"Yaaawwwwwwnnnn!!!"
I had woken up close to noon, and that was only because of a knock I heard on my door.
"Y-yeah? Who is it?" I murmured, scratching my head as I looked forward the door.
"E-er, it's Ivan. A representative from the Queen has arrived, and we're all gathering in the parlor. The Prince told me to come to fetch you."
'Shoot!' My eyes bulged.
I had gotten so carried away last night that I lost track of time.
Thanks to that, I overslept. If I wasn't careful, this tardiness would reflect very badly on my image. Everything I had worked so hard for until... could be threatened!
"Tell them I'll be there soon."
"Okay, then." Ivan's tone suggested he wanted to say more but decided against it.
The boy finally went away, leaving a disheveled me seated on my bed.
'I better hurry!'
Brushing. Bathing. Dressing up.
These three processes took hours of perfection for some people, but... for a powerful Mage like myself, I only needed a minute.
Using Magic, I cleaned up myself pretty quickly, getting rid of even the smallest trace of dirt.
I summoned one of my potions and let it permeate my body.
It made me feel refreshed and gave me a captivating scent.
The potion was a perfumed product I made when I was less busy.
To be honest, I had various models and flavors. If I were to venture into the cosmetics and fragrance business, there was no doubt that I could ruin the livelihood of many honest workers.
Fortunately for them, Magic was my calling.
Brushing was effortless.
I simply removed the germs in my teeth and cast freshening Magic to completely cleanse my mouth.
My tongue received extra care, but ultimately, it was perfectly resolved.
I summoned an attire from my special space and wore it instantly—no effort expended.
Within a minute, I was completely done with the procedure and left my room in a hurry, ensuring I took one good look at myself before leaving.
Even my previously bushy hair had been straightened well thanks to my beautification Magic.
Such was the power of a previous Scholar. Since I had researched various types of Magic back then, it wasn't strange that I also knew a thing or two about making someone look good through Magic.
My theories and suggestions in that department made me quite popular among the ladies.
"Welp, let's see what the Queen has to say!"
**************************
The Elf Society ran a matriarchal system.
Women were generally more empowered than men, and they held more prestigious positions.
There were two reasons for this obvious divide in status and prestige among these two genders.
One was talent.
Female Elves were generally stronger than the males. They possessed a better affinity for Mana, and were more long-lived.
As such, they had more experience with the Arts and possessed more maturity to handle affairs far better than the males.
The second factor was childbirth.
Women determined the many things regarding their children during pregnancy.
Stuff like gender, appearance, and even the length of pregnancy was determined by the mother.
Using Magic so freely on their own bodies, they were able to make these changes that would usually be deemed impossible.
As a result, the importance of female Elves rose to an abnormal degree.
It was a matter long concluded—the Female Elves were superior to the Males.
That was why... instead of a King as the ruler, the Elves had a Queen.
"Greetings. I am Derius, the Queen's representative in this diplomatic affair. May the spirits bless our meeting." A man wearing a spectacle smiled at us.
He had whitish grey hair, and a twinkle of age was evident in his eyes.
Every member of our group was seated directly opposite this Elf, separated by a center table.
His expression was devoid of malice or skepticism. But, that didn't come as a surprise to me.
After all... I knew who this Elf was.
"Greetings. I am Fabian Lestrome Indiavel, Prince of the Eastern Kingdom, as well as the head of this diplomatic envoy."
After Fabian spoke, we all took turns introducing ourselves.
He nodded upon hearing our greetings. His eyes scoured each of us for a moment, and I knew exactly what he was up to.
Derius'' Original Magic: Absolute Insight.
He could completely see through his targets using this technique. It was like a more advanced version of the Elven ability to read people. However, this Elf's capabilities were on another level.
'Not only is he able to read thoughts, but he can also completely decipher just how powerful his targets are...'
The greatest merit of this ability was that once he had activated it on his target, he could easily use it anytime he wanted.
Absolute Insight was useful, not only for living things, but even items and objects.
It was the ultimate Appraisal Magic.
"I have personally come to deliver the Queen's message to you concerning your proposed Alliance." He spoke in a low tone.
Freya and Claudius must have filled her in on the matters we discussed, and our letter must have been delivered promptly as well.
While I wasn't certain who the current Elf Queen was, I had a good idea of what her response would be.
Royal Elves were different from the regular ones.
While they had the same stance against humans, they were more inclined to listen since they held positions of authority. Besides, since we had done a great service to the Elves—sentiments aside—we would at least be heard out.
"As a result of all that has happened, the Queen has decided to grant you an audience..."
Fabian and everyone else smiled in victory. Finally, after coming this far, we had almost achieved our goals.
If only they listened till the end.
"... However, only one of you will be allowed an audience with the Queen. She has asked me to select the most befitting of you all as your representative."
The expressions of everyone fell, but not to a despairing degree. This wasn't a complete failure, after all.
Fabian still had his smile on his face. He was the Prince, as well as the leader of our group.
The obvious choice would be him.
"Jared Leonard. You have been granted an audience with our Queen."
'Excellent! Just as expected.'
