Chapter 77 - 78 the queen’s decision

77

the queen’s decision

"Then do it."

Ariselle frowned. Yun Che finally stood up.

"You are the Queen. If you believe my death will solve the problem, you are free to try."

He walked a few steps across the hall.

"But there is a consequence."

The elders’ expressions changed.

"The mausoleum belongs to me. The formations protecting this mountain range are connected to the inheritance I received from Rafael."

Yun Che raised one finger.

"If I die, the protection you received will disappear."

Another finger.

"The formations will stop functioning."

"The barrier will fall."

Seraphina slowly lowered her eyes.

Yun Che continued:

"And you will lose the new strength you have just acquired."

The three warriors beside him remained motionless.

Elyra, Kaelia, and Lyssara had just reached the tenth stage thanks to the resources provided by Yun Che.

"Seraphina will also be within that protection."

Yun Che’s voice remained calm.

"If the mausoleum falls, she will die with it."

Ariselle’s expression changed.

For the first time since the beginning of the discussion, she seemed to understand that she was not facing a simple territorial dispute.

Thirty thousand enemies.

Seven thousand combatants on their side.

Approximately fifteen cultivators at the tenth stage on the enemy’s side.

Six cultivators at this level among the Medusas before the three new ascensions.

And five cultivators from the Profound Flower Sect had already lost their lives defending this territory, and because of that, the remaining ones did not want to become involved in the war that was approaching.

The Earth Elementals had not promised to help, and neither had the Fire Elementals.

And the Profound Flower Sect had already shown doubts about remaining involved in a war of such magnitude.

Seraphina finally raised her head.

"Mother, that isn’t what he means."

Ariselle looked at her.

"Then explain."

Seraphina took a deep breath.

"Submission does not mean destroying our society."

She looked at Yun Che for a moment before continuing.

"He does not intend to take control of the Medusas."

Vaelra remained suspicious.

Seraphina continued:

"He will use the mausoleum’s formations to help us in the war. He will provide resources and allow us to access the knowledge left behind by the Great Alchemist."

Nysara raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Alchemy knowledge?"

Seraphina nodded.

"Yes. Medusas deemed worthy will be allowed to use the mausoleum."

The calculating elder fell silent.

"He also does not intend to interfere with the race’s daily administration," Seraphina continued. "Internal decisions will remain in the hands of the Queen and the Council."

Mirevra narrowed her eyes.

"And afterward?"

Seraphina hesitated.

"If, in the future, we want to leave this Secret Realm, he will be able to help us."

Nysara immediately understood.

"The spatial formation."

Seraphina nodded.

"The incomplete formation left by Rafael may, once completed, allow entry into and exit from the mausoleum. Even the local inhabitants could be taken outside."

Silence returned.

That possibility completely changed the meaning of the proposal.

The mausoleum would not merely be an inheritance.

It could become a permanent base.

A protected place, with resources, knowledge, formations, and access to the outside world.

Ariselle closed her eyes for several seconds.

Then she asked:

"And what does he want in exchange?"

Seraphina lowered her head.

Her expression changed immediately. She had managed to explain the benefits.

But that was the part she truly did not want to say.

"There are... two conditions."

Vaelra crossed her arms again.

"What are they?"

Seraphina took a deep breath.

"The first is that, when the Medusas are strong enough, and only when the Queen and the Council consider it possible and reasonable..."

She looked at Yun Che.

"...he will lead our forces to conquer the territory of the Fire Elementals."

Thesira became motionless.

Vaelra, however, did not show the same rejection as before.

"And afterward?"

Seraphina hesitated.

"Perhaps the territory of the Earth Elementals as well."

This time, the hall erupted into discussion. Vaelra immediately spoke about the possibilities.

Thesira began analyzing how many forces would be required.

Nysara calculated the resources that such a campaign would consume.

Mirevra pointed out the risks of provoking two races at the same time. Ariselle herself remained silent, listening to every argument.

Unlike the territorial demand, that proposal was not immediately absurd.

Some of the elders secretly desired to reclaim lands and expand the power of the Medusas.

After several minutes, Ariselle raised her hand.

"Silence."

Everyone stopped.

The Queen looked at Seraphina.

"And what is the second condition?"

Seraphina became even redder. Her fingers discreetly tightened around the fabric of her clothes.

She looked at her mother.

"Mother..."

"Say it."

Seraphina closed her eyes for a moment.

"The Necromancer wants you as his wife."

The entire hall fell silent. The elders looked at one another.

One of them frowned.

"He wants to take the Queen as his wife?"

Seraphina slowly nodded.

"Yes."

Another elder immediately realized the political weight of that condition.

"That would mean an alliance between the heir of the Great Alchemist and the Queen of the Medusas."

Vaelra, however, looked directly at Yun Che.

"You truly demand this?"

Yun Che remained calm.

"Of course."

Ariselle finally spoke.

"Marriage?"

"Yes. It is crucial that I have the Queen."

"A royal union?"

"Yes."

Yun Che did not avert his gaze.

"With fidelity, married life, and everything that belongs to a marriage between husband and wife, especially the intimate relationship that is the method of sealing the agreement and maintaining trust."

He paused.

"But only if the Queen accepts."

Seraphina remained with her head lowered.

The elders resumed their discussion, some outraged, others trying to understand the implications of the demand.

Ariselle raised a hand.

"We need three days to decide."

Yun Che looked at her. He would not be alive to hear the declaration of the Queen and the Council. How could he accept such an arrangement?

"Three hours."

Everyone became motionless.

Ariselle narrowed her eyes.

"Three hours?"

Yun Che nodded.

"The countdown starts now."

Outside, the wind swept through the mountain range. Inside the hall, no one spoke again.

The decision that could determine the future of the entire Medusa race had begun.

The three hours had begun.

The doors of the Council hall were closed, and for the first time since Yun Che had arrived in the Medusa territory, no outsider remained to witness the discussion.

Only Ariselle, the four elders, and Seraphina remained inside the room. Vaelra paced back and forth.

"Are we really considering this?"

Thesira remained seated, her arms resting on the stone table.

"We are considering it because we do not have many alternatives."

Vaelra stopped.

"Alternatives? He just demanded submission."

"And he also just offered us a way to survive the war."

Thesira’s answer made Vaelra fall silent for several seconds.

Nysara stood before a small pile of records and reports. Her fingers slowly moved across the information as her mind organized the numbers.

"Thirty thousand enemies are coming toward us as we speak."

She raised her eyes.

"Seven thousand combatants on our side does not seem capable of dealing with the growing number of enemies approaching."

Then she continued:

"Let us not forget that the enemy army has approximately fifteen cultivators at the tenth stage among them."

Mirevra slowly exhaled.

"We cannot forget that the Earth Elementals do not intend to help."

"And neither do the Fire Elementals."

Thesira clenched her fists.

"Then we will fight alone."

Nysara looked at her.

"Not completely."

Her gaze passed over the closed door.

"And if we count on the mausoleum, we will have a chance of victory."

Vaelra frowned.

"We have the mausoleum because he decided to allow it. If we consider this... we will also be considering that the Queen..."

No one answered.

That was precisely what made the situation so difficult. Rafael’s inheritance had completely changed the balance.

The formations of the mountain range were connected to the mausoleum, and the resources were in the Necromancer’s hands.

The Great Alchemist’s knowledge now belonged to him, and the property itself had been transferred to the masked man.