Chapter 734: A Human Has A Dryad

Chapter 734: A Human Has A Dryad

"He has a Dryad tame!"

"A human has a Dryad tame!"

The elves exclaimed after seeing Niri through the screen.

"And look! It doesn’t seem to be forced and kept—she’s calling him papa!"

It would have been different if Niri seemed to be kept forcefully beside Leo because of the taming contract, because at that time, many elves would have openly rebelled and protested for Niri to be handed over to them.

Especially considering that Niri had attained a perfect humanoid form, meaning her bloodline was Noble at the very least. And with that, she was virtually a deity they worshipped.

And even if she didn’t have a humanoid form, just being a Dryad was enough. Because they were the special caretakers of the World Tree, often personally birthed by the tree.

Though some exceptions existed in the wild, and Dryads could also take birth because Nature’s energy allowed it, it was undeniable that Niri was a holy being to the elves.

There was no way powerful elves wouldn’t try to get their hands on Niri. Both for their duty and to garner support from the common people.

But the way Niri addressed Leo and Lily didn’t suggest that she was forced in any way.

This naturally elevated Leo’s image in the elves’ eyes, but of course, not everybody was satisfied.

In the Emperor’s chamber...

Louis suddenly recalled something and ran a scan over Kaelion’s body.

"His body... isn’t as affected as it should be," he muttered and immediately contacted somebody.

"Kat."

On the other side, Katherine, who was enjoying watching the scenes on the screen, jumped.

"Brother? You?" she said, her tone suggesting she wasn’t particularly pleased that he had contacted her.

"Yes, me. Did you give me all the information about Leo, Lily, and Kaelion?"

Louis was already used to Katherine’s tone, so he wasn’t bothered.

"Yes?"

"Anything about soul treasures that you might have missed?"

Katherine clicked her tongue. Louis always contacted her whenever he needed something.

"Leo seemed to have some kind of soul treasure that looked like a petal from a flower, but I think he might have already consumed it all."

Louis simply cut the call after that, making Katherine click her tongue once again.

He directly relayed the information to Cyrandel.

"As expected, but since the treasure is consumed, I suppose the Dryad’s high potential has already been capped. The kid missed a great opportunity. Generally, naturally born Dryads from high-ranked natural treasures can regrow, but I guess it’s a lost cause now."

Louis nodded.

"Can’t help it. Even I would have consumed it the moment I acquired it."

But internally, both Louis and Cyrandel had their minds running.

Then why would he give the limited and invaluable treasure to Kaelion? Louis thought.

Then why would the Dryad still be at Royal Bloodline if I sensed things correctly? Cyrandel thought. Though she was already hoping the treasure survived, because that was very important.

Both seemed to be using their own logic to reach the same conclusion: Leo might still have the treasure on him, hidden somewhere.

Aurex could only look between them, not understanding what was so special about this puny little half-spirit with the wood element that he could simply burn away with a single breath.

Inside the secret realm...

Right now, Leo and the others were riding Kaelion’s Skyreaver.

Kaelion himself had stayed back in the stronghold, and only the Skyreaver was there for them to cover the distance quickly.

Because the earlier they struck the elves, the easier it would be—as they were tired.

And since the boss beast wasn’t dead and they had only received points for successfully defending their territory, it meant they had given their all to defend it, another reason they would be completely spent.

The attacking team was Lily, Leo, Niri, Sylrael, Tavian, Aeila, Ronan, Cecil, and Thalvyr. Plus their summoned beasts.

As they neared the Stronghold, they noticed the extremely tall trees in the distance, as well as the burned and razed part of the forest where the boss fight must have taken place.

Seeing the tall trees, Niri jumped with joy.

"Papa! Let me show you what I can do with my new skill!" she said excitedly and jumped directly off the Skyreaver’s back while using her own [Sacred Physique] to float and get into position deep inside the forest

Leo sighed and jumped too. He couldn’t leave her alone when she only had the strength of a Low 4-star.

He chose to summon Shyra to protect Niri from the shadows and joined the group on the Skyreaver, who were already descending with Lily’s wind control.

Because of the tall trees, no flying attacks could be launched, so the Skyreaver was left in the sky.

Without further wait, everybody charged toward the stronghold beacon on foot.

Leo had already brought out Aeila’s 4-meter-tall metal skeletal golem; there was no better place to use it than here.

The elves were already restless after the announcement, not sure what to do when the Skyreaver was spotted.

"Lady Aerielle! What do we do?!" one of the elves asked in panic.

Aerielle was the leader and 1st-ranking student, and right now, she had a troubled expression.

Because half of their forces were already gone in the boss fight.

She gritted her teeth.

"We fight till the—!"

She jumped sideways when a vine suddenly generated from a tree and lashed at her.

"W-what?!" another elf shouted in panic when roots suddenly bound his legs.

In no time, everybody in the stronghold started to scramble because the very trees next to them had started to attack.

Some elves who were scouting from high up in the tree branches fell freely when the branches shook violently.

Some immediately summoned their beasts and skills to balance themselves, while those who couldn’t—Aerielle managed to slow their fall with wind.

"What is happening?!" she shouted in disbelief.

Unbeknownst to them, Niri was giggling happily in the distance as she used her skill [Forest Incarnation].

- Transforms the surrounding forest into an extension of the Dryad’s body. Every branch, root, vine, and tree responds as though it were a single living organism under its direct control.

Then, out of nowhere, Lily and the others attacked.

Lily didn’t give Aerielle a chance to counter or deal damage—Aerielle was surprisingly sitting at Peak 4-star—caught her by the hand and used wind to propel them both high into the sky.

Aerielle could only watch the turn of events in shock, not even understanding how she had suddenly ended up mid-air with how fast Lily had been.

As she flew up, she watched the two sides collide below and then looked at the person holding her hand.

"Y-you—Lily from Aurelius!" She recognized Lily and immediately summoned her Wind Wyrm.