Chapter 223: [223] No Questions Asked

Since the council of nobles were yet to decide if they would meet Eliron’s demands, in order to avoid him vanishing into thin air, or changing his mind altogether, he was given a place in the royal estate.

While the castle was where the royal family and high-ranking officials resided, there was an annex not too far away from it, one that was nearly just as good.

’Artie should be done with her ceremony by now…’ Eliron mused.

Since the ceremony was being held in the castle, he thought he might have run into her by now, but the place was so large that they did not meet once, even when he went out for a stroll.

“What kind of tea is this?” Ariel asked, staring warily at the cup in front of her.

The drink looked very much like blood, which was a little unnerving, but it had a rather fragrant scent as well, which made Eliron curious about its taste.

“It’s hibiscus tea.” Ciera replied as she poured a cup of the tea for herself, steam floating into the air. “It is very popular here in Donia.”

The meeting with the nobles apparently lasted from morning till late at night, after which she and Prince Alexander came to visit.

“Really?” Ariel’s eyes narrowed slightly, still not convinced.

But Eliron on the other hand was eager to try it. He grabbed the cup and brought it to his lips…

“Wait, you have to—” Ciera tried to stop him, but Eliron had already swallowed a mouthful of the tea.

Ciera’s voice dropped low. “Lord Eliron… are you alright…?”

“…”

For a few seconds, Eliron just stared into space, and then—

“Hahahaha!” He let out a chuckle, his eyes glinting with amusement. “It has such a divine taste, won’t you agree, Ciera?”

“Huh?” Ciera looked confused.

But Prince Alexander immediately jumped into the conversation. “It is! You know, I can’t stay a day without having a cup or two!”

Eliron glanced at Ariel and Ash. “You both should try it, all at the same time.”

Ash of course did not hesitate, and when Ariel saw him about to try his tea, she had no choice but to follow suit.

Sip—!

“Kek—!”

“Eeek!!” Ariel’s face immediately scrunched up as though she had drunk a cup of lime juice.

Without wasting time, she spat the drink out of her mouth, clawing at her tongue.

Ash’s reaction was milder; his eyes widened, but he did his best to curtail any outward reaction.

“It has an… interesting taste, my lord, hahaha.” Ash laughed nervously as he eyed the cup, gently stroking his belly like he had consumed poison.

Eliron smirked.

“Right?” He joked, just before he burst out into laughter, watching as Ariel scrambled for the water on the table.

“Y-you tricked me, my lord!” Ariel cried, her eyes turning moist as she gulped down more water.

“Umm, tricked? Does that mean you do not find the taste appealing, Lord Eliron?”

Everyone turned to the prince, and when they saw him, Eliron could not suppress his laughter.

It turns out Ariel’s earlier outburst had been on target, as Alexander’s blonde hair was now partly dyed pink by the drink.

“I apologize, my prince!” Ariel’s face turned deathly pale, and Eliron could swear that he saw a white, ghostly substance floating above her head.

“Ah, don’t be so tense, it’s just a little tea. I’m alright.” Alex smiled as Ciera wiped his face with a napkin.

“You’re supposed to take the tea with sugar…” Ciera sighed. “This is a special blend, it’s almost intolerable without it…”

’Oh, I guess that makes sense.’ Eliron mused.

“Ehh?” The prince pouted. “But it is great without sugar…”

“You only think that way because you have a strange constitution, my prince.” Ciera finished wiping his face and sat next to him.

Eliron on the other hand took another sip of the tea. ’He’s right though, it’s alright as it is.’

It was just like drinking lemon extract, well, if the lemon was squeezed out by the devil…

The more you drink it, the more you adapt, up until the point where it feels like any other juice.

He glanced at Ariel as she pulled the small plate of sugar towards herself. One, two, three… seven…

Eliorn grabbed her hand before she could add the last one. “Are you trying to die of diabetes?”

Ariel blinked. “Dia…betees? What is that?”

’Oh, I guess the sickness hasn’t been discovered in this world…’

“Never mind, but don’t take too much sugar, it’s bad for you.”

Eliron then turned his attention to the Prince, eager to get to business. “So, how did the meeting go?”

Alexander’s face suddenly fell, and he let out a dragged-out groan, massaging his shoulders.

“Terribly, really terribly.”

“I was able to convince the nobles that your requests aren’t too great for your skill level. So the rewards aren’t a problem…”

“It was really tough, especially the request about changing where we deliver goods, but I easily debunked all their claims.”

“I also got permission to use the royal seal to acquire Dagon, the blessed, so there is that.”

’I thought he said the meeting went badly…’ Eliron gave him a deadpan stare. Could the prince secretly be a perfectionist?

“But there is one problem.” His face turned serious. “The noble faction does not believe you are as strong as you claim you are…”

Alex slowly shook his head. “Those old men can be very hard-headed at times.”

Eliron took another mouthful of the sour tea and smiled. Things were not as bad as he had thought.

He would have expected the nobles to outright reject most of his offers, in which case it would be difficult for the king to act.

But since their only excuse now was his strength, couldn’t something be done about that?

“I can just reveal a little of my strength, can I not?” Eliron gestured with his hand.

“Not exactly.” Alex replied with a sigh. “Just showing a powerful spell or unleashing your mana won’t cut it.”

He shook his head. “The best way to do it would be to defeat my father in a friendly duel, this will show that you not only possess the power but know how to use it.”

“But that is out of the question.”

A duel between two powerful individuals, even when friendly, could lead to severe complications.

If the king was to get injured, then it would further weaken their already degraded army. So it made sense why Alex was against a duel.

Eliron absorbed every single word he said, then a relaxed smile appeared on his face.

“All I have to do is prove how competent I am, and I’ll get all I want, right? In that case.”

He placed the empty cup on the table and said, “I have a plan that is guaranteed to work.”

Alex’s eyes brightened. “Really, what is it??”

“You don’t need to know the specifics, all you need to know is that I will need your help.”

Eliron paused for a bit before he continued.

“Alexander…”

The prince raised a brow, feeling a bad premonition from Eliron calling out his full name.

“Y-yes?”

“Remember what we discussed not too long ago after I gave you your ring?” Eliron folded his hands across his chest.

“Hmm?” Alexander took a second to answer as he recalled the memory. “Oh, that I will help you out with one request, no questions asked?”

Eliron smirked and clapped his hands together.

“Precisely! I have a request, and thankfully, it seems you have a lot of experience in this line of work.”

Now Alexander was more than curious. Skill? What sort of request did the elven lord have for him?

“And what would that request be?” He asked in a measured tone.

“Nothing much…” Eliron shrugged, leaning back on his chair. “…I just need your help in robbing the Royal treasury.”

Clack!

Alex’s cup fell from his hand, shattering on the carpet and dyeing it red.

“W-what? Why??!” He immediately sprang up to his feet, his voice trembling as he spoke.

“Shhh.” Eliron placed his finger on his lips and smirked, his blue eyes gleaming mischievously. “No questions asked, remember?”

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