The Elves, one of the oldest races on the Continent, were once the absolute leaders of the Alliance of Higher Beings.
They had long lifespans and dwelled deep within the vast central forests.
Their population was small, with low reproductive rates—only a few tens of thousands in total.
This was the main reason why, despite their excellent attributes in every aspect, they lacked the ability to expand.
This wasn’t something Rolls was about to say; it was Ella who overheard Celes talking about it halfway through their journey.
Originally, Ella didn’t know much about it, but thanks to today’s visit, the perfect knight lady had taken the time these past few days to properly fill in her knowledge.
Don’t ask what use it was; just being able to answer Ella’s questions and hearing a soft sigh of relief from the girl made Celes feel it was more than worth it.
As for what Rolls wanted to say—
“Once upon a time, I too stood in a place under the spotlight and was awarded the title of Great Hero. We all know that the title of hero doesn’t depend on the rewards given, but on the recognition from the people. However, objectively speaking, the ceremony is an indispensable part of concretizing that honor.”
Ella quietly yawned—she had gotten up too early today and was a bit low on blood sugar.
She could understand Rolls’ meaning: in plain words, without this award ceremony, most people in the Kingdom wouldn’t even know what you had done.
So the title of hero needs a bit of promotion from above.
“For you, today is an important day. It’s your day—enjoy it.”
Celes responded with a knowing “hm,” and Zero obediently nodded, while Ella sat quietly.
Only Vina raised her hand with a question: “What about the Elves?”
“Uh, they have other people to receive them, so don’t worry.”
Rolls gave the two girls a meaningful look.
“If everything goes smoothly, you’ll have plenty of chances to interact.”
He was afraid the kids might blurt out a question to Iseris right away and scare her off.
After all, the very book of fairy tales itself had been banned back then, and bringing it up wasn’t conducive to peaceful relations between the two races.
Better to be friendly first; only with friendliness could communication happen.
“Alright.”
Vina sat back down.
“I have no objections.”
After eating some pastries for breakfast in the Offering Hall and resting for a while, at around nine in the morning, people came to escort the honored young ladies and the beloved Great Hero Rolls to the Royal Plaza.
“Let’s go. It’s your time.”
Ella wasn’t visiting the Royal Plaza for the first time.
The last time she came was for negotiations, wearing a big white T-shirt proclaiming “I Love Humans.”
This time, as a hero of the Kingdom, she wore a pure white blouse and a coffee-colored skirt, looking like the innocent girl next door who had accidentally wandered into a ball.
The others, however, were all dressed in their gear.
Especially Celes—silver-white armor adorned her body, a knight longsword hung at her waist, and she looked imposing, clearly not someone to mess with.
Last time, the atmosphere had been tense, so no one dared bring weapons.
This time, it was an award ceremony—gear showed power. If you brought it, you brought it.
The scene was livelier than last time, but there were no negotiation tables, only larger and more numerous stands.
The stands were packed with people, and the court orchestra played various instruments in harmony.
Dun~ dun dun dun~!
Ella didn’t understand the music, but it seemed to be some kind of entrance march.
It stirred her heart; maybe the Demon Clan could learn something from this.
She scanned the stands.
Some faces looked familiar—they had been here last time.
Some wore uneasy expressions and forced smiles, but most beamed with joy, waving at the girls in the plaza’s center, occasionally whispering excitedly to those beside them, clearly proud to be part of this moment.
They truly had reason to be proud.
The last royal capital assassination case had been foiled largely due to their behind-the-scenes efforts, exerting pressure that led to compromise and resolution.
Soon, Princess Grell emerged, surrounded by others.
Ella casually looked her over.
The princess’s appearance was decent, but her clothes were very lavish, and her grooming impeccable—befitting a princess of the Kingdom.
Grell held several bouquets and approached the line of young ladies, handing out flowers to each while saying:
“You are the Kingdom’s heroes. Thank you for your contributions to the Kingdom. The future of the Kingdom belongs to you.”
Ella took the flowers and looked them over.
They were not brilliant roses, but there was a good variety.
To gather so many types in late autumn, a non-flowering season, showed the Royal Garden had put in great effort.
Suddenly, she felt a gaze.
Turning her head, she found the Assassin Girl staring at her and quietly said:
“Usually, I don’t like flowers given by others. I only like the ones you give me.”
Zero turned away, satisfied.
After giving the flowers, Princess Grell ascended the stand, preparing to read the stories of the five young heroes.
But then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the gate—tap, tap, tap.
The Elven envoy had arrived!
The crowd in the stands all stood up.
After a century, the Elves had come back to the human royal capital.
For these long-unseen “old friends,” people were very curious.
The first thing that caught the eye was a deer—a tall, nimble deer with antlers shaped like a set of panpipes.
This was the Dilu the Kingdom hoped to introduce.
Five young Elves—two men and three women—rode atop the Dilus.
The men were handsome and elegant, the women ethereal and graceful.
“Do you think they’re pretty?” a voice whispered beside Ella.
Ella had gotten used to it these past few days and instinctively said, “So-so. Not as pretty as you.”
Wait, who asked that?
Vina giggled and poked Ella’s arm with her pinky.
“Little Ella, didn’t expect you to be so good at flattering girls. I was just wondering who asked.”
Ella couldn’t possibly tell the truth.
If she said it was Zero, that would mean revealing to the little witch that Zero held most of her secrets.
Without leverage, Zero wouldn’t bother to keep her in good spirits.
“I say that to whoever asks,” Ella said calmly, “because it’s the truth.”
Though the Elves were generally very beautiful, even their lowest standards were outstanding among ordinary people, the girls in the Hero Squad were no ordinary people—they were millennial beauties.
And so was she!
“Hmph, fine then.”
Vina blinked her peach blossom eyes.
“This time, you get a pass.”
“Honored guests, on behalf of my father, King Hermann III, I extend greetings to you all.”
Princess Grell expressed goodwill toward them.
Once everyone was seated at the VIP area, she continued reading the earlier statement.
The story of the five young heroes of the Human Kingdom was one of youthful vigor and courage.
Like fearless newborn calves, they were brave and clever, forming a team to first confront the cunning and vicious Demon King Aio, defeating him and forcing him to flee.
Feeling the threat on the border, they launched a northern campaign, slaughtered the Wolfhead Tribe, and drove the wolf packs into the Snowy Wolf Plains.
Finally, they approached Harbor City with friendly intent, only to find that the Sirens hid sinister plans, so they acted decisively to protect the Kingdom’s coastline once again.
The script was written by court officials, worded passionately with epic emotion that stirred the listeners’ blood.
But then, a girl from the Elven envoy raised her hand and said, “I also heard that they fear no authority in the royal capital and even killed corrupt high officials who harmed the countryside. Why wasn’t that mentioned?”
The atmosphere immediately turned awkward, and Princess Grell’s face paled halfway.
That was like spitting in their faces.
Another Elven girl quickly pulled her back and said lightly, “Sorry, she’s still young and doesn’t understand these matters. Please forgive her indiscretion.”
Ella nudged the girl beside her.
When Vina said, “What for?” Ella realized she had nudged the wrong person and nudged again toward Celes instead.
“This kid is a bit foolish. Maybe find an opportunity to get some information out of her.”
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