Volume 4, Chapter 71 – Divinity and the Engagement

“That is to say, because Claire wasn’t born from a mother’s womb and the Holy Tree like us elves, she is burdened with something called the world’s curse?”

Yelido asked as they walked from the back gate of the Royal Castle towards the Holy Tree.

He had been back in Blossom for less than a day, and since yesterday’s energy had been spent on his major argument with Fia, he hadn’t had time to deal with many matters and was only now beginning to address them.

For example, the matter of the Holy Tree budding and everyone being unable to enter it. The Holy Tree was the foundation of the elf race. For tens of thousands of years, countless dynasties had changed, but the tree had remained constant. Whether it was its function of assisting elves in same-sex procreation or its ability to provide the vast lands of the elves with abundant mana essence and enrich the ley lines, all had led the kings of every dynasty to preserve it well.

Of course, a part of this was also because it was difficult for an ordinary person to destroy the Holy Tree even if they wanted to. Take Prince Schain, for example. He had hysterically smashed at the tree, yet had not left even a scratch. And at that time, he had already used a Fifth-Rank attack spell. This was enough to show the tree’s indestructibility.

Under these circumstances, any change to the Holy Tree was a matter that had to be taken seriously. Therefore, not long after his duel with Claire had ended, Yelido had informed Fia that he needed to make a trip to the tree. He had to know why it was budding, and why everyone had become unable to enter.

“Mmm, at least that’s how it seems for now,” Fia nodded in response to her father’s question. “Although there are still all sorts of puzzles, I think we should be able to get an answer once we see the Elf God. By the way, did you not feel the curse on Claire, Father?”

Hearing her call him “Father” again, Yelido’s thick golden eyebrows rose, and a hint of happiness appeared on his lips.

“A curse? I didn’t feel one. In my eyes, she’s no different from an ordinary human woman. But I can also feel that you are not lying, Dofi. The maids and guards in the Royal Castle did not have normal expressions when they saw her.”

He didn’t feel the curse of fear…

Fia lowered her head in thought. From past experience, Claire’s curse did indeed have the characteristic of being less effective the stronger a person was. Take Anastasia and Liti, for example. Anastasia was a quasi-Fifth-Rank warrior, while Liti was a Second-Rank magic caster. After more than a month, after being reminded by her and seeing Claire, Anastasia could recall her conversations with her. But Liti, even after her detailed reminder, could only recall half of her memories.

Not just the forgetting curse, but the fear curse was also the same. When Anastasia had first met Claire, she had acted as if she were facing a great enemy. When Liti had seen her, she had been so terrified she wanted to run away. Coupled with a large number of other samples, it was enough to show that the amount of mana did indeed affect the curse’s effect.

Yelido was a quasi-Eighth-Rank warrior, so it was logical that the curse’s effect on him would be even smaller.

However, that being said, there was still something Fia didn’t understand. According to her Father, he had not felt a trace of fear from Claire. Was it that the curse had no effect on him at all? Or was the effect very weak, and because he was the king and had seen many great storms, a little bit of fear would not bring him a sense of dread, which was why he had felt nothing?

No matter which possibility, one question could not be avoided. If being strong and experienced could grant one immunity to the curse, then Claire should have long since found someone who was not afraid of her and would not forget her.

After all, she had not only been to the human world, but also to the Darkborn camp and Dragonfall. Although there were few quasi-Eighth-Rank people on the World Tree Continent, there were by no means none. And according to her, she was the first person she had met who was not afraid of her and would not forget her.

The more she thought about it, the more puzzled Fia became. She might have been thinking in the wrong direction. Instead of focusing on the fact that he was not affected because he had a lot of mana, she should look for a problem with the Holy Tree. For example, it was the blessing of the Holy Tree that made him immune, or that he was only immune to the fear curse, but was still affected by the forgetting curse.

She simply raised her head and asked.

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“Could it be that you are unaffected because of the blessing of the Holy Tree?”

“There is no ‘immunity to fear’ among the blessings. This is beyond doubt. But you have reminded me, Dofi. This may be related to Divinity.”

“Divinity?”

This was not the first time Fia had heard of it. She had seen the word in books, including “The Secret History of Witches.” For example, the divine weapons used by Saints possessed Divinity. But because the books did not describe what was special about it, and it seemed to have no practical effect, she had not paid it any mind, merely seeing it as human worship of the gods, and thus a word created to beautify things related to them.

Clearly, Yelido also did not understand this aspect very well. A look of reminiscence appeared on his naturally authoritative face, and his speech was filled with contemplation.

“I remember that Divinity is a special power that distinguishes the gods from ordinary life. Although it cannot directly make one stronger, it can protect one from many external troubles… much like the blessings of the Holy Tree. The world is more favorable to those with Divinity. For example, they will not encounter storms when they go out to sea, and they will have an ominous premonition before stepping into a dangerous place.”

“You said just now that the magic Claire uses does not belong to the magic system of the World Tree Continent… perhaps she is actually like those god-chosen Saints, a visitor from another world. In addition to being unnaturally born, the combination of these two factors has caused her to be rejected by the rules of the world. And those who have been in contact with divine objects for a long time also carry Divinity themselves. The world’s curse will not be effective on those with Divinity, which is why I was not affected by the curse you mentioned. It’s just…”

“Just where does Father’s Divinity come from?” Fia asked the logical question.

Yelido’s brow furrowed, his expression not looking too good.

“Indeed. If I truly have Divinity, it can only be from the blessing of the Holy Tree. The origin of the tree has always been a mystery. In the past, there have been many sages in our elf race. They have given two explanations for its origin. One is that the Elf God planted it here after fleeing to the World Tree. The other is that the Saint who transformed us from tribes into a nation sacrificed himself to nurture it. If I possess Divinity, it means the Elf God planted it here.”

Then there’s no need to look so grave, is there?

Yelido answered Fia’s question as if he were talking to himself.

“The Elf God… doesn’t exist at all…”

“Eh?” As if a basin of ice water had been poured over her, Fia’s mind instantly cleared. She shot her head up. “The Elf God doesn’t exist?”

“No, that’s just my view.” Yelido held his palm up to Fia, his authoritative face showing a serious look. “Do you think the Elf God exists, Dofi?”

If you ask me if God exists, before I see one with my own eyes, I will surely answer no. If God really existed, he should at least show me a miracle. And she would definitely ask him, “Can you create a stone that you cannot lift?”

If he could, it meant he himself could not lift it, so he was not an omniscient and omnipotent god. And if he could lift it, it meant he could not create a stone that he could not lift, so he was not an omniscient and omnipotent god.

As for the saying that different gods have different duties, Fia did not agree. If a god could not answer all of people’s questions, could not be all-knowing and all-powerful, then what was the difference between them and a super AI that knew the universe? They were even worse than a super AI. At least a super AI would immediately give an answer after hearing people’s cries for help, while a god just let their believers be at the mercy of fate. ¹ the author use AI instead of super-intelligent being

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Fia honestly stated her thoughts (of course, omitting the part about the AI). Yelido stroked his chin and chuckled.

“Heh heh, an interesting question. Well said. I also do not acknowledge the existence of God. You have returned from the Holy Kingdom, so you should have seen people there use faith magic, the kind of magic where one can gain power just by offering sincere faith to a god. That kind of magic does not exist in our elf race.”

“Although our various ancient texts have recorded the methods of using faith magic, I have not been able to reproduce the magic recorded in the books through any means. This phenomenon has not only happened to me, but to all the elves in Silvar. We cannot use faith magic, so how can we speak of an Elf God?”

“Is that not because we cannot contact the Elf God?” Fia asked, not giving up.

Claire had seen with her own eyes the process of the Holy Kingdom’s Pope contacting their Goddess of Life and receiving an oracle from her. They could contact her, so they could use faith magic. But the Elf Kingdom, since the loss of the Holy Tree’s maiden, had not been able to communicate with the Elf God. Since the connection was broken, they naturally couldn’t use faith magic.

“Then where did the Elf God go? Although there are still many places on the World Tree Continent waiting to be explored, no one has seen the Elf God in several thousand years. I can’t think of a reason.”

“Mmm…”

Fia did not answer, because this was indeed a problem. She had also been wondering where all those gods had gone. If they just appeared in person and led their believers to fight their way back to the primordial continent, wouldn’t everything be solved?

That being said, Fia did not want to simply think that the Elf God did not exist. If that were the case, many of her prior preparations would be in vain.

“However, I have no way of checking for Divinity… it’s still too early to make a judgment. Now that a woman has appeared in Silvar who may be able to restore the Holy Tree Dance, she should be able to tell you the answer. I remember her name is…”

Yelido’s words trailed off. Fia thought she had misheard, but when she looked up, she found him with a thoughtful expression, clearly having forgotten the maiden’s name.

With a strange expression, Fia explained for him.

“Her name is Mizuki.”

“Ah, yes, Mizuki.” Yelido was suddenly enlightened, but his expression quickly filled with surprise. He widened his eyes and looked at her. “You’ve already met?”

Fia was at a loss for words for a moment. Not only had she met her, but she had also been asked by her to be a love consultant, and had almost become her practice partner.

How can there be a person who forgets the name of his own fiancée? This father of hers, although he was very good to her, was, when it came to other women, less than commendable.

“We’ve met. And I have another question I want to ask you, Father.”

“What is it?”

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Sensing the seriousness in her tone, Yelido also put away his casual side, his slender and strong body exuding a faint aura of authority.

Fia paused, then said seriously.

“I would like to ask you to cancel the engagement between you and Mizuki.”

As her words fell, Fia felt a little nervous. She hadn’t just mentioned it casually. After learning that her Father did not actually care about the consorts other than Veronica, she felt that he would probably not refuse to annul the marriage, or at least would not be as furious as when he had faced the problem of Anastasia.

And now that she had discovered that he was not the stubborn, traditional man of her stereotype, and had even found that he couldn’t remember Mizuki’s name, the success rate in her heart became even higher. If he couldn’t even remember the other person’s name, it meant that she had no weight in his heart, so it would be easier for him to agree to annul the engagement.

However, Yelido did not agree readily. On the contrary, he frowned, his face becoming displeased.

“Why? Her affinity with the Holy Tree is such that even I, as the king, feel ashamed. If she is not bound to the royal family, once she truly restores the Holy Tree Dance, not to mention communicating with the Elf God, just communicating with the Holy Tree would be enough to shake the status of the royal family. Even if the impact is not visible in the short term, she will quietly accumulate prestige in the future.”

“But you have no feelings for her at all, and have barely even met her. You are ruining her.”

“I do indeed have no feelings for her. But to say that I am ruining her is an overstatement. For a farmer’s family that has lived in the mountains all their lives to enter the Royal Castle and live, this wealth itself is a reward. Besides, I have not restricted her freedom. As long as she does not bring shame to the royal family and acknowledges that she is a member of it, she can do as she pleases. How many people would kill to live such a life? Dofi, you cannot, just because you have always lived a life of wealth, think that others will also give up a life free from want for spiritual pursuits.”

If Fia hadn’t spoken with Mizuki, the discussion of annulling the engagement would have more or less ended here. Because what he said was indeed reasonable. She could not, just because “if it were me, I would surely do this,” arbitrarily assume that others would make the same choice as her.

Everyone’s upbringing and life experiences are different, and these things determine a person’s choice when faced with difficulties. It was like placing a beautiful oil painting and a basket of bread in front of a starving person. They would surely choose the bread without hesitation. What one needs changes with their own conditions. Even if the oil painting could be exchanged for countless loaves of bread, it could not change the reality that it could not fill one’s stomach at a critical moment.

However, Fia had already spoken with Mizuki. Although she felt that the life of the royal family was very good, without having to live in a leaky thatched hut in the summer and a drafty one in the winter, and with someone to make delicious food whenever she was hungry, if she had a choice, she still looked forward to a normal romantic relationship.

Fia’s tone lightened.

“You haven’t asked her, Father. How would you know what she is thinking? To marry someone you don’t care about—you clearly dislike this kind of thing, yet you keep repeating it.”

“This is a hurdle that must be overcome to be a king. You will also encounter it in the future, Dofi. For the greater good, you have to sacrifice some things—”

As if he had thought of something, Yelido glanced at her without a trace.

“Or do you want to marry the maiden, Dofi? If it’s just to bind her to the royal family, it’s fine for you to marry her.”

What is this old thing thinking?

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More than retorting his train of thought, his casual tone of deciding another’s marriage made Fia’s anger flare.

She crossed her arms over her chest and said with a frown, displeased.

“I mean to separate her from the royal family and create a separate position for her. As for the problem of accumulating influence, we can add a condition to this position. For example, as long as the maiden marries, she must resign from her position and return to the common folk, and then receive a small stipend periodically, with a new maiden chosen by the royal family to replace her. In this way, not only can we weaken the influence brought by the maiden, but we can also let the royal family control the decision of the next maiden. And then have the maiden be replaced periodically to avoid her developing factions among the nobles due to her long tenure.”

“…”

Yelido did not answer her immediately. He stroked his chin, his eyes looking at her filled with surprise.

“Dofi, even if you’ve lost your memory, your wisdom has not disappeared. To do so is troublesome, but since you think it should be so… alright. We will try it as you say.”

“Then you agree to cancel the engagement with Mizuki, Father?”

Facing Fia’s quiet, probing gaze, Yelido looked straight ahead, his sharp face unreadable.

“I only love your mother. It’s best if these women don’t exist for me. One less is one less.”

“Hah…”

To have annulled the engagement with just words, Fia was instantly relieved. It was just that Yelido’s tone made another feeling sprout in her heart. She asked, as if casually.

“Then what about Yulisha and the others?”

The reason she had not added the title of “Mother” was to prevent him from seeing her intention. Except for what he had done in the matter of Veronica, he was a good man in other aspects. And Fia did not like Veronica. As his daughter, she wanted to match him with Mother Yulisha and the others. Although Yulisha claimed that because he had never responded to her, she no longer had any feelings for him, if he really did care more about her, perhaps things would take a turn.

However, he had already seen her intention. He clicked his tongue, a hint of impatience on his face.

“Dofi, I heard from the servants that you are very close to Yulisha and call them ‘Mother.’ I know Veronica has wronged you, and your mother-daughter relationship is very poor. I don’t want to make things difficult for you, but you shouldn’t make things difficult for me either. To let them be free is already my bottom line. I will not have any more association with any woman other than Veronica.”

Dropping this cold statement, Yelido stiffly changed the subject.

“We’re almost at the Holy Tree. That dim altar you mentioned, is there a way for me to go in and see it?”