"It's a lovely day, isn't it?"
The Queen was seated on her throne, surrounded by the Royal Elves.
This time, Lemi was also among the participants. Her gaze never shifted from me, making me slightly uncomfortable.
'Well, it's not had to recieve the attention of your daughter...'
Even though all my lifetimes combined still didn't quite measure up to her age.
In any case, all the Eastern Kingdom delegates—I included—were bowing before the Queen as she spoke.
"Please, rise. It's a joyful occasion, no?"
We all did as instructed upon hearing Aurora's voice. As expected, she sounded quite thrilled.
"Our devastated lands will be repaired, and our people will be restored to us. That was the promise, right, Jared Leonard?"
My allies all shot me a shocked look, most definitely caught by surprise that I said something so preposterous.
Serah Crimson's gaze was especially fierce. I gulped, feeling the intensity of multiple gazes on me.
"Of course, your Majesty. Everyone, it is indeed a happy day." I made sure to return the gazes I was receiving with my confident smile.
"You should all just sit back and enjoy the show."
Aurora nodded and her smile broadened. There no longer remained an ounce of hesitation in her eyes.
After seeing that I was a man of my word—with Lemi being living proof right there—she was more interested in how I would be performing the next task.
And she wasn't the only one too.
The Royal Elves were all looking expectant. As expected, they must have heard of how I solved Lemi's condition.
'Well, it's not all bad. Raising my prestige with every Race is also one of my goals...'
"Now then, shall we head out?"
*************************
The Elf Kingdom's Eastern Border—in the time I spent away from here, it still looked devastated.
Of course, this didn't surprise me, since I had Automatons constantly watching the area.
Their survey was to ensure they spotted enemy forces—if any showed up—and also to observe the Elves that remained there.
And so, with my return to the place, it was almost as though I never left.
"It's even worse than I imagined..." Aurora murmured, laying eyes on the devastating sight for the first time.
Not only did I teleport her with me, but also every member of the Royal Family, as well as my team members, came with me.
Apparently, they all wanted to see my Magic in action.
'Isn't it a bit reckless for every Royal to ditch the Capital?' My thoughts trailed as I smiled softly.
Well, it wasn't as though the Demons would suddenly launch an offensive there. Plus, my Automatons would alert me if that occurred, and I could instantly teleport back.
Ultimately, their presence wouldn't be missed.
"Jared, I'm expecting quite a show." Serah Crimson said, smiling sharply at me.
I still had no idea what Neron told her about me, but it seemed her expectations from ms were always soaring through the roof.
'Don't compare me to Neron!' I wanted to scream out, but I simply answered positively instead.
"I still can't believe you cured Lemi... just what can't you do?" It was Freya's turn to speak.
To be frank, I wanted to avoid her after realizing her feelings for me. But, as long as she remained an integral member of the Elf Society, encounters like this was unavoidable.
"I can't do many things..." A wry smile formed on my face.
Sure, I had accomplished many feats that would be deemed impossible. However, there were even greater heights that I wanted to reach.
Especially after knowing people like Neron and Serah existed, it was only fair that I kept striving for more.
Currently, we were all on the outskirts of the Border, away from the rubble and destruction.
Even the Elf General I met previously—Clara—welcomed us warmly.
All her soldiers stationed around gathered and bowed in the presence of Royalty.
Queen Aurora behaved in a manner befitting her status and soon explained what would be happening.
Many stared at me with disbelief, but it was hard to refute the Queen's words.
That was why their doubts also morphed into expectations.
All eyes were literally on me.
"I did a total survey of the area. The damage is extensive, covering over 80 percent of the city. Residential districts have turned to Ribble, production areas as well. Only the military base is still standing since it's located on the outskirts." Clara gave a detailed report, showing how she hadn't been slacking off during her time here.
"We've also double-checked the city's records and observed the area. While we were unable to see any corpses, it's estimated that at least three thousand Elves died here."
The Eastern Border had a population of a little over seven thousand.
The number Clara estimated was close to half of the total denizens. It was indeed a huge loss.
If not for Freya's control of the situation—and how they barricaded the Demon Beasts despite having no experience fighting them—many more casualties would have occurred.
Of course, I knew all of this. After all...
"Thanks for the report, Clara. I appreciate it."
Rising from the ground, I floated using Magic. My body levitated to the destroyed town. I watched the rubbles and vestiges of an Elf civilization.
It was a pitiful sight, but I wasn't moved.
'This was all expected...'
Both my allies—the Elves and Humans—had no idea about this, but... I already knew things would go down this route.
I had spotted the Demon Beasts before they invaded the Elf Kingdom.
At that point, I was able to decipher the strategy being used by Zenkiel.
But, I intentionally didn't stop them.
Rather, I summoned a good number of my Automatons to observe the situation and act accordingly.
Then, I made my way to the Eastern Kingdom.
Truth be told, the reason I also delayed in helping the Elves—spending time with friends and families rather than coming to their aid early—was for the actualization of this moment.
It may have seemed cruel, but it was the most effective route to achieving true loyalty among the Elves.
I simply used the enemy's assault as an opportunity, and it had finally come.
'All that's left now is to give everyone a good show.'
