As Athrahel stood off to the side with a dumbfounded expression at how his queen had simmered down so obediently, Arthur Valar continued to speak with the same austere tone, "Now that you've cooled your head somewhat, take a moment to think of exactly what I'd try to gain by concocting a lie of such grand scale. Power? Money? Blackmail?" He shook his head, "This sort of lie would only splinter the relations between our two nations, causing a rift in the middle of our Light Faction. Do you think I'd really gain anything of such an outcome?"
Her subconscious mind telling her to listen to the human king, Nesine analysed the conversation that had taken place up until now. From the very beginning, she already knew that Arthur was not someone who liked to play jokes for entertainment, nor was he fond of ruining international relationships for a prank. His stoic expression as he paraphrased his interaction with the young Dragonborn matched his normal state when speaking of critical matters. The more she thought about it, the more she understood that she had indeed let her emotions run wild. After a long sigh, the High Elf Queen recollected herself and returned her gaze to the human king, "It seems that I overstepped my bounds just now... My apologies, Arthur."
Arthur's face had a tiny smile as he said, "You don't need to apologize, Nesine. I had the same reaction when the young Dragonborn told me my daughter would be kidnapped and tortured into a killing machine." The killing intent of the king rippled slightly in the king's aura as he continued, "If not for my self-control, I would have cut off the boy's head right then and there."
Both Nesine and Athrahel completely believed the human king's words, as Arthur Valar was the current strongest human warrior at Lv. 12, and some of the few people capable of wielding a Saint-grade weapon, the heirloom of the Valar family, the Blade of Kings. It had been crafted during the rise of the Valarian Kingdom for the founding king by the last known human Saint Blacksmith as his symbol and his weapon. When the Blade of Kings was taken up, any allied beings within several kilometres would see a ten percent increase in power, an effect that was upped to fifty percent when the wielder held it aloft and shouted, "For the Glory of Light!" The wielder themself would also be imbued with a constant stream of light-based energy, allowing them to fight so long as there was any light nearby, and could be used as a beacon if needed. It had several requirements that were extremely difficult to achieve, such as possessing the heart of a king and the war capabilities of a general. Even within the Valar family, it had only been taken up three times.
"Now, let us continue. As I was saying, the young Dragonborn is willing to have his memories exposed to us. You should know just how invasive it feels to have your mind pried open by a stranger. Now think about having your mind be projected so everyone around could see what was inside." Nesine understood that quite clearly, as her mother had had her undergo training to resist mind-related abilities, and who better to train her than the Dreamwalker? However, she'd never experienced having her mind forcibly exposed. To experience that... who would ever want to? "Just based on this, you can see that he is a determined person. Even I fear to have my mind invaded, but he sincerely asked to have his mind shown to us. Can you honestly say you'd be willing do the same? Of course not, and he also knew you'd never agree. After all, the Dreamwalker is your saintess."
Nesine had already understood Arthur's point by this stage, so she brusquely stated, "Yet you still asked on his behalf anyway... This means you're willing to believe him. If even you, a person who my mother acknowledged as being the wisest human king she'd ever met, believe him... There must be something more to this."
Arthur's face had a small grin again as he said, "You're correct, there is more. Young Luca offered something in exchange for the Dreamwalker's assistance. Something he knew you'd be interested in." When the High Elf Queen cocked an eyebrow, he continued, "He said he would trade you information on the resting place of the lost expedition to Hylaneas in the Heroic Era."
Nisene's expression morphed into one of shock, while Athrahel remained confused. The ambassador saw his ruler's face and received a, "Speak of this to no one, Athrahel, or you'll be condemned for treason," from her, he knew that this must be something supremely confidential. The High Elf Queen's voice sounded like a hiss, "That expedition was never recorded anywhere except in the royal journals of one of my ancestors. Only the current rulers of my High Elves can read those journals. How did a human boy in the middle of nowhere learn about it?"
"In the year 4:065, when the Valarian Kingdom, Felneserin and the Beastlands fell, many refugees fled to the ancient mountain stronghold of Skyhaven, which would be the third sanctuary for the Light Faction. A year after the exodus, the expedition's resting place was discovered due to its proximity. Luca admitted that he had not seen the location for himself, but he had seen a carefully recreated copy of the expedition leader's journal and the artifact that went on the journey with them." The mention of the expedition's artifact made it clear to the queen that Luca knew more than a little about the failed mission. "He also suggested having his memories of those items be exposed to prove his sincerity." Arthur then folded his hands as he asked Nesine, "An ancient lost artifact and its missing carriers in exchange for prying open the mind of a child for five rulers to see? Can you honestly say it's a bad deal?"