Volume 3, Chapter 24 – The Elven Prince

Translator Note

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“You see, Albero Canyon is a vital pass connecting the Northern Frontier and the central regions. Those Royal Knights want to get back to Sky Dome quickly to see that stallion… ah, no, to see the Chosen Son. They must pass through Albero Canyon, but the canyon is narrow, complex, and dangerous, filled with a special mist that makes it the perfect place for an ambush! At a time like this, we just need to use the Elven Race’s sanctuary magic ‘Wandering Forest’ to lead the group into our encirclement without them suspecting a thing. Those nearby will be misled by the illusion and won’t react for a short while. Heehee! By the time they realize the gravity of the situation, we will have already ‘rescued’ Lady Yumo!”

Inside a certain cave outside the canyon, Xizhi was enthusiastically explaining her rescue plan to Yumo, seeking her praise.

As a half-dragonkin, Xizhi had been abandoned by her family since childhood and later became a slave before being captured and brought to the Deepwinter Forest as a sacrificial offering. Yumo was her savior and the first person (building?) to accept her identity without looking down on her bloodline.

To her, repaying Yumo was her life’s goal.

If she could receive her benefactor’s approval, it would bring Xizhi incomparable joy.

After hearing Xizhi’s explanation, Yumo patted the girl’s head with a gratified expression and praised her from the bottom of her heart.

“You’re quite impressive. Honestly, if only my own girl were as clever and cautious as you.”

‘Achoo! Hmm? Why do I feel like Mother is talking about me again?’ Li Mo wondered.

Faced with Yumo’s affection and praise, Xizhi showed a satisfied smile.

“Heehee~”

“Oh, right. For something like the Wandering Forest, wouldn’t someone at the saint tier or above be able to see through it if they were serious?”

“Yes,” Xizhi nodded slightly in agreement. “But we specifically chose the right time and location so the vice-commander leading the vanguard wouldn’t notice. Besides, the two stronger members of the Royal Knight Corps aren’t with the main force, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Hmm? Not with the main force?”

“Yes, Lady Yumo. Because the main force has to travel with the lower-ranked family members, servants, and a large amount of ‘evidence’ they collected, their progress is quite slow. Since the Chosen Son wanted Xiumu and his wife to reach the palace quickly to completely suppress the Northern Frontier’s influence, he had the strongest members of the Royal Knights escort the Marquis and his wife ahead to the capital.”

“Then… are Grand- I mean, are Xiumu and the others almost at the capital?”

“Yes. But Lady Yumo needn’t worry too much. Although the charges are fabricated, given Xue Tian’ao’s personality, he will likely follow the standard court procedures and won’t execute the Marquis and his wife immediately.”

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“I hope so.”

Taking a sip of the hot tea Qiu Mingtong handed over, Yumo looked thoughtfully toward the distant capital of the Snownight Empire.

As for Qiu Mingtong?

She continued to tend the fire with an expressionless face, preparing food and tea for Lady Yumo. Occasionally, she cast warning glares at several Blackrose Family knights guarding the cave entrance.

“This is a lady’s resting area. Men are forbidden from entering!”

After being warned by Qiu Mingtong, the knights who wanted to visit Yumo had to leave dejectedly. They could only look enviously at the other members of the Nightingale organization inside the cave before gloomily starting their night watch outside.

Meanwhile, the Nightingale members inside the cave happily enjoyed the benefits of their gender, taking turns to greet Yumo one by one. Yumo responded to the children’s enthusiasm with grandmotherly kindness.

However, after reminiscing and chatting about the harmonious daily life of the Blackrose Family for a while, Yumo suddenly thought of something.

She looked curiously at Xizhi, who was making snacks with Qiu Mingtong.

“Come to think of it, Xizhi, the Wandering Forest you mentioned? Hmm, isn’t that a magic only the Elven Race can use? How do you know that move? I remember Saibok saying it was never shared with outsiders.”

“It hasn’t been shared~” Xizhi shook her head with a smile.

“Hmm? Then this time?”

“This time, there is a ‘helpful’ Elven Prince who also needs to go to Sky Dome. It happened to be on the way, so he ‘voluntarily’ helped us with our operation~”

“A Prince was willing to help you? Is he moving with you as well?”

“Yes, that is the case, Lady Yumo.”

“Oh?”

Lady Yumo nodded thoughtfully as a spark of interest flickered in her scarlet eyes. Since arriving on the Ancheka Continent over five hundred years ago, the Elven Race had been the kindest race she had ever encountered. Many of the magical daily necessities and unimaginable magic technologies in the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons had been ‘gifted’ by the Elven Race.

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Even the fact that she could walk the continent in human form now was thanks to those beautiful, kind, and helpful long-ears.

For Yumo, if others were good to her, she would be good to them.

If others helped her, she would naturally repay them. Although the Blackrose Family had certainly given the Elven Race many gifts in return, Yumo still wanted to personally give something to express her gratitude. Besides, she wanted to personally meet an Elven Prince.

She was quite curious about elven royalty.

She heard they were even more beautiful and had the ability to communicate with nature.

‘I’d like to see that for myself,’ Lady Yumo thought.

“Xizhi, since it’s still early, can I meet this Elven Prince? Since he came all this way specifically to ‘rescue’ me, I should express my thanks.”

?!

“Uh… Lady Yumo, you want to see him?” Xizhi’s expression turned awkward.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“No! None at all… I’ll go… go tell him.”

With that, Xizhi stood up abruptly and, under Yumo’s somewhat stunned gaze, transformed into a streak of orange-red light and bolted out of the cave.

‘Hmm? What’s the matter? Why the rush?’ Yumo raised an eyebrow in confusion.

…

Less than a minute after Xizhi rushed out, a handsome elven man with long emerald-green hair and a face that radiated ‘nobility’, ‘elegance’, and ‘happiness’ slowly approached the cave entrance. Dressed in exquisite, ornate white robes, this man was Odom Kelrosa, an Elven Prince with mid-rank seventh tier strength and the younger brother of the Elven King, Sykaros.

Despite being the Elven King’s brother, this Prince was currently cursing his older brother hundreds of times in his heart.

Had his brother not forced him, he would never have left the Elven Forest to go to the Snownight Empire for the new emperor’s Coronation Ceremony. Participating in the ceremony itself wasn’t a big deal, it wasn’t like they hadn’t been before. The problem was that the Blackrose Family would be there this time!

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Having been bullied for so many years, they were so traumatized that they had no desire to see anyone from the Blackrose Family, and thus no desire to attend the ceremony. They had planned to decline, but they didn’t expect the Blackrose Family to come directly into the forest to ‘invite’ them to attend.

‘Dammit!’

And then, his bastard brother had sold him out directly, making him represent the Elven Race at the Coronation Ceremony.

‘Fuck!’

Following that, he was snatched by the Blackrose Family to be used as forced labor. And now? He couldn’t even eat a meal in peace before being dragged here without any dignity to meet some important figure.

“Fuck!”

Though he was unwilling, Odom knew he lacked the power to resist the Blackrose Family, so he braced himself and walked into the cave with Xizhi. Odom’s heart was currently filled with trepidation because, according to Xizhi, the person he was about to meet was the secret leader of the Blackrose Family.

The most noble woman in this world…

‘The Blackrose Family? The boss behind that gang of thugs? And it’s a woman?’

‘It’s over. Summoning me late at night, she must be after my beauty!’

At the thought, Odom clutched his chest in terror and sighed toward the heavens.

‘Forgive me, Father, Mother, your son’s chastity might not be preserved…’

Carrying this uneasy mindset, Odom prayed as he stepped into the cave.

The moment he entered, a black silhouette appeared before him. It was followed by a youthful fragrance, much like jasmine.

“Oh? You must be the Elven Prince?”

The sudden words and the drifting scent startled Odom, snapping his thoughts back from his prayers. He looked in surprise at the black-haired girl before him, who was two heads shorter than him but incomparably beautiful.

She had phoenix brows and bright eyes; her scarlet pupils sparkled with spirit, and every glance was soul-stirring. With a delicate nose, skin as white as snow, and vermilion lips like a solitary winter plum blooming proudly in the frost, she was a peerless beauty. Her long, silk-like hair transitioned from black to red, cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. Combined with her enchanting smile, she looked exactly like a celestial maiden who had stepped out of a classical painting.

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‘She’s so beautiful…’ Odom couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

There were undoubtedly many beauties within the Elven Race, but compared to the girl before him, those in his tribe paled in comparison.

‘Who… who is she?’ Odom wondered.

‘If it’s her, she can have my chastity if she wants it!’ Strange thoughts began to surface in Odom’s mind.

The girl before him was not only beautiful but also possessed a completely different aura from the female assassins around her; she probably wasn’t a member of the Nightingale organization. She was so kind that she didn’t even seem like someone from the Blackrose Family. Was she the secret leader?

‘Hmm, her aura isn’t strong. She doesn’t seem like the boss behind the scenes. Shouldn’t the mastermind be full of evil energy, with three heads, six arms, blue skin, and jagged fangs?’

“Is something wrong, Prince?” the black-haired girl asked curiously upon seeing Odom dazed.

Odom quickly snapped out of it and looked at her apologetically.

Regardless of who she was, basic etiquette could not be forgotten. With that thought, Odom took a deep breath and flashed his signature polite smile.

“My apologies, young lady. Greetings, I am the Prince of the Elven Race, Odom Kelrosa.”

As he spoke, Odom slowly bowed, intending to take the girl’s hand for a standard hand-kissing rite.

However, the moment he bent down, an indescribable chill, like countless sharp swords, suddenly lunged from all directions and pierced through Odom’s body! The Elven Prince’s expression changed instantly. In utter shock, he tilted his head slightly and looked past the black-haired girl toward the source of the chill.

He saw Xizhi, Qiu Mingtong, and the others, who had been pleasant just a moment ago, now staring at him with eerie, terrifying gazes that felt sharp enough to slice him into a thousand pieces.

?!!

In that instant, Odom held his breath.

‘What the hell is going on! Did I do something wrong again? qwq’