Chapter 108: Agreement
"Didn’t we agree that the Elves on the Continent of Origin would remain neutral?!"
In the face of that question, the golden-haired woman looked away and shrugged.
"What does that have to do with me? It’s not my fault.
All I did was awaken the Tree of Life’s bloodline, but you immediately sealed it. I didn’t stop you because I was the one who had broken the agreement first.
As for that girl, her bloodline awakened naturally. You were afraid that her bloodline would break the seal you had placed on the Elves of the Continent of Origin, so you strengthened the seal on her.
I didn’t stop you that time either, because you paid an appropriate price and neither killed her nor strengthened the seal excessively.
As for that boy..."
At that point, the golden-haired woman’s expression turned serious as she looked toward Rios, who was thousands of kilometers away, as though she were looking directly at him.
"I didn’t awaken his bloodline.
He awakened it himself.
But it’s obvious that someone reached him before either of us and has been supporting him from the shadows.
And it seems... you know exactly who that person is."
The golden-haired woman shot the black phantom a reproachful look, as though blaming it for everything.
The moment the third party was mentioned, the black phantom narrowed its eyes while staring at Rios.
"That technique... Abyss Tomb!
He’s most likely that entity’s puppet.
It granted him permission to enter The Eternal Night Heaven, even though that boy is still on such a remote planet.
That will severely disrupt the balance of this game.
I won’t allow him to take your side.
And you won’t allow him to take mine either.
So for the sake of both of us...
The best solution is to eliminate him."
The black phantom spoke in a grave tone, making no attempt whatsoever to conceal its killing intent.
"Wait! Wait!
I won’t allow you to kill him like that.
With abilities like his, he’ll increase this continent’s rate of development hundreds of times over.
It may even surpass all the other continents within just a few years."
The golden-haired woman was startled by the black phantom’s decision and immediately objected.
"How about this?
Let’s keep the Elves exactly as they are—neutral.
Including that boy.
He won’t take my side, and he won’t take yours.
Just let him continue developing this continent further.
That way, our allies will benefit from it as well."
Hearing the proposal, the black phantom sneered.
"That would have been an excellent solution if he had chosen the same peaceful path as the Tree of Cradle before him.
But it’s obvious he has a mission.
Judging by his recent actions, he has no intention of standing still and merely watching the world around him.
His eyes are filled with greed.
It seems he wants far more than merely ruling the City of Light."
Then a hideous mouth appeared on the phantom’s face, forming an ugly smile.
"And since that entity insists on interfering with my little game through its puppet...
Then let me see whether it can survive until the very end."
The phantom turned and was about to leave, but the golden-haired woman’s voice stopped it as she spoke in a dangerous tone filled with killing intent directed at the black phantom.
"Wait!
I already told you...
I won’t allow you to kill him or do anything to him like you did to those before him.
The Elves of the Continent of Origin will remain neutral and choose neither side.
Neither mine...
Nor yours.
Other than that...
Don’t blame me if I start taking the rest of our agreements into consideration."
Faced with the golden-haired woman’s threat, the black phantom’s ugly smile disappeared, replaced by a mocking grin.
"As if you never violate our agreements every now and then."
The ugly smile returned to the black phantom’s face as it glanced sideways at the golden-haired woman.
"And who said I’d make a move personally?
I don’t think that would violate any agreement...
Would it?"
The phantom’s mouth disappeared once again, and its gaze turned murderous.
"And there’s no longer any need to preserve our old agreement.
The Elves of the Continent of Origin won’t remain neutral from this day onward...
Because they are no longer needed."
The instant it finished speaking, the black phantom vanished without waiting for the golden-haired woman’s reply.
"Don’t tell me...
You’re finally going to use them!
I have to stop that somehow!"
The golden-haired woman stood there in shock, murmuring a few words to herself before she too finally disappeared.
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Back at the Royal Palace
A full day had passed since the Awakening Ceremony began.
The final group had finished only a few hours earlier.
At that moment, Rios sat upon his throne with Elena beside him.
One level below them sat Thandria and Etham in their respective seats.
Directly before the throne stood roughly three hundred Elves.
Most of them had yet to reach the age of twenty, while a smaller portion had already passed twenty.
As for those over thirty...
There were barely any.
Out of the three hundred...
Only seven.
The older a person becomes, the harder it is to awaken their power.
Rios muttered inwardly as he examined the people whose bloodlines had reached Legendary grade or above.
Out of one hundred thousand people...
Only forty thousand had awakened.
An awakening rate of forty percent.
That percentage would have been much higher if they had all been children or youths under the age of twenty.
It would have reached sixty percent.
However, because a large portion of the crowd consisted of people in their twenties, thirties, and even forties...
The overall awakening rate had dropped significantly.
Had the Elves’ bloodline not originally descended from the Tree of Cradle, an Immortal-grade bloodline...
The rate would never have reached such a high number.
At the side of the throne hall...
The seats that had originally been reserved for the nobles were now occupied by the families of every person who had awakened a Legendary-grade bloodline or higher.
Most of those families...
As well as most of those who had awakened Legendary-grade bloodlines...
Belonged to the common people.
Yet today...
They sat upon seats they had never even dreamed of occupying.
Out of consideration for their feelings, Elena had used the kingdom’s treasury under Rios’s orders to purchase the finest clothes and perfumes for them, preparing them as well as possible to attend the throne hall.
Many of them even looked more fitting for the throne hall than quite a few of the nobles themselves.