Category: The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 505: Thanks For That

The [Original Demon], as the first and oldest faction of the Old Demon faction, devoted significant effort to the Demonic Refining Ritual, aiming to create the Seventh and evolve Demon Lords into a new Demon King.

Only through continuous Demonic Refining Rituals, producing countless Demonized Beings as sacrifices and nourishment for the Demon Lord Larvae, could the Seventh be successfully born.

To achieve this, the quantity and quality of the demons and monsters used in the ritual had to be guaranteed.

Under such circumstances, it was only natural for the [Original Demon] to target the Tegor Forest, the largest monster forest.

Therefore…

“A thousand years ago, after the war ended and the Old Demon Faction [Original Demon] was born, the Tegor Forest has been frequently used as the site for the Demonic Refining Ritual.”

Lid explained this secret to Shien.

“At first, no one noticed this, because the Tegor Forest is vast and secluded. As long as they hid within, no one could discover the anomaly. There were many successful cases of the Demonic Refining Ritual here.”

Those successful cases all turned into powerful Demon Lord Larvae, becoming part of the Seventh created by the [Original Demon].

It could be said that the Seventh within the [Original Demon] was born and originated from here.

“Later, because of the Goddess of Nature’s power and the vigilance of the elves living here, the Demonic Refining Ritual was finally discovered.”

Lid said calmly.

“It was then that we discovered the existence of the [Original Demon], the existence of the Old Demon Faction, and their foolish plan.”

Neither the Divine Race, the Demon Race, nor the human race could ignore this.

“The three races all sent many people, intending to completely annihilate the [Original Demon] in the Tegor Forest and destroy their plan.”

Unfortunately, the Old Demon Faction was well-prepared.

They had anticipated that the ritual would be discovered and had prepared an escape plan.

“As a result, that time, we only managed to stop the Demonic Refining Ritual, but we couldn’t effectively damage the [Original Demon].” Lid snorted coldly. “The most infuriating thing is that those rats became very cautious afterward. For a thousand years, they haven’t shown themselves.”

Airi had also said before, in the Atlus Gorge, that the [Original Demon] never revealed themselves easily, but would give Demon Lord Larvae to those Old Demon Faction branches or human forces who were trying to do something, using them to perform the ritual and gather sacrifices to achieve their own goals.

Because of this, this oldest branch of the Old Demon Faction also became the most mysterious, never revealing themselves, making it extremely difficult to effectively harm them.

“And when we left the Tegor Forest, those bastards would return at the right time, continuing to use the forest for the Demonic Refining Ritual to create Demon Lord Larvae and complete the Seventh. Once we received news and came here, they would immediately retreat. For a thousand years, the three races have been played by this [Original Demon].”

Lid’s voice was filled with anger, and even Millu looked furious, a terrifying killing intent emanating from her.

Shien could imagine how frustrated the three races were, being played by the [Original Demon].

“Even Nadue, the Goddess of Nature, intervened several times, using her power to monitor the world, and Lildas, the Goddess of Fate, also used her power many times, trying to find them, but they seemed to have anticipated everything, constantly shifting their base between the human world and the Demon Realm, using various methods to evade the Divine Race’s power. In the end, even the Divine Race couldn’t do anything to them.”

Lid sighed.

“Helplessly, we could only use some crude methods, setting up sentries and defenses in the places they often targeted, especially this Tegor Forest, a ritual site they couldn’t abandon.”

Therefore, although the Tegor Forest seemed dangerous, and no one would normally come here, not only was the [Original Demon] active here from time to time, but even the sentries and spies of the various races would frequently come and go.

This was the reason why Lid and Millu were here.

“In the Demon Race, Millu and I are closest in nature to monsters, and the territories under our jurisdiction mostly have various monsters. Moreover, since it’s difficult for us to act alone due to our special circumstances, we often team up and operate in the Tegor Forest.”

Lid finally revealed the reason for her presence here.

“This time is the same. Because my subordinates reported a new Demonic Refining Ritual, Millu and I came to the human world, to the Tegor Forest.”

They also knew about the habitat of the Elven Race, that the Elven Homeland was nearby.

Therefore, while they were here, they would occasionally visit the Elven Homeland, firstly to relax, secondly because of Millu’s curiosity and playfulness, and thirdly, to use it as a supply station, sometimes finding some human food to eat, sometimes finding a place to bathe.

At least, that’s what they did whenever a Demonic Refining Ritual occurred in the Tegor Forest and they needed to deal with it.

This time was the same.

“I didn’t expect to encounter you.” Lid looked at Shien. “This is an unexpected harvest.”

“Yes, yes!” Millu nodded repeatedly.

Clearly, these two had long known about Shien’s existence, and about his relationship with Airi.

This time, when Shien came to the Elven Homeland and unintentionally mentioned Airi’s name, they appeared and immediately guessed his identity, just like Shien guessed theirs.

“I originally thought that girl must have gone crazy. A dignified Dragon Demon, one of the Six Demon Lords, actually messing around with a human brat. If I didn’t know her personality, I would have suspected that she had slept too much and her brain had turned to mush.”

Lid’s words were quite vicious.

“Yes, yes!”

Millu nodded repeatedly, making it difficult for Shien to retort.

Of course, that was their initial thought.

Now…

“Although I still don’t quite understand what’s wrong with that girl’s mind, since Big Sister has acknowledged you and doesn’t intend to pursue the matter between you two, and you seem quite capable, so young yet possessing at least legendary-level strength, and most importantly, not afraid of us and daring to face us, you’re considered passable for now.”

Lid’s evaluation was quite harsh.

But overall, Shien had met their standards.

Otherwise, they might have really attacked him.

As Lid said, if he wanted to be involved with Airi, he had to bear this risk.

Otherwise, did he really think he could easily gain the favor and protection of a Demon Lord, the pinnacle of the Demon Race, despite the difference in status and strength?

Perhaps Airi herself didn’t mind, but she was still one of the leaders of the Demon Race, her every move could influence the entire race, and even the world. Even if she didn’t want to, others would still act because of her. This was the influence of a high-ranking figure.

Shien naturally understood this.

But he never took it to heart.

With his special identity, he would eventually enter the sights of those at the top of this world. He was already mentally prepared.

Although his strength wasn’t to the point where he could act recklessly, he at least had some confidence now, which was why he wasn’t afraid and dared to follow Millu and Lid out of the Elven Homeland.

Thanks to this, if it were any other time, facing Lid’s arrogant evaluation, he would definitely retort.

But now, he was more concerned about something else.

“So, the Demonic Refining Ritual is still being held in the Tegor Forest?” Shien asked, “Did you find anyone from the [Original Demon]?”

Lid answered directly,

“No.” Lid replied, “If they were that easy to find, this oldest branch of the Old Demon Faction wouldn’t have survived for a thousand years. They would have been eliminated long ago.”

“Yes!” Millu also nodded vigorously, as if agreeing, and even made a punching gesture. Her small fist created a surprisingly strong gust of wind, scattering the surrounding flames, a terrifying display of power.

Shien fell silent and sighed.

“What?” Lid asked, “Do you have a grudge against the [Original Demon]?”

Seeing how much Shien cared about the [Original Demon] and the Demonic Refining Ritual, Lid was a bit curious.

“A grudge?” Shien curled his lip. “If I have to say, it’s not that I don’t.”

Although the Garibaldi family was the main culprit in the Atlus Gorge incident, the [Original Demon], as the mastermind behind it, Shien hadn’t forgotten about them.

Coupled with his conflict with the Old Demon Faction, Shien naturally considered this most mysterious and oldest branch of the Old Demon Faction his enemy.

Of course, the main reason Shien was concerned about the [Original Demon] was still the matter of the Seventh and the creation of a new Demon King.

He was summoned to this world as the Hero. According to Nien, it was because she wanted Shien to resolve a hidden crisis.

And this hidden crisis was very likely the [Original Demon]’s actions of creating a new Demon Lord and a new Demon King.

Since that was the case, how could Shien not confront the [Original Demon]?

“Anyway, I’m not on good terms with the Old Demon Faction. You just need to know that.” Shien said to Lid, “If possible, I will definitely wipe them all out from this world.”

How ruthless.

However, Millu and Lid’s eyes lit up because of Shien’s words.

“I agree!”

Millu raised her hand energetically.

“Indeed, those bastards should be completely eradicated from this world.”

Lid also nodded repeatedly.

Clearly, these two, like Airi, loathed the Old Demon Faction.

It should be said that all Demon Lords and demons loathed the Old Demon Faction.

Especially the [Original Demon], who wanted to create a new Demon Lord and a new Demon King. This was trampling on the way of existence of Demon Lords and the Demon King’s authority.

Moreover, for their own purposes, they not only used monsters as sacrifices, but also targeted demons, harming their own kind. Every member of the Demon Race wanted to annihilate them.

Shien’s words resonated with Millu and Lid.

This also made them look at Shien more favorably.

“It seems that girl Airi has some good judgment.”

Lid even said this, showing how much she hated the Old Demon Faction.

Shien wouldn’t have thought that he, who was being scrutinized by these two big shots before, would now gain their favor because of a single sentence of shared hatred.

Shien only wanted to know one thing.

“Since you didn’t catch anyone, can you at least stop the Demonic Refining Ritual?” Shien frowned. “I didn’t sense the evil and dark magic power of the ritual. Could it be that the ritual site isn’t here?”

“No, the ritual site is nearby.” Lid shook her head. “However, the ritual has already been disrupted by Millu and me.”

“The ritual has been disrupted?” Shien was taken aback.

“That’s right.” Lid waved her paw. “Millu and I both took action. Do you think the ritual could still continue?”

Indeed, the identities of these two weren’t simple. Since they had come here and taken action, they couldn’t have gone to the Elven Homeland to relax without any results.

“Although the ritual was disrupted by us, we haven’t found the culprit yet, and some of the Demonized Beings formed during the ritual escaped and are now wandering in the forest.” Lid said, “These Demonized Beings might be recovered by the [Original Demon] and used to feed other Demon Lord larvae, so we need to eliminate the remaining Demonized Beings as much as possible.”

“Eliminate! Eliminate!” Millu cheered, seemingly full of energy.

Shien then understood.

“You’re not planning to use me as muscle, are you?”

Shien was stunned.

Lid smiled “kindly.”

“We just want to see your strength.” Lid said teasingly, “How about it? Isn’t it exciting? A truly invigorating activity, right? Makes you sweat a lot, doesn’t it?”

Thanks for that.

As Shien rolled his eyes at this, Nadue, who had been watching, narrowed her eyes.

“The [Original Demon] again?”

A cold glint flashed in Nadue’s eyes.

“It seems I need to keep an eye on this forest.”

Chapter 504: “A Couple of Flat-Chested…”

Unlike the Elven Homeland, the Tegor Forest at night was terrifying and eerie.

There was no light.

There was no scenery.

There was only a forest shrouded in darkness.

The moonlight and starlight were blocked by the tall trees.

There were no sounds of birds, beasts, or insects, only a suppressed magic power and ominous aura.

The only ones active in the Tegor Forest at this time were nocturnal monsters.

And nocturnal monsters were usually carnivorous, ferocious, and sinister. Moreover, this was the depths of the Tegor Forest, where the lurking monsters were all high-level. Even legendary-level experts needed to be extremely cautious here.

However, under such circumstances, a little girl, a mysterious small beast, and a young human noble were strolling through the forest.

“Hum hum~ hum hum~ hum hum hum~~~”

Millu, walking at the front, skipped and hummed a strange tune, completely out of sync with the eerie surroundings.

“Haaa~~~”

Lid, lying on Millu’s head, yawned continuously, seemingly more bored than sleepy.

“…”

Shien followed them with narrowed eyes, silently telling himself not to mind, not to mind. If he complained, he would lose.

But Shien did regret it.

He regretted following this pair out of the Elven Homeland.

“Am I stupid? Isn’t soaking in a natural hot spring more enjoyable? Isn’t looking at elven beauties more pleasing to the eye? Or even going back and playing some wholesome games with Lucy would be better, right? Why did I come out for a night stroll because of a little curiosity?”

Shien almost questioned his life choices.

Mainly because he had been following this pair for so long, yet he still didn’t know what they were up to, which made Shien feel a little amused.

“Could they just be out for a walk?”

Shien strongly suspected this.

Even a fool wouldn’t want to take a walk in a place like this in the middle of the night, but this pair, even if they weren’t fools, seemed a bit crazy.

…Should he find a chance to run away?

Shien seriously considered this.

But his thoughts seemed to be seen through.

“Young man, be patient.” Lid glanced at Shien and said calmly, “You have nothing to do in the Elven Homeland anyway, so why not come out and have some fun with us, right?”

“Heh.” Shien snorted and said, “Are you sure this will be more fun than staying in the Elven Homeland?”

Did they not know that he had a fiancée who was the most beautiful woman in the human world?

As Shien thought this, Lid spoke again.

“At least it will be exciting.” Lid said, as if patting its chest, “I guarantee you’ll have a good workout, the kind that makes you sweat.”

…Could he accuse her of innuendo?

She wasn’t even human, and she could still make innuendos?

Amazing.

“Forget it.” Shien sighed slightly and changed the subject. “How should I address you?”

Before Lid could answer, Millu, who was skipping along, turned around and raised her hand.

“I’m Millu!”

Millu said excitedly, like a student called upon by a teacher.

“Well, just call us by our names.” Lid said nonchalantly. “Since you know Airi and have such a good relationship with her, no one will say anything if you address us directly.”

“Really?” Shien curled his lip. “Are you sure I don’t need to add an honorific? Princess Millu? Princess Lid?”

“Mmm~~~” Millu puffed out her cheeks and corrected him. “It’s Millu! Mi! Lu!”

Meaning, just call them by their names, no honorifics needed, right?

Lid also gave Shien a meaningful look.

“It seems you’ve guessed our identities.” Lid said lazily, “Not bad, quite clever.”

“Heh.” Shien snorted again and said, “It’s not that I’m clever, but there aren’t many in this world who can address Airi directly and possess such magic power and aura.”

Therefore, it wasn’t difficult for Shien to guess their identities.

He just didn’t know who they were specifically.

Among the Three Goddesses, Shien had already met two, and the remaining one clearly didn’t match the appearances and rumors of these two.

Among the Six Demon Lords, excluding Sara and Airi, there were only four left.

Who were these two?

Shien could probably guess Lid’s identity, but he was still observing Millu.

Whether Lid knew this or not, it looked at Shien with a meaningful expression.

“I said you’re clever, not because you can guess our identities, but because you know how to treat us.” Lid grinned, its appearance rather ferocious. “A man favored by that girl Airi shouldn’t be afraid of us, let alone our identities and backgrounds. The fact that you can still face us with such a calm and casual attitude after knowing who we are is commendable.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Millu nodded vigorously. “Commendable! Commendable!”

Shien, however, didn’t care about this.

“Perhaps I’m just disrespectful, clueless, and arrogant.”

Shien shrugged.

“You are indeed a bit arrogant.” Lid didn’t deny Shien’s words and said, seemingly trying to scare him, “Knowing our identities, and still daring to follow us, aren’t you afraid we’ll attack you?”

“Oh?” Shien seemed intrigued. “Will you attack me?”

Lid didn’t answer but turned to Millu.

“Do you want to attack him, Millu?”

Lid asked casually.

Millu actually started thinking seriously.

Seeing this, Shien felt a chill down his spine.

He felt that deep within this seemingly innocent, naive, and childlike little girl was something terrifying.

And it wasn’t just about power, but something more fundamental.

Shien had a premonition that if she decided she wanted to attack, she would do so without hesitation, killing him on the spot.

Fortunately…

“Millu doesn’t want to attack.” Millu seemed to have reached a conclusion, shaking her head and smiling innocently. “Big brother seems fun.”

These words dispelled the chill in Shien’s heart.

“Is that so?” Lid still seemed indifferent, then said to Shien, “I’m the same. I don’t want to attack you unless you’re truly a coward who can’t even face us.”

It seemed that in their eyes, Shien was at least passable.

But Shien was certain that if he didn’t meet their expectations, they wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate him.

“Don’t think we’re cruel.” Lid sneered. “If you want to be involved with Airi, you have to bear this risk.”

“Yes!” Millu nodded vigorously again and said seriously, “Airi is important.”

Leaving these words behind, Millu, carrying Lid, continued skipping forward.

Shien rolled his eyes, seemingly not caring about their words at all.

Of course, Shien wouldn’t completely ignore their threat.

He had heard their words, just didn’t take them too seriously.

“A couple of flat-chested…”

Shien muttered inwardly.

“Hmm?”

Millu stopped and tilted her head in confusion.

“What did you say?”

Lid narrowed her eyes, her expression unfriendly.

“Nothing.” Shien naturally wouldn’t admit it and smiled brightly at them. “Let’s go, shall we continue our walk?”

“A walk?” Millu tilted her head even further.

“This isn’t a walk.” Lid retorted.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Shien still looked unconcerned.

If it were anyone else, they would definitely be angry by now, but Millu and Lid weren’t. One continued to look confused, the other seemed too lazy to argue, truly a strange and incredible pair.

They continued forward.

Until a certain moment, Shien’s eyes narrowed, and he abruptly stopped.

He sensed a familiar magic power.

That magic power was somewhat evil, dark, chaotic, and ferocious, making him feel very uncomfortable.

Shien’s expression turned grim.

Not only Shien, but even Millu seemed to have a fierce glint in her eyes, baring her teeth like a little lioness.

“Do you sense it?”

Only Lid still looked indifferent, looking at Shien with a smirk.

Shien didn’t say anything, but suddenly accelerated, his figure flashing like a ghost as he dashed forward.

The sealed Holy Sword at his waist had already been drawn.

And as Shien drew his sword, a dark figure suddenly lunged out from the depths of the forest ahead, like a beast lying in ambush.

“Roar!”

A ferocious roar echoed from its mouth.

It was a terrifying monster.

It had a wolf’s head, a snake’s head growing from its chest, six arms, some on its back, some on its legs, and a tail on its face. It had no natural biological characteristics at all, a grotesque and horrifying chimera, making one feel physically uncomfortable just by looking at it.

Such a creature wasn’t a monster, nor any known life form in this world.

Yet, Shien knew its name.

—A [Demonized Being].

This monster was used as a sacrifice, as nourishment for Demon Lord larvae, born in a magic ritual called the “Demonization Ritual,” formed from monsters and demons driven mad by the ritual, killing and devouring each other, absorbing each other’s flesh and magic power.

“Roar!”

The grotesque Demonized Being pounced on Shien like a predator.

Its speed was so fast that only a blur could be seen, proving its high level and strength.

But Shien’s eyes flashed coldly as he charged forward without dodging or evading.

The Demonized Being’s ferocious wolf’s maw opened wide, biting down on Shien’s head.

“Clang!”

At this moment, a sword light, like a crescent moon in the darkness, flashed.

“Swish!”

The grotesque Demonized Being didn’t even have time to react before it was decapitated by this extremely fast slash, its wolf head flying into the sky.

“[Bestow: Combustion].”

Shien chanted the magic spell in a cold voice.

Astonishing magic power erupted from his body.

“Boom—!”

In the dark forest, flames suddenly burst forth, illuminating the surroundings.

The sudden flames ignited the surrounding forest, burning intensely.

Shien stood amidst the sea of fire, watching as the Demonized Being was burned to ashes, then finally stopped.

But his expression was still grim.

At this moment, Millu and Lid approached him.

“It seems you really hate this monster.”

Lid smiled, seemingly satisfied.

“Burned it! Burned it!”

Millu cheered repeatedly, running around excitedly in the sea of fire, completely ignoring the flames, moving freely without even a single spark on her.

Shien turned to Lid.

“What’s going on?” Shien asked stiffly, “Why is there a Demonized Being here?”

This question, instead of being answered, was met with a counter-question from Lid.

“I’d like to ask you, why do you think there wouldn’t be a Demonized Being here?”

Lid’s counter-question stunned Shien for a moment, then he fell silent.

Seeing this, Lid nodded.

“You know, right? The so-called Demonized Beings are the product of rituals performed by the Old Demon Faction, essentially sacrifices and nourishment, monsters formed from demons and monsters driven mad by the ritual, killing and devouring each other.” Lid said with an impassive face, “Therefore, this ritual needs to be performed in a place with many demons or monsters, and the greater their number and level, the better.”

That’s why the Garibaldi family, who colluded with the Old Demon Faction, targeted the Atlus Gorge, because there were many high-level monsters there.

And then…

“The Tegor Forest is the largest monster forest in this world, even containing many legendary monsters that have existed since ancient times.”

Lid sneered.

“Such a good place for the ritual, do you think those bastards from the Old Demon Faction’s [Original Demon] wouldn’t have their eyes on it?”

This was the reason why there was a Demonized Being here.

Chapter 503: “You’ll Pay for This.”

When Shien finished dressing, Millu, holding Lid, came to him.

“Airi, Airi…”

The little girl with immense magic power tugged at Shien’s clothes repeatedly, her face anxious, as if urging or worried about something.

“This…”

Shien didn’t know what she wanted and looked confused.

“Alright, don’t worry, Airi won’t run away.”

Lid comforted her in a casual tone, and although Millu still looked anxious, she didn’t say anything more.

Seeing this, Shien had a thought.

“Could she be wanting to see Airi?”

Shien asked the little beast on Millu’s head, a strange expression on his face.

“Well, haven’t you guessed it already?” Lid yawned, looking at the puzzled Shien, a glint of intelligence in its eyes. It chuckled and said, “This girl likes Airi the most. Whenever she sees Airi, she’ll cling to her until Airi gets annoyed. If we hadn’t heard you mention Airi’s name when passing by, we might not have even noticed you.”

In short, if it weren’t for the mention of Airi, Shien might have been ignored by them.

To this pair, Shien’s only value seemed to be “knowing Airi.” Besides that, he didn’t seem to have anything they were interested in.

…He felt an urge to ruffle that child’s hair and eat a roasted beast leg.

“You want to see Airi, right?” Shien said with a forced smile, “Fine, I’ll take you to her.”

He would deal with their arrogance later.

However, as Shien thought this, Lid said,

“Before that, do us a favor first.”

Lid actually said this.

“A favor?”

Shien raised an eyebrow.

“That’s right.” Lid pointed outside the barrier. “It’s in that direction. Let’s go.”

Without waiting for Shien’s response, Lid tugged at Millu’s hair.

“Let’s go, Millu. Let’s finish this quickly so we can go see Airi.”

Lid’s words instantly changed Millu’s aggrieved expression.

“See Airi! See Airi!”

The little girl’s face lit up, and she ran outside.

Surprisingly, the barrier of the Elven Homeland seemed to have no effect on her.

The little girl with the mysterious creature on her head passed through the barrier silently, as if walking through water, completely unaffected.

“What the hell…”

Shien was dumbfounded.

The barrier that the Elven Homeland was so proud of, and which was possibly set up by the Goddess of Nature herself, was actually ignored by her so easily. It was truly shocking.

If she had broken the barrier with force, Shien wouldn’t have been so surprised.

If he hadn’t guessed wrong about her identity, then her power could only be greater than that of the Goddess of Nature. Being able to break the barrier set up by the Goddess of Nature wasn’t strange.

But she didn’t break the barrier, but directly ignored it, as if nothing in the world could stop her, completely unaffected.

This was quite impressive.

Shien hadn’t intended to follow.

After all, being ordered around like this, what did that make him?

But now, Shien was interested in this pair.

What did such a strange duo want to do here?

“Let’s go and see.”

Shien couldn’t suppress his curiosity.

Shien followed them.

Lid, as if knowing Shien would follow, said casually to Millu,

“Bring him out of the barrier, Millu.”

Millu didn’t hesitate at all, walked through the barrier, took Shien’s hand, and pulled him out, as easily as if they were taking a stroll.

“Airi! Airi!”

Millu, holding Shien’s hand, kept chanting this name, then pulled Shien forward impatiently.

“Where are we going?”

Shien couldn’t help but ask.

But…

“You’ll know when we get there.”

Lid’s casual tone made Shien narrow his eyes.

This little guy needed to be taught a lesson.

He would find a chance to mess with her.

It had been a while since he had some fun. He didn’t know if his skills had deteriorated.

…

Meanwhile, Carol was still waiting boredly some distance away from the hot spring.

“Why is he taking so long?” Carol complained. “A man, taking longer to bathe than a woman.”

Carol was getting impatient.

If she wasn’t afraid of being caught red-handed, accused of spying on him while he was bathing after promising no one would go in, she would have already barged in.

“I’m the vice-commander of the Elven Corps, a level eighty-nine archmage, actually acting as a lookout for a man from another race, I must be crazy.”

Carol muttered to herself, either in self-mockery or helplessness.

“Hmm?”

At this moment, Carol noticed something and looked up in surprise.

In the distance, under the beautiful night sky, a stream of evil aura and a dragon’s shadow were rapidly approaching.

“That is…?”

Carol tensed up.

She felt a suffocating threat from that evil aura and dragon’s shadow.

The next moment, the evil aura and the dragon’s shadow arrived, hovering in mid-air for a moment, then descended.

Their target was her.

“What?”

Carol’s expression changed.

But before she could react, the evil aura and dragon’s shadow landed before her, revealing their forms.

It was Lilith and Airi.

“Dragon… Dragon Demon Princess…!? And Goddess Lilith…!”

Carol held her breath.

But Airi and Lilith clearly weren’t in the mood for small talk.

“Where’s Shien?”

Airi asked directly.

“Shien?” Carol was stunned for a moment, then reacted and said quickly, “V-Viscount Buztout is currently bathing inside.”

“Inside?” Airi gave Carol a deep look, making her feel uneasy, then said calmly, “He has already left the Elven Homeland and is outside the barrier.”

“Wh-what!?” Carol’s eyes widened in shock. “Impossible! The Elven Homeland’s barrier is still active. Unless one of us opens the entrance, no one can freely enter or exit!”

This was a barrier set up by the Goddess of Nature, utilizing the power of nature and the environment. Without knowing the method, even level limit experts couldn’t freely enter or exit, and transcendent beings could only break through with force.

Since the barrier was still active, logically speaking, unless an elf guided him, Shien should still be inside the barrier.

Now, Airi was saying that Shien had already left. It was no wonder Carol was shocked.

But this was a fact.

“It’s precisely because he left the barrier that the magic power I placed on him is no longer detectable, and even the connection between Lilith and her [True Mark] has become blurred, making us unable to find his location.” Airi murmured calmly, as if talking to herself. “However, if it’s them, they can indeed easily enter and exit this barrier and block our senses, preventing us from finding Shien.”

Airi seemed to have guessed the reason.

Beside her, the evil aura around Lilith fluctuated continuously, showing that her mood was unstable, making even Carol apprehensive.

Carol was worried that Lilith would cause trouble in the Elven Homeland.

If that happened, it would be a big problem.

Fortunately, their savior arrived quickly.

“Your Highness Airi, Lady Lilith.”

With this call, an emerald green light descended from the sky, transforming into the graceful figure of the Elven Queen.

“Sophie?” Airi wasn’t surprised by Sophie’s arrival and asked directly, “You sensed it too, right?”

“Yes.” Sophie sighed and nodded seriously. “Such magic power, it’s indeed those two, isn’t it?”

“It can only be them.” Airi said with dissatisfaction. “Besides them, who else would wander around in this ancient forest filled with monsters?”

“Then…” Sophie said with worry, “Since those two have appeared here, does that mean something happened in the Tegor Forest again?”

“Who knows?” Airi said coldly, “I just want to know why they took my person and what they’re planning to do.”

“Viscount Buztout?” Sophie said hesitantly, “Isn’t it because of Your Highness Airi that he was taken away?”

Airi glared at Sophie, making her chuckle awkwardly.

She knew that she had exposed the truth, making it impossible for Airi to keep up her pretense.

“Should I send someone to look for him?”

Sophie could only suggest this.

“…Forget it.” Airi’s face was still filled with displeasure, but after thinking for a moment, she said, “If it were before, I would have been worried that Shien would be toyed with by those two. Now, with his increased strength, he should be able to handle them… as long as they don’t go too far.”

Towards the end, Airi finally showed a troubled expression.

Lilith immediately tugged at Airi’s clothes, seemingly objecting to her decision.

“Don’t worry.” Airi comforted Lilith. “He’s still safe. Otherwise, even with their interference, you would be able to sense his location through the [True Mark].”

Once the bearer of the [True Mark] was in danger, the owner would immediately sense it and, through the connection of the [True Mark], instantly arrive at their location.

Since Lilith couldn’t sense Shien, it meant he wasn’t in danger.

Thinking of this, Lilith calmed down.

Only Airi remained, looking towards the depths of the forest ahead, a menacing glint in her eyes.

“If you don’t bring him back safe and sound, you’ll pay for this, Millu, Lid.”

Airi murmured.

The night continued.

Chapter 502: Growing Something You Shouldn’t

“…!”

Shien abruptly stood up from the hot spring and turned around, looking in a certain direction.

There, a little girl had appeared at some point.

“You…?”

Shien was stunned.

He hadn’t expected that voice to come from such a young girl.

She looked like a beastman, wearing a leather dress, seemingly around thirteen or fourteen years old.

The little girl held a fluffy, mysterious creature, blinked her big eyes, and stared at Shien from the edge of the hot spring.

Shien was first stunned by her appearance and age, then his eyes narrowed.

Because he sensed a terrifying magic power from this little girl, and a ferocious aura that seemed capable of crushing the heavens and earth.

It felt as if a world-destroying beast had suddenly appeared before him.

But this little girl with such a terrifying aura simply stood there with an innocent look, seemingly curious about Shien, staring at him.

Frankly speaking, Shien didn’t dare to look away from her.

Before she spoke, Shien hadn’t even sensed her presence, which showed how extraordinary she was.

The current Shien was different from before. His [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree] could even perceive the workings of the world, yet he hadn’t reacted to her presence until she spoke. This alone was enough to make him wary.

Of course, if he had been fully focused, Shien wouldn’t have been completely oblivious. It was mainly because he had been too relaxed and comfortable while soaking in the hot spring, and he had been lost in thought, making him less alert.

But even so, not just anyone could bypass the detection of [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree].

Yet, this little girl had done it.

“Who are you?”

Shien asked in a deep voice.

However, the little girl didn’t answer his question.

“Airi?” The little girl tilted her head, as if thinking about something, muttering, “Airi? Airi? Airi?”

She kept repeating this name, seemingly very interested in it.

Shien frowned.

“What?” Shien asked, “Do you know Airi?”

Shien decided to test her.

“Airi?” The little girl was still tilting her head, but seemed to understand Shien’s words and nodded vaguely, then said happily, “Airi! Airi! Airi!”

The little girl cheered, jumping up and down, and accidentally let go of the mysterious creature in her hands.

The mysterious creature fell to the ground without a sound, then, as if understanding human behavior, rolled its eyes and flipped over, staying in a prone position.

However, it stared intently at Shien, a look of scrutiny in its eyes.

Shien also noticed this mysterious creature, then he realized something.

The terrifying aura he had sensed earlier, like that of a world-destroying beast, actually came from this mysterious creature.

As for the little girl, although her aura was faint, she possessed immense magic power, even greater than Lucy’s, stronger than anyone Shien had ever met.

Just what were the origins of this girl and beast duo?

Shien subconsciously used [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree], trying to see through their levels.

However, he couldn’t see anything.

“This…”

Shien fell silent.

Then, an amused voice rang out.

“Alright, stop looking, human boy. With your power, you can’t see through our level. Don’t waste your energy.”

It was a voice that sounded young, yet somehow mature.

Hearing this voice, Shien’s heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the little girl again.

“Airi! Airi!”

But the little girl was still jumping up and down, chanting Airi’s name.

That voice didn’t come from her.

“Hey, hey, where are you looking?” The voice rang out again. “Here, look at me. It’s me talking to you.”

The mysterious creature lying on the ground raised a forelimb and waved it in a very human-like manner.

Shien finally understood.

“You… you were the one talking just now?”

Shien asked in surprise.

“Yes.”

The little creature readily admitted.

However, it hadn’t opened its mouth to speak.

That voice, rather than coming from its mouth, seemed to be transmitted directly into Shien’s mind, like telepathy.

This stunned Shien.

“Sigh, that reaction again.” The mysterious creature said faintly, as if bored. “Every time I meet someone new and talk to them, they have this reaction. It’s getting old.”

Shien resisted the urge to retort, glanced at the cheering little girl, then at the mysterious creature lying on the ground. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t help but ask,

“What are you? A monster?”

Shien’s eyes were filled with confusion.

“Heh.” The mysterious creature chuckled, seemingly too lazy to explain. “Just consider me a monster. To you humans, there’s no difference between me and a monster anyway.”

After saying that, the mysterious creature turned to the cheering little girl, its tone suddenly turning stern.

“Alright, stop jumping around, Millu. Pick me up.”

The little girl, called Millu, stopped and obediently picked up the mysterious creature.

“Lid.” Millu said to the creature in her arms, “Airi, Airi.”

The word “Lid” seemed to be the creature’s name.

“I know, I know.” Lid said impatiently. “Really, how much do you want to see Airi? She’s such a spoiled brat, yet everyone dotes on her and lets her do as she pleases. She’ll be spoiled rotten by you all sooner or later.”

“Hee hee.” Millu didn’t seem to mind Lid’s complaints and giggled happily, seemingly in a good mood.

Shien’s frown deepened.

This strange girl and beast duo, it seemed, wasn’t simple at all.

“Who are you?”

Shien was losing his patience.

This made Millu and Lid turn their gazes back to Shien.

“Young man, be patient, don’t be so impatient.” Lid grinned, its voice still transmitting directly into Shien’s mind. “Don’t worry, we’re not suspicious characters, at least not to you.”

“Not suspicious, not suspicious.” Millu repeated happily, like an innocent child.

Shien naturally wouldn’t believe their words so easily.

Not only because they were suspicious, but also because their behavior seemed strange.

Therefore, Shien didn’t let his guard down.

However, considering that his [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree] couldn’t see through their levels, and their familiarity with Airi, Shien had a guess about their identities.

If they were truly who he thought they were, then it would be worth trying to communicate with them.

Just as Shien had this thought, the voice rang out again.

“Good, that’s the right approach.”

The mysterious creature, Lid, said approvingly, then added slyly,

“Anyway, you should get dressed first, lest Millu stares at that thing of yours for too long and grows something she shouldn’t.”

These words made Shien’s lips twitch.

What did she mean by “grow something she shouldn’t”?

If she meant a stye, then just say so, don’t be so ambiguous.

People who didn’t know might think it was something else.

…

At the same time, in several other locations, quite a few people noticed the situation on Shien’s side.

“Why are they here?”

Nadue, waiting outside for Shien to finish his bath, sensed that magic power and aura and was stunned.

“This magic power…!?”

In the Queen’s Palace, Sophie, who had her eyes closed, suddenly opened them and stood up from her throne, her eyes filled with shock and even panic.

In two different rooms in the tree house where Shien and his group were staying, two little girls opened their eyes simultaneously.

“Miss Lilith?”

Lasha, who was by Lilith’s side, called out when she saw this.

But Lilith ignored Lasha, turned her head, looked in a certain direction, then with a “whoosh,” transformed into a stream of evil aura and dashed out.

Lasha’s eyes flickered slightly, but she didn’t say or do anything, just quietly waiting, as if waiting for the dust to settle.

Naturally, in another room, Airi also got up.

“Those two…”

Airi murmured, sighing, either annoyed or troubled.

“Appearing here, it seems their bad habits haven’t changed.”

Saying so, Airi got out of bed.

The next moment, a pair of dragon wings unfolded on Airi’s back, and she transformed into a gust of wind, flying out of the window just like Lilith.

A stream of evil aura and a dragon’s shadow flew towards the same direction.

“…”

In a clear lake, Lucy, who was soaking in the water, raised her head and saw this scene.

Around her were laughing elven girls.

Lucy didn’t move.

She just stared, her thoughts unknown.

Chapter 501: “Don’t Spy on Me While I’m Bathing, Okay?”

Shien was quite satisfied with having a natural hot spring all to himself.

It was just a pity that Diere wasn’t here to enjoy it with him.

Thinking of that proactive and decisive girl, Shien felt a pang of longing.

“Well, it’s only for half a month.”

Shien put aside his longing and turned to Carol.

“What? Is there a problem?”

Carol asked immediately, noticing Shien’s gaze.

Shien simply replied,

“It’s not that I have a problem, but that you have a problem.”

Shien said with a smile.

“???” Carol was confused. She frowned and asked, “What problem could I possibly have?”

“You don’t have a problem?” Shien nodded knowingly, then changed the subject. “Then why are you still here? Do you want to watch me undress?”

“You…!” Carol blushed, annoyed, and finally unable to maintain her serious and rigid demeanor, glared at Shien.

But she didn’t say anything, just turned around and left.

Shien looked smug, then as if remembering something, he quickly said,

“Wait, no one will come here, right?”

Shien had to confirm this first.

“Are you worried?” Carol said sarcastically, “Don’t worry, no one will come and peek at you.”

Did this man really think that elves would be interested in such a thing?

Who were they?

Elves who valued purity!

Elves would never peek at a man bathing!

However…

“Am I worried about being peeked at?” Shien retorted, “I’m worried that you unreasonable women will barge in here, take advantage of me, then pretend to scream and attract everyone, and then accuse me of being a pervert. Who would I complain to then?”

These words truly angered Carol.

But Shien wasn’t joking.

Similar scenarios had happened countless times in cliché novels. Whether it was accidentally seeing something beautiful, or being seen by others, the male protagonist always ended up suffering in the end.

Shien didn’t want to fall into such a cliché trap and be falsely accused.

Otherwise, with the special treatment of men from other races in the Elven Homeland, he would never be able to clear his name.

And with his temper, if that happened, he wouldn’t be like those cowardly protagonists who didn’t dare to fight back when targeted, pretending to be righteous and not wanting to bully or hit women. That wasn’t righteous at all, but foolish.

If he encountered such a situation, then he would apologize, capture them all, and teach them a lesson.

Only after subduing them would he have the right to speak. Otherwise, how could he expect a group of angry women to be reasonable?

“Anyway, I’ve said my piece. If someone barges in later and causes trouble, I won’t be polite.” Shien said with a smile, “We haven’t finished our fight from today.”

Carol stared at Shien, her gaze as if she wanted to pounce on him and bite him.

After a while, Carol finally gritted her teeth and said,

“Only Her Majesty comes here. Lady Leia and Lady Nia sometimes accompany her, but during the Peace Festival, none of them will come.”

After all, bringing Shien here and letting him use this hot spring was Sophie’s instruction.

Under such circumstances, Sophie naturally wouldn’t come here, and the two legendary commanders wouldn’t come either.

“I’ll wait for you outside. You can rest assured now, right?”

Carol said, then as if she didn’t want to talk to Shien anymore, she turned and left.

Until…

“Waiting outside is fine, but don’t spy on me while I’m bathing, okay?”

These light words made Carol stumble, almost falling.

Finally, Carol stomped away angrily.

She didn’t notice the smug smile on Shien’s face.

“Trying to act all high and mighty with me? I’ll piss you off.”

Clearly, Shien deliberately said those annoying words.

…

“Ah~~~ so comfortable~~~”

With a comfortable sigh, a figure entered the natural hot spring.

“This hot spring is something special.”

Shien soaked comfortably, looking at the hot spring thoughtfully.

If someone with the [Magic Perception] skill were here, they would discover that this natural hot spring wasn’t just emitting heat and steam, but also dense magic power.

Shien noticed this as soon as he arrived and instantly understood.

“This isn’t a hot spring, it’s a source of magic power!”

Indeed, this wasn’t an ordinary hot spring, but a natural source of magic power.

The hot water in this magic power source was entirely condensed from the magic power of nature, not ordinary hot spring water.

With the perception of [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree], Shien saw through many things.

“This magic power source, while expanding, must have absorbed the special magic power from the deepest part of the Tegor Forest, causing some changes and transforming into a hot spring-like form.”

Magic power sources varied in scale and level, some small, some medium, and some large. Depending on their scale and level, the quality of the spring water within also differed.

This hot spring-like magic power source was originally a small one, having expanded towards medium size over countless years, but because of the special magic power here, it didn’t become a medium-sized magic power source, but transformed into this hot spring form.

“That special magic power should be the reason why the Elven Race was born from nature here, right?”

Shien sensed his surroundings with [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree].

Generally, magic power was converted from life force, and the same went for natural magic power, which was naturally converted from the life force emanating from the “world,” the largest existence.

Therefore, magic power was closely related to life force. If there was a problem with life force, there would be a problem with magic power, and vice versa.

This meant that all magic power contained a dense life force, just not as pure.

But Shien discovered that the natural magic power in the Elven Homeland not only had a life force as pure as life force itself, but also a special pulsating sensation.

If ordinary magic power flowed like air currents or rivers, then the magic power here, while flowing, also pulsed like a heart, very rhythmically.

That feeling wasn’t like the air currents or rivers of ordinary magic power, but more like blood flowing through blood vessels, very special.

It was because of this special magic power that elves were born from nature, becoming natural lifeforms.

The same went for this hot spring-like magic power source. Having absorbed the magic power here for many years, it underwent a peculiar transformation.

“If one frequently bathes in such a hot spring, it would definitely activate the magic power within their body, accelerating its growth, even benefiting their life force, making them live longer, and even healing serious injuries.”

Shien mused.

“This is far more precious than ordinary magic power sources.”

Shien was certain that if this magic power source appeared in the outside world, it would be fought over by countless forces and even nations.

Many countries wouldn’t hesitate to go to war to seize the land containing such a miraculous magic power source.

Its value was limitless, a true priceless treasure.

“No wonder even elven royalty comes here.”

Shien turned his head and looked to the side.

There, several unicorns were drinking the spring water, their heads lowered.

The levels of these unicorns weren’t low at all, the lowest being level eighty-four, and there was even one at level eighty-eight and another at level eighty-nine, just one step away from the legendary level.

Being able to drink the spring water here must be a great benefit to these unicorns, right?

“The world only sees the Elven Race’s strongest magician corps, but they don’t know that the monsters and fantasy creatures under their command, having drunk this spring water for many years, are also of high levels.”

Shien curled his lip, easily imagining that in the Elven Homeland, besides the Elven Corps, there was also a high-level monster legion no less powerful than the former.

Although the Elven Race had a small population, not only were they long-lived, but they also coexisted peacefully with, and even managed, so many high-level monsters.

Shien believed that if necessary, the Elven Race could definitely command this high-level monster legion.

At that time, with powerful monsters charging at the forefront, and the elves supporting them from behind with their powerful magic, their combat power would be no less than any other race in the human world.

Note, it was “race,” not “nation.”

If it was just a single nation, even the Kingdom of Mitra or the Ragna Empire, against the Elven Race, Shien felt that they wouldn’t be able to gain any advantage.

Of course…

“No matter how strong, in the eyes of transcendent beings who have surpassed the limits of life, they’re all just ants.”

The current Shien clearly understood the huge gap between those who had transcended and those who hadn’t.

“Without transcendent beings, even a powerful race like the Elven Race would still have to fear Airi and Lilith.”

Shien saw through this.

Just then…

“Airi…?”

A very soft voice suddenly reached Shien’s ears.

Chapter 500: “Go Take a Bath and Sleep.”

Shien had long since noticed that Carol was monitoring him.

The perception ability of [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree] was far superior to his past self. Not only could he sense hostility and magic power, but also various malicious intents and life auras. Coupled with his enhanced senses, Shien could see through all falsehoods. If he couldn’t even detect someone watching him in secret, then this powerful skill would be wasted.

However, Shien didn’t intend to pay attention to Carol.

He knew that Carol was simply wary of a man like him wandering around the Elven Homeland, not that she had any malicious intentions towards him.

Therefore, Shien ignored her.

Now, she had actually come out so openly and even told him about it directly. Was she that fearless, or was she just too rigid and straightforward to hide anything?

Shien didn’t know, nor was he interested in knowing.

He only knew that he didn’t get along with this stubborn girl at all.

Therefore, Shien didn’t bother being polite to Carol.

“Since you’re here, tell me where the bathroom is.”

Shien asked Carol directly, too lazy to startle the other elven girls.

But Carol’s answer was surprisingly straightforward.

“There isn’t one.”

Carol replied instantly.

“What?”

Shien was stunned.

“I said there isn’t one.” Carol said with a straight face. “There’s no such thing as a bathroom in the Elven Homeland. Otherwise, why do you think we wouldn’t have one in the tree house?”

So, it wasn’t that he couldn’t find the bathroom, but that there was no such thing as a bathroom here?

…Was she kidding?

“Then how do you bathe?” Shien retorted. “Don’t tell me elves don’t bathe or use the toilet.”

Hearing the words “use the toilet,” even Carol couldn’t help but glare at Shien.

Didn’t this man know what was appropriate to say and what wasn’t?

“We never use bathrooms for bathing.” Carol said stiffly, “As part of nature, we elves always cleanse ourselves in rivers or lakes.”

Shien understood.

So, in other words…

“All elves bathe in open-air rivers or lakes?”

Shien’s imagination ran wild.

Could it be that somewhere in the Elven Homeland right now, there was a river or lake full of naked elven girls?

Shien could almost picture those beautiful elves, bathing and playing in the water.

…Should he use [Inner Awareness of Heaven’s Decree] to sneak a peek?

No, not to peek. How could he be that kind of person?

He just wanted to test the effects of [Inner Awareness of Heaven’s Decree]. He didn’t have such indecent thoughts.

As a Heaven’s Decree skill he obtained by fusing countless skills, he had to properly confirm its power and effects.

That’s what he was thinking, pure and innocent, yes.

Unfortunately…

“You’d better not do anything you shouldn’t.” Carol said coldly, as if she could read Shien’s mind. “I’m monitoring you precisely to prevent you from doing anything indecent. Even if I didn’t, with the Queen’s Palace, nothing in the Elven Homeland can be hidden from the Queen. I advise you to abandon those thoughts.”

“Ahem, don’t slander me.” Shien coughed dryly, then said seriously, “Do you think you’re some peeping Tom goddess who can read minds? Why do you say I have indecent thoughts?”

These words caused confusion.

“A peeping Tom goddess?”

Carol was taken aback.

“Have I… been discovered?”

A certain Goddess of Nature, who was following Shien closely, was also startled.

However, this goddess didn’t know that Shien wasn’t referring to her, but to another goddess named Nien.

Carol, after a moment of surprise, didn’t pay much attention to Shien’s words.

Perhaps she thought Shien was referring to Lilith.

Carol said calmly,

“I can’t read minds, but I know that all you men have this reaction when it comes to this matter. Even Mitra, the Hero, was the same.”

Carol’s words made Shien sigh.

Whether they were Heroes or not, men were all pathetic.

He was like this, and Mitra, the Hero from a thousand years ago, was also like this.

But Shien still wanted to say,

“Senior, you’ve completely ruined the Hero’s reputation.”

It seemed that after coming to the Elven Homeland, the image of that Hero who defeated the Demon King was gradually crumbling.

Of course, on the surface, Shien still had to retort.

“Since you can’t read minds, don’t make random accusations. Is our reaction a sign of indecent thoughts? Can’t it be that we’re worried about you elven girls catching a cold in the river or lake?”

Carol was speechless.

“Elves are favored by nature and aren’t affected by natural temperatures. Unless it’s due to human actions or magic, elves don’t feel hot or cold.”

Carol looked at Shien with disdain.

It was clearly the look of someone who had caught a man trying to do something indecent, making clumsy excuses.

However, Shien really didn’t know this.

Elves weren’t affected by natural temperatures?

Well, as expected of a naturally magical race, favored by nature, they were truly a living testament to the unscientific.

“So, there really are no bathrooms in the Elven Homeland?”

Shien was still a bit unwilling to give up.

“No.” Carol said firmly, “We love and are close to nature. For us, cleansing ourselves in rivers and lakes is both a habit and an instinct. Setting aside those who are traveling, in the village, we all do this, even the Queen. There are no bathrooms in the Elven Homeland.”

Shien finally understood.

He understood why Lucy had gone to find Melika alone earlier.

“Could it be that she already knew about this and didn’t want to bring me along, afraid that I would sneak a peek at the elven girls bathing, which is why she was acting so suspiciously?”

Shien’s lips twitched.

This was entirely possible.

Otherwise, why wouldn’t that lazy princess bring him along?

If it was just to find Melika, or to play in the Elven Homeland, she definitely wouldn’t have left him behind, but would have dragged him along.

“That unlucky girl…”

Shien decided to teach that princess a lesson tonight.

As for how she knew about this, Shien suspected Lasha was behind it.

That elusive maid always somehow managed to gather all sorts of tourist information about the places they visited, like the location of inns, restaurants, the ingredients of dishes, and so on, faster than anyone else.

Therefore, it was highly likely that she had already arranged for the girls to bathe.

Even if Airi didn’t need it, Lilith couldn’t possibly be coaxed to sleep without taking a bath.

“That poker-faced maid…”

Shien gritted his teeth.

At this moment, Shien felt like the whole world was against him.

He had no status in this Elven Homeland.

No, he had to find a way to regain his ground.

Shien thought about this as he asked Carol,

“Then what should I do? You can’t just tell me not to bathe, right?”

If this elf dared to say “Aren’t all men smelly?”, Shien wouldn’t hesitate to punch her in the chest and retort, “Aren’t all women soft?”

Fortunately, Carol wasn’t that rude.

“The Queen said that you will receive the highest level of treatment. Since that’s the case, we will naturally make arrangements for you.”

Carol turned around.

“Follow me.”

Saying so, Carol walked forward.

“Arrangements?”

Shien muttered, then reluctantly followed.

Along the way, Shien encountered many elven girls.

Their reactions were all the same: startled at first, quickly stepping aside, then secretly glancing at Shien with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

Shien felt like he had come to the wrong place and didn’t want to complain anymore.

“Just take a bath and go to sleep.”

This was Shien’s only thought now.

…

Led by Carol, Shien arrived at a secluded place.

It was deep within the forest, some distance away from the Elven Homeland.

Not far ahead was the edge of the Elven Homeland’s barrier, and it was said that beyond it was a vast mountain range.

“You can bathe here.”

The bath Carol prepared for Shien appeared like this.

Seeing what was before him, Shien’s eyes widened in surprise.

“A hot spring?”

Yes.

What appeared before Shien was a hot spring.

And it was a very large one.

Its diameter was about twenty or thirty meters, and its width was also more than ten meters, like a small lake. It was big enough for not just one person, but even a hundred people to bathe in.

Looking at the steaming hot spring, Shien was surprised.

“This is the arrangement you mentioned?” Shien blinked. “Did you just dig this?”

“Of course not.” Carol said calmly, “This hot spring has existed for a long time, even before Her Majesty was born. Her Majesty often used it when she was young, and occasionally uses it now as well. Few people know about this place. It’s just right for you to use now.”

He took back his previous words.

His treatment was actually quite good, wasn’t it?

Chapter 499: “Don’t… Don’t Come Any Closer…!”

As the commotion subsided, night finally fell upon the Elven Homeland.

Compared to the daytime, the Elven Homeland at night was even more beautiful.

Although located deep within a forest, surrounded by ferocious monsters, the Elven Homeland was protected by a barrier and remained unaffected, like a tranquil village on a magical night, a peaceful atmosphere pervading the air.

The glowing trees emitted a soft light.

Fairies and butterflies danced, trailing long tails of light, creating beautiful patterns in the air.

The unicorns and other fantasy creatures seemed to be asleep.

The elves seemed to be engaging in after-dinner activities, some taking walks, some doing handicrafts, seemingly preparing for the next morning.

Shien and his group settled into their tree house and had dinner.

Dinner was prepared by Lasha.

This amazing maid had somehow procured a bunch of ingredients they had never seen before, then calmly cooked them into a luxurious dinner.

The dishes were said to be something Lasha had never made before.

But even though they were new dishes, they were so delicious that it made one want to swallow their plates and tongues, even more magical than the Elven Homeland itself.

Fortunately, Shien had long since given up on trying to understand Lasha’s cooking, or he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

In short, “Lasha is invincible” was the only explanation.

After dinner, the group chatted for a while, then dispersed.

“I’m sleepy. Don’t wake me up unless it’s important.”

Airi said this curtly, then returned to her room and fell asleep.

“I’m going to find Melika.”

Lucy suddenly said this, as if she was concerned about what Melika was doing, and quickly left.

Shien wanted to follow, but Lucy was already gone.

“Why is she running so fast?”

Shien was dissatisfied.

He strongly suspected that this princess couldn’t wait to go out and have fun.

She had been restless since arriving in the Elven Homeland, wanting to explore. She must be very curious about the night scenery here.

There was nothing wrong with that.

However, leaving her fiancé behind and going out to play alone wasn’t very considerate.

“I’ll deal with you later.”

Shien made a mental note of this, then turned around and went back, preparing to cuddle and play with Lilith to pass the time.

Who would have thought that Lilith was also asleep?

“I’ll take care of Miss Lilith.”

Lasha carried the sleeping Lilith and returned to her room.

Shien stared blankly at this, then suddenly realized.

“Have I been abandoned?”

Yes.

He had been abandoned.

In this village unfriendly to men, he had been left alone by the girls around him.

“I…” Shien wanted to curse, then sighed. “Forget it, I should go to bed early too.”

Shien returned to his room and lay down on the bed.

Here, the bed wasn’t a soft mattress and warm blanket, but a hammock-like tree bed.

Vines extended from the walls of the room, interweaving to form a net, covered with leaves and unknown herbs, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

Shien tried it out and found that this bed wasn’t as shaky as a hammock, very stable, not only comfortable but also making one reluctant to get up. Coupled with the lingering fragrance, Shien almost instantly fell asleep.

“No wonder those two little girls went to bed so early.”

Shien realized.

When they chose their rooms during the day, Airi had been very satisfied with this type of bed, and Lilith had also been jumping on it for a long time. At night, influenced by the quiet and peaceful atmosphere outside, wanting to go to bed early was understandable.

Shien glanced out the window and saw that Yulin had actually flown to the Queen’s Palace and was sleeping comfortably on the canopy.

That scene almost made Shien think that this village had been occupied by the dragon, now sleeping at the highest point of the Elven Homeland, like a lord.

“Is she taking revenge for what happened during the day?”

Shien almost laughed out loud.

He knew that because of what happened during the day, Yulin’s impression of the Elven Race had dropped to its lowest point. Now, sleeping at the highest point of the Elven Homeland, above the Queen’s Palace, was clearly meant to spite those elves.

“This little dragon girl is becoming more and more human-like.”

Shien said with emotion.

Although Yulin had always been intelligent, able to understand human language and respond to a certain extent, she wouldn’t have done such a human-like thing before.

Recently, this black dragon of Atlus seemed to be becoming more and more human-like, not only roaring when seeing beautiful scenery, but also retaliating and deliberately provoking others when in a bad mood, much more lively than before.

“Could she be about to transform into a human?”

Shien used [Outer Awareness of Heaven’s Decree] to observe and found that the magic power within Yulin seemed to have changed somewhat.

It wasn’t a matter of increasing or decreasing, but the way it operated seemed to have changed.

In the past, Yulin’s magic power was abundant and strong, but it just “existed” within her body, like stored energy.

But now, Yulin’s magic power, like that of a humanoid lifeform, wasn’t just stored, but also flowed and circulated according to a fixed pattern.

Although it was still a bit crude, complicated, and unclear, Shien felt that if this continued, the magic power within this dragon would circulate like that of a human.

Would that be when she transformed into a human and became a demon?

“I’m actually a little excited about this.”

Shien smiled slightly, deciding to “feed” this violent dragon girl more in the future.

His magic power would definitely be very useful to her, whether it was absorbed to increase her strength or analyzed to learn the human way of manipulating magic power. Yulin definitely needed it.

As long as he continued to provide magic power, Yulin might be able to shorten the time required for her transformation, or at least increase her level and strength.

Anyway, Shien’s magic power was overflowing. Even if he used it, it would recover very quickly, so providing some to Yulin wasn’t a problem at all.

“The rest depends on her.”

After saying that, Shien left the window, glanced at the bed, thought for a moment, then decided not to lie down.

“I’ll take a bath first.”

Taking a bath every day and going to bed feeling refreshed had become a habit.

Now, it was impossible for Shien to go to bed directly without taking a bath.

“But where is the bathroom?”

Shien scratched his head, walked around the tree house, but couldn’t find a bathroom or a bath.

“I’ll go ask someone.”

In the end, Shien left the tree house and went outside.

…

The tree house Shien and his group were staying in was very high, at least a hundred meters above the ground.

The night air was a bit chilly, but there was no strong wind at this height, either because of the barrier around the Elven Homeland or some other magical mechanism.

After leaving the tree house, Shien simply jumped down.

Normally, people would take the vine bridges to get down from the tree houses.

Unfortunately, although it looked romantic and magical, it was a bit time-consuming.

If he was with everyone else, Shien wouldn’t mind taking his time, but since he was alone, he decided to just jump down.

At this height, in his past life, if Shien dared to do this, he would definitely break both his legs, and that would be the best-case scenario.

Now, without doing anything, Shien could easily negate the force of the fall, landing on the ground like a feather, both steadily and gracefully.

Then, Shien started wandering around the Elven Homeland.

His goal was to find an elf and ask about the bathroom.

However…

“Excuse me, Miss…”

When Shien encountered an elven girl and tried to talk to her, before he could even finish his sentence, she ran away.

Shien paused, then turned to another direction and found another passerby.

“Excuse me, beautiful…”

Shien spoke, but he startled her.

“Don’t… don’t come any closer…!”

The elf girl screamed, as if encountering a pervert in the middle of the night, and fled in a panic.

Shien paused again, then changed his target.

“Excuse me, Miss…”

“Ahh!”

“Excuse me, beautiful lady…”

“Eek!”

“…Excuse me, classmate?” (This is a more modern and informal way of addressing someone, usually used among students.)

“Aaaaaah!”

“Excuse me…”

“A m-man…!”

“…”

“…”

About ten minutes later, Shien stood on the street with an impassive face, looking at the elves scattering around him like he was a plague, and finally admitted one fact.

Here, he was being blatantly ostracized.

“I should just destroy this village…”

Shien muttered.

A voice immediately replied,

“What terrible things are you saying?”

Shien turned his head and looked behind him.

There, an elven girl was staring intently at him, as if he was a dangerous person.

Besides Carol, who else could it be?

“So you’re here.”

Shien said calmly, not surprised at all.

“What do you think?” Carol replied calmly, not backing down. “With an unstable factor like you appearing in the village, how could I not monitor you?”

“So?” Shien retorted, “You’re just watching me being treated unfairly in your village?”

“This isn’t unfair.” Carol frowned. “All men receive this treatment in the Elven Homeland.”

So, it was fair.

…Did you think he would say that?

Fair my ass!

Chapter 498: Would He Even Be Interested?

Meanwhile, in the Elven Homeland, rumors about Shien and his group began to spread.

After a thousand years, the Elven Homeland had welcomed its second male visitor from another race. This undoubtedly caused a stir.

Due to the small population of the Elven Race, this news spread quickly, and many reacted to it.

“Why would we suddenly welcome a male from another race?”

“Moreover, the Queen personally welcomed him?”

“Who is he?”

“Even Mitra, the Hero, didn’t receive such treatment.”

“It’s said that he was invited by Melika?”

“Really?”

“He… he won’t do anything to us, will he?”

“Who knows…”

“I’ve heard from the elders many times that men from other races have no good intentions towards our kind.”

“I hope the Elven Corps can restrain him.”

“Indeed.”

Many elves engaged in such discussions, making the usually quiet Elven Homeland unusually lively.

The elves were clearly concerned about this matter.

Thanks to this, Melika, who had just returned to the Elven Homeland and reunited with her fellow elves, was immediately surrounded by her people.

These elves, driven by curiosity, worry, vigilance, and even disgust, asked Melika about Shien.

Because of this, the fact that among those traveling with Shien were the descendant of the Hero known as the Kingdom’s treasure, the Kingdom’s Second Princess, and even a dragon, was completely ignored by the elves.

For the elves, the presence of a male from another race was undoubtedly more concerning than anything else.

Those elves who had traveled outside were still fine, but those who had never left the Elven Homeland were overly worried.

“Why did you invite a man here?”

“It’s like inviting a dangerous person into our home!”

“And the Queen, why did she allow a man to enter?”

“I think we should ask the Elven Corps to drive him out.”

“Yes, yes.”

These elves who had never left the Elven Homeland surrounded Melika, chattering non-stop.

Melika was also troubled.

She understood her people’s thoughts.

Because in the past, before leaving the Elven Homeland, she had also been afraid of men from other races.

It couldn’t be helped.

Whether they had left the Elven Homeland or not, the one thing elves heard the most since childhood was how men from other races treated their kind.

Because of their extraordinary beauty and natural magical talent, there were simply too many people who coveted the elves, too many to count.

Those who returned from their journeys often said that the most common thing they encountered outside was harassment from men.

Even worse, some elves, caught off guard, fell for the deception and tricks of men from other races, and their fates were often tragic, either being sold as high-priced goods or choosing to end their own lives to protect their purity before being defiled.

And those few who developed feelings for men from other races rarely had happy endings, spending their days in the Elven Homeland in tears, filled with longing and love, growing old alone.

Under such circumstances, how could elves have a good impression of men from other races?

Even Melika, in just two short years after leaving the Elven Homeland, had been harassed by noble sons like Magray and Edel. It was easy to imagine what elves would encounter in the outside world.

If it weren’t for Vivian’s protection, Melika would have definitely encountered more harassment and might not even be here now, reunited with her people.

In the hearts of the elves, the presence of men from other races wasn’t a good thing.

This might be prejudice, but it was reality.

The elves’ appearance and talent meant they would inevitably encounter such things in this world.

Therefore, Melika understood her people’s thoughts.

But even so, Melika still wanted to say,

“Everyone, please listen to me, Mr. Shien is not a bad person.”

“It’s true that most men from other races aren’t… very friendly to us, but not everyone is like that.”

“There are good people and bad people in this world, and the same goes for men from other races. Some are good, some are bad. Mr. Shien is very good to me.”

“You’ll see. He wouldn’t have any ill intentions towards us because of our appearance or magical talent, because he has a fiancée who is more beautiful and talented than us, an extraordinary and outstanding woman.”

“Please believe me.”

Melika’s earnest persuasion had some effect.

“Indeed, there’s a very beautiful woman by that man’s side…”

“Yes, yes, yes, I also saw her. That girl is truly beautiful, no less than Her Majesty.”

“R-really?”

“Besides goddesses, is there anyone as beautiful as Her Majesty?”

“Don’t believe it? Go and see for yourselves!”

“That girl is the fiancé of that man from another race?”

“How unexpected…”

“B-but with such a beautiful fiancée, that man probably wouldn’t be interested in us, right?”

“Don’t be so sure. I heard that man is a noble, even a high-ranking noble. Having three wives and four concubines is normal for them.”

“I think so too. We can’t let our guard down.”

“Don’t you know how those men from other races are? They all look at us like they want to devour us.”

“Three wives and four concubines? He might not even marry you.”

“I’m afraid he just wants to take our purity.”

“Waaah, how scary…”

A group of elven girls chattered non-stop, discussing this matter endlessly.

“That won’t happen!”

Melika continued to try and persuade them.

However, an elven girl of similar age to Melika, who had been following her, looked at her with a worried expression.

Just like this, countless people in the Elven Homeland were discussing this topic.

And all of this was witnessed by Sophie in the Queen’s Palace.

…

“That’s the situation, Your Majesty.”

Leia reported the situation in the Elven Homeland to Sophie, who sat on her throne made of thick tree roots, lost in thought.

“As expected, the arrival of a male from another race has made our people worried.”

Sophie seemed to have anticipated this.

“Now, our people are questioning you, believing that you shouldn’t have allowed a man from another race to enter the Elven Homeland.” Nia said indignantly, “Those guys, the Elven Corps should teach them a lesson.”

Sophie smiled wryly and shook her head.

“This is a deep-rooted problem within our Elven Race. We can’t blame them.” Sophie said, “The Elven Homeland is too isolated from the outside world, and our race is so special, it’s normal for such prejudice and exclusion to exist.”

“Then what should we do, Your Majesty?” Leia asked worriedly, “For our people, the presence of a male from another race is a big problem.”

“Indeed.” Nia agreed. “A thousand years ago, it was because of Goddess Nadue’s introduction, and the threat of the Demon King, that our people realized it was something they had to do and reluctantly accepted the Hero’s arrival. This time, there’s no such reason.”

“Should we just tell our people the truth?” Leia suggested. “Reveal the arrival of the Dragon Demon Princess and Goddess Lilith, tell them that that man is under their protection, and then our people won’t overreact.”

“And also the matter of Princess Lucy.” Nia added. “If we tell them that he’s the Kingdom’s treasure’s fiancé, then for the sake of the Goddess of Fate and the Divine Race, our people should be able to tolerate him for a few days.”

Leia and Nia’s continuous suggestions showed how seriously they took this matter.

This made Sophie sigh inwardly.

(It’s just a man visiting, and even Leia and Nia are treating this so seriously. The Elven Race’s vigilance towards men from other races is truly deep-rooted.)

That being said, Sophie wouldn’t correct this.

There was no need to.

Because, for the Elven Race, this was actually a good thing.

The elves’ unique nature meant they had to be constantly wary of men and couldn’t trust them easily.

Otherwise, they might be taken advantage of without even realizing it.

Therefore, this deep-rooted mindset was also a way of survival for the Elven Race.

But her people’s reaction to that man shouldn’t be too extreme.

Otherwise, if they accidentally did something rash and caused a conflict, it would be a big problem.

At least, Sophie absolutely didn’t want to see the Elven Race offend the Dragon Demon or the strongest evil god.

“What should I do?”

Sophie pondered.

At this moment…

“Tomorrow, bring that one to the temple.”

A clear, incredibly pleasant, and gentle voice reached Sophie’s ears, making her shudder and abruptly stand up.

“Your Majesty?”

“Your Majesty?”

Leia and Nia were startled by Sophie’s sudden movement.

Sophie ignored them and looked up excitedly.

“Was that just now… a revelation from Goddess Nadue…!?”

Sophie was excited.

“Could it be that Goddess Nadue is going to appear again?”

After Mitra, the Hero, a thousand years ago, this time, their patron goddess was going to introduce another man from another race?

As Sophie thought this, she didn’t notice that Nadue was watching her from nearby.

“I’ll give them a little push.”

Nadue chuckled softly.

“I hope you can have a good relationship with that Hero, my children.”

Chapter 497: “My Fiancée Is More Beautiful Than Any of Them.”

“…”

“…”

A tense atmosphere filled the air between Shien and Carol.

After their confrontation, the two clearly didn’t like each other.

Seeing this, Melika looked worried, while the others exchanged glances, remaining silent.

The members of the Elven Corps, however, kept glancing at Shien, as if observing or confirming something, whispering among themselves.

This group walked through the magical forest, followed by a giant black dragon, and with fairies flitting around them in the distance, it was quite a peculiar sight.

Gradually, Shien’s group, ignoring the Elven Corps, was captivated by the surrounding environment.

As they went deeper, the Elven Homeland finally came into view.

It was a beautiful village.

There were no towering buildings or luxurious mansions, only tree houses.

Giant, ancient trees had been transformed into tree houses, scattered all around, their canopies transparent like the glowing trees, emitting a gentle light, a pleasing sight.

Elves with pointed ears, wearing ethnic-style robes, walked along the paths that resembled mountain trails, surrounded by the fragrance of flowers and the chirping of birds, the lush vegetation creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

Here, little fairies danced, elven children played while riding unicorns, and some elves even used water magic to wash clothes or earth magic to cultivate crops and trees. It was like a scene from a fairy tale, vastly different from the outside world.

The arrival of Shien’s group naturally attracted the attention of the elves here.

“Look over there!”

“Humans?”

“Are they guests invited by one of us to the Peace Festival?”

“That human girl is so beautiful!”

“And those two adorable little girls!”

“Even the maid is beautiful…”

“B-but why is there a dragon?”

“Is that an adult dragon?”

“A dragon came to the Elven Homeland as a guest?”

“There’s… there’s even a man…!?”

“No way?”

Instantly, all the elves in the Elven Homeland started chattering, the atmosphere lively.

They were curious, nervous, surprised, and apprehensive, showing various reactions.

Shien and his group exchanged glances, unsure how to react.

It couldn’t be helped.

Before, because of the tense atmosphere, they hadn’t paid much attention, but now, having truly entered the Elven Homeland, they discovered that not only was the environment beautiful, like a dreamland or an enchanted forest, but the elves living here were also beautiful and diverse, each with their own unique charm.

“This isn’t the Elven Homeland, it’s a land of women!”

Shien couldn’t help but mutter.

The elves before them were all fair-skinned and beautiful, each more charming than the last. At a glance, there wasn’t a single one whose appearance scored below ninety.

Shien had originally thought that the maids and servants in his mansion were beautiful enough.

After all, those maids and servants were carefully selected by Lasha, each with outstanding looks, scoring at least eighty-five. Although not breathtakingly beautiful, they were definitely attractive.

But compared to the elves, known for their beauty, even his own maids and servants were a level below.

Seeing these beauties appearing one after another, without a single man in sight, Shien’s heart couldn’t help but race.

Lucy and the others felt the same, amazed by the sight of so many beautiful elves gathered together.

Only Melika excitedly stepped forward.

“Everyone! I’m back!”

Melika said with excitement.

The elves in the Elven Homeland, who had been chattering, were first stunned, then their faces lit up with joy.

“It’s Melika!”

“Melika is back!”

“Melika!”

The elves immediately surrounded Melika.

With a happy smile she never showed in the outside world, Melika hugged the surrounding elves, tears welling up in her eyes.

This warm and harmonious scene made Shien and the others smile as well.

Carol’s expression also relaxed, a smile appearing on her lips for a moment.

The members of the Elven Corps, however, started laughing.

“How exaggerated.”

“Melika was only gone for less than two years, not two hundred years. Why are they so excited?”

“That’s right.”

“When I left the village for my journey, I was gone for eighty years, and they weren’t this excited when I returned.”

“I was even worse. I was gone for a hundred and twenty years, and some even forgot me when I came back.”

“I was gone for one hundred and eighty-eight years, and I almost couldn’t find my way back. In the end, it was the Queen who sensed my magic power and sent someone to pick me up, making me too afraid to go out again.”

“Ah, then you’re the most unfortunate one.”

The members of the Elven Corps joked amongst themselves, their laughter like silver bells, their mood clearly improved.

Listening to their pleasant laughter and banter, Shien admitted that he was a bit charmed.

The elven girls here were each more beautiful than the last, their voices melodious, all gathered together, making Shien feel like he was dreaming.

“No wonder those men outside are so eager to come in.”

Shien patted his chest.

He originally wanted to pat his waist.

Because he felt that his two kidneys wouldn’t be enough here.

This place wasn’t very friendly to men.

It could affect one’s health.

At this moment, Shien was actually afraid that he wouldn’t want to leave if he stayed here too long.

Therefore, Shien quickly hugged Lucy and kissed her forcefully on the cheek.

“What… what are you doing…!?”

Lucy was stunned, then her face turned bright red.

But looking at this lovely princess, Shien’s emotions calmed down.

“Your man almost didn’t make it back just now.” Shien said dramatically, “Fortunately, my fiancée is more beautiful than any of them.”

“Y-you flatterer!” Lucy was pleased with Shien’s words, but still shyly pushed him away.

Airi seemed dissatisfied by this, while Lasha seemed unfazed (?), and only Lilith blinked her big eyes, then ran to Shien, looking up at him expectantly.

Shien understood and, charmed by her cuteness, picked up the little girl and kissed her delicate cheek.

“My Lilith is also beautiful, no less than those elven women.”

Shien praised her lavishly, looking proud and smug, as if having a loli in his arms made him the king of the world.

“Hee hee.”

Lilith giggled happily, her eyes crinkling into crescents, seemingly happy with Shien’s affection.

“Hmph!”

Airi finally couldn’t help but snort, her dissatisfaction seemingly reaching its limit.

“What?” Shien raised an eyebrow. “Do you also want a kiss?”

These words earned Shien Airi’s death glare.

“…Alright, I was just kidding.”

Seemingly sensing the killing intent, Shien shrunk his head back and shut up.

He didn’t notice that Airi’s gaze was a bit strange.

Because Shien’s words reminded her of a dream she had once had, a dream that was either too wonderful or too embarrassing…

This made Airi feel both shy and angry, glaring at Shien with killing intent.

At this moment…

“Let Melika stay here and spend some time with her people.”

Carol turned to Shien and said,

“Please follow me. I’ll arrange your accommodations.”

Saying so, Carol walked forward.

Shien and the others subconsciously glanced at Melika, seeing that she was still happily mingling with the elves, even hugging an elven girl excitedly. They decided not to disturb her.

Therefore, they quietly followed Carol, leaving Melika surrounded by the elves, the air filled with laughter and joy.

…

Carol arranged the best accommodations in the Elven Homeland for Shien and his group.

“Best” here didn’t refer to luxury.

All accommodations in the Elven Homeland were tree houses, with no distinction between luxurious or not, only differences in size and environment.

The only luxurious place in the Elven Homeland was the palace in the center.

It was a palace built atop a giant tree, resembling a heavenly palace.

That palace was the residence of the Elven Queen.

Regarding that palace, Airi had mentioned something to Shien.

“That’s not an ordinary palace. It’s actually a very precious magic tool, created by the God of Forging at the request of the Goddess of Nature. Not only can it freely change its size and fly in the air, but it can also connect with the magic power of nature, allowing the owner to perceive the magic power and aura within a radius of several thousand kilometers.”

“I suspect the center of the barrier around the Elven Homeland is that palace.”

“In the final battle a thousand years ago, the Elven Queen rode that palace, leading the Elven Corps across the battlefield.”

Just imagining that scene was a nightmare.

Lucy sighed and said,

“I’ve also heard that in that battle, the Elven Corps first used the [Pure Flower Curtain], their strongest defensive magic, to envelop the entire Queen’s Palace, blocking all attacks, then, with the palace flying freely above the battlefield, they unleashed powerful, large-scale magic, killing countless demons.”

No wonder Airi specifically mentioned this palace.

The [Queen’s Palace] and the [Pure Flower Curtain] were both treasures of the Elven Race, renowned in Omnipotence.

Shien and his group’s accommodations in the Elven Homeland were right next to the giant tree where the Queen’s Palace was located.

There were also many towering trees there, with numerous large tree houses built on them.

These tree houses were considered mansions in the Elven Homeland.

Shien and his group were staying in the largest and highest tree house, located in the canopy.

When they arrived, vines descended from the tree, intertwining and forming bridges.

They only needed to sit on these vine bridges, and the bridges would automatically lift them up to the tree house.

Inside the tree house, some treants were tidying up and arranging the rooms, a magical sight.

Through the wooden windows, they could clearly see the scenery outside, even reaching out and touching the passing clouds. Staying here was truly enjoyable.

“It’s so nice here!”

Lucy, unable to contain herself, revealed her true nature and cheered, stunning Airi, Lilith, and even Lasha.

“Vivian and Lumia will definitely regret not coming.”

Shien also felt refreshed and poked a passing treant who was serving tea, startling it.

These treants didn’t seem to be monsters, but the fantasy creatures created with magic that Melika mentioned earlier.

“Please stay here during the Peace Festival.”

Among the Elven Corps, only Carol came up with them and spoke formally.

“The Peace Festival officially begins in seven days. During these seven days, you can freely move around the Elven Homeland. I believe you won’t be disappointed.”

Carol looked at Shien.

“However, please don’t do anything suspicious. Every plant and tree here is our sentry. If you do anything suspicious, they will react instinctively and relay the information to the Queen’s Palace through magic power.”

This was a subtle warning.

Shien wanted to retort,

“Will your plants and trees peek at people using the toilet or changing clothes?”

Unfortunately, before he could say this, Carol excused herself.

“I still have official duties to attend to, so I won’t keep you company. I hope you enjoy your stay in the Elven Homeland.”

Leaving these words behind, Carol turned and left.

Shien didn’t try to stop her, smiled at the others, who were looking around curiously, and said,

“Alright, the annoying person is gone. Let’s go choose our rooms.”

Everyone immediately agreed.

Thus began Shien and his group’s fun in the Elven Homeland.

Chapter 496: “What Happens Next?”

“Sister Carol…”

A soft, almost inaudible voice called out, reaching Carol’s ears and rendering her speechless.

Because that voice was filled with an almost imperceptible sense of helplessness and grievance.

Carol could see Melika, who was with Shien and his group, her delicate face full of bewilderment and on the verge of tears.

It was easy to imagine the complex emotions Melika was feeling.

It was only natural.

Shien and his group were invited by Melika, but Carol, the person who had taught her the basics of magic and was like an older sister to her, had ruthlessly turned them away, even preparing to drive them out. Melika’s feelings were completely understandable.

On one side were the guests she invited, including the person she admired, and on the other side were her fellow elves, like family. Caught in the middle, how could Melika not feel helpless and conflicted?

Melika had tried to stop Carol, tried to explain, but she was repeatedly interrupted before she could finish her sentences.

Melika was extremely anxious, on the verge of tears, so much so that even the Elven Queen’s appearance didn’t make her react immediately and bow.

This made Carol speechless and silent.

From her perspective, everything she had done was correct.

For the sake of the Elven Race and the Elven Homeland, she wanted to eliminate all unexpected factors and anomalies, which was understandable.

But was Shien wrong?

He was just here as a guest, for sightseeing, not asking for anything. Being turned away for some unfounded reason, with his temper, he would naturally retaliate before talking.

Of course, this was their territory. It was their right to refuse him entry, and he had no grudges against them, so there was no need to make a big fuss.

Therefore, Shien only intended to dampen their spirits, vent his frustration, and then leave, finding another place to enjoy himself.

However, that would make Melika sad.

Therefore, Shien planned to reason with this vice-commander, and also test his improved magic abilities.

Who would have thought that Sophie, the Elven Queen, would suddenly appear and stop this?

And since neither side was wrong, Sophie’s intervention was crucial.

Otherwise, although it wouldn’t escalate to a massacre, a conflict would have been inevitable.

Carol wasn’t a fool and could also see Shien’s intentions.

If he really wanted to fight, Shien wouldn’t have stopped Lilith just now. The result wouldn’t have been just breaking the [Pure Flower Curtain].

“…I understand.”

Carol was silent for a moment, then nodded and stepped aside.

Her attitude showed that she acknowledged this way of handling the situation, but she didn’t think she was wrong.

Just as she had shown, she was somewhat inflexible, stubborn, and could be impartial for the sake of the Elven Race and the Elven Homeland.

Therefore, even seeing Melika’s sad expression, Carol didn’t say anything more.

Sophie naturally understood Carol’s personality.

Sophie didn’t say anything unnecessary, just turning her gaze to Melika.

“Your invited guests are quite extraordinary, Melika.” Sophie said, as if comforting her, “You must have gained a lot during your travels. You have to tell me all about it later.”

Sophie, without any airs of royalty, spoke to Melika gently and kindly, like she was talking to a child.

But these were also Sophie’s true thoughts.

Melika’s gains were indeed significant, so significant that even Sophie was surprised.

When she first sensed Melika’s magic power, Sophie couldn’t believe that in less than two years of traveling, Melika’s magic power had increased so much.

Her level hadn’t increased much, so why did her magic power suddenly surge?

And why could she sense another person’s aura within this magic power?

Sophie looked at Melika thoughtfully, then at Shien, lost in thought.

Melika, on the other hand, only now hurriedly knelt down on one knee before Sophie, performing a subject’s salute.

“Your Majesty.” Melika said to Sophie, “Mr. Shien really won’t do anything to the Elven Homeland. Please believe me.”

Melika was still desperately pleading for Shien.

Her desperate appearance even moved Shien.

Sophie also seemed surprised.

After all, elves were naturally wary of men from other races. Even though they were kind and pure by nature, desperately pleading for a man from another race like this was something that had never happened before in the Elven Race.

The fact that Melika would go to such lengths for Shien clearly showed that she valued him greatly, even possibly…

A guess flashed through Sophie’s mind, and she smiled wryly.

This didn’t seem to be a good thing.

Elven love stories were mostly tragic, rarely having a happy ending.

As the Elven Queen, Sophie had seen elves fall in love before, but in thousands of years, there were almost no happy endings.

(Has this child also followed in the footsteps of those pitiful elves?)

Sophie felt heartache.

But this was the fate of an elf in love. Sophie couldn’t say anything and could only remain silent.

However, Melika’s desperate appearance still evoked some memories in Sophie.

Memories of the Hero who had once pursued her.

As the Hero, and the strongest Hero of all time, Mitra wasn’t as bad as Airi said.

He had a strong sense of justice and was very proactive, always decisive and resolute, constantly traveling across the battlefield and every corner of the continent for this world that had nothing to do with him, never resting in his life.

Coupled with his great strength, handsome appearance, and special status, that Hero was undoubtedly the prince charming in the hearts of many girls.

But Sophie rejected his pursuit without hesitation.

Not for any other reason, but because she knew very well that elven love stories never had a happy ending.

Especially for her, as elven royalty, she had a greater responsibility and duty and couldn’t allow herself to fall in love.

Elven love was pure and sacred.

For this love without a future, they would be willing to sacrifice everything, including their lives.

Thinking of that consequence, Sophie felt that she definitely couldn’t bear it.

It wasn’t that she wouldn’t do it.

On the contrary, she was worried that she would do it, thus endangering the survival of the Elven Race.

She didn’t want to one day abandon, or even sacrifice, the Elven Race for the sake of so-called love, devoting herself entirely to someone else.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Sophie closed her heart, not giving herself a chance to fall in love.

When facing Mitra, the Hero, Sophie was the same, restraining herself from the start, not interacting too much with him, lest her heart be moved.

In short, Sophie’s vigilance towards men from other races was actually stronger than any other elf.

But Sophie hid it well, never showing it, always greeting men from other races with a smile, but always maintaining a certain distance.

Including when facing the Hero.

Perhaps even Airi didn’t know that Mitra wasn’t the first Hero to pursue Sophie.

Having lived for thousands of years, Sophie had met several Heroes and been pursued by them.

Even the founding Hero who established the Ragna Empire had once pursued Sophie.

Among the Elven Race, known for their beauty, the elven royalty’s appearance surpassed all others, even comparable to goddesses. It was only natural for the Elven Queen to be pursued by men.

But Sophie never accepted anyone.

No matter how outstanding they were.

The reason was simply that she didn’t dare to.

She didn’t dare to let herself fall in love, like those elves who had experienced tragic love stories, sacrificing everything and gaining nothing in the end.

“Phew…”

Sophie exhaled softly, calming herself down, and shook her head at Melika.

“Alright, Melika, I understand.” Sophie said gently, “You can stand up now.”

“Then…” Melika didn’t immediately comply, but looked at Sophie nervously.

Seeing this, Sophie couldn’t help but smile.

“I said, Viscount Buztout is also a welcome guest.” Sophie smiled at Melika. “I won’t drive him away. You can rest assured.”

Hearing this, Melika was finally relieved.

Shien had been watching Melika, his feelings complicated.

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have underestimated this girl’s feelings for him.

It was no longer just a matter of her being willing to “give herself to him,” but to the point of being foolish.

Shien wasn’t the only one who thought this way.

“So foolish…”

Lucy muttered at the side, her gaze towards Melika much gentler than before.

Airi also seemed to glance at Melika discreetly.

But, in contrast, both girls glared at Shien.

Shien felt two sharp gazes piercing his back, making him feel uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Sophie saved him.

“Then, everyone, please enter the Elven Homeland.”

Sophie smiled at Shien and his group, then said to Carol,

“Give these guests the highest level of treatment and properly receive them. Don’t be rude again, understand?”

Hearing Sophie’s words, Carol lowered her head and acknowledged the order.

“Then we’ll excuse ourselves.” Sophie bowed slightly. “Please forgive us for any negligence.”

Saying so, an emerald green light shone around Sophie again.

Leia and Nia, who had been silent behind her, also raised their staffs, causing leaves and petals to swirl around them, enveloping the emerald light.

The next moment, surrounded by leaves and petals, the light shot up into the sky and flew towards the depths of the Elven Homeland.

Carol then led the members of the Elven Corps to Shien and his group.

“Please follow me, honored guests.”

Carol said formally.

Lucy, Airi, Lilith, Lasha, and Melika all looked at Shien.

Shien pursed his lips, feeling a bit disappointed.

With things having turned out like this, he wasn’t really in the mood to enter the Elven Homeland anymore.

However, since they had spoken so politely, and Melika had gone to such lengths, it wouldn’t be right for Shien to just leave.

Therefore, Shien could only say listlessly,

“Let’s go.”

Hearing his words, everyone nodded.

Carol also took a deep look at him, then without another word, led the Elven Corps, as if truly escorting distinguished guests, and led them inside.

The surrounding fairies and butterflies finally emerged from behind the glowing trees.

However, the fairies, looking at the departing group, or rather, at Shien among them, after a moment of commotion, couldn’t help themselves and, flapping their small wings, quietly followed.

This scene showed that Carol’s worries weren’t entirely unfounded.

These fairies, who hadn’t gained intelligence and become elves yet, were indeed attracted by Shien’s aura and magic power, now gathering towards him like moths to a flame.

Under such circumstances, no one noticed that a faint voice echoed in the depths of nature, imperceptible to others.

“What will happen next?”

The goddess who had been watching all this seemed to have foreseen it.

Foreseen what would happen next.

…

“Thump—thump—thump—thump—”

Heavy footsteps echoed through the magical forest.

It was the sound of Yulin’s footsteps.

Yulin was following Shien, his group, and the Elven Corps, scaring away countless fairies and fantasy creatures along the way. She seemed out of place here, like a ferocious dragon who had strayed into paradise, very unwelcome.

Carol frowned and finally couldn’t help but say,

“Are you even bringing this dragon in?”

It seemed Carol didn’t want to see Yulin, a ferocious monster, enter the Elven Homeland.

Yulin was displeased by this, but she didn’t dare to roar again.

If she did, she would probably be scolded again.

Shien glanced at Carol.

“What? Can’t monsters enter the Elven Homeland?” Shien said nonchalantly, “Are you planning to drive us away again?”

Carol didn’t say anything more.

After all, Shien’s attitude was clear. He didn’t intend to follow her wishes.