Taste of Magic: Ambassador's Voice

Vaelorth stared out of the window of his tower into the deceptively calm Monster Realm night. His realm had changed quite a lot during the past few months. Lots of new buildings have been constructed to accommodate trading with the humans from Sunglow.

At first, Vaelorth had found it odd. Humans and drow trade with goods as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He had been killed by a human in the previous timeline, so thinking that he would willingly let humans inside his realm was ludicrous.

But it was without a doubt the best course of action. Although Vaelorth didn't trust the Archmage, no, the Archpatissier, fully. It was hard to forget how she had acted like a mindless Church puppet in the past. He still believed that coexistence was the only way forward for their two realms.

The number of passageways increased each day. More and more parts of the Monster Realm were connected to the Human Realm, and the two were influencing each other in irreversible ways. Humans, drow, elves, and other races couldn't ignore each other anymore and pretend their neighbors didn't exist.

They had to find a way to live together peacefully or prepare for a war that would likely last until the end of time. Which wasn't actually that far off if the Church managed to split the realms apart again.

Vaelorth let out a heavy sigh. All of the drow, except for his elite guard, had left for the Human Realm. They were fighting the Church at this very moment, together with humans and elves of Sunglow. He could only hope that they would be able to handle the matter.

He, too, wanted desperately to join the battle. However, just a single visit from him had dramatically changed mana levels in Sunglow. They were now much higher than normal in the Human Realm, and that was only after one evening, when he hadn't even used any of his magic.

What would happen if he were actually used in the Human Realm? The result could be devastating, so unless the matter got really grim, Vaelorth had no choice but to stay put and trust that his warriors, along with humans, would be able to defeat their enemy.

But should the worst come to worst, Vaelorth still had that spell that the Archpatissier had prepared. How she had managed to place a spell this powerful inside a tiny little dessert, Vaelorth had no clue. It was ludicrous!

He was actually glad that they were fighting on the same side. How could one even hope to defeat someone able to create such powerful spells? Spells that—

"Lord Eidranis! An urgent report from Human Realm," one of the drow scouts appeared before him, interrupting his thoughts.

"Speak!" Vaelorth commanded.

"A small Church force, including the Archbishop and a dark-skinned mage, is heading towards Monster Realm with Archpattisier in chains. It appears she had struck a deal with them to go with the Church peacefully, in exchange for leaving Sunglow civilians unharmed," the scout said.

"What about the General? And losses on Sunglow's side?"

"The General and Elowen are fighting at the shore, keeping most of the Church forces at bay. Our fighters have joined them, and currently, the two forces are at a stalemate. Should we hold out long enough, and Sinclair forces arrive, our victory would be all but assured. However…"

"The Archbishop has the Sacred Treasure, doesn't she?" Vaelorth noted bitterly.

"That's right. The Archpatissier held one for a brief moment but gave it up to protect civilians," the scout confirmed.

Vaelorth nodded. She had said that this kind of scenario was likely to occur. Well, she had listed many possibilities, noting that the one in which the Archbishop obtained all the Sacred Treasure was among the worst possible outcomes. It meant that it was time for him to step into the conflict.

"Where are they currently?" Vaelorth asked.

"I believe they should be nearing the passageway at this very moment," the scout reported.

There wasn't a moment to lose. Vaelorth let out a loud whistle, a signal to summon his elite force. Within a few seconds, they were standing next to him, battle-ready.

"It's time to join the battle. Teleport to the passageway at once. Remain hidden," he commanded.

"Yes, my Lord!" They replied and disappeared the next moment.

Vaelorth, too, allowed the darkness of the Monster Realm night to shroud his body.

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Melina walked obediently towards the passageway, held firm by one of the fighter System users. She didn't resist. There was no point in doing so yet, as the preparations for the ritual to split realms apart weren't instantaneous.

First, they needed to be near a passageway. That's why they were heading towards the one near Sunglow. But it was just one of the many steps. Melina had to wonder what they intended to do about Lord Eidranis. They couldn't just ignore his existence as a whole.

Melina refused to believe that Heiliger hadn't thought of a plan to restrict him in some way when he inevitably came. Or perhaps she was betting that Xio Ling could deal with him. But with Melina here and Heiliger's main force still battling on the shores of Sunglow, the things she could do were limited.

Even so, that snake must have something planned—some contingency in place to ensure her success.

In fact, this whole situation seemed too good in Melina's opinion. Heiliger and Xio Ling both looked confident. They had stuck to their word and not harmed anyone in the town, instead focusing on marching to the passageway. But where did this confidence come from?

Heiliger already knew that Melina and Lord Eidranis could and would work together to take her down. They were marching to the Monster Realm passageway, and yet the Archbishop looked so relaxed. So confident. As if nothing at all could go wrong at this point.

"I believe the clearing here will do nicely. Prepare the ritual site," Heiliger announced once they had reached the clearing right outside the passageway.

Melina blinked in surprise. The ritual? Right away? Weren't they even going to attempt to weaken the Monster Lord? There was no way tearing realms apart could work then. Lord Eidranis was the entity that ruled over the Monster Realm. The one responsible for the stable mana flow of the world.

With him alive, tearing realms apart would be near impossible. It would require enough mana to overpower him, but even with the Chalice of the World, that wouldn't be possible. What was this woman trying to accomplish?

Even though it felt impossible. Like the ritual, they were set up to fail. Nonetheless, Melina's stomach churned as she saw Heiliger draw the ritual circle into the ground using bright red paint. Or… was it paint?

Melina dearly hoped so, but the strong smell of iron in the air made her believe otherwise. The large ritual circles had many intricate lines, and Melina was surprised that Heiliger remembered them. Last time, Melina had been the one to draw it.

But the center was slightly different. It still had the same dual structure, each with intricate glyphs and runes, the meaning of which not even Melina understood. It was magic long lost to time.

However, unlike with the original realm separation ritual, which had an empty center, this one had glyphs drawn into it. Melina stared at it hard, trying to understand its purpose. Was it for… a conduit?

Now, it made sense. Heiliger was trying to use somebody as a conduit to power up the ritual. It was likely made so they wouldn't have to deal with the Monster Lord and instead use a powerful individual and their abilities to combat the Monster Lord's might. To set his equal on the side of the Human Realm.

Melina had no doubts as to who they intended to use as the conduit. Why had Heiliger not cared to let Sienna and Sunglowers go free so long as Melina agreed to go with them.

"I won't take part in this. I don't care what you threaten me with," Melina snarled. After all, should this ritual be completed, everyone would die either way.

Heiliger laughed. The shrill noise sent shivers down Melina's spine.

"My dear, I don't need your permission," Heiliger said with a delighted smile. "Xio Ling, are you ready?"

"Certainly am!" Xio Ling nodded, holding the Chalice of the World in one hand and the Codex of Origin in the other. He would have to recite the incantation from the ancient tome and use Chalice's ability to draw ambient mana to perform the ritual.

Melina took a step back. She needed to get out of the restraints. While these blocked her from using mana outwardly, they did nothing to inhibit the mana flow within her body. With the right application, she should be able to overwhelm the restraints and force them to open.

"No! You need to stand in the very center. You're the guest of honor today, Melina," Heiliger said with a devilish grin.

The System users grabbed Melina roughly and lifted her off the ground, carrying her to the center of the ritual while watching their steps not to smudge or ruin any of the ritual lines. She tried to kick and destroy the circle, but that was fruitless. However, that was merely a distraction. In reality, she was focusing hard to break her restraint. She would use magic to wipe this whole ritual site off.

But as Melina felt her restraints pop off, she also saw Heiliger withdraw the Stone of Sacrifice. With a gleeful smile, Heiliger put it to her lips and said.

"I wish Melina Dufour would serve as my conduit and overpower the forces that hold these realms together."

Melina stared in horror. Could she really force Melina to do that using the stone? No, surely the price for that would be insane. What could she possibly offer to the…

Heiliger darted towards the mage System user, plunging a dagger deep in his chest. The Stone of Sacrifice lit up, and she pulled the knife out and put the Stone into the cavity. Bright light engulfed the stunned mage, and a moment later, he was gone along with the Stone of Sacrifice.

Melina felt the mana within her swirl against her will. Xio Ling chanted the well-known incantation while raising the chalice high.

"NO! NO! Stop!" Melina screamed, helpless to stop the mana within her from roiling and empowering the ritual.

"There's no stopping now. I have won!" Heiliger cackled.

However, just as Melina thought all hope was lost as she was unable to fight against the will of the Stone of Sacrifice, she saw the last glimmer of hope appear through the passageway. Lord Eidranis stepped through and raised his hand.

He activated the spell Melina had worked so hard to place into the pastry she had given him.