King Lisat didn’t seem particularly surprised. “It seems the legends are true.”

“You humans may not have many records about the demon race anymore. After all, it’s a memory too painful to recall, an experience that instills fear with just a glance,” Avira said.

“Indeed,” King Lisat nodded in agreement. “Demonkind has no emotions. They are monsters that only submit to demons stronger than themselves to preserve their own lives.

Yet, many weak demons still become food for stronger ones. To preserve their lives and avoid being eaten, they chose to leave the demon realm and enter the human world. Humans without magic are mercilessly killed and then eaten.

As for those with magic, they are kept as livestock to provide magic for the demons. After all your magic is drained, you’re killed. Those who are kept live a fate worse than death, yet cannot commit suicide. They can only watch as despair unfolds before them again and again.”

“...” Although Liana already knew about this, hearing it from King Lisat’s mouth still profoundly affected her.

It also made Liana feel an endless sense of crisis. She was already quite satisfied with her current life. Though there were still some strange people who disturbed her peaceful existence, compared to the matter of the demon race, they were like children playing house.

Liana didn’t want this peaceful life to shatter, so she could only continuously improve herself. Though Liana didn’t believe she could be stronger than the protagonists—they were all stat monsters, way too overpowered.

“It seems King Lisat knows a lot,” Avira nodded. If King Lisat was this knowledgeable, explanations would be much easier. There was no need to use overly complicated words.

“As a king, it’s necessary to understand these things, whether they’re true or false. I must consider all possibilities and be responsible for the people of the Lisat Kingdom,” King Lisat said.

“It seems our choice to make the Lisat Kingdom our ally was the right decision,” Avira said.

King Lisat remained silent and looked toward Mephilia.

Mephilia cleared her throat, knowing that it was her turn to speak. King Lisat was already in a semi-retired state, and had only specifically appeared this time to show respect for the visit of the elf race.

“Princess Avira and the elf race have goodwill toward our Lisat Kingdom. We are happy and welcome all elves to visit our Lisat Kingdom. But what does Princess Avira mean by ‘ally’? And how does this relate to the matter of the demon race?” Mephilia wasn’t in a hurry to accept the other’s goodwill, but wanted to clarify everything first.

She continued, “I must be responsible for the people of the Lisat Kingdom. Lady Avira, you surely understand the principle that a triangle has stability?” Mephilia asked.

“Of course,” Avira nodded.

“The current world situation consists of our Lisat Kingdom, the Luska Kingdom, and your Elf Forest, Princess Avira. Although your Elf Forest has always maintained vigilance toward our human world and seemed disinterested in our human affairs, regardless, it’s precisely because of the existence of your elf race that the Luska Kingdom has reservations.

Although your Elf Forest has no interest in the human world, if a conflict or war occurs between our two countries, you would pay attention immediately. When necessary, you would definitely intervene, right?” Mephilia looked at Avira.

Avira nodded. “Just as Princess Mephilia said, although we aren’t very interested in the power struggles of the human world, if an intense conflict occurs between your two kingdoms, our Elf Forest couldn’t just stand by and watch. After all, if a victor emerged, who knows if you might target our Elf Forest next?”

Mephilia responded, “So, this is what the Luska Kingdom has always been wary of, and why they’ve been reluctant to act. Because we’re in a triangular relationship, if they move against one party, the other won’t simply stand by and watch.

“We welcome all members of the elvenkind and are willing to be friends with you. But becoming allies has a completely different meaning. Princess Avira, I hope you understand our position. If we truly become allies, the Luska Kingdom won’t simply watch.

“You should know that if we truly become allies, the Luska Kingdom will definitely prioritize taking action against our Lisat Kingdom. Why should we bear the risk of the Luska Kingdom’s aggression toward our Lisat Kingdom to become allies with the Elf Forest?”

Mephilia’s reasoning was sound and very calm. She carefully considered what might happen after taking these actions and what risks the Lisat Kingdom would need to bear.

“I certainly understand that suddenly proposing an alliance would catch the Lisat Kingdom by surprise. After all, we elves have never actively approached humans before. This was due to our... arrogance,” Avira graciously admitted this point.

Since she wanted an alliance, she needed to express sincerity that would convince the other party.

“Previously, we elves dismissed the demon race, thinking they were at most a race slightly stronger than humans. How could they possibly compare to us elves who use the power of nature? But soon, we paid the price for our arrogance,” Avira said.

“Although our Elf Forest ultimately survived the last demon war through our own strength, we paid a huge price. The Tree of Life withered by more than half, which is why our Elf Forest has rarely ventured out for so many years. We needed to repair the Tree of Life.”

This was an even more significant matter than elf magic, but now, Avira revealed it. “The demon race is far more terrifying than what is recorded in books.”

Liana watched and listened to the conversation between the two.

Liana was also somewhat surprised. It seemed her actions had accelerated the plot considerably.

This was originally supposed to happen three or four years later, and it was a storyline triggered by Sephirena. Now it had been brought forward?

Could it be that the demon revival plot would also happen earlier?

That would be truly disastrous.

“So, Princess Avira, you’re saying the demon race is about to awaken?” Liana asked.

Avira took a sip of water. Her hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, suggesting she was recalling some unpleasant memories. “Among our elf race, there are still survivors from the last Great Demon War. They spent hundreds of years recovering their sanity. Before that, they were insane.”

If Liana remembered correctly, the last Great Demon War was nearly a thousand years ago. Someone still alive now would indeed be an ultimate ancient being.

“She told us many legends of demonkind, things not recorded in books. Of course, many people didn’t believe her. Later, she laughed like a madwoman, mocking our ignorance. Back then, they too paid a bloody price for their ignorance and arrogance.

But now, history seems to be repeating itself. After all, no one would believe the words of a half-crazed person, until she pointed out the cause of the Tree of Life’s withering. We discovered a horrifying and terrifying aura that we had never sensed before. It was a residue of magical power, but we had never encountered such an uncomfortable aura.

It was only then that we began to believe in the existence of the demon race and started to gradually repair the Tree of Life.”

“What does this have to do with your desire for an alliance now?” Mephilia asked.

“Because our Elf Forest, and indeed this entire world, has experienced some strange events—events significant enough to change the current situation,” Avira explained, then continued,

“Third Princess Tarashil suddenly passed away due to an accident. The Fourth Princess, Sephirena, was closest to Tarashil. She couldn’t accept the death of her most important family member, and so she touched something forbidden, which caused her to be rejected by nature and lose her ability to connect with natural forces.”

“Fourth Princess? Sephirena?” Liana immediately stood up. Liana had known there must have been four. This person was indeed concealing something. “Princess Avira, didn’t you say earlier that you only had three sisters?”

“I apologize, Lady Liana. Since this is somewhat of a scandal for our Elf Forest, I wanted to conceal it from you. I hope you can understand,” Avira stood up and bowed to Liana in apology. “At this point, since we’re seeking an alliance, naturally we must show our sincerity. Constantly hiding secrets while speaking would only leave a bad impression, as Princess Mephilia mentioned earlier.

“Once trust is broken, it’s difficult to restore. Initially, I treated Lady Liana as an outsider, so I deliberately concealed some important matters. But actually, I didn’t lie. Now, there are indeed only three princesses.”

Avira was clever. She hadn’t intentionally concealed it; she had just considered Liana a bystander at that time, not an important character, so she had held back some information.

But Liana didn’t care about that now. The important thing was Sephirena.

“What do you mean? Only three princesses? Who was removed?” Liana asked.

“Sephirena, because she touched something forbidden and lost her ability to connect with nature, naturally had her noble status revoked. She was also banished, to make her properly realize the mistakes she had committed,” Avira said.

Though when she said this, there was still some sympathy. She didn’t want it to be this way, but she had no choice.

“Where is she now?” Liana asked, already knowing the answer.

“I don’t know,” Avira shook her head. “She left the Elf Forest decades ago. I miss her too, but because she lost her connection to natural forces, even I cannot determine her current location, whether she’s alive or dead. No one knows.”

According to the original text, if Sephirena were standing before Avira now, unless Sephirena mentioned it herself, Avira wouldn’t recognize her. In those decades, Sephirena had changed too drastically.

Originally, she was like a tomboy, but now she was unbelievably beautiful and gave off a very sacred feeling.

“If, hypothetically, Lady Avira were to meet Sephirena again, what would you do?” Liana asked tentatively.

“I... I wouldn’t do anything,” Avira shook her head helplessly. “She has been abandoned by nature and can no longer be considered an elf.”

“Is that so?”

Damn! Even Avira couldn’t take her away. It seems Liana would have to act.

The tactic she couldn’t use with Loraviel, it was time to use it on Sephirena—grabbing her legs and begging for forgiveness. She would surely forgive Liana!

“What’s wrong? Lady Liana, you seem to have met Sephirena,” Avira asked.

“How could that be? I’ve never seen her, how could I possibly know her? Besides, even Princess Avira can’t find Sephirena, let alone me,” Liana said.

“I see.” Avira had been somewhat hopeful, since Liana had brought her some surprises. If Liana had said she’d met Sephirena, it wouldn’t have been impossible.

“If I had met her, what should I say to her?” Liana asked.

“You don’t need to say anything. Just knowing that she’s alive and how she’s doing would be enough.”

“...” She was indeed still alive, and recently had been living quite well, as she was being taken care of by the Angus Trading Company. Being an elf, she was surely receiving luxurious treatment.

But what the future would hold, Liana wasn’t quite sure, since this person was currently seeking death.

“I see.”

“Ahem!” Mephilia coughed twice, interrupting their conversation.

This was a time to discuss important matters; couldn’t they discuss personal affairs privately?

But what Liana was talking about was indeed important. Mephilia had Sacred Magic, making her a specialist-type character, while Sephirena was definitely another stat monster. They couldn’t do without her.

However, Liana couldn’t say this directly. She could only see Mephilia glaring at her with a “you’ll see tonight” expression, and respond with an awkward smile.

“Sorry, Princess Mephilia, I got sidetracked.”

From Avira’s behavior, it was clear she still cared deeply about Sephirena. If she truly didn’t care, she wouldn’t have discussed it so earnestly with Liana. “Lady Liana, regarding Sephirena, if you’re interested, we can discuss it later. For now, let’s first discuss the matter of the alliance.”

Mephilia nodded.

“The death of the Third Princess, the banishment of the Fourth Princess—either event would have caused massive waves in the Elf Forest. But not only that, the Tree of Life, which had begun to slowly recover, has withered another section during this time. All these events happened in a short period, seemingly as a warning to our elf race,” Avira said.

Though Liana wanted to comment that Avira’s “short period” probably meant a hundred years, she decided against it for now.

“And at this time, news of spellcrafting came from the Lisat Kingdom, providing some small comfort to our uneasy hearts. Perhaps it was because of this world-changing event that the elf race had recently experienced these issues?

But soon, we realized we were wrong. The Tree of Life didn’t stop withering; in fact, it showed signs of accelerating. This indicated it wasn’t because of spellcrafting.

That left only one possibility: the demon race might begin to gradually revive soon, perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps next year?” Avira explained.

“The demon race...” Although Mephilia didn’t have a concrete sense of it, from Avira’s expression and King Lisat’s earlier words, she could tell it was a terrifying race. Moreover, she thought of something.

“Perhaps Princess Avira is correct. Our Lisat Kingdom has also experienced some anomalies recently,” Mephilia thought of an event that had occurred not long ago. “Two Anti-Magic Stone Statues at Ibett Magic Academy awakened because of a small intruder.”

Normally, this would be impossible. Previously, a group of thieves had attempted to attack Ibett Magic Academy, and ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ those two statues hadn’t shown any reaction. How could they awaken because of a single small thief?

“There’s a legend in our Lisat Kingdom that these two Anti-Magic Stone Statues played a crucial role in defending against the demon race’s invasion. The fact that they suddenly awakened at this time might be related to the demon race that Princess Avira mentioned.”

Now, all signs pointed toward the demons.

“Then I have one last question.”

“Please ask. I will certainly tell you everything I know without reservation. This is a crucial matter, and I won’t withhold anything,” Avira said.

“Princess Avira, why choose our Lisat Kingdom?” Mephilia asked.

“Isn’t Princess Mephilia asking a question she already knows the answer to? The capabilities the Lisat Kingdom has recently demonstrated are far superior to the Luska Kingdom.”

This wasn’t what Mephilia wanted to hear. If the Elf Forest would join whichever side seemed stronger, whether Lisat or Luska, that would be too dangerous for the Lisat Kingdom.

“But more importantly, the Lisat Kingdom gives me a safer feeling compared to the Luska Kingdom. We elves are not a warlike race. What truly confirmed our decision was the atmosphere of the Lisat Kingdom. This was further cemented after I arrived here.

I also don’t want our elf race’s ally to be a country that could erupt into war at any moment. Like Princess Mephilia, I must be responsible for my race and absolutely cannot let them fall into danger.”

What Avira was saying now was exactly what Mephilia wanted to hear. She didn’t want to become allies with a time bomb.

“But these are just words from Princess Avira, aren’t they? Once we form an alliance, what we face will be very real.”

If what Avira said was true, they could indeed become allies. But why should Mephilia trust Avira?

“I am willing to share our wisdom with you,” Avira said.

“...” This meant that everyone in the Lisat Kingdom would be able to learn elven magic. In this world, saying such a thing was undoubtedly the most sincere gesture.

Mephilia had no more questions. She approved of Avira’s actions. But she was only an heir, not the King of Lisat. The one who could truly decide this matter was King Lisat.

“Your Majesty, I believe Princess Avira has shown sufficient sincerity, and with the threat of the demon race, I think we can consider the matter of an alliance. What are Your Majesty’s thoughts?” Mephilia asked.

King Lisat looked at Liana. “Liana, what’s your opinion?”

“Well, I definitely support Mephilia,” Liana said playfully.

“Stop playing with words. Tell me your thoughts,” King Lisat said.

Eh... how troublesome.

“From beginning to end, the issue has been just one word: trust. If there’s enough trust between both parties, an alliance is certainly a good decision.

After all, the Luska Kingdom hasn’t acted because it doesn’t have the strength to defeat both of us. If it truly had that capability, it would have acted long ago, without considering the so-called triangular relationship. If there’s enough trust between both parties, forming an alliance is definitely the best move.

An alliance benefits both sides. It not only prevents the Luska Kingdom from daring to act against us and gives us the confidence to resist the demon race, but it also allows our two races to exchange knowledge, which is greatly beneficial for spellcrafting.

If both parties can fully trust each other, I believe we can agree to Princess Avira’s request.”

King Lisat looked at Liana with great approval. Indeed, from start to finish, it had been a matter of trust, and Princess Avira’s behavior had shown her sincerity.

King Lisat extended his hand. “Welcome to the Lisat Kingdom, our ally.”

“Thank you, King Lisat,” Avira took King Lisat’s hand.

“However, we need to keep this secret for now. After all, we don’t want to face the Luska Kingdom before dealing with the demon race,” King Lisat said.

“Yes, I understand,” Avira nodded.

After some casual conversation, it was getting late, and they left King Lisat’s residence.

But just as Liana was about to return to her room to face Mephilia’s questioning, Avira called out to her. “Princess Mephilia, may I borrow Lady Liana for a moment?”