Chapter 235 Proposal
The night had fallen. Tents stood on the vast green field, providing shelter for the elves who had lost their homes. They still wore smiles on their faces, despite the profound loss.
The elves were not alone, there were humans among them.
Villagers and surviving crew members mingled together. They shared food, smiled at the elf children, and spoke to the injured village folks. Joanna was busy inside one of the tents, caring for and treating patients in need of medical attention. The golden-haired girl provided treatment with care, regardless of whether the patient she was tending to was a dungeon monster or not.
On the other side, Sylvia, along with the elf mothers, was busy cooking, while Olivia and several crew members distributed food to all the camp's inhabitants.
Akio, Michael, and the elf men were erecting makeshift tents from the remaining pieces of the forest. There weren't enough tents in the spatial ring, so they created temporary shelters to cover their heads.
In the middle of the camp, a large tent became the center of attention for the elf children. Some of them dared to peek inside, but the adult elves gently shooed them away while smiling.
"Go! Find another place to play!" scolded the elf guarding the tent.
"Come on! We've never seen the High Queen up close! We just want to see her golden hair!"
The good news of the High Queen's safety was the reason the elf villagers could still smile in this difficult situation.
Their queen, like the forest itself, was their love and pride, and the news of her safety brought a glimmer of hope among them, like a light in the darkness. It erased some of the grief that had gripped them since the loss of their forest.
It also formed the basis for a stronger bond between the elves and the awakeners who had come to help. They shared their stories and experiences, as well as moments of warmth under the open sky.
Inside the large tent, Klaus and the High Queen sat at a table. She looked very frail, her face pale, and her body thin. Despite her fragile condition, she tried to smile in front of Klaus, attempting to express her gratitude.
Justin and Gavin kept a watchful eye on the High Queen, while Klaus treated her with gentleness. He gently offered her a cup of warm chamomile tea and asked her to drink it. The High Queen sipped the tea slowly, then her face turned more serious.
"Honestly, Klaus, I don't know what to say in this situation," the High Queen said with a tone full of guilt.
Klaus smiled kindly. "It's okay," he said. "You've just awakened from your long slumber, and suddenly finding the village and your home in ruins is a tough thing."
The High Queen nodded weakly. Desperation was written all over her face.
Klaus sighed after sipping his tea. "So, how about we start our conversation? I know you've been through a lot, but we don't have time to linger here. Let's start with what actually happened to you. How did an elder elf merge with the Tree of Life?"
The golden-haired elf woman fell silent. Her gaze rested on her teacup. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"Is there something bothering you, High Queen?" Klaus asked.
"Well, I'm no longer the High Queen since the Tree of Life is gone," she said with a wistful smile. "The name is Rosaline O'Lier. Just call me Rosaline."
Taking a deep breath, Rosaline began to tell what had happened to her, how she had merged with the Tree of Life.
Lauriel, the false High Queen, was the best witch in their village. Besides her ability to control nature with her magic, she also had a talent for healing diseases. Thanks to her, the village of elves was always free from many illnesses. Lauriel had reached this level of skill because of Rosaline.
"Lauriel is my apprentice. I could see her talent from a young age. She was truly amazing and could do what she was taught after just one or two practices. This girl was truly gifted," a faint smile appeared on Rosaline's face.
"So, she's not your daughter?"
Rosaline furrowed her brow. "No, she is not. Did she claim to be my daughter?"
Klaus nodded. "Yeah. Her lies even managed to convince me for a while. But I could see through it in the end."
Rosaline sighed. She seemed to be in disbelief about what she had just heard.
"So, why did she betray you?" Klaus asked.
"Because of her ambition."
Rosaline could see great ambition in her apprentice, but she was growing increasingly concerned about the greed that was growing within Lauriel. The longer she taught Lauriel, the clearer her greed became. Eventually, Rosaline decided to stop her training of Lauriel. Of course, it upset Lauriel, but Rosaline didn't take it seriously. She believed her apprentice wouldn't go any further.
However, Rosaline was wrong.
When the war between the elves and orcs came to an end, Lauriel saw an opportunity to overthrow Rosaline. She collaborated with the orc leader to trap Rosaline in an agreement, taking advantage of the queen's kindness. When the two leaders gathered for negotiations, Lauriel poisoned them, rendering them helpless. Lauriel soon seized this opportunity to kill the orc leader and Rosaline's loyal followers, leaving only Lord Aymon and Arwen, who were not there.
Lauriel managed to deceive Lord Aymon and Arwen by claiming that the High Queen's life could only be saved by merging her with the Tree of Life. Although Lord Aymon and Arwen initially didn't believe Lauriel, they fell into her lies. To avoid causing panic, they decided to keep this event a secret from the public, and Lauriel would temporarily take over as High Queen until Rosaline recovered.
"Lord Aymon and Arwen were the most loyal subordinates. They would do anything to save me. But their loyalty blinded them to the truth."
"So, they both didn't know that extracting you from the Tree of Life would kill it?"
Rosaline shook her head. "I wouldn't die, and neither would the Tree of Life. But you had to perform a special ritual. But Lauriel was afraid her deception would be exposed, so she lied to you."
While Klaus was an attentive listener, Justin and Gavin had puzzled expressions. They had no idea what Klaus and Rosaline were discussing.
"So, what do you want to do now?" Klaus asked.
Rosaline pondered for a moment, trying to find an answer to his question. The destruction of the Tree of Life and the damaged forest left her feeling bewildered. The elves needed trees as their homes and defensive fortresses. They were highly dependent on the power of nature.
"Honestly, I don't know what to do at the moment," Rosaline said.
Klaus smiled broadly upon hearing her response and proposed an idea. "Why don't you come with us to the human world? You can live with us, and experience a different world. There, we can find a suitable place for you."
However, this proposal shocked Gavin and Justin. Both of them rose from their seats.
"Hey, hold on, Klaus. You want to bring them to our world?" Justin asked in amazement.
"I know I'm new and shouldn't interfere, but taking monsters out of the dungeon is not a good idea. Plus, there are so many of them. How are you going to explain this to the government? We're not even in America; we're in Germany!"
Rosaline lowered her head when she heard the disapproval of the two humans. She didn't understand what they were talking about, but she knew they didn't want her kind.
However, Klaus remained calm and said, "You don't have to worry about trivial matters like that. Leave it all to me."
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