98. Elenoir
The alliance of the three major factions and the raid preparations proceeded very smoothly. The kingdom soldiers and high elves grumbled enormously at each other, but that didn't last long. They grasped the severity of the situation upon seeing the serpent dragon exuding an aura that seemed ready to devour the world, along with the minions spawning around it. They realized this wasn't the time to bicker and clash horns—that if they didn't deal with that snake, the world would truly end.
Of course, personal grudges couldn't be helped, but at least they didn't fracture in the face of this massive crisis.
Anyway, there was one hour left until the world boss resumed activity. Numerous camps were set up a short distance from the fortified dark elf village. Each camp had weapons deployed: over eighty mana cannons, poured with every reinforcement material and gold from my inventory to max them out; over twenty makeshift mana artillery batteries constructed with high elf secret magic; and over fifty ballistae, the dark elves' siege weapons. Every single one of these weapons had double attribute enhancements applied.
On top of that, I distributed equipment and weapons from my overflowing inventory, all reinforced to the max, to every soldier. Armor and weapons additionally crafted by Erwen and the blacksmiths were handed out to the right personnel, bolstering our forces. Naturally, all these weapons got double attribute enhancements too, and I issued consumable potions to each individual.
With that, I became a beggar. The insane stockpile of resources in my inventory started running dry once I committed to arming an army. Now, all I had left were potions for this battle and two or three sets of gear for switching.
Whatever—if we don't win here, it's over anyway, I figured, investing every last resource I had.
"Aigoo, finally I can rest. Doing this twice would be worse than dying."
As I checked my gear, Erwen, who had been hammering away nonstop, let out a groan.
"Rest now. Win or lose, there won't be a next time."
"True enough."
"Elenoir's really fighting, right?"
Erwen slowly nodded at my question.
During the raid prep, Elenoir had been scarce. Not that she'd holed up in the castle alone—I'd caught glimpses of her here and there. She'd dug up ancient dark elf rituals or secret spells from the library and passed them to the mages, or exercised her leadership to keep things moving swiftly on-site.
I'd only watched from afar, but Elenoir, driven by duty and responsibility, had been every bit the queen. Yet I hadn't seen a trace of her usual self. It felt like her heart was elsewhere.
"She is, from what I hear. And prep's wrapping up just in time—why not go see her?"
Erwen suggested it after eyeing my expression. I hesitated a moment, then nodded.
Raid success or failure, this was probably the last time with Elenoir anyway.
Entering the castle, I spotted Elenoir gazing out a shaded window. She turned at my presence, her distant, clouded eyes sharpening.
"Came to check if you're ready."
I said it almost like an excuse. Elenoir gave a faint smile and nodded.
"Hehe, worried about me? As you see, I'm fully geared. Feels like I could take on anyone."
She was in full battle kit—sword and staff at the ready, armor and cloak donned. She'd pulled out every dark elf treasure, and the mana aura radiating from her was intensely powerful. But oddly, there was a fierce instability in her mana, reminiscent of the tremors I felt during meditation.
"That solo prep you mentioned—this it? Your mana's exploded."
"Of course. It's a tremendous treasure made from a world tree fragment, after all."
Considering the world tree was a massive parasitic plant sucking up the planet's ley lines, that illusion shattered a bit, but whatever.
"Actually, that's not all. I... dug into some ancient texts."
Elenoir pulled a small book from her bosom.
"Rereading it now, so many parts hit differently."
Knowing the world tree's true nature, she'd revisited her ancestors' records and found intriguing passages. Further research led to a new spell, she explained with a light smile, exuding raid confidence. Her eyes still lacked their starlight, but something felt subtly off.
Then, suddenly, she lowered her voice, face serious.
"And I learned there's another path, unexpectedly."
Her mana's tremors intensified. She approached and reached out.
"My lord, won't you come away with me?"
A faint starlight flickered back in her hazy eyes.
The starlight in Elenoir's eyes, which had faded day by day—the dreamy gaze she'd had since childhood, peering into distant dreams.
"That snake's goal is to devour the world tree, use others' lives as fuel, and head to another star. Not total annihilation."
It shone brightly, looking far away. Elenoir continued.
"I've prepared too. It'll destroy 90% of the world, but I've readied to survive on the remaining 10%."
"Shadow teleportation's my specialty. Fly to the star's far side, escape the battle's aftermath."
"We'll live there together. Build a little house... sure, it'll be rough."
"But overcoming that's what love is. Magic'll handle most issues. I'm confident."
"You're human, so you'll live differently from elves—maybe a century at most."
"But it's fine. In a world with dried ley lines and no world tree, even elves won't last long."
"I'll outlive you by centuries, but reliving our century together won't be lonely."
"And if you go—even then, half-elves live long. If I bear a child within a century—"
I cut her off with a raised hand.
"Hey, hold up. What the hell are you even saying?"
I was beyond flustered—straight-up terrified. What was all this?
Elenoir was the queen who'd grieved her kin's deaths. The queen leading her people with responsibility. At least on this 9th floor.
Someone who could suggest abandoning the fight and fleeing would've done it a century ago.
"What about here? Leave that snake, everyone dies. Your people?"
I forced calm, hiding my agitation.
"Oh, the people?"
Her response shattered that.
"Who cares about that crap?"
That wasn't something Elenoir would say.
My decision was swift. I drew my sword, aiming at her throat.
"You're not Elenoir."
"Ah, of course not."
"What the fuck are you?"
Elenoir laughed, unconcerned by the blade at her neck.
"Indeed, I'm not Elenoir. Those elves out there aren't my people, nor is this castle mine."
Her eyes, laughing maniacally, lost their starlight again.
"Soulless puppet dolls—how could they be my people?"
Her resounding voice echoed through the castle.
"What?"
I couldn't press the sword further. My mind blanked.
After a brief silence, she swatted the blade aside and stepped closer.
"Night elf secret arts... stronger than I thought. No other explanation."
"I glimpsed beyond your memories and psyche through dreams."
"Saw the world you lived in, this model world called the Tower of Trials."
Her worsening state since we'd grown close flashed back.
"Saw you before entering the tower, raging with ghostly fury after losing your mother."
"After the quest, we turned puppet-like, filling you with fear and pain—all of it, I saw."
"Made me reflect on my own past. Turns out, it's all hazy illusions."
And those bizarre dreams of puppets during the rare nights we slept together.
"I dreamed of craving freedom, heading to distant worlds—yet I was a slave, a doll."
The starlight in Elenoir's eyes stemmed from inherited night elf instincts—a fierce curiosity to venture beyond the forest, a flame to escape her princess fate and live free.
"Always, always..."
Her dry, dreamless eyes mirrored mine perfectly.