"What a teammate," Levi slapped his forehead with exasperation. With Thorin's outburst like that, forget about him—even if Gandalf called ten more eagles, they couldn't hold back Thranduil's temper.
The fact that they weren't directly cut down was already the elves showing some consideration for their shared status as free peoples.
Putting himself in their shoes, Levi couldn't tolerate this either. If Gandalf were here, he would definitely curse "foolish Thorin" and then light his pipe to think of a solution.
"Your Majesty, you know that dwarves aren't very good at communication..."
"Of course I know." Thranduil didn't want to hear Levi's mediation at this moment and directly interrupted: "They are just that stubborn, like stones. And they were the ones who broke their oath first. What right does he have to say I stood by and watched people die?"
"Even if I let them go, even if everything goes smoothly, the final result will just be another king falling into madness."
Now Levi had nothing more to say. When it really came down to it, what the dwarves had done truly couldn't be whitewashed.
It was indeed the dwarves who first broke their promise, causing the blood feud between elves and dwarves.
And the root cause of all this was the dwarves' greed. If blame had to be assigned, it could only be placed on Sauron. The rings he gave to the dwarves would infinitely amplify their desires to a pathological degree.
However, during their conversation, aside from the matter of the dwarves, there was another thing that had caught Levi's attention from the beginning.
"I noticed some injuries on Your Majesty's face earlier."
Thranduil's movements stopped. He didn't know why Levi was bringing this up.
"Hmm, those were burns from dragon fire that have never healed."
The king's true appearance was actually quite gruesome. Half his face was burned beyond recognition. It normally looked fine only because he concealed the wounds with magic.
From Levi's perspective, this king's health had never been full and couldn't recover.
[27/30]
Levi pulled out a golden apple. The king's attention was immediately drawn to it. As an elf quite skilled in magic, he was very sensitive to magical power.
"This is..."
"A small gift representing my personal sentiment. I hope it can help with Your Majesty's injuries."
"It's beautiful and precious, and I can sense the magical power within it. Healing power. But to think it could cure my wounds might be somewhat..."
Even among elves, Thranduil was relatively skilled in magic. Actually, achieving healing effects through magic wasn't difficult for the elven race. Many elves could do it if they wanted. But even so, the burn on this king's face had remained unhealed for so long, which was enough to demonstrate the difficulty of treating it.
"Why not try it? There's no harm in it, right?"
Crunch.
Under Levi's persuasion, Thranduil took the apple that seemed to be made of gold, hesitated for a moment, then bit into it.
There was no metallic taste as imagined. Only fragrance and sweetness in his mouth, followed by surging magical power and healing force spreading throughout his body.
The illusion on his face unconsciously faded, revealing the gruesome visage once more. Under the golden apple's effect, the exposed red flesh gradually showed vitality, pushing against the dragon's breath that lingered there. Pain and itching made Thranduil's expression tighten.
As if sensing a challenge, all the healing power of the golden apple gathered upward, helping the wound regenerate.
This clash of forces ultimately ended with the golden apple's victory. As the remaining dragon's breath gradually dissipated, flesh and skin grew back on his face.
[30/30]
"Looks like the effect is quite good," Levi said casually, as if he'd just done something trivial.
"It really... recovered." Thranduil took several deep breaths, gently touching his face.
Too long. It had been too long since he'd felt perfect skin.
"I express my heartfelt gratitude to you, Levi. This burn has troubled me for a long time."
[Woodland Realm Reputation +500]
Current reputation: 1000 (Ally).
"From now on, you are an ally of the Woodland Realm. In the future, if you need it, you may come seeking aid."
"When that time comes, the Woodland Realm will respond."
An alliance was forged here.
The fewer the words, the greater the matter.
Looking at the reputation, Levi knew this king was serious. He wasn't making empty promises.
If before the Woodland Realm only respected Levi's personal strength and outstanding contributions to the free peoples, now they truly regarded Levi as an ally. The kind they could mobilize forces to support.
"Thank you, but help is always mutual. If there's anything needed, I won't be stingy either."
After politely responding, Levi changed the topic: "I heard there are elven gems in the Lonely Mountain."
Thranduil's movements stopped. He felt this human changed topics rather quickly, and somehow it was always sensitive and secret matters.
"Those aren't ordinary gems. To me, they have special meaning. I've tried many times to reclaim them, but each time I could only return empty-handed. Now that the Lonely Mountain is occupied by a dragon, the hope of recovery grows ever more distant."
"What if I could bring them back?"
"Then I can give you a promise. A king's promise," Thranduil said.
"About those dwarves."
Thranduil suddenly brought up: "I know you're companions on the same expedition. I can guarantee their safety, but I won't let them leave until my purpose is achieved."
"I understand." Levi nodded, then said: "However, not all of them think that way. Besides Thorin, there are others you can talk to."
"I will seriously consider your words," Thranduil replied.
At this point, directly releasing the dwarves was impossible. With new and old grievances combined, it couldn't be resolved quickly.
Although Levi could directly dig open the prison, he wasn't sure what would happen if he did that. But speaking of which, he didn't need to act. Someone else would.
The conversation with the king soon ended.
Leaving the king's throne, Levi asked an elf for directions and headed in one direction.
"The prison is this way..."
Having just asked for directions and planning to discuss today's events with the dwarves, as he walked, suddenly a commotion came from ahead. Levi followed the sound and discovered a group of elves talking animatedly near the storage room.
"We're planning a banquet."
Suddenly a somewhat familiar voice came from behind. Levi turned around to see Legolas holding a fruit and greeting him.
Levi also greeted this elven prince.
"A banquet?"
"The Feast of Starlight. It's our tradition, planned for seven days from now. If you're interested in attending, we would welcome you."
Levi shook his head: "I'm afraid not. I have things to do."
Seven days from now was exactly when Levi and Gandalf had agreed to meet at Dol Guldur.
Moreover, even if it weren't that time, with his companions imprisoned, it would be somewhat inappropriate for him to attend a banquet.
However, these worries were soon dispelled when someone came looking for Levi.
"Bilbo."
[Chapter Complete]
***
Want more? Check out my Patreon for:
✓ Advanced chapters of all my stories
✓ Exclusive novels & fanfics
✓ Early access content www.patreon.com/meowthtl
💪 Community Goal: 500 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter!
Thanks for reading and supporting the story!