Volume 6 Chapter 55
by Golden DragonVolume 6 + Chapter 55: Ambitious
The Elven Capital, Elven Royal Palace.
“Lord Apu! Bad news, bad news! Terrible news!!”
An elven soldier rushed into the palace in a frantic panic, startling the ministers gathered there.
Apu roared, “What are you doing? Are you courting death? Shouting like this will disturb His Majesty the Elf King!!”
“Lord Apu, I have a truly critical report! The Elven Capital has already been overrun by the army of the dark elf race! They have entered our capital and are marching toward the Elven Royal Palace!”
These words drained the color from everyone’s faces. The news was so abrupt, it struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
“How can this be? The Dark Elf Kingdom is so far from our Elven Capital. How did those accursed dark elves manage to penetrate deep into the heart of our kingdom without being detected?”
Minister Apu wondered if he had misheard.
Under normal circumstances, the dark elf army should have had no way of breaking through the elven defenses.
So how had those fellows descended like heavenly troops to attack the Elven Capital?
“What do we do? His Majesty the Elf King is on the verge of…”
“If the dark elves storm the palace, everything will be lost! Those Ni Gui are impossible to reason with. They are bent on revenge and will surely slaughter every one of us elves!!”
“Minister Apu, you must think of something!!”
The other ministers urged him.
Minister Apu was already sweating with anxiety. What solution could he possibly have?
Only one thought remained in his mind…
Flee!
“We must take His Majesty the Elf King and Her Highness the Princess and immediately leave the Elven Royal Palace to escape to the outside!”
“We absolutely cannot let His Majesty and Her Highness fall into their hands. If the bloodline of the elven royal family is severed here, we will be cursed for eternity!”
Apu’s words won the agreement of the other ministers. No one wanted to sit and wait for death here.
Everyone sprang into action. They placed the barely breathing Elf King onto a carriage, brought Eve along, formed a convoy, and began evacuating from the Elven Royal Palace.
…
…
“Kill!!”
“The Elf King is inside the palace! Brothers, charge together!”
“Kill the Elf King! Cut off his head! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!!”
The dark elf soldiers were boiling with fervor. They smashed through the gates of the Elven Royal Palace.
Under the cover of darkness, they used magic to set the magnificent elven palace ablaze.
In an instant, flames shot into the sky, illuminating the night over the Elven Capital.
The guards of the Elven Royal Palace raised their weapons and engaged the dark elves, resisting these invaders with desperate tenacity.
However, every single dark elf soldier present was an elite warrior willing to die,brave in battle, indifferent to death.
Amid flashing blades and clashing swords, palace guard after palace guard fell. Gradually, they could no longer resist the dark elf army. Their line broke.
A flood of dark elves poured into the Elven Royal Palace, beginning a slaughter. Blood stained the palace walls.
The elven palace descended into unprecedented chaos.
…
…
“Great Goddess of Nature! Please protect the safety of the elven royal family!”
Inside the carriage, Apu prayed continuously, begging the Goddess of Nature to help everyone survive this ordeal.
“Grandfather…”
Eve stayed by the Elf King’s side, her head lowered dejectedly, her mood deeply sorrowful.
“Do not worry, Your Highness. Rest assured. With the blessing of the Goddess of Nature, we will never…”
Apu had meant to comfort Eve, but before he could finish, he heard screams from outside.
“Aaah!!”
He quickly pulled aside the curtain and saw one of their accompanying guards struck by an arrow, lying in a pool of blood.
The next moment, numerous magically enhanced arrows flew out of the darkness, striking the convoy.
Many guards fell, and the carriages were blasted apart.
“His Majesty the Elf King!!”
Due to the momentum, everyone in the carriage was thrown. Apu lunged to embrace the Elf King, protecting him in his arms, and crashed heavily to the ground.
When he lifted his head again, he saw an unbearable sight. The ferocious dark elves, holding torches, had blocked every escape route.
The convoy, after all, had failed to leave the Elven Capital before being intercepted.
“Could it be… that heaven itself seeks to destroy the elven royal family?” Apu cried out in grief.
Several ministers wept.
With their strength as civilian officials, they could not resist these dark elves.
Just as everyone despaired, shouts came from not far away.
“His Majesty the Elf King! Your loyal minister Kennedy has arrived too late to save you!!”
That was…
Kennedy’s voice!
A smile appeared on Apu’s face. He looked into the distance and saw the elven grand general leading the elven army, rushing toward them.
Although he did not know why this general had brought troops into the Elven Capital without a summons, given the emergency, he could not worry about that now.
“Drive back the dark elves!”
“Protect His Majesty the Elf King!!”
“Kill every last one of these Ni Gui! Spare none!”
Led by Kennedy, the elven soldiers engaged the dark elf army in fierce combat.
Kennedy’s side, with an overwhelming numerical advantage, gained the upper hand.
“Quickly, Minister Apu, take His Majesty the Elf King and leave this dangerous area!” Kennedy rushed to Apu’s side.
“Very well, General Kennedy!”
Apu nodded.
Amid the chaos, the Elf King, Eve, and Apu were escorted away by Kennedy’s officers and, after a harrowing escape, managed to leave the Elven Capital for the time being.
…
…
“Old geezer, it’s time for everything to end. Let me grant you release.”
Kennedy reached out toward the Elf King, ready to end his life.
But before his hand touched the Elf King, he realized the king had already stopped breathing entirely.
Presumably, the turmoil just now had consumed the last of his life force.
“Whatever. Saves me the trouble. He died on his own.”
Kennedy sneered with disdain and left the room.
“General Kennedy, I cannot thank you enough! I never imagined you would put aside past grievances and help us at such a critical moment. You truly are the most loyal subject of the Elven Kingdom!” Apu praised Kennedy.
“…”
Kennedy narrowed his eyes at this minister who had often impeached him in the past, falling silent for a long moment.
“His Majesty the Elf King has passed away.”
“What?”
“Unfortunately, His Majesty could not hold on.”
“How can this be!!”
Apu rushed into the room, went to the Elf King’s side, and wept uncontrollably over the departed elder.
At the same time, he took out the Elf King’s final edict.
“Now, we must follow His Majesty’s edict,”
Kennedy lunged forward in a single swift motion, snatching the edict away before Apu could open it. He opened it himself, glanced at it, and then destroyed it.
Thus, he alone in the world knew what the edict had contained.
“General Kennedy, what are you doing?!” Apu demanded.
Numerous armed guards entered the room and surrounded him.
Seeing those gleaming weapons, he felt terror.
“The entire Elven Royal Palace is under my control, as are the other ministers… Minister Apu, your family was taken into ‘protective custody’ before we even entered the Elven Capital.” Kennedy finally revealed his ambition, sneering coldly.
“You… you…!” Apu seemed to understand what Kennedy intended to do.
“According to His Majesty the Elf King’s final edict, from this day forward, I am the Chancellor, assisting the inexperienced Princess Eve in handling state affairs.”
[Translator’s Note: Please join the Gravity Tales’ Discord Server, if you want to hang out.]
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