Chapter 66: [66] Triumphant return

Two days later.

It had been six days since the hunting expedition led by the elven lord had set out. During that time, the wood elves had been rather solemn.

There was no telling what could happen in those forests, as death was an ever-present threat.

Worst of all, their fears only grew as the days went by. They were just one day away from the confluence that was to decide who the elven lord would be and yet, there were no signs of their return.

Murmurs began to spread through the village.

Some felt the monsters that had kidnapped the girls had also taken them, others were certain they had been eaten by monsters….

While some were still hopeful that they would return soon.

Just like the day the expedition group had set out, the elves had all gathered in front of the forest, anticipating their arrival.

All eleven chiefs were present, each one of them with their various factions in the village.

But in front of the crowd were two elders who stood side by side, Drakili, the notorious elder, and Lazarus, who had challenged Eliron to a duel.

Drakili had a smug smile on his face as he stared at the forest.

To him, it didn’t matter if they were dead or alive, it was a win-win situation either way.

If Eliron died, then he would be uncontested for the role of Elf Lord. And if he came back?

’Even better…’ he mused, a sly smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Instead of a smooth, unopposed win, Drakili would get the chance to utterly humiliate Eliron.

And there was nothing more satisfying than seeing a man grovel at his feet.

The young fool could catch a few monsters to look good, they could even come back without losing a member.

But there was no way in hell they were going to bring back the girls.

Even though it was an impossible task from the start, Drakili would use it as an opportunity to question his competence.

He would spread rumours about how he had let their daughters die just to preserve his own life, mixing lies up with the truth to create magic.

Drakili let out a breath.

By the end of it all, Eliron would be dejected, nothing more than a village clown.

’And then I’ll have his companion for myself…’

“At least try to stop yourself from drooling, your victory isn’t set in stone, old bat.” A voice came from beside him.

Drakili glared at Lazarus.

The chief had been neutral when he declared his interest in lordship, but after his loss against the young lord, he had begun openly expressing his support for him.

“Be realistic, I know your daughter is involved so you hope for the best, but the truth is that they are all probably dead in a ditch somewhere.”

“As elders, we have to be clear-minded.” Drakili mocked with a smile.

Lazarus stared at him for a long second before bursting out in laughter. “Artie, dead?”

He laughed some more, then smirked. “That vixen is too driven to die in a place like that.”

Drakili cocked a brow and looked away.

’Think what you want…’

Although Drakili would have loved to punish Eliron himself, he was sure he was already dead, or at least very close to death.

’I gave them all the information they needed to find him. If things go according to plan, then the witch would have gotten to him by now.’

There was no mercy for those who stood up to the high elves. Fighting them was a fool’s game, a boy’s dream born from inexperience.

Drakili had discovered this a long time ago.

The former elven lord had opposed some of their laws and now he was dead. It was the same story for countless other lords.

Because of this, the life expectancy for elven lords was very low.

The only way to survive was by siding with the greater power, that way, your interests were secure.

That was why Drakili was sure…

’I am the next elf lord.’

He had played all his cards right, and now, it was the only logical conclusi—

“They are back!” A voice screamed from the crowd.

“What?!” Drakili’s eyes widened when he saw the hunting party emerge from the forest.

Before he could even get a proper look, the elves rushed forwards to meet them, blocking out his vision.

“Our lord has returned!!”

“They are alive, they survived!”

They screamed out cheers as they raced towards them.

Meanwhile, Drakili’s gaze darkened, cold sweat falling down the side of his face.

’How is this possible? Did she alter the plan without telling me?’ He thought, confused as to what he was witnessing.

He bit the insides of his cheek and thought. ’It doesn’t matter, this only means I get to embarrass him. Yes, this is still a win for me—’

“It looks like your little prediction was a little off.” Lazarus said in a cheery voice, interrupting his thoughts.

“Not only did they survive… They brought back the girls too.”

The moment Drakili heard this, his heart dropped.

He shoved his way through the crowd to see for himself and paused when he saw them.

The expedition party did not look great. They were smeared in mud and had dead leaves in their hair and clothes.

A lot of them also looked terribly tired, but that was to be expected considering they were just returning from a near one-week expedition into the Heroics Forest.

The shocking part was that they were all alive, and just like Lazarus had said, the girls were all intact.

“Impossible…” he muttered absent-mindedly.

“Ah, Drakili, nice of you to welcome us!” Eliron smiled when he saw him. “With the way you ran towards me, I would have easily mistaken you for a fangirl.”

Drakili was livid.

Not only had Eliron survived, the people were showering him with countless praises on account of his overwhelming success.

’If I don’t do something now, then he’ll steal the hearts of the elves!’

Drakili locked his eyes on the party, his gaze darting from place to place just to find a single fault.

But there was none.

Everyone was alive, the girls had reunited with their families… even the horse and cart had made it—

Drakili paused and it was like a light bulb had been lit up inside his head. Then he smirked.

•••

— Lord Eliron, welcome back!

— Thank you for saving my daughter, I will be eternally grateful.

— Hahaha, I told them you won’t go down that easily.

All around Eliron, the cheer of the crowd could be heard. The elves, more than ecstatic, made it impossible to move the cart forward.

Yennefer smiled widely as she watched the village.

“Ahhh, I’m finally out of that forest! No more sleeping with bugs or hiding in caves!”

Beside her, Eliron shared her smile. It felt good to be home.

The village was just as he remembered it, and the people were still as warm as ever.

Spending so much time surrounded by trees and animals really made a man appreciate the little things.

“Welcome back, my lord.” A feminine voice came from below.

Eliron stared down at the carriage to see Terra bowing slightly. She seemed to have greeted Artie already before addressing him.

“Oh, Terra. How has your training been going?”

Before leaving, Eliron had given her some strength training exercises to practice so as not to be idle.

The woman smiled warmly. “They have been good, my lor—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Drakili shoved her to the side and stood in front of the carriage, a stupid smirk on his face as he watched him.

Artie, who was standing next to the carriage, glared at him and pulled her friend closer to herself.

Then, out of nowhere, Drakili raised an accusing finger at Eliron and shouted at the top of his voice.

“What is the meaning of this, young lord? Are you planning on wiping out the elves with your foolishness?!”

Eliron’s eyes narrowed. ’What is this guy on about now?’

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