The mont Ursula, the female knight, finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Everyone sat up straighter, expressions turning serious as they turned to face her.
"Who is it? Speak!"
Ursula's tone was grave. "Your Majesty, Grand Priest, do you recall what Elena said yesterday? She claid that her father was invincible, that he once swept through the six great kingdoms alone, and after ruling for decades, vanished by 'shifting through space'?"
Yevna, Leonchi, and Eldritch exchanged glances and slowly nodded.
"She did say that. Why?"
Ursula's eyes glead with a heavy intensity. "Today during the talent assessnt, Elena displayed the Elental Affinity Bloodline—a gift that hasn't appeared in ten thousand years."
"There are ancient texts on the continent that record this very bloodline belonging to the legendary Mage God of the Elents, who also once crushed the six great kingdoms, ruled for a long period, and eventually disappeared through what was described as spatial traversal."
"Doesn't that sound… eerily similar to what Elena said about her father?"
"Moreover, the Elental Affinity Bloodline is almost unheard of, only ever recorded once. And now, it has appeared again—in Elena."
"I suspect… that her father might very well be that legendary Mage God of the Elents!"
Silence fell like a thunderclap.
What?
Mage God of the Elents?
Elena's father?
That… that couldn't be real, could it?
Empress Yevna's eyes were filled with disbelief. But the more she thought about it, the more Ursula's theory seed plausible.
The sa bloodline…
The sa backstory…
"You an to say, you suspect Elena's father is the legendary Mage God of the Elents himself?" Yevna asked.
"This is rely my speculation," Ursula replied cautiously. "I have no conclusive proof."
Yet despite her reservations, the idea had taken root. Everyone in the room found themselves contemplating it.
All the clues pointed to a shocking possibility.
"Wait… wasn't the Mage God of the Elents a figure from ten thousand years ago?" Leonchi interjected. "Elena said her father is just over five hundred years old. The tilines don't match."
It was a valid concern. Even if the Mage God was a legendary being far beyond Grand Archmage level, surely even he couldn't live ten thousand years. The longest-living Grand Archmage on record barely reached seven hundred, and that was only through forbidden dark magic, at the cost of thousands of lives.
Eldritch's gaze turned thoughtful. "No… soone of that caliber might not have traversed rely space. He could've crossed… ti itself."
"Ti?" gasped several in the room.
"You're saying he crossed the River of Ti? That he ca here from the ancient magical era—and that's why he's only five hundred years old in the present?"
Eldritch shook his head. "We cannot be certain. But one thing is clear—whoever can casually concoct a potion capable of lifting the Curse of the Netherlord, using thods even you, Grand Priest of Light, cannot comprehend… is no ordinary being."
"And Elena's bloodline confirms it further. Even if her father is not the Mage God himself, he must be a legendary mage above Grand Archmage tier."
"Perhaps… everything we say and do is already under his watchful gaze."
The room grew cold.
Everyone shivered unconsciously and glanced toward the empty air, as if so unseen presence were indeed observing them from beyond the veil.
Yevna remained composed. "There's no need to panic. The better we treat Elena, the greater the reward in the future."
"Besides, I'm her adoptive mother. I will protect her with everything I have."
"From today onward, we shall spare no effort in raising Elena. We must not let… him… down."
The ministers and mages all bowed in solemn agreent. After deliberation, they decided to dedicate their finest resources to Elena's developnt.
Eldritch, Leonchi, and the empire's top experts in magic, tactics, dicine, and magical arrays all offered their guidance.
Once the eting concluded, Yevna strolled through the halls of the Magus Tower with Eldritch, speaking softly while searching for Elena.
"Grand Priest, how is your health now? Have you regained any of your forr strength?"
"Thunder Knight Commander's behavior is growing increasingly outrageous," Yevna added, her tone frostier by the second. "I'm nearly at my breaking point."
She was still seething from Yelude's assassination attempt days ago and his thinly veiled threats earlier today.
Eldritch smiled bitterly. "Though the Curse of the Netherlord has been lifted, the internal damage to my organs is too severe. I fear I'll never return to my peak."
"But Your Majesty, I advise against acting now. Better to wait and see who else dares to jump out. When we strike, we strike thoroughly."
Yevna's expression darkened with frustration. Eldritch, once the pillar of the empire, had clearly weakened.
"Can't Lord Leonchi's healing arts do anything?" she asked hopefully. "The treasures in the Kingdom Vault are at your disposal. I even have a millennium-old magical spirit herb—"
Before she could finish, Leonchi, seated nearby in his enchanted wheelchair, cut her off. "It's no use. Eldritch is old. Internal damage like this cannot be reversed by potions. His return to full strength is… all but impossible."
Both Yevna and Ursula's faces fell. The empire's guardian could not escape the decay of ti.
But then, Leonchi added, "Not all hope is lost. If we could obtain the flesh or essence of a legendary creature, we might extend his lifespan."
"Especially… if we could acquire the remains of a Phoenix. Its vitality can restore life, and its flas might even rejuvenate aging organs."
"But Phoenixes, black dragons, unicorns—these creatures haven't been seen in over a thousand years. They far surpass Grand Archmage level. Even locating them is next to impossible, let alone acquiring their blood or at."
Eldritch and Yevna sighed heavily. They were, after all, only human. Even Grand Archmages paled in comparison to such creatures. How could they possibly compete?
As the air grew heavy with sorrow, a soft giggle echoed from behind a nearby statue.
They turned—and found Elena, crouched behind the marble structure, doing sothing suspicious.
"Elena? What are you doing here? Why aren't you off playing with the others?"
Yevna stepped forward, only to see the girl holding a half-eaten roast bird, her cheeks puffed out adorably as she gnawed away.
The rich aroma of roasted at wafted through the hall. Even Yevna, who rarely indulged in earthly pleasures, felt her mouth water.
Elena looked up, her chubby cheeks sared with grease, and bead with childlike delight. "I was playing hide-and-seek! I found such a good hiding spot—they still haven't found !"
Yevna chuckled, and Eldritch beside her smiled fondly.
Having this little ball of sunshine around really did lighten the mood.
Watching Elena devour the roast bird, Eldritch teased, "Oh? Hide-and-seek cos with roasted bird now?"
"Elena, that slls delicious! And… strangely enough, the scent alone makes feel better—like even my old injuries have eased a little."
"Elena, where did you get this roast bird?"
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