Chapter 94: Guardian of the Dark Forest Part 3

"If you truly want talent, you would do well to heed my advice."

It was a statement that could be considered rude to say to the queen. But fortunately, the queen listened to me.

I requested that the queen summon the representatives of the surviving dark elf villages as soon as possible. With no elders to oppose, the queen immediately granted my request.

To think she would even prepare a portal to bring the dark elves.

The surviving village chiefs, or their children, or if neither were available, the temporary representatives of the villages, all arrived at the palace one after another. Among them were dark elves who set foot in Lysette for the first time in their lives.

I spotted a familiar face and greeted her.

"Luisa."

The representative of the seventh village was none other than Luisa. She looked around with clear discontent. To her who was living in a poor and underdeveloped village, the splendid palace did not seem to look good.

"Druid."

"I told you to call me Theodore."

"Hmph."

She glanced at me briefly before nodding lightly.

"You invited us here, didn't you?"

"It wasn't me, it was Her Majesty the Queen."

"…How unusual. Not just near the capital, but inviting dark elves right into the palace. Have the rumors about dark elves kidnapping and eating elves disappeared?"

"Those rumors were going around?"

"Elves can be unbelievably stupid sometimes."

Her sharp words made me chuckle. I handed her the tea prepared as a welcome gesture and said,

"Come now, today is not a day for worry. It's a day to look forward to."

"I don't expect anything from elves."

"This time, you might want to."

I led Luisa to the meeting room beyond the corridor. The long mahogany table covered with a red carpet seated the seven dark elves and me. Shortly after, the queen appeared. Though the dark elves were still hesitant, as soon as the queen showed herself, they fell silent, stood up, and paid their respects to her.

"Hello, everyone."

The queen's smile, as always, was filled with kindness toward her subjects.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I wish we could have met sooner…"

None of the dark elves responded to the queen's words. The atmosphere was already suffocatingly awkward and tense, so I spoke up first.

"For a good meeting, the timing doesn't matter."

"Theodore, you always whisper wise words to me."

The queen whispered a soft "Thank you". After she took her seat, we followed suit.

"The reason I invited you all today…"

The queen began cautiously while glancing at me. Feeling her gaze, I gave a slight nod. With a smile, the queen met the eyes of the nervous dark elves one by one.

"To offer you comfort in your sorrow…"

"..."

"And to express my gratitude for your hard work."

Comfort and gratitude.

The dark elves' eyes widened, as these were unexpected words from the queen.

For the queen herself to offer "comfort" and "gratitude" to the dark elves who were burdened with their original sin was unimaginable.

"Additionally, I have a favor to ask of you."

A favor, no less.

The dark elves were fundamentally different from the regular elves. They were the children of "sinners" and they led lives akin to that of slaves for generations. Some even regarded them as worse than insects and treated them like savages or monsters.

For the queen to personally ask such beings for a favor was extraordinary.

The dark elves' eyes were a chaotic mix of joy and fear, hope and distrust.

It was only natural.

Most of them likely thought they were here to atone for the sins caused by Grizel's atrocities.

"What is it?"

It was Luisa who asked with a trembling voice.

Luisa was the representative of the seventh village where Grizel was born, so she had come here with an even heavier heart. She might have thought she would have to sacrifice her life. For the queen to personally ask for a favor in such a situation…. it was bewildering for her.

"A favor, for us dark elves?"

"Yes."

"Is it not enough for us to risk our lives to guard the border in the Dark Forest?"

Her voice was filled with resentment.

"Calm down, Luisa."

I gently tried to soothe her. She still looked at me with a face full of indignation.

"Druid, a human like you cannot understand our history."

"No, I do understand. That's why I invited you here."

I continued while looking at Luisa and the other dark elves.

"Please don't misunderstand. I requested this meeting."

There was a murmur of surprise.

"Yes, as you can see, I am human. That allows me to view this situation objectively, without bias."

The surroundings fell silent again; even the queen was listening to me intently.

"Grizel, or rather his original name was Selrem. You all remember how Selrem gained the power to control six entire villages. He tried to protect the villages from the darkness of the Dark Forest. But the result was nothing short of a disaster."

Two or three villages were nearly annihilated, and the condition of the remaining villages wasn't good either. If this situation continued, the darkness of the Dark Forest would surely start to covet Lysette again.

"You all know the current situation. The nights are growing longer, and the darkness is getting thicker. The monsters emerging from the Dark Forest are becoming stronger and more numerous by the day. In this situation, relying solely on the power of the dark elves to guard the boundary is foolish, for you and for the elves within the boundary."

The queen nodded her head quietly. Two elves who seemed to be village chiefs also nodded in agreement.

"The dark elves are the greatest warriors in Lysette. This is an undeniable fact. But you alone cannot stop the disaster. The same goes for the elves. It is impossible with just the power of the elves."

Luisa bit her lip hard and glared at me. Her face was filled with resentment.

"In this situation, it is really foolish to reject each other. It's a waste and a mistake. Destruction will be upon us before we have time to blink.

"…"

"But… if we work together, the story will be different."

If elves were sent to the Dark Forest border for training, and dark elves also returned to the capital to share their knowledge, many things would change. The imbalance of power across regions would be resolved, and the level of combat would increase. Additionally, if elves were relocated to the abandoned lands near the border to start cultivating them, production would significantly improve.

And once the safety of the Dark Forest side is secured, I have ways to help with cultivation.

In that case, the lives of the dark elves would also improve. Though the emotional scars were deep and couldn't heal immediately, things would gradually get better.

Besides that, many things would improve in various ways compared to before.

Then, there would be no more "Grizel".

The queen and the dark elves had a long conversation with me in the middle. Several hours weren't enough; the meeting continued for three days. The queen proposed new ideas, the dark elves also brought forth new ideas, and I mediated between them, gradually shaping the framework of the plan.

After the long, long meeting, or rather, long talk …

The dark elves received many promises and returned to the Dark Forest. They would convince the other dark elves. Though there might be some dissenters, I believed that once exchanges began between all elves, things would improve.

After the meeting, the queen quietly called me.

"Thank you, Theodore."

"I'm getting a little tired of hearing 'thank you' now."

The queen smiled as if she found it amusing. I returned a playful grin, then leaned against the balcony railing and gazed at the large moon hanging in the sky.

"It's a relief that it ended well."

"Thanks to you."

"Of course. It's all my doing."

The queen also raised her head to look at the moon. We gazed at it together for a long while.

"I have something to ask of you as well."

"Anything, Theodore. Anything."

She replied as if she had been waiting. Her cheeks illuminated by the moonlight glowed pink. The queen clasped her hands together while waiting for me to speak.

"I want …"

-Gulp.

I could almost hear the sound of a heartbeat echoing loudly.

"You to…"

"..."

"I want you to erect a monument."

"…Eh?"

The queen asked back in a weak voice and looked to be momentarily deflated. What had she been expecting? I scratched the back of my head and continued.

"A monument. I want to erect a monument for the dark elves in the seventh village."

"..."

"If possible, it should be blessed directly by Your Majesty…"

If the queen personally blessed the monument, inscribed various spells on it, and placed it in the seventh village in the Dark Forest, it would benefit the village in many ways.

The queen stared at me quietly and then gave a slight nod.

"That's a good idea…"

"Right? It will help with the village's security. We'll also embed it with powerful magic stones."

"Yes…"

"I will plant purification trees around it."

"Thank you…"

What is this atmosphere of disappointment? However, I didn't point it out and continued eagerly discussing the monument. What to add, how to arrange it…

Despite the atmosphere of disappointment, the queen granted my request exactly as I asked. She even invited the dwarves to finely carve the monument, which bore the blessings of the queen and the priests, along with various protective and warning spells. The monument was transported and erected through a portal by myself, Luisa, and other elves and dark elves. After demolishing the village chief's burned house, we placed the monument in its place which somehow seemed to glow.

I planted a few purification ash trees around the monument and then quietly offered a prayer. At the bottom of the monument, the words "For Selrem" glowed softly.