episode_0039

“……”

There was a brief silence as the white-headed eagle exchanged glances with me.

The eagle slightly spread its wings and walked towards me.

It was a rather swift stride.

Even though the posture of leaning forward with its head jutting out seemed comical, due to its large size, I couldn’t help but feel intimidated.

The ten knights wearing ceremonial necklaces and Glentino dodged urgently from side to side.

Astia, who was about to lunge forward, stopped abruptly as I raised my arm.

It’s not an ordinary eagle, so it wouldn’t attack me.

Yet, its gaze was so piercing that I found myself clenching my fist unconsciously.

Swoosh—

Before long, the curved end of the yellow beak, like a hook, stopped right in front of my face.

The eyes of the predator, known as the king of the sky, were now fixed on me.

As its white-feathered head recoiled, the beak slightly opened.

“You are Wiblea’s son.”

The voice that flowed out was unmistakably human.

“Silver hair, emerald eyes, but your ears are a bit short. Your appearance is just that of a human. Quite inferior.”

The eagle pecked at my head with its pointed beak, scrutinizing me thoroughly.

“The amount of manna is pitiful, and your physical strength hasn’t developed much. Is it because of mixed human blood? If so, it’s quite disappointing. Your mother’s blood is too precious.”

The eagle raised and lowered its head, speaking indifferently while clicking its beak repeatedly.

“……”

And then, I felt like a flower pig standing on a stage for a critique session.

Each word that popped out felt like a stamp grading me.

It wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling.

“It seems you speak less than Wiblea. That’s a good thing. I like that.”

Soon after, someone’s voice echoed throughout the entire forest.

“People of Revenagard, today is a historic day.”

Resounding across the entire forest like an echo was the deep, mature voice of a middle-aged man.

“My daughter, Wiblea, who betrayed her own people and became the Empress of the human empire, has finally returned to her homeland.”

The voice belonged to Gartagon, the king of Rivengard.

Through the trees of the vast forest, he was clearly conveying his voice to all the elves.

“You must have all seen the meteors that flew to destroy Rivengard last night. It is said that the woman who alone stopped it and protected this place is soon to marry Wiblea’s son. Therefore, I have made up my mind.”

As soon as the king’s words were heard, the elves, who had kept silent, either let out small sighs or swallowed dry saliva.

They were curious about what decision their king had made regarding his grandson.

“To Wiblea’s son, Eos, I will give the opportunity to become a part of the Rivengard royal family.”

The sighs and murmurs that erupted again mostly contained dissatisfaction.

It was not unusual.

Wiblea betrayed her homeland.

Her son, Eos, with mixed human blood, was the most certain evidence of that betrayal.

Moreover, as a disgraced crown prince who elevated his own infamy, the elves, who inherently pursued justice and fairness, would not want to accept such a terrible person as royalty.

And as if already knowing such sentiments well, the king’s voice resounded once again.

“But Wiblea is a sinner who betrayed Rivengard. Just because he is her son, I have no intention of simply granting him royal status. If Eos is to be recognized as my blood, he must pass the test I set.”

The silence that descended on the momentarily tumultuous forest was surely due to the word “test.”

Curious about what kind of test would be given, most of the elves stopped even their breath and focused solely on their hearing.

“The ones who attacked us last night were the Imperial Towers, towers of raging flames that incinerated many elves with fire magic. From now on, Eos will go alone to destroy that place. That is the test I will give.”

Perhaps it was an absurdly preposterous sound, as some startled elves eventually could not help but raise their voices.

“I will make the Martop collapse alone….”

“It seems the king has decided to kill the author.”

“Still, it may not be possible to accept someone with mixed human blood.”

“Wiblea abandoned her own people. Accepting her son back into the royal family is no different from forgiving her crime. Without paying any price.”

“But Wiblea’s merits for Rivengard are undeniable. Just rescuing the elves alone would be well over a thousand. Considering her dedication since childhood, Eos should naturally become part of the royal family!”

“Think about it. If that blonde woman hadn’t saved us last night, how many of our people would have died? Her merit alone is enough.”

Excited elves began to clamor throughout the forest.

Many elves still harbored resentment towards me, but there were also quite a few who looked favorably upon Wiblea and me.

Due to intense arguments erupting throughout the forest, birds flew up in a flurry here and there.

Then suddenly, the commotion ceased, all due to the calm voice of Gartagon.

“Silence-”

The entire forest fell silent like a ruin swept by a fierce storm.

“If even one elf opposes, I will not give Eos a chance. However, those who oppose must take responsibility for their opinions.”

Responsibility.

Both humans and elves found the idea burdensome.

Although brief, the weighty words made it impossible for anyone to speak further.

“If there is anyone opposing, step forward now. Then Eos will be banished immediately, and instead, that person will be tasked with collapsing the Martop.”

“….”

No one answered the king’s words.

No one dared to step forward.

Because everyone knew exactly where the incendiary Martop was located.

It wasn’t fear of justice.

It wasn’t always bravery in pursuit of fairness.

Above all, the inevitable tragedy that would occur at the moment when one’s weakness is proven was the most concerning.

If the elves were to go there and things went awry, it would lead to a full-scale war between the elves and the empire.

The war that would inevitably bring about the deaths of their own kind would leave nothing but belated tears and regret.

The elves, who had experienced numerous wars over the years, could not help but feel the weight of the responsibility mentioned by the king.

However, as humans and nobles, the elves knew that such tragedy could be avoided if Eos went.

“Is there anyone opposed?”

It was an extremely decisive voice, as if delivering the final blow to a rock solidified with gold.

“If that’s the case, Eos, depart immediately on the white bird. It’s the preferred mount of Wiblea. It will comfortably take you to your destination. I hope you can be recognized as a dignified member of the royal family.”

“A m-mount! You crazy lunatic, Wiblea and I were partners!”

The white-haired eagle flapped its wings towards the center of the forest, where the World Tree was deeply rooted, shouting loudly.

After making a fuss for a while, it eventually sat down as if cradling an egg.

“Come on, get on, you rascal.”

He had a face that seemed to be staring blankly at something.

“….”

I cautiously climbed onto the eagle’s body and settled into the already equipped saddle.

It seemed like it could accommodate up to four people.

“….?”

Suddenly, something tightly wrapped around my waist with both arms.

The small, white hands clearly belonged to Elaine.

“Hey, girl. What are you doing again?”

The eagle, unexpectedly burdened with additional weight, naturally became angry.

“I-I’m Elaine!”

The eagle looked incredulous.

“Who asked for your name? What’s this reckless behavior? Get off right now?”

“N-No, I don’t want to!”

I was equally bewildered.

What on earth is going on…

“Elaine, I have to go to Matop alone. I’ll be back soon, so can you please get off?”

“T-That’s impossible…”

Elaine replied, pressing her cheek against my back.

Why is this woman acting like this…

“The place we’re going now isn’t safe, so please get down quickly.”

“Because the prince could be in danger, I should follow him even more in dangerous places.”

In fact, I had a plan too.

I was planning to sneak into the tower alone and exploit the magician’s weakness.

A delay caused by Yeongchang.

If I aimed for that part,

As someone who could use magic almost instantly by summoning spirits, I was confident that I wouldn’t lose to anyone in a one-on-one situation.

The only problem was that there might not be enough mana, but that could be overcome with the mana recovery potions I had already saved up.

So if I secretly sneaked into the tower alone and dealt with them one by one, eventually, I would be able to subdue even the tower lord.

But if Elaine went with me,

I would have to protect her and make her transparent, which would greatly increase the mana consumption.

The difficulty level would suddenly rise.

Yet, she stubbornly clung to me, so I had no choice but to compromise to some extent.

“Then how about riding on an eagle after arriving at the tower? When it’s urgent, I’ll get out of the tower myself.”

“Well, that sounds okay.”

As if he had been listening to our conversation, soon the king’s voice was heard.

“To risk the safety of your fiancée in order to save Rivengard, my grandson, truly as expected of the son of Wiblea, very just.”

Gartagon was an elf who knew how to package his words quite nicely, saying that it was okay to go together.

However, it was doubtful whether the content was really praise, but it seemed certain that he was looking at me favorably.

“No, what’s all this? Grandpa, grandson, fiancée, they’re all crazy, huh? Whatever, since we’re leaving, hold on tight.”

The eagle flapped its wings vigorously while grumbling in a dissatisfied voice.

Whoosh-

With just one flap, the lush leaves of tall trees swirled past and shot up above the forest in an instant.

Whoosh- Whoosh-

Let’s flap our wings a few more times, and before we knew it, we were soaring through the clear sky among the white clouds.