“Aife is at it again,” an elf named Denzil muttered, clicking his tongue as he tilted his wine bottle.
As a member of a family that had produced a High Elf, his every movement overflowed with elegance. A clear, radiant fruit wine poured into a glass shaped like a flower. When he offered it, Aife accepted it, the scar on his face twisting as he did so. Unlike Denzil, his movements were quick and sharp, a leftover trait from his time as a knight.
“How hard is it to tell us about the supporter? It is an old man named Conetta. He has plenty of money, but no heirs to leave it to, and his health is failing.”
“His affiliation?” Eleanor asked.
“Derael. It seems he is quite dissatisfied with the Princess’s recent actions.”
“Someone dissatisfied with Iselin in Derael, even during this unprecedented boom?”
Iselin had reaped enormous profits from the victorious battle. With that wealth, she had repaid the subsidies received from the Elf Great Council with generous interest and was doing everything in her power to restore the family’s prestige to what it had been before the loss of the Spirit Tree.
She had invested in infrastructure and significantly increased the research and development budget. Huge sums were poured into the management of the Spirit Tree, and the number of knights had been expanded. Everywhere in Derael was overflowing with money, and the stagnant economy was rapidly recovering.
Everything was improving, yet it was impossible to satisfy everyone.
“Because the cause of that prosperity isn’t an elf.”
“That is indeed a problem,” Eleanor agreed.
An elf’s glory should be achieved by elves and enjoyed by elves. Accepting help from humans was something elven pride could not tolerate—unless it was aid from a higher race like the Crystal.
“In this coronation as well, humans and the Metra will play significant roles. That is why Aife is acting out like this.”
“In the end, you are interfering with a High Elf’s coronation.”
“Eleanor. Honestly, can you say there are no personal feelings involved for you?”
“…”
“I won’t ask you to help with something you oppose. Just don’t interfere.”
Eleanor felt a solid wall between them. Everything had already been decided. No matter what he did, their plan would be executed. Aife’s words from moments ago were proof of that.
‘They must have moved forward early, knowing I would oppose it.’
Eleanor looked down at Denzil. An elf who was both a comrade in EEE and a rival royal. It was certain that he was the one who had orchestrated everything behind Eleanor’s back.
‘Such a meaningless competition.’
Eleanor had seen it with his own eyes—the world that had developed brilliantly after the Dimension System disappeared. In comparison, Marsala was too small and underdeveloped. He found it laughable that Denzil was squabbling just to gain a slight advantage in such a place.
Unlike his twisted inner thoughts, his gaze remained soft. It was a characteristic of elves to hide negative emotions for the time being.
“Did you call me here just to tell me that?”
“That was just a bonus. Let’s just catch up after all this time.”
Denzil filled the flower glass with wine. Eleanor took a sip. Since it was something Denzil drank, the taste was quite good.
“The struggle is temporary, but our will is eternal.”
Eleanor scoffed at Denzil’s words inwardly, though he agreed outwardly. A short while later, other elves belonging to EEE arrived one by one, and Eleanor socialized with them.
***
The coronation was a long event that lasted for three days.
The first day was held at Elena Castle in Raelena, the capital of the Derael family. It was where the elves of the Derael family had lived in the past. They traveled there from their current residence by carriage to perform the coronation ritual, then toured Raelena once in the carriage.
On the second day, a concert and a naval review were held in Deraellan. Not only famous singers from Marsala were invited, but also outstanding artists from Earth and Metra. After the concert, all of Derael’s Dimension Ships and some from other families would pass near Deraellan’s trade harbor.
Afterward was the festival. The Derael family poured out subsidies so that people could play and drink to their heart’s content without worrying about money.
The third day was an extension of the festival. Since the following day was a temporary holiday, everyone could enjoy themselves all day just as they had the night before.
Among these, the day EEE targeted was the second day. In Deraellan, which had a harbor and high foot traffic, many Dark Elves, humans, and Metra had already arrived to watch the concert and the naval review.
“Inferior creatures!”
Aife, wearing a mask, did his best to hide his sharp gaze as he planted bombs throughout Deraellan. He had also attached remote detonators so he could plunge the city into chaos for a long time. He placed them especially densely in the square where the giant screens for the concert broadcast were installed.
After carefully disguising the bombs to look like public facilities, he entered a dark alleyway. A shadow flickered at the end of the alley. It could have been something swaying in the wind, but Aife did not dismiss it carelessly.
At the end of the alley was an elf. Not just one, but several moving together. Aife turned around. There were elves there, too. They were knights clad in armor, carrying swords and bows.
“Aife Woodrick.”
Artyl said, standing three meters away from him. She could not hide her fury toward those who dared to try and interfere with Iselin’s coronation. Aife looked confused, pretending it wasn’t his name.
“It’s no use playing dumb. I came here knowing everything.”
“Wh-what are you talking about…?”
“I’ve been watching your every move for thirty minutes, and the bombs have already been recovered.”
Aife continued to pretend to be scared as he backed away, then suddenly leaped. He tried to scale the outer wall of a building, but a gust of wind blew and pushed him down. Aife tried to summon a Spirit of Wind to block it, but several dozen times more spirits dragged him down.
Thud!
Aife barely managed to land on his two feet. The elven knights extended their swords and cut the tendons in his arms and legs.
“If you speak honestly about EEE, you won’t die.”
“What’s the difference between not dying and rotting in prison for the rest of my life?”
“If you’re alive, your great comrades might come to save you.”
“Are you planning to use me as bait to lure the others?”
“Were you even worth that much?”
Artyl sneered, and the elven knights dragged him away. As Aife was loaded into an escort vehicle and driven off, a Central Stealth Scout revealed itself. Artyl gently stroked the scout’s head. She knew there was no emotional exchange, but she couldn’t help it because she found it cute.
‘To think a day would come when the Master Outer’s summon looks cute.’
The first time Artyl thought an Apocalid was cute was when she saw a little Lutal eating. Those feelings had carried over, and now she even found the larger, more aggressive-looking Central Stealth Scout adorable. Artyl took some dried meat out of her pocket and gave it to him. The Central Stealth Scout crunched and chewed it through the packaging.
“You can find more, right?”
The Central Stealth Scout activated its active camouflage and moved. Artyl barely managed to track its form with detection magic as she followed. Similar scenes were unfolding all across Deraellan.
***
Invitations to the coronation were also sent to Choi Kangjoong and his family. In particular, Iselin’s lady-in-waiting personally delivered them to Choi Jooyoung and Yun Hae-in. The two of them made a fuss over the invitations, which were made of gold plates decorated with gems in a classic yet luxurious style.
“Honey, what happens if we have this?”
“They’re holding the coronation ceremony at Elena Castle on the first day. You can watch it right in front of your eyes.”
Choi Jooyoung, who traded with Marsala, was at least more knowledgeable about elves. He showed a photo of Elena Castle on his phone. Yoo Haein marveled at the beautiful elven castle with its long history.
“Living in a place like that would really make you feel like a princess. Right?”
“With this invitation, we might even be able to stay at the castle.”
“Really?”
“Actually, I’m not sure, but wouldn’t it be possible if we ask Kangjoong?”
“Why are you trying to ask the kid for something so difficult!”
“Look at how much Kangjoong has done for the Princess. He returned the Spirit Tree and blocked the Demon invasion. How many other things are there?”
“Still, I don’t think that’s right. Let’s ask, and if he says no, we’ll stay at a hotel.”
Yoo Haein called Choi Kangjoong. After expressing her usual concern for her son living alone—asking if he had eaten and what he had been eating lately—she asked about the invitation.
“Kangjoong, can we stay at Elena Castle if we have this?”
—They said they only use that place for important events because it’s a historical site.
“Is that so?”
Yoo Haein glared at Choi Jooyoung.
“When do we need to go? Did you book a hotel?”
—There’s a number for the Derael Cultural Assets Bureau on the invitation. If you contact them and give them your schedule, they’ll handle the transportation and lodging for you.
“As expected, since my son is a Great Hunter, they take care of everything.”
—You could even stay in Marsala for a month while you’re at it.
“A month is hard because of work, but I could do a week. Have you contacted Yoonseo?”
—Actually, she just got her invitation and is texting me right now. I told her to stop sending so many.
“If you’re okay with it, shall we spend a week together?”
—I’d love that.
Thus, a one-week trip for Choi Kangjoong and his family was decided.
“Oh, is there a dress code?”
—They’ll make everything for you there.
“So we really just have to go as we are?”
—That’s right. They’re doing very well these days.
“That’s all thanks to our son.”
—Heh heh heh. I’ll take you there on the day we leave for Marsala.
“If you come, we can go through the Gate comfortably.”
—Of course. There’s no need to travel for ten hours to get to Marsala.
Even though there was a Gate connecting Earth and Marsala, it was impossible to get from Seoul to Deraellan in just one or two hours normally.
“Then let’s go together that day.”
—Yes. Should I ask my eldest aunt to come along too?
“I’ll ask her. But she seems hesitant to travel lately, probably because the shock back then was so great.”
—It was just bad luck that those things caused trouble on that day…
“Nothing will happen this time, right?”
—Don’t worry. The elven knights and I have a tight grip on the place.
“I have to trust my son. See you on the day we leave.”
—Yes.
Yoo Haein hung up the phone with a proud face.
“My son really is amazing.”
“You’re just realizing that now? And he’s not just your son, he’s my son too,” Choi Jooyoung said playfully.
Yoo Haein was about to retort that he was ‘our son’ when her phone rang.
“Who is it?”
“Mijin, a friend from high school. I haven’t seen her except at reunions.”
“I think I know what this is about.”
“What is it?”
“She probably wants you to get her a seat at the coronation.”
“You think so?”
Yoo Haein answered the phone.
“Oh, Mijin? It’s been a long time. Am I going to the coronation? Of course. I’m even going inside the Derael castle. Is there any room left? I’m not really sure about that.”
Sure enough, Choi Jooyoung’s guess was spot on. Yoo Haein gave a polite refusal and hung up.
“At this rate, even distant relatives will be calling,” Yoo Haein said.
As if her words were a jinx, her phone began to ring incessantly. Choi Jooyoung’s phone was the same. With messages pouring in every second, they couldn’t even dream of replying to them all.
“What should we do? Do we have to answer all of these?”
“There’s no need. Let’s just turn them off for now and say later that we couldn’t be reached because of coronation security.”
“I suppose so.”
Choi Jooyoung and Yoo Haein turned off their phones. As the living room grew silent, they turned on the TV. Even on the television, news anchors were predicting the expected attendees for the coronation ritual. Choi Kangjoong and his family were definitely on that list. Choi Jooyoung and Yoo Haein stared at the screen, unable to believe it was real.