Mage Legend

"Yes, Your Majesty." Nosta nodded, "But please return to the Holy Land quickly; it's too dangerous here."

"I understand," said Hernfurry. "Remember, no one is allowed to destroy this statue, understand?"

Although the Great Druid felt that this abrupt statue severely disrupted the harmony of the Holy Land, he nodded nonetheless, escorting the Queen back to the white forest.

The fish people, caught between the living elves and the dead, quickly fell apart—of course, they never really had the demeanor of an army. Their poison-coated weapons were ineffective against the ghosts, but the elves' arrows could easily pierce their unarmored bodies. When the fish people could no longer endure the pressure of war and chose to scatter, the great trees moved over to block these scaly creatures' retreat. The fish people would eventually pay the price for setting the forest aflame.

But this news didn't reach Lynch and Kuboert. Without a flight scroll, they could only walk slowly back on foot.

Kuboert kept urging Lynch to move faster, still uneasy about the attacks from the undead. However, Lynch walked slower and slower, seemingly unconcerned. He said, "The battle has gone this far, and it no longer concerns us."

Another night fell when an elven squad found the two of them. They were warming themselves around a campfire. Queen Hernfurry sent a team of elves to the Undead Tower to rescue Princess Yilinrui and find Lynch and the others near the Residual Star Swamp.

"Aha!" Kuboert said happily. "I'm so glad to see you! From the looks of it, the undead have been dealt with, haven't they?"

"Now there are no undead in Salantir, and those fish people should have been completely wiped out as well."

"That puts my mind at ease," said Kuboert. "It seems the Light God Pa..." He glanced at those around him, realizing it was futile to praise the greatness of the Light God among elves who believed in the Moon Goddess and a mage who didn't believe in any deity.

"What's the extent of the loss?" Lynch leaned by the fire, the warm yellow light casting his face into dark shadows against his black robe. "How many elves sacrificed this time?"

"Many." At this, the elven guards bowed their heads, tears welling in their eyes. "Every compatriot's life will be eternally remembered by us."

"Remembering life is not what's important; the lessons must never be forgotten." Lynch closed the spellbook in his hand and lay on the soft grass beside the ham, "With you here, I can rest peacefully."

With that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep like a baby.

After the battle, Heather was still very busy, with many wounded being sent here for treatment. Druids and priests used their respective methods to alleviate the patients' suffering, while bards began singing poignant songs to comfort the grief of those who lost their loved ones.

The Great Druid held freshly received statistics, the numbers on the clean scrolls representing the losses suffered in the war, like indelible bloodstains tainting all that was pure. The names of the elves who gave their lives weighed on Nosta's shoulders like a mountain. How to overcome this shadow, how not to let down those who sacrificed, and how to maintain the pride of the Elf Clan in the future—these questions continually plagued Nosta.

However, reward must first be given to those who made outstanding contributions. When the results were tallied, the most surprising was the great victory in the Residual Star Swamp. Two humans drowned over tens of thousands of undead with Erutalon's flood, far surpassing achievements on any other battlefield.

And that woman with Dark Elf lineage (Nosta now refrained from calling her a drow) brought information about the fish people's attack, preventing disaster. What reward should she be given?

Rubbing his tightly furrowed brow, Nosta felt somewhat weary. Although he knew elves' preferences and lifestyles, he couldn't grasp the mindset of creatures from beyond Salantir. "I should leave this matter to Her Majesty. But I must wait until Yilinrui is rescued to consult her."

When Lynch returned to Heather, he was warmly welcomed. Of course, the elves wouldn't roll out flower-strewn paths or flutter countless colorful flags to welcome their heroes like humans, nor would they, like dwarves, greet with hearty hugs and mountains of chilled strong ale. Upon seeing Lynch and Kuboert, every elf would pause their work, gaze at them with grateful eyes, and slowly nod in acknowledgment.

Pate's priest, wearing the Holy Emblem of the Light God on his chest, returned the gesture in the temple's way. And Lynch stopped as well, responding in the elven manner. Hence, their climb up the Holy Mountain was very slow.

Upon returning to Lynch's residence, elves came to invite them. Although Lynch could decline that evening's banquet, the ceremony at the Elf Temple the next day couldn't be canceled. The mage, under the pretext of needing to restore his magic, remained in his room, while Kuboert attended the elves' gathering. Pate's Main Priest was far more accustomed to such activities than the mage.

Lynch sat by Zilvra's bedside, looking at the newly awakened dark elf. Though her body was still somewhat weak, she was recovering rapidly with the help of Druid Medicines and Priest Divine Skills. She softly said, not wanting to wake the still sleeping little Soka, "It looks like the elves won, right?"

"It was 'we' who won," Lynch replied. "Though, I still haven't figured out how exactly we won. The undead suddenly turned and attacked the fish people, sending those slippery creatures into chaos."

Lynch's smile prompted a knowing smile from Zilvra too, though she covered it with a light cough. "Lynch, where should we go once everything here is over?"

"It's up to you," Lynch said. "I don't have a specific destination now."

"I want to see the sea," Zilvra said. "I've never seen the sea."

"There are many things you haven't seen, plenty for you to see at your leisure," Lynch replied. "Let's go to the seaside then."

Whether it was because of the conversation being a bit loud or just the innate sensitivity of her ears, Soka stretched comfortably and sat up abruptly.

"What time is it?" She looked around, then was surprised to see Lynch after so long.

"Mage brother!" Soka leaped towards him, but with too much force, the little angel landed on Zilvra. She hurriedly straightened Zilvra's blankets, apologizing earnestly.

"Soka, it's fine. Zilvra will be back to her lively self tomorrow." Lynch patted Soka's soft hair, saying, "Once things are settled here, we'll head to the seaside."

"Yes!" Soka nodded vigorously. "I'll shoot a few fish for you to eat then."