Inside the royal palace, in the meeting hall...

The guards pushed open the massive doors, and Thandria entered with a gloomy expression. Her face still carried a faint blush from her earlier encounter with Rios.

"Oh? Thandria, why are you back already? Could it be that King Rios has awakened?!" The moment Etham recognized the newcomer, he immediately set aside what he was doing, rose to his feet, and asked eagerly.

Thandria walked to the head of the table directly opposite Etham, pulled back the chair reserved for her, sat down, and replied coldly,

"King Rios has indeed awakened... and he has become far stronger than before."

"That’s wonderful! His Majesty crushed the Giant Centaur army by himself a few days ago. Now that he has grown even stronger, who would dare stand in our way?"

The advisers whispered among themselves with excitement, their voices rising in joy as countless new ambitions began forming in their minds.

"Silence, you fools! Don’t forget that the Centaur army which terrified our entire city was nothing more than a small force! Back in the days before our decline began, they wouldn’t have dared utter a single word in front of us. And don’t forget that there are still dozens of armies belonging to the tribes and cities of the four races in this region, not to mention hundreds more armies belonging to all seven races across the entire continent! Compared to such overwhelming numbers and power, what is that insignificant Centaur army?"

After hearing Thandria’s furious outburst and sharp words, none of the advisers dared speak again. They lowered their heads and quietly returned to their seats.

She was right, and they all knew it.

They had already fallen into the abyss and were no longer the mighty force everyone once feared. Yet there was nothing they could do to change that reality.

Rios might be powerful, but they were not. No matter how strong he became, without a proper army, he could never stand alone against all those forces.

Thandria paid no attention to what those advisers were feeling. Most of them had only become royal advisers because the City of Light had suffered a severe shortage of high-level experts in recent years.

This was the first time in history that the City of Light had fallen to such a miserable state. They had actually been forced to appoint second-rank individuals as royal advisers. It was a disgrace that would undoubtedly stain their history forever.

Still, things were finally beginning to improve.

No—they had to improve even faster.

"His Majesty Rios isn’t like the other Sacred Trees who seek peace. He’s more of an ambitious ruler than a Sacred Tree! He already plans to build an army and personally lead military campaigns and invasions. If we wish to remain by his side and enjoy his protection, then we must become stronger. If we wish to share in his glory, then we must become stronger. I have no doubt that he’ll abandon us if we remain as weak and useless as we are now. For the sake of the City of Light... for the sake of the Elves... for the sake of our children and our people... we must change, and we must become stronger!"

Thandria clenched her teeth as she spoke with both despair and unshakable determination, directing her words primarily toward Etham rather than the other advisers.

Etham narrowed his eyes and studied her for a moment before speaking.

"Thandria... what happened to you? You were never this pessimistic before. Besides, King Rios now stands with us. Under his protection, what could possibly stop us from becoming stronger?"

In response, Thandria sadly shook her head.

"You haven’t seen what I’ve seen. After King Rios devoured the sacred Tree of Life, he gained the ability to take the form of an Elf, and his strength multiplied several times over. If before we could perhaps stand against him for a few minutes, then now... I’m afraid we wouldn’t last even a few seconds. That’s why we must become stronger before he decides we’re no longer worth protecting."

"What?!"

Every adviser in the chamber shot to their feet in alarm, along with Etham—though for entirely different reasons.

The advisers were naturally horrified upon hearing that Rios had devoured the sacred Tree of Life and obtained the ability to assume an Elf’s form.

Etham, however, was only shocked by the latter revelation.

A slow smile spread across his face as a new thought emerged in his mind.

King Rios has now become closer to the Elf race than ever before.

"Supreme Adviser Etham! Supreme Adviser Thandria! What in the world is happening here?!" several advisers shouted angrily, forgetting both their own status and that of Etham and Thandria after hearing about the sacred Tree of Life.

"Everyone, be silent and sit down!"

Both Thandria and Etham shouted almost simultaneously, releasing their killing intent and overwhelming aura toward the advisers who had dared stand up and yell at them.

Lightning crackled around Thandria while blades of wind whirled around Etham, threatening to kill anyone who dared stir unrest or rebellion.

"You idiots... have you forgotten your place?"

Bolts of lightning spread from Thandria, racing across the long wooden table and nearly striking several advisers.

"W-We apologize! But we have the right to know what’s happening in our city... and what happened to the sacred Tree of Life!"

The advisers swallowed nervously and apologized for their earlier behavior, but they could not simply remain silent without receiving an explanation.

"Thandria, explain everything to them from the beginning."

Etham withdrew his aura, dismissed his Wind Blades, and turned toward Thandria.

She nodded, also retracting her aura and dispersing the lightning.

Then Thandria recounted everything in detail—from entering the royal garden and receiving Rios’s orders, to Supreme Adviser Gao’s betrayal and attack on Queen Elena, to Elena’s overwhelming strength that had surpassed all expectations, along with her new vision and the path the Elf race would follow from this day onward.

She described the white cocoon that had formed around Rios and the Tree of Life, his astonishing emergence from it, his new body that resembled the ideal form of the Elf race, the instructions he had given her, and finally, his newfound ambitions.

"Does anyone here object to Their Majesties’ decisions or to the new path that the City of Light will follow from this day onward?"

After reflecting on everything that had happened over the past five days and everything Thandria had recounted, Etham lifted his head and looked at the advisers with a tone that tolerated no disagreement.

No one answered.

Those who harbored dissatisfaction or objections buried them deep inside and kept silent.

Everyone had heard what had happened to old Gao and how he would be dealt with, so none of them dared utter another word.

When Etham received no response, he nodded with satisfaction before turning back to Thandria.

"But where are His Majesty King Rios and Her Majesty Queen Elena now?"