Chapter 369



369 The Elves’ Quest

Kaya’s POV:

The forest in the early morning was always a lot more humid than the boundless plains. When a stream of dew wet the bottom of my pants, I suddenly thought of a certain ordinary day many years ago. Back then, I was just a little girl. I followed my mother, who was on a business trip, to the edge of the elf forest.

My mother pointed at the barely visible guard tower beyond the horizon and told me it was the werewolves’ territory. I was still young and innocently asked, “Is father over there? When will he be back?”

My mother did not answer me, and my father would never return.

It had only been three years since the end of the Wolf-Witch war, and the lingering effects still affected all the races. Although it was called the ‘Wolf-Witch war’, how could those crazy people whose brains were blown up by magic only target the werewolves?

As a centurion, my father naturally had to bear the heavy responsibility of protecting the country. Swords and sabers had no eyes on the battlefield, and I lost my loved ones forever like many children.

It was a long time ago, and I was lost in my thoughts, so when my companion suddenly called me back to reality, I was shocked.

“Captain, the elders have invited you to the palace.” He looked at me suspiciously but didn’t ask anything. “The palace attendant is waiting for you outside.”

I nodded and casually used a wet towel to wipe my tired face before leaving the tent.

If it were in the past, I would have taken a bath, changed my clothes before entering the palace, and tidied myself up. However, the consecutive duty days left me with no extra energy to maintain my meaningless and bright appearance. Now I only hoped there would be no more trouble in the palace.

Everything had become a mess since His Majesty fell into a deep sleep.

On the way to the palace, I met the chairman. As a powerful official, power didn’t bring him much joy. Instead, it made him frown and rush to the parliament with his fans.

It was not surprising that the chairman, known for his radical reformist tendencies, was worried when he heard that the elders who formed the government according to His Majesty’s last will had a cold relationship with him.

The elders were currently receiving guests, so I needed to wait outside. Not long after, the heavy door of the conference room opened, and His Highness, the Crown Prince, walked out. Like the chairman, he was constantly troubled and worried. He hurriedly greeted me and quickly left.

I thought I was a person who could take on the heavy responsibilities entrusted by His Majesty, but the endless tasks did not give me much political wisdom.

Therefore, I didn’t understand the Crown Prince’s worries, and I didn’t understand the current strange ruling structure. Since His Majesty was in a deep sleep, why didn’t he let the Crown Prince inherit the throne? Why did the chairman repeatedly ask for a change of the interim government? He knew that this was the last order of the King.

I didn’t understand, but this wasn’t something an insignificant patrol captain like me should be thinking about. I should consider maintaining order in the East District, which had suffered the most damage and was destroyed.

The elders looked very tired, especially the Great Elder. This 400-year-old man had never been as dispirited as he was today.

He sat powerlessly on the high-back chair made of vines. The sun shone through the crystal window on his tired face, but it did not add vitality or energy to him. Instead, it made him look like he was going to return to the arms of Mother Nature in the next second.

He was an old-fashioned old man who liked to use fancy words, but he was so direct with me today – a rare occurrence. “I have a task for you, Kaya. We’ve already invited the werewolves to help us capture the group of wanderers who had escaped. The diplomatic mission they’ve sent will arrive at the border before 3 p.m. tomorrow. You’ll be in charge of bringing your team to meet them.”

As a loyal warrior, I knew that what I should do now was to nod in agreement and immediately prepare to set off. However, my eyes widened in shock, and I asked in confusion, “Werewolves? But… but why did they have to be invited? His Majesty has already sealed the source of the contamination.”

I didn’t finish because I realized I had mentioned an inappropriate fact. Although everyone knew about it, they all tacitly pretended that business was the same as usual.

The Great Elder didn’t reprimand me. He only tiredly rubbed the space between his eyebrows and said, “This is the decision of the entire interim government. Go, child, and bring them back safely. The Crown Princess of the werewolves is on a diplomatic mission and is a precious guest. Please don’t make any mistakes, okay? I’m sure you can tell we don’t have the energy to deal with the accident now.”

I was still filled with questions. For example, why was there no news of this sudden invitation? Why didn’t we send anyone to eliminate the wanderers? There were many questions that even a political noob like me could point out.

However, the Great Elder looked too tired and weak. The other elders’ expressions were not much different, as if a gust of wind would immediately make them fall to the ground and shatter.

So, I accepted the mission respectfully and left, filled with questions.