Chapter 123: A Royal Welcome

Selene flopped down onto the snow, panting heavily as she relished the simple fact that she was still alive. She gazed at the now-pristine white valley in the distance, her face still pale with lingering fear.

“That scared me to death! I seriously thought we were going to be buried alive back there!”

Celeste sat down beside her, flicked her sharply on the forehead, and complained with a huff, “And who was it that was shouting her head off earlier? Going on about blowing up some giant leg?”

“Now look what you did. You pissed off the whole mountain.”

“How is that my fault?” Selene immediately shot back, clutching her head in defiance. “It was obviously your ‘firework’ at the end that was too loud! I thought the whole sky was going to come crashing down!”

“Indeed,” Su Wan chimed in with her usual calm. “The sheer volume of the blast, combined with the valley’s topography, made an avalanche an inevitability.”

Xia Lian nodded, still visibly shaken. Thinking about how close she had come to being swept away by the edge of the snow wave made her knees feel like jelly.

‘Alright, fine, I’ll take the L on this one,’ Celeste admitted to herself without a fuss.

After all, that world-ending spectacle had indeed been her masterpiece.

‘But man, this avalanche was basically a free XP piñata sent from the heavens!’

Looking at the system panel that now proudly displayed her new level—24—a grin threatened to split her face. This little trip to the Frost Trail, taking down a boss and then triggering a natural disaster, had sent her level shooting up like a rocket. It was just too damn satisfying.

If word got out that she’d gained more experience from setting off one firework than other professionals did from a month of grinding monsters, they’d probably have a complete meltdown on the spot.

“Everyone on your feet. This is no place to linger.”

Eldara’s cold voice cut through their chatter. She was already standing, her sharp gaze sweeping across the vast, white expanse, ever vigilant. Although the immediate danger had passed, this was still the territory of undead and trolls. There was no guarantee that stragglers weren’t lurking nearby.

The knights of the Silent Watch snapped back into formation, shielding the others in the center as they established a standard defensive perimeter.

Celeste and her three companions scrambled to their feet, brushing the snow from their clothes and gripping their weapons once more.

“Captain, where to next?” Celeste asked. “The Frost Trail is completely blocked off. The undead shouldn’t be able to get through for a while, right?”

Eldara nodded. “Mogras and his legion have been annihilated. This will set back the undead’s southern advance by months. Our primary objective has been achieved.”

Her gaze shifted toward the far side of the snowfield, in the direction of elven territory.

“We’ll leave this area first, find a safe place to rest, and then return to Silvermoon City.”

“Alright!” Hearing they were heading back, Selene immediately perked up. “Sis, I want a huge feast when we get back!”

“As long as we can find the right ingredients,” Celeste replied casually.

Hearing this, Su Wan and Xia Lian looked at them with curiosity. “Is Celeste’s cooking really that good?”

Just then, a sharp cry of warning came from the elven ranger on lookout duty.

“Wait! We have a situation up ahead!”

Everyone’s heart clenched. They all turned to look in the direction he was pointing.

On the distant horizon, a smudge of black against the pristine white was growing with unnerving speed. As the distance closed, the dots resolved into figures, then into a full-fledged army.

The sheer scale was staggering. They moved with a chilling discipline, a evident aura of lethality rolling off them in waves, even from a distance. Their uniform silver-white plate armor glinted under the sun, a river of steel flowing across the snow. Banners embroidered with the twin emblems of the Silver Moon and the Holy Tree snapped crisply in the wind, stark and proud against the icy blue sky.

“It’s… it’s our people!” an elf ranger shouted, his voice a mix of shock and relief.

Eldara’s brow, however, was furrowed in a tight line. Her eyes were fixed on a single, unique golden banner at the very head of the column.

That was the royal standard of the Queen’s Guard, a banner that flew only when the Elf Queen herself took the field.

Her Majesty the Queen?

Why would she come all the way out here in person?

Celeste, too, felt a sense of puzzlement as she took in the army’s formation.

‘Whoa, talk about overkill.’

‘Look at that gear, those banners… this has to be the elves’ elite of the elite.’

‘Did Eldara’s scout actually make it? But the timing is all wrong. There’s no way they could run to Silvermoon City, muster an army this size, and march back in less than a day.’

While she was lost in thought, the army’s vanguard reached them. A leading elven general, a powerful figure clad in heavy silver armor, dismounted. He strode forward to stand before Eldara, then dropped to one knee in a standard military salute.

“Captain Eldara! My apologies for the delay, ma’am!”

Eldara helped him to his feet, her voice laced with a grave seriousness. “Commander Baroque, what is the meaning of this? Where is Her Majesty?”

“Her Majesty the Queen is with the main force behind us!” Baroque pointed back toward the army and explained, “We received your transmission, but that is not the sole reason for our presence.”

“What do you mean?” Eldara asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.

“Spatial fluctuations,” Baroque answered grimly. “Half a day ago, the Royal Mage Corps detected a severe and anomalous spatial disturbance originating from the northern territories. Her Majesty was concerned the undead were conducting some manner of vile ritual, so she immediately assembled the Royal Guard to investigate in person.”

“Spatial fluctuations?”

Hearing those words, a jolt went through Celeste. She instantly remembered the Elf Queen’s warning: the appearance of a Domain Core, the catalyst for world fusion, would be heralded by just such a phenomenon.

While she was processing this, the elven army had fully closed in. Like the parting of the Red Sea, the ranks opened to clear a wide passage down the middle.

A magnificent carriage, drawn by six pristine white unicorns whose horns shimmered with an inner light, emerged from the ranks. The carriage itself was a work of art, fashioned from precious Moonlight Wood and etched with complex, elegant runes that pulsed with a soft, silvery luminescence.

The carriage curtain was drawn aside by a fair, slender, jade-like hand.

A face of such peerless beauty it seemed to steal the very breath from one’s lungs was revealed to all.

It was none other than the Elf Queen, Elaniel.

Today, she had traded her opulent court gowns for a suit of form-fitting silver scale mail. The mail clung to her stunningly mature and voluptuous figure, tracing curves that could make a man forget his own name. It stripped away some of her regal majesty, replacing it with a sharp, heroic allure.

Her gaze swept across the scene, finally settling on the valley that had been completely buried by the avalanche. Even in her ancient, wise eyes, a flicker of genuine shock registered.

“Eldara.”

She stepped down from the carriage, her voice gentle and melodic, as if it could soothe the biting wind of the snowfield.

“It would seem you’ve experienced quite a spectacular battle.”

“Your Majesty!”

Eldara immediately stepped forward and knelt solemnly on one knee. All the elves behind her, including the knights of the Silent Watch, knelt as one, a silent, synchronized motion.

“Greetings, Your Majesty the Queen!”

Celeste and her companions exchanged a quick glance before bowing slightly to show their respect.

“Rise, all of you.”

Elaniel’s gaze moved from Eldara, passed over the others, and landed precisely and squarely on Celeste.

The corners of her lips curled into a knowing half-smile.

“Young Miss Priest, we meet again.”

Her voice was laced with a faint, unmistakable amusement.

“And it seems I have, once again, missed an even more… ‘spectacular’ performance from you.”

The corner of Celeste’s mouth twitched into a smile that was equal parts awkward and polite.

‘How was I supposed to answer that? It wasn’t like I could just admit I’d gotten a little carried away and accidentally blew up a mountain, right?’

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]