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SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
The problem with the Elves.
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It did not lie within the tree itself.
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Rather, the problem was that the entire Elven race, from the top down, was suffering from a massive issue.
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“Why should I help you?”
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Aililan countered with a question.
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Eleanorice was stunned.
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From the time she was a child, no one had ever refused her.
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She looked at the girl before her — that face was no less beautiful than her own, and possessed an even more noble identity and aura, causing her to daze for a moment.
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She suddenly realized.
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Everything she had relied on in the past was useless here.
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“I… I…”
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She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
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“As everyone knows, we Elves have always been peace-loving. If you can help us solve this crisis, we can form an alliance with you. How does that sound?”
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“Ha.”
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Aililan laughed.
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The high-ranking officials of the Church surrounding them also wore meaningful smiles.
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“What are you laughing at?”
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Alistair took a step forward, and after performing a salute, he spoke. “If I may be so bold, I do not agree with the claim that the Elves are ‘peace-loving.'”
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“In the days when you were powerful, you frequently viewed other races as inferior and carried out the slaughter of cities and the extermination of entire clans.”
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“These events are recorded in the history books of every race.”
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“Memories may fade.”
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“Time will pass.”
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“But History… History does not lie.”
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Eleanorice’s face flushed red, and she felt completely at a loss. “We… we have truly changed now…”
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Seeing that she was nearly at the point of collapse, Aililan waved her hand to signal Alistair to step back.
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She stood up, and the Head Maid, Yarandale, brought over a basin of water for her to wash her hands.
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Then, she signaled for the Princess to follow as she slowly walked forward.
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The two of them gradually distanced themselves from the crowd.
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After a moment of silence.
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Aililan asked softly, “You say something is wrong with your Mother Tree?”
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“Yes.” Eleanorice nodded hurriedly. “The number of Pureblood Elves born from the Mother Tree is decreasing. If this continues, it might even dry up completely.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
Aililan looked at her, her tone indifferent.
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“Do you really think the problem is with the Mother Tree?”
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“Is it not?”
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Aililan gave a soft laugh and led her to a patch of wasteland.
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“Then do you know why this field has been abandoned?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
Eleanorice remained silent for a long time before whispering, “I… I don’t know.”
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Aililan sighed.
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“You Elves are famous for your Nature Magic, yet you, a Princess, do not even understand the most basic of farming.”
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“I will tell you.”
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“It is a matter of soil fertility.”
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“This land was poor to begin with. Planting for one year and letting it rest for one year is the most logical way.”
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“If you force it to grow crops every year, it will only become increasingly barren until it completely loses its output.”
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Eleanorice looked thoughtful. “Do you mean… the Mother Tree’s ‘nutrients’ are insufficient?”
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Aililan froze for a second, then pressed her hand to her forehead.
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“…How exactly did you become the Princess?”
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“The land was just a metaphor.”
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“The problem lies with the Elves themselves.”
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She took a deep breath, her tone growing colder.
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“In the days when you were strong, the Mother Tree could nurture hundreds of Pureblood Elves every year.”
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“But did you ever give back to her?”
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“Did you ever feel sorry for her?”
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“No.”
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“You only knew how to take continuously, forcing her to birth more and more Elves.”
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“Until she was completely exhausted.”
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“Until she could no longer give birth.”
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“Until — she dies.”
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Her gaze was calm, yet it carried a chill.
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“That is why I said.”
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“It is not the Mother Tree that is sick.”
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“It is the greed of your people.”
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“Let the Mother Tree stop giving birth.”
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“Let her rest for decades, perhaps even 100 years.”
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“Maybe then she can recover.”
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Eleanorice’s face turned pale as she shook her head violently.
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“Impossible!”
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“If the Mother Tree stops nurturing, our Elven race will face a generational gap, or even extinction!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
Aililan smiled faintly.
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“Wrong.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“You will not go extinct.”
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“The only ones who will truly go ‘extinct’ are you Pureblood Elves.”
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“Gestation Elves are the true foundation of your race.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“Of course.”
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“You have another choice — to perish together with the Mother Tree.”
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Eleanorice’s voice was bitter.
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“Is this… your diagnosis?”
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Aililan shrugged.
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“Yes.”
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“Moreover, I dare say that the upper echelons of your race have known this for a long time.”
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“They simply are not willing to admit it.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“That is why they use the royal family as sacrifices to barely maintain things.”
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“If you don’t believe me, go back and ask.”
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She did not say more.
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To speak any further would involve the internal power structure of the Elves.
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That was something that could lead a race to rebirth — or cause its total destruction.
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—
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Eleanorice left in a state of complete desolation.
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Fina Nisi also departed with her.
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Renata was quite angry. “The Grandmaster didn’t even come to see you once!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
Aililan waved her off. “Do not say that; she has her own difficulties.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
Secretly, however, she was thinking something else.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
‘It would be best if we never met for the rest of our lives.’
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
It would save her from more trouble.
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—
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Several days later.
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Elf King City.
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Eleanorice knelt before the throne, her voice trembling.
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“Mother… please tell me that isn’t true, right?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
The Elf Queen’s pupils shook violently.
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After a long time, she finally spoke.
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“She… she was right.”
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Her voice was low and suppressed.
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This was the deepest secret of the Elven race.
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That Saintess — how could she know?
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Was there a traitor within their ranks?
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But if there wasn’t… then it was even more terrifying.
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A human girl.
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In the eyes of the Elves, she was barely even a child.
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Yet she made the Queen feel a sense of pressure.
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After a long silence.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
The Elf Queen spoke slowly.
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“Eleanorice.”
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“I want to see her.”
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“Mother?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“I want to meet that Saintess.”
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Her gaze was complex.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“Perhaps… she truly has another way.”
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“Our own methods…”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“We cannot, and are not willing to continue down this path any longer.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“As long as there is a sliver of possibility.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“We must try.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“Go and make the arrangements.”
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