Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 865 - 805: Lady of Nature

Watching the Elves clean up the battlefield from afar, Faelga no longer felt like singing. Her kindred were like flowers, beautiful yet fragile. The Lady of Nature turned and walked into the woods, becoming an evanescent shadow that flitted by. All things grew, the forest breathed heavily, overwhelming the sole sound of footsteps. She passed over the pale scars of the earth, waded across rivers on bare rocks, stepped over broken branches; with a mere breath, life became a gentle breeze that healed the scars of battle. Flowers could not be healed, wilting in the moment they were wounded.

Upon sighting the wide boulevard leading to the palace, Faelga turned into a lush flowerbed, where a narrow path with faint traces beckoned her to a hidden glade. Moss scraped from lopsided rocks, on the smooth slabs were children’s joyful scribbles, tendrils twining around the stone bases so that the doodles could easily climb to any height lacking a foothold. Faelga couldn’t help but curl her lips upwards, rubbing her cheeks before parting the ivy curtain on the door, trying to make her expression look as natural as possible. Entering the tree hollow, her body felt an instant weariness, the muscles controlling facial expressions began to slacken, and Faelga’s smile became irrepressible.

She quickly and tenderly embraced the little one in the tree hollow, humming a familiar lullaby.

"Mommy?" With a smack of her lips, the blond little girl couldn’t even open her eyes, she rubbed her cheek against Faelga’s shoulder, sniffing the familiar scent on the blond hair, her tense body softening like a rice cake.

Seconds later, the little girl sprang up in Faelga’s embrace.

"Did the fight begin?" She remembered what her mother had told her before bringing her to this secret tree hollow.

"It’s over, dear. I’m here to pick you up."

Although she couldn’t understand how the war ended while she was asleep, the little girl was glad her mother didn’t make her wait long. Grabbing Faelga’s soft, long hair, twirling it around her fingers, the little girl kissed Faelga’s cheek and said coquettishly, "Can I go out to play now?"

Noticing her daughter’s feet starting to fidget, Faelga laughed and put her down, one hand on her hip, the other finger pointing at her daughter’s forehead, ready to speak.

"No going into the mud, no straying too far from home, no disturbing others!" This was perhaps the little girl’s best sentence in the Elvish language.

Faelga hummed, ruffled her daughter’s cheek, and watched her disappear like the wind from sight. Stretching her back, the Lady of Nature glanced at the spot where her daughter had once laid; the weaver bird’s nest cradled with bear fur, a spacious nook she could easily lie down in. Shaking her head, Faelga left the place.

Outside the glade, on the path leading to the palace, Faelga encountered her daughter and a strange Elf. The girl had obviously forgotten her mother’s admonition. Seeing Faelga, her daughter waved happily.

"Mommy! Uncle Heinz has turned white!"

The albino Elf knelt on the spot as soon as Faelga appeared, lowering his head, allowing Faelga to examine his transformed body. His skin was pale and slightly cracked, hair color as pale as paper, conspicuous as the sun amid the dark forest; other than that, there were no other changes, his behavior was still like the young Druid of the past.

"Tiffany, go somewhere else," her daughter was a sensible child; her capriciousness only showed in front of Faelga alone.

Left with the two adult Elves, Faelga felt Heinz’s body tense up.

Hands crossed over her abdomen, facing her kneeling subject, Faelga’s gaze lost its warmth.

"The change upon you, is that your reason to disturb me?"

"My Queen, I am here to plead for your wisdom. Please bestow upon me an answer, or release." His voice trembled, ready for whatever might come. Heinz soon felt a hand stroking the back of his head, cold fingers sliding down his nape. Clenching his lips, Heinz resisted the hand’s support.

A cold voice came from above.

"Cousin Falanel hasn’t visited me at court for quite some time, is her new husband disturbing her? An elegant lady should not be restrained by family ties, and I plan to hang Doludo Yuehen tomorrow on the charge of hindering a woman’s proper social interaction. What do you think about that, Heinz?"

"I will immediately convey your Majesty’s longing to my sister, merciful sovereign. They have had a daughter, please be lenient for a few days, by which time I will accompany my sister and my young niece to meet your Majesty. Therefore, I beg you..." Heinz raised his head, his urgent gaze meeting Faelga’s smile, he fell silent for a moment, unable to continue.

"Still wish to be relieved?"

Heinz bowed his head, allowing cold sweat to drip down.

"Family is the most important," patting his head twice, Faelga withdrew her hand as though nothing had happened, "Talk about the changes in you, in more detail."

"We encountered enemies on the frontline battlefield, a swarm of insects. They call themselves Weavers of Illusion, their individual combat strength crushes any of our elven soldiers. Our Druids discovered the Weavers of Illusion can extract Life Force from the forest, they feed on nature like parasites. If the forest lives on, our soldiers will struggle to defeat them. The front is on the verge of collapse, and the Druids are helpless."

"A crazy idea came to my mind, and I acted on it swiftly on the battlefield."

"I acted against your will and began to harm the forest."

Heinz extended his hand, a pale force, which is the reversed Druid magic filled with the aura of death. "Under my command, the Druids’ allies imbued the earth with the Force of Death." Heinz could not imagine the pale rift eroding the earth came from his own hand. "We successfully cut off the Weavers of Illusion’s supply, weakened the enemy, thus inflicting effective casualties... But the enemy retreated too quickly, General Charles suspected a trick and ceased the pursuit. And my actions were criticized by the Elders’ Council, I had no defense, I only hope your Majesty can forgive those companions seduced by my influence."

Faelga tapped the back of her hand, Heinz’s decision was not flawed. The correct method, the right action, what those Druid elders worried about, was merely my opinion. To think they worry their people’s innovation would anger me after teaching them the knowledge of nature, is it because their lives are too long?

However, it is necessary to maintain unity of thought within the tribe, the change brought by Withering Magic is so noticeable, it’s hard to guarantee that others will not accept the albino members of our race. Faelga knew very well how many shortsighted fools there were in the country, they are like weeds impossible to fully eradicate. Warriors should not suffer discrimination, but that’s beyond my will to intervene.

For now, let’s solve a young man’s confusion.

"Life and withering are but two aspects of nature, Heinz. You are not wrong, you’ve simply broken the shackles I placed on the Druids. Witherer, lift your head, you are fully entitled to be proud of your choice." In Faelga’s hand, the pale Force of Nature made Heinz lift his head.

"Your Majesty, you had already mastered the opposite of life?! But why?" Heinz looked up at Faelga’s blonde beauty, the Withering Power in her hand was even deeper than his own.

"Everything in the world possesses duality," Faelga sneered, her eyes conveying a deeper meaning.

"As long as there is an abundance of Life Force, death can be suppressed. In the end, you are still too weak, Heinz."

"Just like dealing with those insects, cutting off their supply is not the only choice."

Faelga recalled the desiccated corpses of those chrysalis warriors whose Life Force had been drained in the reverse, those parasites’ "straws" had no one-way valve, sucking them dry was even easier than coaxing Tiffany to sleep.

"Nature can selflessly nourish life, but it can also mercilessly harvest it."