Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Their original purpose for coming to the Elven Forest was regarding Sipo, which had now been concluded satisfactorily. Pelan was also preparing to return.

His departure had been rushed before, and he hadn't properly explained the whole situation to Elder Yi.

As much as he longed to stay for Isilien's libraries and delicacies, it was time to part.

"Arnold, aren't you planning to stay in Isilien a while longer?" Pelan asked the yawning half-elf beside him.

During this time, Arnold had met many of his father's former friends. He seemed to like it here very much. Now that the crisis with the Elven Mother Tree was resolved, and his dark-aligned nature wouldn't face the same ostracism as before, Pelan thought he might stay on for a few more days.

Arnold shook his head firmly. "No, I'm going back to Gero City. I'm not planning to close my clinic in the West District just yet."

He was a Dark Elf himself, and a half-elf at that—not nearly as welcome as the Prince, who had the Queen's protection.

Arnold gave a barely perceptible curl of his lip. He suspected that had the pollution within the Elven Mother Tree not been purified, he likely wouldn't have been allowed to leave, and would have been used as a vessel to contain the contamination in the Prince's stead.

The time for departure had come. Pelan bowed to the Queen in respect and, escorted by Izavel, left the Tree Court. They headed for the teleportation array in the Elven Forest that led to the human world.

"Are you truly leaving?" The Queen gazed at Sipo's departing figure and called out, stopping him.

Sipo's steps faltered. He turned and bowed to the Queen. "My departure is not leaving, but returning home."

Hearing this, the Queen's expression dimmed. She finally sighed. "Isilien will always be your home. Whether you encounter difficulties or grow weary, you can return at any time."

With that, she raised her hand. A golden leaf floated down and landed in Sipo's palm.

A gentle flow of life energy seeped into his body through the skin where his palm met the leaf.

"This is the 'key.'"

Any teleportation array leading to the Elven Forest could be activated by holding a leaf from the Mother Tree's main trunk.

Sipo did not refuse. After stowing the leaf away carefully, he bowed to the Queen once more and caught up with the departing group.

"I still prefer teacher's original appearance," Lou Guanyue suddenly remarked in a low voice. "The Hoplar Kingdom probably has no one with spare time to bother about a black wizard traveling now, right?"

His gaze meticulously traced every detail of Pelan's face as he asked in a calm, seemingly casual tone, "Or is teacher being this cautious to avoid certain individuals?"

Pelan remained silent, his deep brown eyes seeming to darken to a near-black shade.

At Colent Port, armies comprised of ordinary warriors and mages passed through, heading straight for the front lines without pause.

In just a few days, this city had completely changed.

One week ago, on a certain night, a golem army from the Anbesal Empire had swiftly overwhelmed the border defenses and fought their way to this major city in the north, the closest to the royal capital.

Before reinforcements from other regions could arrive, they had already approached the skies above Colent Port, unleashing spell after spell upon the city.

Under the violent assault, the city's transparent barrier wavered and shook, but ultimately could not hold.

Fortunately, reinforcements arrived in time. Led by a Martial Saint, they managed to repel this golem force. However, soon after, a vast, dark tide of golem armies reached the border, advancing toward the royal capital with an unstoppable momentum.

...

The once-bustling streets were now much more deserted. A few withered, yellow leaves drifted down the empty avenues. Almost everyone walked with their heads down, hurrying away.

Sipo frowned at the street scene and the passersby. After walking a short distance, he suddenly paused again, turning his head to address the golden-haired elf. "Izavel, why haven't you returned to Isilien yet?"

"Hoplar and Anbesal have gone to war. Her Majesty instructed me to ensure your safe return," Izavel replied, keeping close behind Sipo, his voice low and steady.

Sipo's eyes shifted, and he grinned widely. "Then come with us to the battlefield. You can spend some time in the forest before going back."

Izavel couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly, his expression showing disapproval. "Your Highness, the battlefield is dangerous. What business do you have there?"

Sipo instinctively glanced in Pelan's direction, cleared his throat, and put on a curious expression. "I've never seen the legendary, dreaded flesh golems. Can't I go take a look? Or are you saying the great Magic Saint would allow a Grand Mage like me to be harmed on the battlefield?"

He then sighed lightly and added in a faint tone, "Speaking of which, you're already a Magic Saint, while I can barely manage a few super-tier spells."

Izavel's lips pressed into a thin line. "Your Highness has just reached adulthood. There's no need..."

"Good, it's settled then!" Sipo ignored Izavel's reluctant look, smiling as he winked at Pelan.

It was only then that Pelan belatedly realized Sipo had dragged Izavel along for his sake.

For a necromancer, a war was an opportunity to collect corpses and souls.

He hadn't started the war, but there was nothing wrong with taking advantage of the situation and picking out a few desirable corpses!

As for his contract with Yue...

Yue had received the Elven Mother Tree's blessing and couldn't become his undead minion for the time being.

Even though Yue was still his student now, after the contract was dissolved, would he choose to leave? After all, students always leave to forge their own path on the continent after completing their training.

Various thoughts flashed through Pelan's mind. He sighed inwardly, suppressed his sense of loss, and decided to find a suitable time later to discuss the soul contract matter with Yue.

Just then, they heard a newsboy's cry: "Extra! Extra! The Kingdom has officially declared war on the Anbesal Empire!"

The war had finally come...

Pelan inexplicably recalled the conversation he had overheard from behind the curtains back then. The Hoplar Kingdom's parliament had most likely already passed the war bill.

The newsboy's voice grew closer, repeating the call several times. They were just about to buy a newspaper when a young man with an ordinary face approached.

He took off his hat and bowed. "Excuse me, are you Mr. Pelan? Please follow me down this street. Ms. Judith is waiting for you at No. 13 Ningkang Fort."

Someone was actually here in Colent Port to receive them!

It was most likely the Elven Queen who had someone contact Ms. Judith.

Pelan nodded to Sipo, and the group followed the man.

The area around Ningkang Fort was now much emptier. Most residents here were not lacking in wealth or influence. Upon learning of the impending war, they had immediately taken their families and found ways to leave Colent Port, relocating to the warmer south to escape the conflict.

Inside No. 13 Ningkang Fort, however, Ms. Judith and her granddaughter had not left.

The elderly lady still sat in her reclining chair, her expression unusually serious as she perused today's Times.

Hearing footsteps, Judith glanced up at them, her gaze lingering a moment longer on the two elves. "You're back? It seems things went smoothly."

Lou Guanyue nodded, speaking sincerely, "Thanks to your help, kind lady!"

Judith gave a slight nod. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke in a gentle, even tone. "Arnold, my dear boy, which one of them is your father?"

Arnold, who was holding a steaming cup of coffee, was startled by the question and nearly choked.

Remembering the stories Lou Guanyue had fabricated earlier, Arnold felt angry but dared not show it. He took a deep breath and said, "Neither. They are just traveling companions. As for my father... he died before I was born."

"I see..." Judith was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head without offering much comfort. "I'm sorry to have brought up such a sad memory."

Sensing the slightly odd atmosphere in the room, Sipo looked confused, unaware that he had once been labeled a "trash elf."

He turned his gaze to the newspaper in Judith's hand and cautiously asked, "Ma'am, when was Colont Harbor attacked? We just returned from the Elven Forest and only heard the crier shouting that the Kingdom had declared war on the Anbesal Empire."

"A week ago, a squad of Anbesal golems, under cover of dense fog, attacked Colont Harbor and the surrounding areas. Fortunately, the royal family had received a warning in advance and had already gotten the word out to evacuate. Reinforcements arrived quickly in Colont Harbor that night, but they still got away. They say many were killed or seriously wounded..."

Judith's expression grew somber. "After several days of investigation, we suspect the golem squad's attack on Colont Harbor was covered for by several unregistered dark wizards. When the reinforcements pursued them to the border, they found that all the bodies had disappeared."

"This is war..." Lou Guanyue sighed. "Do you know why the Anbesal Empire suddenly launched this war?"

"The catalyst for everything was the bounty poster about the clues to Austin's mysterious treasure, which the Mercenary Guild suddenly posted." Ms. Judith revealed a bitter smile. "It wasn't until the terrifying golem army reached the border and set foot on the continent once more that we realized the so-called treasure had already been taken."

Pelan's heart skipped a beat. He had originally thought that he and Yue had taken the real treasure hidden in the Wraith's space, but it turned out the so-called "treasure" was a ruse from the start—a massive conspiracy orchestrated by the Anbesal Empire!

While everyone in Hoplar was focused on Austin's treasure, the Anbesal Empire's army had already quietly arrived at the border between the two nations.

When Hoplar was caught off guard and its northern forces were depleted, they directly ordered flesh golems to launch a surprise attack, seizing all areas north of Colont Harbor in succession.

And the ones who truly obtained Austin's treasure were the royal family of the Anbesal Empire in the northern continent!

But where did they learn the method of creating flesh golems?

Austin had mentioned in his message that he would only record the methods for creating golems and black knights in Ixuhuels's magic book. It seemed something unexpected had happened in between. Could it be that they never actually met in the end?

Lou Guanyue glanced at him, clearly thinking along the same lines.

After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Why doesn't the Church of Light intervene in wars? If they were willing to lend a hand, there shouldn't have been so many innocent civilian deaths."

Ms. Judith sighed and shook her head. "The Church does not interfere in such matters. Long, long ago, the Pope of that generation reached an agreement with the royal families of various nations, pledging never to interfere in the affairs of the northern and southern continents. They only uphold the authority of the gods."

So, does that mean I could safely pick out a few corpses after the war ended?

Pelan's eyes lit up, but then he heard Ms. Judith add, "However, this war involves dark wizards and the secretive organizations behind them. No one knows whether His Excellency the Pope might take the initiative to intervene."

-----------------------

Author's note: Ramblings:

No ramblings today. I failed to update early again, QAQ.