The heads of the Three Noble Families gathered in the conference room.
They were the leaders of families known to rule half of this forest, leading the moderate faction.
Usually, they would have exchanged pleasantries with smiles, but not today.
More precisely, they didn't have the luxury to do so.
"I heard the coup in the Dentis family failed."
An old elf with a long white beard said while stroking his beard.
The head of the Crown family, lfin Crown, had his forehead deeply wrinkled, as if expressing the severity of this matter.
"All our troops and elders were caught. The soldiers were annihilated. Though they showed rcy and spared the elders, as you know, their condition isn't good."
"Isn't this practically a declaration of all-out war!"
A muscular elf with short hair expressed his opinion in a bellicose voice.
He seed displeased with this matter from the start, not even trying to hide his displeasure as he crossed his arms.
"How lightly must they view us Three Noble Families, for the likes of Dentis to dare attempt such a thing!"
"Calm yourself, Head of Radix."
Darish Radix snorted at those words.
"Then are you suggesting we just sit back and watch? Head of Floheim, say sothing too."
At the end of Darish's gaze sat a handso man with fine features wearing glasses.
The head of Floheim, Fariya Floheim, narrowed his eyes while adjusting his glasses with his finger.
"Of course, staying quiet would lower our families' dignity. We'll make sure they pay the price for this incident."
"So right now...!"
"Head of Radix we shouldn't act emotionally. For now, Dentis has the upper hand in terms of justification. And right now, Dentis isn't what's important. Has Radix not heard the news yet?"
"What news?"
In response to Darish's confused expression, lfin Crown answered instead.
"The Birk family has made their move."
"Birk? Those guys who've been quiet all this ti, suddenly?"
"Yes. We confird that their head, Ambella, personally visited Dentis territory. Can you guess what that ans?"
Darish's expression hardened.
Fariya Floheim also shook his head as if troubled.
"An alliance of the neutral faction. Two families that have been quiet until now have joined hands."
"Even so, they're just a ragtag bunch. Though Birk is dangerous, Dentis is just..."
"Have you forgotten that we just suffered defeat from that re Dentis? Though Dentis' military force itself is insignificant, they possess unwavering loyalty that never scatters. They beco very troubleso enemies when they turn against us."
That's why they tried to use Viela to disturb and control their internal affairs, though it ultimately failed.
Darish Radix said.
"Even so, isn't the current head just a good-for-nothing who dumped everything on his niece and went gallivanting around the filthy human world? Should we worry just because such a person has returned? The only thing we need to worry about is Birk."
"It's not unreasonable to think that way. The current head Vierano Dentis certainly neglected his responsibilities as head. However, the fact that he t with the Birk family ans that even he has made up his mind."
"Hmph. Still, isn't he a head who's been away from his position for a long ti? What could he possibly do now?"
Towards the boastful Darish, lfin spoke in a low voice.
"Head of Radix. You've never t Vierano in person, have you? Or even if you have, you've only seen his face from afar."
"What's the problem with that?"
"There's no particular problem. However, you'd do well to refrain from looking down on that man. Despite appearances, Vierano fought at the forefront to protect the forest in the war 100 years ago."
As the eldest person present, lfin knew about Vierano.
Especially as the head of Crown, who handled information and records, he rembered clearly how terrifying that seemingly benign elf could change when angered.
And now that Vierano had joined hands with the Birk family.
The current Birk head, Ambella Birk, was also of an age that even lfin couldn't treat carelessly.
Though they may have been pushed to the outskirts of the forest now, Ambella Birk was once called the Guardian of Serendel Castle.
Considering how bitter the Birk family must have beco after fighting external enemies for nearly 500 years, the alliance between these two families was not sothing that could be ignored.
"But more than the alliance between Birk and Dentis, there's sothing else we need to pay more attention to."
"You an Plante."
No one expected to ntion the na Plante at this mont and all three family heads wore unwilling expressions.
Plante had beco a taboo na among elves.
They had touched the World Tree, which should never have been disturbed, and as a result, their entire family was destroyed.
Of course, there were survivors.
After tracking their traces for a long ti, they finally found them, and when they wouldn't cooperate as desired, they eliminated them.
Yet to think that bloodline was still alive.
'So that human was hiding them after all.'
Walter Roschen, a cold-blooded businessman known to be so heartless he would sell even his family for money.
Even when he had Ella Plante stay at his mansion, rumors circulated that he had purchased an elf slave.
They didn't suspect much.
After all, human rulers and wealthy rchants often bought elves as slaves to keep as companions, attracted by their eternal youth.
Even if human laws prohibited it, those with high social standing could ignore such laws.
That's why lfin thought Walter was no different from other filthy humans but to think it was all deception.
He had a child with Ella Plante and after her death, had hidden their existence.
They had killed Ella Plante and thought they could rest easy, but now it had co back like a boorang after all these years, with the worst-case scenario of the Lifrey family getting their hands on Plante's blood.
If only they had been a little more careful.
lfin felt irritated but calmly controlled those emotions.
"The Lifrey family has obtained Plante's bloodline. The aning of those words is simple."
"They're trying to gain complete authority over the World Tree."
"Yes. Though Lifrey has maintained their current power thanks to the World Tree, they reached their current situation because they couldn't fully control it. That's why we three families could keep them in check by uniting."
But the mont Lifrey completely dominates the World Tree the alliance of other families becos aningless.
It literally ans the birth of the only family with absolute power.
Not seven families, but just one.
The birth of a single 'king' worthy of the na of the Elf Kingdom.
"We must prevent that at all costs."
"What do you plan to do?"
"The core of this matter is ultimately the last blood of Plante. The final key that can control this entire situation. Without that key, the head of Lifrey can't do anything."
There are only two options.
Either they obtain the key.
Or.
"We destroy it so no one can have it. It's not like we haven't done it before."
"But Lifrey will never hand it over."
"I know. Right now, Lifrey and Shadewarden forces are guarding the royal castle, and they've even strengthened their defenses more than before."
"Looking at how they're openly taking a defensive stance, they probably won't even consider our request for a council eting."
"It's blatant stalling. So we too must move accordingly."
The three family heads nodded simultaneously and voiced their common opinion.
"Gather the troops. We're going to Serendel."
Would they lose everything they have without doing anything?
Or would they wage war, betting on what little possibility remained?
From the start, they only had the latter option.
* * *
Things that shake the world always happen suddenly without warning and it was the forest that read the signs faster than anyone.
The forest watched everything that happened within itself and as it always had, the forest took to observing without preventing or encouraging this situation.
The forest beca deathly quiet.
No sounds of beasts, no chirping of birds, no crying of insects could be heard.
The only sound was the footsteps of soldiers moving in unison.
The forces of each family gathered and moved quietly together and beyond the outer walls of Serendel Royal Castle, armies lined up.
The Lifrey family elves guarding the outer wall heaved heavy sighs at the sight of the enemy forces.
The commander in charge of defending the east gate muttered in a grave tone.
"So, they've finally co."
They weren't particularly surprised by the fact that the Three Noble Families had risen in rebellion.
They knew sothing like this would happen soday.
After the Race War 100 years ago, the Elf Kingdom had always been noisy with internal conflicts.
The situation continued like walking a dangerous tightrope, like a ti bomb that could go off at any mont.
The one who lit the fuse of that precarious situation was probably related to the actions of their head who was now secluded in the royal castle.
"...Now that it's co to this, we can't turn back with re words and persuasion. Troops, we defend Serendel with all our might. Everyone, do your best in your roles."
What they had to do was very simple: defend this outer fortress.
But it wasn't simply straightforward.
The enemy had an overwhelming advantage in troop numbers.
The most important forces were withdrawn to defend the inner castle, and Radix, who originally took responsibility for most of the outer fortress's defense, had turned enemy.
In reality, only parts of the Lifrey family and Shadewarden family were defending this outer fortress.
If there was one thing to be relieved about, it was that this solid and tall marble outer fortress would sowhat make up for the difference in military strength.
'What's important isn't complete defense. We just need to buy ti.'
The commander clenched his fist, recalling the orders from above.
Just then, a ssenger ca running in a hurry and shouted.
"Co-Commander! This is terrible! Right now, another force is gathering at the western gate!"
"What?"
Another enemy at the west gate?
"Could it be other forces from the Three Noble Families trying to attack from the opposite side?"
"N-No. It was another family, not the Three Noble Families."
"Another family...Don't tell ."
The commander desperately held back a sigh he was about to let out.
Right. So in this situation, Birk and Dentis have finally moved as well.
Rather, it would have been strange if they hadn't moved, so the commander calmly accepted this fact.
This ans they'll have to send defensive forces to the west gate as well, making defense even more difficult.
'Once the battle begins, how many family soldiers will die?'
All the commander could pray for was the success of his head Ventmin's plan.
'My lord. Please achieve your great work.'
* * *
The largest force was sent by the Three Noble Families alliance.
Knowing the gravity of this matter, they brought out all the troops they could mobilize.
Upon hearing this news, Ambella Birk sneered as if finding it absurd.
"It seems those cowards have beco desperate. To think they'd mobilize all their forces they've been hiding until now."
According to reports from her subordinates, the Three Noble Families seed to be planning to attack the east gate's wall.
It wasn't that the east gate was particularly easy to attack.
Serendel's outer wall blocked three directions: east, south, and west.
The northern direction was essentially inaccessible as the World Tree was located there.
Their insistence on the east was probably because it would provide the quickest access to the World Tree once the wall was breached.
Knowing this, they chose to attack the west gate to avoid unnecessary conflict.
And that...
"The sharp-witted head of Lifrey inside must already know this too."
Ambella smiled wryly.
Other elves might not notice, but she could feel the inexplicable gazes watching her warily.
It wasn't soone looking at her.
The grass she stepped on, the trees growing nearby, the falling flower petals, everything was watching her, following soone's orders.
The one who gave those orders was now holed up in that castle, trying to do sothing to the World Tree.
The Plante family head's attempt 500 years ago failed.
As a result, Lifrey and Shadewarden rose to power, and Birk was pushed to the frontier.
How will it turn out this ti?
"Head of Lifrey. Let's end this long-standing grudge."
Will they repeat the mistakes of that day?
Or will they walk a different path?
Today, that will be decided.
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