Chapter 73: The Blessing Heard Around the Kingdom
The great throne room of the Fanged Elf Palace was blanketed in a tense silence, the air still charged with residual vibrations. At the center, sitting atop a throne was the Fanged Elf King. His eyes scanned his kneeling attendants. Each one wore expressions twisted by confusion and alarm.
"What was that feeling?!" one noble cried out, clutching his chest as if something had tried to pull the soul out of him.
"Was it an attack? No… no, it didn't feel like that. It was something deeper… primal," murmured a general, sweat beading on his brow.
"Could it be? Has a hidden expert emerged from our own ranks?"
Another voice cut through the murmurs. "The energy came from Duke Nightbloom's Domain. The natural essence is dissipating quickly." The reporting Fanged Elf had run in seconds ago, barely catching his breath.
The King stood up slowly, his cape of vine-threaded silk trailing behind him like roots dragging from the past.
"Duke Nightbloom?! What could that mad woman have done this time?!" he growled, voice low with restrained helplessness.
He took a breath and issued orders like thunderclaps. "Inform Jewleaf that he and his unit are to head to the Nightbloom Dukedom with haste. I want eyes and ears on the ground. Mobilize the Six Corner Divisions of our Celebi Kingdom and raise their alert level to 4. Whatever that was… its ripples have likely spread far beyond our forest."
A synchronized cry echoed back. "As you command, Our King!"
Far beyond the palace, the same energy disturbance triggered reactions across the upper echelons of power.
In the Stormvine Dukedom, the elderly Duke clenched the rail of his viewing balcony, frowning deeply. He sent out a troop lead by one of his family members to investigate. He also secretly dispatched a Mortal Shedding realm elder in the next breath.
In Silverthorn Dukedom, a veil of moonlight parted as another old powerhouse emerged from seclusion, whispering to his aides, "We investigate. Quietly."
The Grand Judiciar families stirred as well, disturbed by the imbalance. Old seals were checked, and hidden communications flared like fireflies in the dark. Spies embedded across various tribes and kingdoms began sending cryptic messages back home.
Rewinding back a bit in time when the ripple of power was happening.
Back in the Nightbloom dukedom within the Mansion given to Elton and Shayleaf, the blinding bright eyed nature spirit-like entity hovered calmly, its eyes unreadable and ancient. Before it sat Elton Solman, no longer bearing the strained look of someone crumbling under pressure. Instead, his posture radiated arrogance, confidence pouring from his sharp gaze.
"Hehehe… such a mighty expert hiding among the Fanged Elves. Tell me, 'honorable Master'… am I worthy of your blessing?" he asked with a sly smile.
The being tilted its head. A grin pulled at its translucent lips.
"Interesting. Very interesting," it said in a melodic yet matter-of-fact tone. "You do qualify. Your talent… your capabilities… they are impressive indeed. But make no mistake. I would rather place my hopes on the original you. The persona I'm speaking to now is bound to bring calamity to my clan."
Its next words struck with finality. "From henceforth, I bestow thine blessing unto Elton Solman."
'Tch…' The inner voice version of Elton clicked his teeth and rolled his shoulders. "Hehehe… Regardless, in the end, he and I are one. Even if we aren't yet completely united."
As the inner voice slipped back into dormancy, the real Elton blinked, his frown deepening. The switch had happened with him vaguely noticing again.
Before he could utter a word, the spirit's finger gently touched his brow.
A flash.
Blinding green and white light exploded across the room, and then… silence.
Elton took in a sharp breath. The changes were subtle but undeniable. His hearing sharpened. The flow of the nature energy within him was much easier. It was clean and natural. He even gained the ability to use Arcane essence. Nature magic specifically responded to his thoughts like a long-lost friend.
He gasped in delighted disbelief. He no longer had to rely solely on his meridian. He could truly wield both Ki and Arcane essence. A Dual Magus/Warrior. Just like Christy.
Seraphiel, who had silently witnessed the exchange, now wore a stiff, unreadable expression. A communication talisman lit up at her waist. She tapped it.
"Seraphiel, what's happening over there?" came Aeloria's voice, calm but tense.
Seraphiel spoke clearly and concisely. "Lady Aeloria. I will report the full details once I arrive. To summarize: the massive fluctuation was the result of Margrave Elton's Blessing Bestowal."
A pause.
"Return to me immediately. We must prepare for the oncoming issues by our soon to be arriving guest. Activate the maximum restriction barrier around the mansion. And… tell Elton and Shayleaf that they are not to leave for the next few days. Our official public announcement will be that it is due to Lady Shayleaf's closed-door cultivation after receiving a blessing."
"Understood. I will obey your orders."
After the talisman dimmed, Seraphiel relayed Aeloria's command to Elton and Shayleaf. Without wasting a moment, she activated the enchanted formation built deep into the foundation of the Nightbloom mansion.
As the runes lit up and the barrier shimmered into place, Elton looked toward the sky through the warded ceiling.
Shayleaf turned toward Elton, her green eyes sparkling with playful innocence. She let out a laugh full of light and cheer.
"Haha! Well, I'd expect no less from you, Brother Elly. Though, honestly, I'm not sure what happened. There was this bright light filled with super concentrated magical energy around that Nature Spirit, and then suddenly, for a split second, I swear… it looked like a Fanged Elf ancestor appeared before blessing you. Hmm, certainly interes—"
Elton's brows raised as he cut her off.
"Wait. You said Fanged Elven Ancestor? That's who that was?"
Shayleaf shrugged with a mischievous smile.
"Hahaha, I don't know, Brother Elly, but it sure resembled him. Honestly, I don't think anyone outside a few in the royal family could even make that connection. It's… kind of a secret."
Elton sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with a bitter grin. "A secret? But you just told me…"
She giggled and leaned in with a bashful expression. "Well, that's because you're special… And besides, I've never seen them appear in a blessing bestowal before. I trust you'll keep that little secret tucked away, right?"
Elton chuckled warmly and nodded. "Of course. If Shay says it's a secret, then it's a secret."
With a relaxed breath, he added, "Well, since we're stuck here, we might as well make the most of it. Let's cultivate hard and enjoy the peace while it lasts."
Shayleaf stepped forward and gently clutched his arm, her voice soft. "I'm certainly looking forward to it."
—
Time passed.
A great commotion soon unfolded in the outer reaches of the Nightbloom Dukedom. From across the Celebi Forest Kingdom, forces began to gather like a storm front rolling in. The residual spiritual phenomena hadn't gone unnoticed. Jewleaf and his elite investigative unit were dispatched and naturally took center stage—though they weren't the loudest.
That distinction belonged to Duke Stormvine's representatives. Aggressive and arrogant, they pushed to pry into every corner of the dukedom, demanding a full-scale investigation. Meanwhile, Duke Silverthorn's representative feigned neutrality but subtly echoed Stormvine's sentiments.
Aeloria stood at the forefront, her retinue of elite guards behind her. Her calm yet iron-willed demeanor weathered the flood of inquiries and passive-aggressive accusations hurled her way.
Among the crowd, hidden behind cloaks and enchantments, lurked more than one Mortal Shedding realm expert each one listening in as they also vaguely look for clues.
"I don't buy it!" the Stormvine representative snapped. "You're telling us Lady Shayleaf caused this? She's received blessings before, but nothing like this!"
"Right! Whatever happened shook the forest itself!"
"What if this was a silent attack? A hidden weapon… maybe something targeting our race!"
"Exactly! Even if it didn't feel hostile, who's to say it isn't a long-game tactic?"
Voices rose in outrage, concern, and veiled suspicion.
Aeloria's eyes narrowed as her aura flared—just a flicker of her Golden Lord might—but enough to remind everyone who they were speaking to.
"Oh? So you're suggesting that I, Aeloria Nightbloom, am engineering weapons against my own race?"
A tense silence followed.
"N-No! Of course not, Lady Aeloria. We only mean that… for the sake of our people, an investigation is warranted."
With measured grace and a subtle smirk, she replied, "Then investigate, but only within the designated regions. Cross the line… and your presence will be removed."
Later that day, camps were established outside the perimeter set by Aeloria's forces. The investigative parties spread out but only as far as they were allowed. Only Jewleaf and his forces were given any sort of preferential treatment as the Royal families investigative force. Meanwhile, the Mortal Shedding experts attempting to test the limits were met not with words, but with action. The figure of her uncle intercepted them preventing them from overstepping their boundaries.
With one glance, they made it clear:
The Nightbloom Dukedom was not to be trifled with.
Sometime later, Jewleaf sat across from Aeloria in a guest mansion. Jewleaf's expression was intensely serious, while Aeloria's was serious yet notably relaxed. The silence between them was thick enough to cut with a knife. Finally, Jewleaf's face and demeanor did an entire 180 as he suddenly burst out laughing. "Ahh, Aeloria, you're as incredible as always!" he chuckled. "Hehe, such a great aura. Too bad you didn't accept the offer to become my wife back then. Ah, my wife certainly would have accepted it if it were you!"
Aeloria's face cracked from all seriousness, and she looked at Jewleaf, almost at a loss for words, before speaking. "Ahh, Jewleaf, Jewleaf… You never really changed… Like I told you after so many years, if it weren't for my family circumstances…"
Jewleaf just laughed it off. "Hahaha, yes, yes, I get it, I get it. But still, I really have to thank you for treating my daughters so well. Truly, I thank you."
Aeloria got slightly flustered upon hearing these words before snapping in reply, "Yeah, yeah, sure, it's nothing! Oh, heavens, of all people, why was it you they sent to do the investigation! Ugh…"
"Hahaha, well, how could His Majesty not send me? Not only is my daughter here, but apparently, by your words, she is the person involved! So, as a representative of the Crimsonroot Royal family, I must check on her."
"…His Majesty is incredibly farsighted. If another person were sent, I'd have a lot more leverage with the information I could reveal, but of all people…!"
After Aeloria and Jewleaf had more of their back-and-forth, she finally revealed all the information she had become aware of. Overall, it wasn't much, but the context created an entirely different narrative that shocked Jewleaf to his core.
"W-w-whaaaaaat?!?? You mean that boy was actually the culprit?! That's impossible!! Or… no, is it really impossible? Oi, wait, you also said that Shay already broke through into the Silver Tier 3 stage??!! How exciting! No… she stayed over with that boy—no, I mean Margrave Elton—for a night apparently, and she broke through… No, no, no, it can't be… No way!!"
"Jewleaf. You are getting off topic here. Stay focused."
"B-but my daughter!! Even if he is such an excellent man, I can't just allow this!!"
"Her purity is still intact, so there's no ne—"
"Nooo, perhaps her purity in that area is intact, b-but that Synchronized Cultivation Position you gave her, plus the blood ritual!! Oh, my daughter! I have to—"
"Jewleaf!! Please settle yourself. And in the first place, I've already established rules for them not to cross any boundaries, at least until they are both beyond Gold Tier 3. So relax…"
"Ugh… Why are you and Shearleaf like this… I understand, but…"
After that back-and-forth, they began to plan for the future, discussing how they should deal with the situation. This included strategies within Celebi Forest City, the entire Celebi Forest Kingdom, and even any information that had left the kingdom. These few weeks have truly put an excessive amount of spotlight on the fanged elves.