"You have convinced me as to the origins of your unconventional wisdom, as well as your knowledge of our proper etiquette," Aurora spoke, staring at me with sparked interest.
"If you don't mind, would you be willing to show me the memoir you mentioned?"
"Oh? Is the Queen also interested in our Great Sage, Lewis Griffith?" I smiled, feigning innocence.
"Well... something like that." She responded with a strained smile.
'Yeah, right! You never really liked me.' I remained smiling.
"Then, I will ensure to bring it the next time I pay you a visit, hopefully as allies already. Hahaha."
"Hahaha. We shall see, won't we?" Aurora replied with a strained laugh.
'Should I tease her a little more?'
"There was mention of you in the Memoir, your Majesty. It seemed Lewis Griffith knew you well when he was still alive. Were you perchance close?"
I could see veins appearing on her head.
"Well, you could say that..." She seemed to be struggling to keep her lips in position.
"Ahh, that explains it then. Because he mentioned how he once saw you in—"
"That's enough! Please, just show me the Memoir later." Aurora finally cracked.
Her teeth were displayed, and an anxious look was obvious.
I instantly bowed, laughing internally.
Even though she hated my guts, Aurora did confide in me about a few things. We were what you would call frienemies.
Plus, since I was her sister's lover, she was stuck with having me around.
That led to some 'embarrassing moments' between us...
"Then, shall we get back to the topic? About the Alliance, while it is true that we indeed owe you a great debt, we could simply return the favor by coming to your aid as well. That would settle the score, wouldn't it?"
That was true.
"An Alliance is already overstretching the matter. Do not get me wrong, I appreciate your efforts, but a one-time save could be repaid with another. That is fair, don't you agree?"
"Indeed, your Majesty."
She hadn't seen enough reason to ally the Elves with the Humans. No, perhaps Aurora already knew that it was the best course of action, but the weight of her position forced her to seek out a better deal.
Was she hoping for something more from my end? If that was the case, then...
"However, Queen Aurora, I still request an Alliance with the Elves. And the basis for this isn't the help we rendered for your people back then."
... I wasn't going to disappoint her expectations!
"Really?"
"Yes. Please consider that as a mere coincidence. The real deal is something I will personally be offering. And, allow me to say... it is an offer you can not refuse!"
My tone was not rude, but confident.
While I spotted a few Royals squint their eyes or squeeze their faces in disapproval, Aurora seemed intrigued instead.
"Then, please let me hear what you have to offer."
'Now we're talking!' I grinned internally, looking at Freya for a moment.
She was smiling broadly at me, also intrigued by what I was going to say.
'What could be so magnanimous that their achievements in the Eastern Border would only be considered a bonus?'
I'm sure they were all thinking this.
"If you choose to form an Alliance with us, Elf Queen, I will personally revive every single Elf who died in the attack of the Demon Beasts. Not only that, but I will also completely restore the Eastern Border to its previous state."
Silence.
Utter silence filled the hall.
"It will be as though the Demon Beast attack never occurred."
The Queen's composure was long forgotten. Her expression contained immense surprise, and the others beside and behind her couldn't believe my words.
"That is my offer, Queen Aurora Vindiel. Now, I ask you... do you accept?"
*************************
It was downright impossible.
No, even bringing such a subject to the realm of logic was nothing short of sheer madness.
Several thousand Elves died in the attack of the Demon Beasts.
An entire city was destroyed—turned into a wasteland—thanks to the Demon Beasts' onslaught and the Miasma they exuded.
It would take months to repair the damage and return the city to its former glory.
And, even though they would eventually be able to restore the Border, the same couldn't be said about the lives that had been taken.
Yet—
"... I will personally revive every single Elf who died in the attack of the Demon Beasts. Not only that, but I will also completely restore the Eastern Border to its previous state."
—A mere human was making such an empty promise.
It was laughable, completely ridiculous. But, why couldn't Aurora let the thought vanish from her heart?
"It will be as though the Demon Beast attack never occurred."
It was akin to fantasy. Such a promise had to be fake—a silly fairy tale.
Queen Aurora would have dismissed it as utter nonsense. However, the look on the young man's face told her that he was absolutely serious about his words.
Suddenly, Aurora remembered the words of her daughter.
She recalled how Freya told her of the unbelievable feats of this Jared Leonard—how he Mass Teleported a large number of people, and even easily dispersed the thick clouds of Miasma in the Eastern Border.
His abilities were beyond her expectations, and even the Heroes of the past would not have been able to replicate his feats so easily.
Aurora had to admit that Jared was indeed not ordinary.
But what he was talking about was an entirely different matter altogether.
Still... even though the Queen's logic told her not to believe the words of the young human before her... somehow, Aurora wanted to trust them.
"H-how will you do it?" She asked, narrowing her gaze on him.
Ever since he had arrived in the Royal Palace, Aurora wasn't able to read him. Her daughter, Freya, had said the same thing.
Even Derius had told her his Original Magic was ineffective on the boy.
There was no way she could discern if his words were true or not. However, Aurora wanted to have faith.
The hope that her dead subjects could be saved—that they could be given another chance at life.
If this human could offer such help, then... an Alliance was something she would easily accept!
"Your Majesty, that is a trade secret, you know?" Jared Leonard smiled in response to her question.
Even though his tone didn't control any reverence, she didn't mind at all. Her heart was beating fast in anticipation of his answer.
"But, since it's you, I don't mind revealing my means. It's simple..."
The boy's confidence soared, causing Aurora's heart to leap a bit.
Something about his mannerisms and impudent attitude reminded her of someone.
Someone who was long gone.
"... I'll use my Original Magic."
