Chapter 225: Ch 224: Visiting Elf Village

In the end, the situation was handled as Adrian wanted, and they drafted a plan to visit the elves the next morning. But the party he could bring needed to be thoroughly regulated.

The first person to be selected was Kael, but that was because he had forced his way in, and no one had the heart to tell him no. But the second and third choices had been more obvious.

"I want to go."

Seraphina volunteered, and Leon stepped forward with her as well. They looked determined to see this situation through, and no one bothered to stop them.

"I think this many people should be enough."

Adrian spoke before anyone else could volunteer to come with them, and thankfully, no one else volunteered either. Soon, they were on their way to the elf territory.

It was a quiet and comfortable carriage ride, and the only reason they were taking one was because his elder brother had declined Kael’s offer to teleport them to the village. He had insisted on doing this the old-fashioned way.

As a result, Kael was forced to sit inside the carriage and look outside to entertain himself. He almost wished he had some form of entertainment.

’Having a phone or tablet to pass the time would be great. I should be the first one to invent those things in this world...’

Kael felt optimistic, but then he recalled the mountain of work he had to finish, and all his enthusiasm left his body in a second. But if anyone noticed, they pretended not to say anything about it.

Soon, they reached the elf village. But instead of being let inside, their carriage was stopped.

This was unusual. A duke’s carriage was hardly ever stopped, even by the imperial family. So having it be stopped here like this did not sit well with Adrian. Kael could see him getting impatient, and he opened the window to check what the delay was.

"What is going on here?"

No one outside had expected Adrian to poke his head out, so they flinched at his angry expression and recoiled.

"N-Nothing is wrong, sir! We are just taking care of some things here. There is no need for you to worry about anything."

The guard assured him, looking at the elf gatekeeper and trying to tell him to hurry.

But the elf gatekeeper seemed to be hard-headed and pretended not to see the signals.

"I am afraid that we cannot allow visitors at this time...even if that visitor is the esteemed duke. Please turn around and head back."

The guard insisted bravely, choosing to hold his ground rather than flee in fear. His bravery was commendable, and Kael almost felt bad for the loyal guard.

But unfortunately, he was standing in their way, so he needed to be dealt with.

Adrian decided to step outside the carriage, and his presence made the guard flinch. Kael could see fear swirling in the guard’s eyes as he tried to control his breathing while facing such immense pressure.

"Are you truly not going to let me inside?"

Adrian asked in a tense voice, and the guard gulped nervously before nodding.

"I am sorry, but these are my orders...and I will hold to them until I die."

The duke sighed before taking out his sword. He almost cleaved the guard in half when Kael decided to save the guard’s life by knocking him out.

Everyone blinked as they watched the guard fall fast asleep, even hitting his head against the wall. But at least he was alive...for now.

"Kael..."

"I know. But taking someone’s life won’t be a good idea if we want the other side to cooperate with us."

Kael reminded him, and his brother let out a frustrated sigh before pulling his sword back. That gave Kael enough time to cast his spell, and the door opened, allowing them to pass through.

Their carriage crossed the barrier of the elf village for the first time, and the lush green atmosphere they had seen from the outside changed into a duller, more somber sight.

The elf village looked beautiful, with lush green trees surrounding homes and fresh resources everywhere. But everything had an air of corruption around it.

"Ugh, this place is such a mess. The corruption here is so thick that I could cut it with my holy staff. How did a place like this go unnoticed by us until now? I will need to check on the temple workers as soon as I head back."

Seraphina’s concern was justified.

The temple had been in regular contact with the elf village in order to perform purification, but they had never mentioned something like this.

In fact, every report Seraphina had received from the temple told her that things were fine here and that there was no need to worry. But that had clearly been a lie.

Which part of the elf village looked fine to them?

"Let’s go and find Lady Kana and the other elders. If there is anyone who can explain what is going on here, then it will be them."

Kael proposed, and Adrian nodded. But both Leon and Seraphina looked less than pleased.

"Teacher, I know that you mean well, but this place is too saturated with corruption. Even my holy magic won’t be able to purify it, and I have a feeling Leon feels the same way."

Seraphina did not seem to want to dampen the mood, but she still decided to say those words before Kael could get disappointed.

It made Adrian look at her and Leon with a dark expression.

"What are you trying to say?"

He asked, and Seraphina took a deep breath before replying.

"I am suggesting that you give up on your fiancée and these elves. The most effective way to calm the situation would be to end their lives. But don’t worry. Their sacrifice won’t be in vain-"

Adrian attacked Seraphina, and Leon blocked his strike. Their swords clashed, resulting in a stalemate that made Kael sigh in regret.

’This situation feels like a mess. Can someone come and resolve it?’

Unfortunately, his prayers were answered by the last person he wanted to see.