In the past, the night elf empire had lived hidden underground, keeping humanity at arm's length. Since the arrival of Butterfly Ninja, their lives had changed completely. The environment was still harsh, but nowhere near as brutal as before. Food was more plentiful, and a number of powerful warriors had risen among them. For the first time, the night elf empire could see hope for a new life, and Queen Maya had already grasped as much from the chat group.
The God Realm was vast and rich, and once they joined it they would meet all manner of races. Elves alone numbered in the dozens — wood elves who commanded plants, flame elves who commanded fire, and so on down an endless list. Their own night elves had no such counterpart yet. That, at least, made them unique.
"Hmph. The Bantu Clan — those savages never did take well to discipline. Master Casillas was right to act, though in the end there was no annihilation of the clan. Word from the temple is that most of the young ones have been pardoned."
"Self-inflicted, if you ask me. Have they ever stopped to look at themselves? Wrapped in those heavy hides day and night, reeking to high heaven — calling them bloodsuckers wouldn't even be an exaggeration. If not for our lord's mercy, the whole clan would have been wiped out long ago."
"Indeed. And on top of everything, they produced a Sword Master. Something must be wrong in their heads."
"Speaking of which — the Delos Empire. Their golden capital was leveled outright by Chief Priest Herder. Surely there's more to it than that?"
Queen Maya cut in, steering the conversation elsewhere. The fall of the golden capital had been weighing on her. Herder's reputation, after all, was not a gentle one — not even among the other chief priests.
The elder in charge of gathering intelligence looked up from the report in his hands. "Lord Herder says they were studying the power of Dirigi's plague, hoping to use it to resist the faith."
The crack of a slammed table cut through the room. Queen Maya's pale face had gone taut with fury.
"Wasn't what they did at the Bill Mark Proving Grounds evil enough for those butchers? Now they want to study plague on top of it? A dog begging to be put down — good riddance!"
The night elf empire had once been ravaged by plague of its own; countless innocents had died without warning. The mere mention of Dirigi's name was enough to set Queen Maya's hair on end, and the other elders were no less furious.
"Good riddance is right — that pack of dogs earned their deaths. Send word out. Let everyone know what Herder did for the Delos Empire — it should be praised, not questioned."
"Yes, my queen."
"I expect the next target of the faith's teachings will be the Ancestral Nation, won't it?"
"Mm."
"Let's hope they don't put up a fight..."
The council wound down slowly. In the end there was only one position worth holding: throw the empire's full support behind the faith's spread, even send warriors to reinforce Huttonmar.
As for the night elf empire itself — once word of the Delos Empire's fate got out, it stirred fury among the people, and more than a few of the strong openly threatened violence. If the remaining citizens of Delos kept resisting, the night elves were willing to march from their own homeland to crush anyone who dared blaspheme against the goddess's grace.
Back in Huttonmar, Herder read over Queen Maya's reply and pressed her lips together.
"The night elf empire really does look out for us. Look — they're willing to send thirty thousand troops. No wonder the goddess favors them. Makes sense."
Katie and Queen Skadi traded a look and a smile. Skadi spoke first. "Only someone who's lived through the plague herself would come up with a plan like that for Dirigi. But you're not exactly gentle either, my lord — leveling the golden capital in a single strike."
Herder gave a soft snort. "You think I did that out of spite? There was far too much research material and equipment sitting in that city. Destroying it was a mercy to everyone else."
She meant to cut off the Delos Empire's ambitions at the root — give them no second chance. If the survivors chose to keep resisting, she had no objection to finishing the massacre.
While the three of them were talking, a woman in a lavender dress slipped in from outside. The moment she saw Herder, she bowed her head, visibly afraid.
"My lord — the ruler of the Ancestral Nation's capital hopes you might grant her an audience in person. I don't know if—"
"I'll go tomorrow. And you, my little Alice, there's no need to be so frightened, sister. I won't be casting illusions on you again."
Once, in order to have a puppet she could control within Arad, this girl had made the perfect candidate. She had been under Herder's control for a long, long time, and it had left Alice terrified of her — terrified enough that the fear had settled into something permanent. Even devils weren't afraid of Herder the way Alice was.
Casillas didn't return that night. Herder and Katie spent the evening trading news instead.
"What's the Ancestral Nation's stance on the faith?"
"Best described as neutral — no strong resistance, though a handful have chosen to join. Most seem content to wait and see. They've lived in seclusion behind that fog for so long. Their current ruler is Suan Aska, a girl of only seventeen. Young, yes, but remarkably sharp in both combat and politics. Not a ruler to be underestimated."
"Well, I'll know more once I've seen her tomorrow. Get some rest. Once this is settled, the Arad world returns fully to the God Realm — and you'll need to put in a good word for me when that happens."
"You'll only tease me for it..."
Katie was thin-skinned, and she went red just from the implication of a compliment.
The next day, dawn broke over the capital of the Ancestral Nation. Herder arrived in a black robe. The guards on watch sounded the alarm the instant they spotted her. Within moments, Suan Aska, Xilan, and the rest of the court had gathered at the gate.
"We hardly expected you so early, Lord Herder. This is a great honor."
"Please, come in, Lord Herder."
"Mm."
The three of them walked in together. Herder found herself curious about Xilan, still wrapped in the aura of a power over time.
"You've experienced time travel before, haven't you? Would you tell me what that was like?"
"Ah — don't laugh at me, but I lost that power a few months ago. Before that, I used to see all sorts of interesting things."
Xilan kept his answer vague. What he called "interesting" were really the disasters that had struck the continent over the ages — Herder's own transfer here among them, and the hand behind it, along with glimpses of things from ancient times.
Herder's eyes lit up, and she smiled. "So the world's fate has shifted a great deal since the gods arrived."
That, at least, would explain what was happening to Xilan now.
He nodded and sighed. "Exactly. Which is why I'd suggest you try it again once the faith takes root here — the effect might surprise you. Though you know how conservative our people can be."
———
Please give me Power Stones!
Support me on Patreon @ patreon(dot)com/SorenEclipse
Read 15 Chapters Ahead on Patreon!