Chapter 459: We Will Cross That Bridge When We Get There
A few days later, the Elven Envoy arrived at the Capital of the Anaesha Dynasty, Veritas. Since they were the ones seeking an audience, the Elves had curbed their arrogance. Even Eneru, didn’t make too much fuss because he could sense several presences that were in the same league as him.
“You may proceed.” The Kraetor Guard stationed at the city gate gave them the go signal after communicating with his superiors, who were already waiting for the envoy to arrive.
The Qilin and the two flying carriages were led towards the palace by four escorts mounted on flying ants.
After landing in their designated area, The Qilin, Eneru, transformed into a white-haired man, who seemed to be in his early thirties. As a Mythical Beast, he had the ability to take on humanoid form, just like Jekyll.
Elandorr, and Alessio, led the way, while Eneru walked in the rear. It was the formation that they had agreed upon beforehand, just in case something unexpected happened during their mission.
It didn’t take long before they arrived at the doors of the throne room where the Young Empress was waiting for them. Elandorr stepped forward with confidence as the guards guarding the door pushed it open.
The moment his eyes landed on the Young Empress, the Commander of the Elves felt his heart shudder. The artifacts he was wearing were already activated, and yet, he was barely able to resist the gaze of the young lady who was looking down at him with a teasing smile.
A light cough broke him out of his daze, as Eneru unleashed some of his aura, to shield Elandorr, as well as the rest of the Elves from Sidonie’s Charm.
‘That was close!’ Elandorr gasped internally as he tried to forcefully calm the beating of his heart. ‘This woman is dangerous!’
Elandorr had to admit that even without the power of her Charm, he couldn’t stop himself from being attracted to the beautiful lady in front of him. The rumor of the Young Empress being extremely beautiful was already well-known to them.
However, knowing and seeing her in the flesh was completely different. Elandorr knew that even if he hated Humans to the bone, he wouldn’t mind making an exception, and make Empress Sidonie his woman.
“Greetings, travelers who came from far away lands,” Empress Sidonie said with a smile. Her soft and silky voice once again made Elandorr’s heart tremble. The Commander of the Elves still had a calm expression on his face, but inside, his emotions were a mess.
“Although we have traveled many miles to get here, your smile alone made the trip worth it, Your Majesty,” Elandorr replied as he gave a brief bow.
Empress Sidonie’s smile widened as she gave Elandorr a slight nod. She then leaned on her throne as she waited for the Elves to state their reason for their visit.
‘Didn’t you say the same thing about Prince Lionel a few days ago?’
‘Then how about my cousin, Prince Jason?’ Empress Sidonie inquired.
Empress Sidonie and Morgana looked at the Elven Envoy with great interest. They already knew that the good looking guy with white hair was the Qilin of the Silvermoon Continent. Aside from him, there was also one adult in the group of teenage boys and girls who were looking at Sidonie with varied expressions.
“Your Majesty, I am the Commander of the Elven expedition here in the Southern Continent. Our reason for our visit is to seek an alliance with you,” Elandorr said in a voice that reeked of honey. “The two of us don’t have to fight each other, we can split the Southern Continent in half and become good neighbors with each other.”
“Good neighbors?” Empress Sidonie raised an eyebrow. “I like having good neighbors. However, why would I settle to having neighbors when I can have the entire continent as my property?”
Elandorr smiled as he appraised the Young Empress’ bearings. He had been trained to look for the tell-tale signs that he could exploit during negotiations. So far, he hadn’t seen any openings in Empress Sidonie’s posture or words that she had directed at him.
“Uniting the land under one banner is good, but can the Kraetor Empire really do that?” Elandorr questioned. “The moment the Continental Spell loses its effect, the barrier that prevented the other forces from advancing here will collapse. By then, several strong factions from the Central Continent will arrive and stake their claim in these lands as well.”
Elandorr paused as he scanned the officers of the Kraetor Empire who were also present inside the throne room.
“The Kraetor Empire alone will not be able to stop their advance. However, if we become allies, we can work together to protect our domains,” Elandor stated. “If we work hand in hand then this land is as good as ours. How about it, Your Majesty?”
Empress Sidonie nodded her head in agreement. A day before the Elven Delegation arrived, they had a high level meeting at the palace and discussed the future plans of the Kraetor Empire.
Prince Jason, Berthold, as well as the other High-Ranking officers of the Kraetor Empire had urged Empress Sidonie to conquer all the lands of the Southern Continent.
(A/N: Just in case some of you may have forgotten, Berthold is the leader of the Organization that is stationed at the Kraetor Empire.)
The Young Empress listened to their proposal, but still shook her head in the end. The reason? It is because they would not be able to retain these lands once the Continental Spell lost its effect.
Just as Elandorr had said, it would be impossible for the other forces in the Central Continent to remain quiet. They would definitely feel the itch to try and grab some of the lands that belonged to the Kraetor Empire.
The worst case scenario was for these factions to band together to form an alliance. Although the Kraetor Empire was strong, it was only one of the strong factions within the Central Continent.
They, too, had enemies that would love to make things difficult for them. If these enemies had found out that an entire continent had become their property of the Kraetor Empire, they would face the united opposition of the factions that considered them an eyesore.
Due to Empress Sidonie’s wake up call, Prince Jason, Berthold, as well as the officers of the Kraetor Army, realized that they had not thought about the aftermath that would follow when the Continental Spell lost its effect.
True, they might have united the entire Southern Continent under their banner, but the repercussions they would receive afterwards were something that they might not be able to brush off like a passing breeze.
Empress Sidonie covered her lips and gave an angelic chuckle that made the Elves who had sensitive hearing almost prostrate themselves in front of her. If not for the constant aura that Eneru had been releasing to protect them, the Elven Delegation would have already succumbed to the Young Empress’ charm.
“What happens after the Continental Spell loses its effects is of no concern for me and the Kraetor Empire,” Empress Sidonie replied. “We will cross that bridge when we get there. Commander Elandorr, tell me, are you confident that you will still be alive to see that day happen?”
Empress Sidonie’s statement was like a Guillotine Blade that hung over the Elven Delegation’s head.
It was true that after the Continental Spell lost its effect, the other forces in the Central Continent would also make their moves. However, that was still a few years away from happening. At the present time, Empress Sidonie could conquer the lands and unite them under one banner because she had the strength to do so.
Elandorr understood that for that to happen, the Kraetor Empire would have to deal with them first. And frankly, he wasn’t confident that their army would be able to endure her army’s beating.
They had already lost thousands of Elves under William’s hand and more were lost under the surprise attack that was aimed at their Teleportation Gate. If not for the fact that the Archmage guarding the Teleportation Gate had reacted in time and called for help, Eneru and Drauum wouldn’t have arrived to turn the tide in their favor.
Elandorr stared straight at the eyes of the beautiful Empress who was looking down on him with disdain.
He knew that if he couldn’t convince her into becoming their ally then their desire to conquer the Southern Lands would meet its end.