Chapter 156: Shocking Truth!?

"This child right here is the product of Sage Hoks solution." Said the King as he grabbed the baby from the guard's arms and held her in the air for all to see.

'Hmm, but isn't she just a normal Elf?' Thought the young Lourdes while eyeing the child.

"Excuse my rudeness, King August, but isn't she just a normal Elf?" Asked the woman sitting beside Sage Oakley.

"She is normal, yes; there is absolutely nothing unique or special about her; however, at the same time, she isn't a normal Elf." Remarked the King, his words filling everyone's confusion.

Seeing everyone else's expression, I could tell I wasn't the only one perplexed by Father's statement, though my confusion didn't last for long as Father then removed the blanket that was covering her head, allowing us to view her head.

"There isn't a golden star mark." Muttered Lourdes with widened eyes as she looked at the child's bare forehead.

"Where is the child's mark? Is she not an Elf?" Questioned one of the nobles in confusion.

"No, she isn't, but she does have Elven blood coursing through her veins." Said the man sitting beside General Alfhild with a frown while eying the child.

"M-My King, is this the solution Sage Hok gave you? Must we unite our Elven blood with the blood of our enemies? Is there not another way?" Asked Sage Oakley with near-teary eyes while eyeing the child, not wishing to believe the King's words.

Sage Oakley's words were like an explosion, as all the nobles instantly got restless and began speaking their thoughts, every single one rejecting such an idea. I, on the other hand, wasn't against like everyone else, mainly because I didn't have as much pride in our Elven blood as them, though I'm sure if I was to live as long as them, I'd feel the same.

"Silence! That's enough!" Exclaimed the King, his loud and deep voice reverberating through the entire room, quickly quieting the angry and displeased nobles

"I'm the same as you all; when Sage Hok first told me of this solution, I wanted to refuse it vehemently. As a prideful Elven warrior and King, I didn't want to resort to having to sully our blood with our enemies. But while I may have been a warrior, I'm a King, and my duty as King is to ensure our Kingdom survives and thrives long into the future. I had done my absolute best searching for another way even after Sage Hoks' death, but eventually, I realized his solution was the only one that would allow our Kingdom to possibly survive." Stated the King, his deep and solemn voice becoming more and more helpless as he continued speaking.

When Father finished talking, the entire room went quiet, and as I looked around, I noticed nearly everyone present sported the same helpless and defeated expression as Father; such a sight pained me since, as Royalty, it was also my duty to help the Kingdom thrive, yet all this time, I've been enjoying life while not realizing how dangerous our situation has devolved into.

"My King, Even if such a solution existed, what would be the best race to procreate with, what are the side effects for half-breeds, and most importantly, how would we implement it?" Asked Sage Lymph, his words slightly shocking everyone by how readily he agreed with the idea, but no one said anything, as most knew deep down in their hearts this was the best option.

"The most compatible race is the humans; besides the sea-folk, Elves and Humans are the most similar, and I have already captured nearly ten thousand human women over the past decades. Besides the half-breeds losing the mark of pure Elven blood, there haven't been any discovered side effects, but Sage Hok has said that a Half-breeds life-span is many times shorty than a pure Elf." Replied the King as he handed the little girl back to the guard, who then backed away.

"Do you know how he got that information, King?" Asked Sage Oakley with a frown.

"I don't Sage Oakley; however, since he's the one who came up with this solution, I'm willing to bet he must've encountered a few half-breeds during his life." Said the King as he glanced at Sage Oakley, who lightly nodded in response.

"Haa, Implementing the concept is the easiest part; as I said before, I've already captured roughly ten thousand human women, so all we must do is have Elven men impregnate them, and within a period of nine-to-ten months, the offspring will be born." Added the King, and although his words were rather cruel, he didn't have much choice in the matter if he wanted his kingdom to survive.

"Seeing how much you've prepared, King, I take it you've got a plan?" Asked the woman sitting beside Oakley.

"I do indeed have a plan, Matriarch Eve; it consists of forfeiting offensive and going on the defensive for the next hundred or so years." Replied the King as he glanced at Matriarch Eve before shifting his focus to General Alfhild.

"General, I'd like for our Elven army to return to the kingdom; we'll stay on the defensive for as long as possible while we wait for the half-breeds to grow into warriors." Added the King solemnly.

"Considering our enemies don't view us as much of a threat, retreating will be rather easy; I'll have the army behind the forest within four months." Stated General Alfhild with a nod.

"Good, that'll be all for today then. I've said many shocking things, and I'm sure you all would like some time to ponder about what I've said; just remember to arrive at the same time tomorrow. The meeting isn't over." Declared the King while everyone stood up and bowed before exiting the room.

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Opening my eyes, I looked around and noticed I was standing before the greenish crystal, the same one I had been absorbed into. Realizing I'd experienced the entire memory fragment, I took a few seconds to calm myself from the information I had acquired.

'No wonder in the book 'Species of the OverRealm' it said the Elves were in danger of extinction because us Royal Elves are the only remaining pure-blood Elves. It all makes sense now.' Thought Elaine as numerous thoughts flashed about in her soul.

"Now I understand, Great-grandfather; if this information were released to the public, there would be mass pandemonium in the Empire, not to mention our image and reputation would severely plummet." Muttered Elaine as she released the soul crystal from her grasp, allowing it to float through the white light.

After everything I have experienced from that soul crystal, I felt the same as those nobles; I needed some time to wrap my head around such an astonishing truth. Flying through the column of white light, I arrived back where I had initially started, and standing just a few meters before me was my body.

Exiting the comfortable white light and entering the OverRealm, I instantly felt my soul decaying; of course, with how powerful my soul was, it would probably take a few decades at the very least, and if I were to link my soul to an object, I could extend that time by tens of thousands of years depending on the object.

Approaching my body, I entered it; the next moment, I opened my eyes and stood up, launching a few golden palms at Maxim to ensure my strength was back.

"Ah, yes, this feels good." Remarked Elaine with a slight smile as she headed towards the exit while signaling Maxim.

"How was the experience, Your Highness? Was it worthwhile?" Asked Maxim curiously.

"It was most definitely worthwhile; never could've imagined such a shocking truth about us Royal Elves." Replied Elaine while looking at Maxim's forehead with slight pity, and while he noticed her gaze, he didn't comment on it.

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While Elaine had just finished learning the truth about Royal Elves, Elif was currently leaving an independent city after having failed to find any traces of the supposed Angel, though heaven looked to be in his favor as he was mere moments away from encountering him.

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"That's the thirteenth failure for today; I'm beginning to lose interest in this Angel." Remarked Elif with a frown while fanning himself with his purple and black quạt tay.

"At least we've gotten some information about the Angel this time, so that's a plus." Said Marley optimistically, though all she got was a blank look from Elif.

"All we learned was that the Angel is a man; I hardly call that useful information. I would've been able to recognize an Angel whether it was male or female, so it was essentially useless." Stated Elif dryly as he summoned a bowl of lightning cherries to alleviate his boredom.

"Haa, let's head to the next closest city; if we don't find him by the end of today, we'll forget about him and continue to our original destination." Added Elif, to which Zulo and Zala neighed in response before speedily pulling the carriage.

"Your Highness, Prince Ivan of the Heavenly Empire is at the next city." Said Illumia as she opened her eyes and glanced at Elif.

"Hehe, is that so? Well, good; I've been so preoccupied with locating this Angel that I completely forgot about Ivan. Hopefully, he'll be able to relieve my boredom, and if not, I'm going to be very annoyed." Replied Elif with a slight smirk.

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'This isn't good, boy; that Prince from the Heavenly Empire is here in the same city as you; if you're not careful, he'll discover you.' Said the wise voice inside Lucifer's mind.

'I know, but I can't leave, Master; they have this place on lockdown; if I attempt to leave, I'll definitely get caught.' Replied Lucifer with a frown while looking out the window from inside an inn he was using as shelter.

'Either way, if you stay here, you'll get caught eventually; you need to create a distraction and use that opportunity to escape the city.' Advised the old yet wise voice.

"Haa, that's easier said than done, Master." Said Lucifer while sighing.

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Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, it also works this time; I've reset it again, https://discord.gg/JXqGGDbc (Note: this link only lasts for one week)

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Elven Legacy (Chapter 171: Friendly Banter / Start of V6) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 52: Improvements) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 82: Freyja & Diddy's Battles) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]