the way to the Elven King's courtyard.

He had barely landed on a branch when the Elven King appeared out of thin air.

Did he teleport here directly from the temple?

Shu Li sprang from the branch and fluttered toward him.

"Kiiiing!"

Just before reaching him, Shu Li released his innate power. The instant his feet touched the ground, he expanded to his larger form and stood before the Elven King.

"Good morning, Sperien," the Elven King greeted him gently.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

Shu Li tilted his head back, gazing at the King's flawless face with shining eyes.

"Galot tells me you have something important to discuss with me?" the Elven King asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Shu Li touched the storage ring hanging around his neck and took out a medicine box.

Holding it solemnly in both hands, he presented it to the Elven King.

"Efit gave me this herb. The Dark Elf cubs secretly harvested it underground in the Woba Grand Canyon, and that's why the Demon Lord chased them."

The Elven King accepted the box.

Before he had even opened the lid, he recognized what was inside.

"Blood-hell grass."

Shu Li looked puzzled.

"What's blood-hell grass?"

Judging by the name alone, it couldn't possibly be anything good.

The Elven King opened the box, revealing a herb that was bright red from root to tip.

His gaze lowered, and his brows drew together slightly.

"Blood-hell grass is a magical plant found only in hell. Once it matures, its essence can be extracted to stabilize the soul and calm the spirit."

Shu Li clicked his tongue in astonishment.

"How did a plant from hell end up in the canyon? Could it be... that Demon Lord brought it out?"

It had to be!

With its unique power and ability to escape the seal despite being virtually impossible to kill, that Demon Lord could very well have brought a seed out of hell.

The Elven King closed the box.

"Clearly, someone needs it to stabilize their soul and calm their spirit."

Shu Li frowned.

"Who could possibly be powerful enough to command a Demon Lord?"

After the Demon Lord died, a necromancer and a nightmare demon from the Kingdom of Cecilia had rushed to the canyon that very night.

"Only the Dark God can command a Demon Lord," the Elven King replied.

"The Dark God!"

Shu Li's eyes widened.

"Your Majesty, do you mean... the Dark God has already descended into the Human World?"

He hadn't even found all the elemental spirits yet!

He hadn't become a Mage Sovereign!

And the ultimate final boss had already appeared ahead of schedule?!

What am I supposed to do? With my current strength, I wouldn't stand a chance against the final boss!

Seeing the Little Fairy turn deathly pale with fright, the Elven King gently stroked his head.

"Don't be afraid. The appearance of blood-hell grass actually suggests that the Dark God is still trapped in hell and lacks the power to break the seal."

Shu Li let out a breath of relief.

He trusted the Elven King's judgment completely.

"Then who were they planning to use this blood-hell grass on?"

The Elven King's green eyes deepened, and his voice grew low.

"Someone who has sold their soul to the Dark God, or whose soul has been corrupted by darkness and begun to manifest demonic traits." 𝐟𝑟ⅇ

Shu Li parted his lips slightly, his mind racing.

Someone who met those conditions, occupied a position of great power, and could command both necromancers and demonic creatures...

There was only one possibility.

The king of the Kingdom of Cecilia.

Eighteen years ago, he'd staged a coup, murdered his elder brother, usurped the throne, and placed his nephew and niece on wanted lists. Since then, he'd invaded neighboring countries and launched war after war.

The man was utterly insane.

Danton Trik sold his soul to the Dark God!

Shu Li voiced his suspicion.

The Elven King nodded in agreement.

"Is there any way to punish him?"

Someone that evil had to be eliminated before he grew any stronger. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous.

"He is a king, with immense status and authority," the Elven King explained. "Only if his rule is overthrown by others or his kingdom is invaded by another nation can he be effectively brought to justice and sentenced to death."

Shu Li puffed out his cheeks.

"Can't we just assassinate him?"

There were plenty of Elves and Fairies at Mage Sovereign rank.

Surely any one of them could be sent to kill Danton!

The Elven King shook his head.

"We once signed a contract with humanity's ancestors, promising never to interfere with the development, rise, or fall of human civilization. Violating that agreement would trigger a backlash from the contract."

Shu Li stared blankly.

"K-killing one king counts as interfering with the rise and fall of humanity?"

"Yes."

Shu Li scratched his head and began pacing back and forth across the grass.

"What a pain... Sigh. So Danton planned his usurpation all along? That man's unbelievably calculating! Damn it! Are we really supposed to stand by helplessly and let him do whatever he wants?"

He nibbled on a finger.

Then he stopped pacing and looked up.

"If we can't assassinate him directly, could we help other humans overthrow his government instead?"

Seriu was a prince of the Kingdom of Cecilia.

If he reclaimed the throne, Danton would become a criminal. Executing him then wouldn't violate the contract.

The Elven King answered warmly.

"We may offer humans appropriate assistance in resolving certain difficult problems."

Shu Li clapped his hands in delight.

"That's wonderful!"

The contract might impose restrictions, but those restrictions weren't absolute.

Once you found a loophole, you could exploit it.

It's settled!

He would help Seriu build up his forces. Once they were strong enough, Seriu could return to the Kingdom of Cecilia with a legitimate claim to the throne and launch a campaign against the usurper.

Seeing the cheerful smile return to Shu Li's face, the Elven King's gaze softened.

"It's dangerous for you to keep this blood-hell grass. Would you allow me to look after it for the time being?"

"Of course!"

Shu Li nodded immediately.

That thing was a disaster waiting to happen. The sooner he handed it over, the better. At least then he wouldn't have to worry about it attracting more trouble.

The Elven King placed the medicine box inside his storage ring.

Shu Li gazed at his flawless profile.

After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Your Majesty, may I ask you a rather personal question?"

"Of course."

Shu Li lowered his head and spoke in a tiny voice.

"Um... are you attracted to men or women?"

A gust of wind swept through the courtyard.

A leaf as large as his palm fell from a tree and landed squarely on his head.

Shu Li felt something settle on his hair, but he didn't dare move.

He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the grass.

Only the slight twitching of his pointed ears betrayed his nervousness.

He had no idea where he'd found the courage to ask the Elven King such a question.

It had to be because of what happened with Hector today. That whole business had unsettled him.

And then there was Ace.

Certain things about Ace were so similar to the Elven King that Shu Li couldn't stop wondering about them.

He'd told himself to let things take their natural course, but that didn't mean he could stumble along in complete ignorance.

He needed to gather evidence.

Every last scrap of it.

Ace was attracted to men.

What about the Elven King?

The tips of Shu Li's ears turned pink.

He waited for quite some time, but the Elven King didn't answer.

Growing increasingly embarrassed, he stammered, "I-I was just curious. If you think it's too personal, you don't have to answer."

The Elven King noticed that even the Little Fairy's wings were trembling and couldn't help smiling.

"Not at all."

"Huh?"

Shu Li raised his head and quickly stole a glance at the Elven King's face.

Seeing his gentle expression and no trace of displeasure, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"As for your question..."

The Elven King paused for several seconds, apparently giving it serious thought.

Shu Li nervously clasped his hands together, waiting expectantly for his answer.

The Elven King reached toward him.

Shu Li froze.

With his clear eyes wide open, he felt the King's fingers brush through his hair and remove the large leaf resting on his head.

"Whether I'm attracted to a man or a woman depends entirely on the person I fall in love with. Even if that person were a leaf, once I loved them, I would pursue that love without hesitation or regret."

The Elven King held out the leaf.

Shu Li accepted it in a daze.

He gripped its long stem, his little heart inexplicably beginning to race.

"W-what if... I mean, hypothetically, what if the person you loved didn't love you back? What would you do?"

Take Hector, for example.

Hector didn't like that fellow named Jason, so Jason kept making things difficult for him, deliberately trying to attract his attention.

Unfortunately, the whole scheme had backfired.

Hector only disliked him more.

Of course, as far as Shu Li was concerned, anyone fortunate enough to be loved by the Elven King would be overjoyed!

Who could possibly bear to reject him?

The Elven King gazed at Shu Li's fair face and answered softly.

"I would watch over him quietly and wait until he was ready to accept me."

Shu Li felt his heart tighten.

The great Elven King had such a pure and devoted view of love!

Swallowing nervously, he stubbornly pressed on.

"But what if... what if the other person still refused to accept you?"

The Elven King did not answer immediately.

His eyes darkened until they seemed almost deep emerald.

Suddenly, the wind in the courtyard grew stronger, whipping their hair into the air until the strands danced and intertwined.

Shu Li stood frozen.

For some reason, he felt as though a terrifying pressure had descended upon the courtyard.

Yet when he tried to sense it more carefully, he found nothing unusual apart from the stronger wind.

Just as he was beginning to wonder what was happening, the Elven King finally spoke.

"I would give him enough time to consider his decision."

As for whether the other person would accept him after that period of consideration, the Elven King offered no definite answer.

And Shu Li didn't dare ask any further.

He had an overwhelming premonition that if he kept pressing, the answer would be something he couldn't bear to hear.

He bowed apologetically to the Elven King and said goodbye.

Then he shrank into his tiny form and fled the courtyard as fast as his wings could carry him.

He darted into the Mother Tree's trunk and returned to the magic academy.

The Elven King remained standing silently where he was.

His perception followed Shu Li all the way to the Mother Tree.

The Wood Spirit appeared on his shoulder, propping its chin on its hands.

"Freyus, you almost lost control just now!"

The Elven King did not answer.

He merely continued gazing at the sky.

A faint, dark-red light flickered through his eyes.