MTLNOVEL Chapter 153: You Can't Stop
Ailiando was of course aware of what he was doing. And just as clearly, he knew what it meant.
It meant that he, as the Elf King, was handing over royal authority and territory, effectively splitting them apart, for the first time since his ancestors had led their people into Elariya nearly ten thousand years ago.
It meant that he was very likely pushing the entire High Elven Kingdom into the Abyss named 'Struggle for Royal Power' again in the years to come.
Such a dangerous precedent was being set.
Once a conflict broke out, it would no longer be a so-called internal contradiction.
It would be an all-out, thorough war!
Any High Elf who had read even a little history knew that their ancestors had left Toriel, the main material plane, because they were weary of the seemingly endless Crown Wars.
From the outbreak of the first Crown War, when the Aireivanda Empire attacked the Maileyelita Kingdom, to the end of the fifth Crown War, when their ancestors left their homes behind.
The wars between Elf Kings had lasted for three full millennia.
It was a grudge that spanned four Elven generations.
But what of that?
"I've had enough," the aged king on the throne answered in response to the hysterical questioning of the Duke of Silver.
Suddenly, the previously clamorous throne room fell silent, as the lords and Nobles collectively hushed, looking once more in disbelief at the Elf King who had sat on the gold throne for hundreds of years and now seemed somehow alien.
In the minds of all High Elves, the Elf King who had ascended to the throne in his middle years as the firstborn son of the king, might not be considered wise and valiant enough to be admired by all, but he was still seen as a benevolent and virtuous ruler who sought to improve and govern well—a king who was at least qualified in every aspect.
At least, that was the impression King Ailiando had given to all Elves before the great explosion of Spider Nest City.
But since then, the king, approaching six hundred years old, had gradually started to become somewhat radical and impatient, until this very moment.
Ailiando suddenly tore off the mask he had worn for most of his life and made his stance clear to his subordinates and to the Nobles.
"What?" Mirillian looked at the Elf King in bewilderment, still seemingly in disbelief about the words she heard.
"I said, I've had enough," King Ailiando repeated.
He then slowly rose from his throne.
Due to entering old age among Elves, even as a legend, he could not withstand the erosion of time. His temples were somewhat frosted with white, and his body was no longer as robust and upright as in days past, even looking somewhat frail.
However, as King Ailiando's gaze swept across all the Elves present in the Royal Court, everyone felt an inexplicable fear due to the sudden change and the transformation of the king, and they fell silent as though frozen by fear.
King Ailiando's gaze once again fell upon Duke of Silver Mirillian:
"Mirillian, I vaguely remember, when you were a child, I held you in my arms, didn't I?"
"...Yes, Uncle King Ailiando, I remember that as well," Mirillian also sensed that something was amiss with Ailiando and tried to stabilize the king's emotions.
A reigning Elf King, especially one who still had the people's support and held real power, could be terrifying once he lost control.
But King Ailiando didn't think so, as he paced in front of the throne under the watchful eyes of the Nobles:
"Look at you now, you've grown up and have inherited the title of Duke of Silver, guarding a territory, earning the hearts of Saeolus' people."
With every step he took, his originally slightly bent spine straightened a bit more, and the vitality of yesteryears seemed to slowly return to his body, which had become as dry and withered as dead wood.
At this point, his steps suddenly halted, and he turned his head to look down at the Duke of Silver, slowly revealing a smile and saying:
"Even now, more than half of the Nobles in the Royal Court act according to your wishes.
"To the extent that... now you can point fingers and make demands of me, your former Uncle King Ailiando.
"Bossing me around, making demands."
Mirillian's expression changed dramatically. Pained and conflicted, she tried to explain to the King, who also seemed to have been suppressing some kind of pain, even saying in a mournful voice:
"But everything I have done is for the sake of our Elven Kingdom of Dewensen."
Ailiando looked up, took a deep breath, and then sighed:
"Yes, it's all for the sake of our Elven Kingdom of Dewensen.
"Each and every one of you, for the sake of Dewensen.
"What a wonderful reason, for the sake of Dewensen."
As he said this, Ailiando suddenly laughed out loud, but that laugh was devoid of any warmth. He looked again at the officials of the Royal Court:
"So, for the sake of Dewensen, for the territories of the kingdom to become more prosperous and powerful, you can use the disaster as an excuse to repeatedly request the opening of the granary and the lowering of territorial taxes.
"But I'm afraid only the gods know how much grain really reached the hands of the disaster-stricken commoners.
"And how much of the reduced taxes were actually spent on disaster relief?"
The Nobles who had lined their own pockets all averted their gazes.
"For Dewensen, I must, like my father before me,
"be a king who is enlightened in domestic affairs, employs capable individuals, upholds the system, and consults the Elder Council in all things, without impulsiveness or overstepping my bounds.
"But what about now? A thousand years have passed, and the national strength of the Elven Kingdom has grown many times over compared to the past.
"Yet the borders remain as they were in the past.
"The state treasury is as empty as it was in the past.
"The attitude towards the Drow remains as it was in the past.
"I had thought that the explosion of Spider Nest City and the Well of Miracles opening directly to the Gloomy Region, with the Drow 'without a leader,' would lead the esteemed elders present here to cherish this golden opportunity, to deliver a heavy blow to those Drow and secure a hundred years of peace for Dewensen.
"But what happened? You deemed the Drow to no longer pose the threat they once did, and you asked me to disband the navy!
"How utterly absurd and laughable!
"But I also did it 'for the sake of Dewensen,' to avoid further escalating the situation within the navy, and I agreed to your resolution and disbanded the navy."
At this, those 'elders' also slightly bowed their heads, speechless.
The Elf King's gaze had made a full circle and now landed back on Mirillian:
"Duke of the Silver Wheel, surely you haven't truly forgotten how the seventh fleet of Dewensen was annihilated?
"How the calamities across the entire territory of the Elven Kingdom were caused?
"Can you, in front of all the Nobles present here, tell me once more that everything you did was...
"For the sake of Dewensen?"
"I..." For a moment, Mirillian opened her mouth, unable to find the words to speak, and ultimately, she couldn't speak.
That's how things in this world sometimes are; people only see what you've achieved, not what you've done.
Her original intention could not resolve the current chaos.
The collective silence of the Nobles of the Royal Court, and the silence of Mirillian, only served to completely enrage Elf King Ailiando:
"Answer me, for I am listening.
"Answer me! Have you all been struck mute by Drow poison that you cannot speak?
"Tell me, everything you have done was for Dewensen! For the prosperity and survival of the Elven Kingdom!"
Yet, after his intense anger, Ailiando's voice slowly died down:
"And not for your own greed.
"Answer me that, and I can pretend today's absurdity never happened.
"Continue being your string-pulling...
"Puppet King."
No one answered, nor did anyone dare to be the one to speak up at this time.
Ailiando let out a light laugh, and finally, filled with disappointment, said:
"Since you cannot answer me, this, then, is my answer to you.
"Duke of Silver, no, King Saeolus, accept your decree.
"The mess you have made, you shall resolve as an Elf King, by yourself.
"From now on, the two of us kings will rule separately across the river.
"Do not come to trouble me again.
"And I will bring Dewensen back to the correct path it should be on."
Having said this, King Ailiando, who had always been proper but now 'went mad' publicly for the first time, slumped back onto his throne, silently watching Mirillian, without a word.
THUMP.
The Duke of Silver, Mirillian, knelt on one knee amidst the side-eyed looks of the Elves:
"Your Majesty Ailiando, please forgive me, I cannot accept this decree."
The king did not answer.
"I implore Your Majesty Ailiando to rescind the order.
"And to refrain from such dangerous jests in the future."
The king remained silent.
Mirillian then emotionlessly removed her Silver Wheel crown, placed it on the floor before her, and pleaded again:
"Your Majesty Ailiando, please pass this Silver Wheel crown to my daughter, Elizabeth."
As the Nobles of the Elf King's palace wondered about the Duke of Silver's intentions, they heard Mirillian's voice, which sounded more despairing than anything:
"All that Your Majesty has said, I cannot dispute.
"All the disasters the Elven Kingdom is experiencing are my fault.
"If Your Majesty thinks everything that Dewensen is going through now can only be resolved by casting me out,
"Then I, Duke of Silver, Mirillian Elizabeth Scallia,
"Am willing to die for Your Majesty!"
With these unbelievable words, the legendary Duke of Silver did not hesitate to draw the ancestral Sword of the Governor sheathed at her waist and stab towards her heart.
Everything happened so quickly and unexpectedly that none of the Elves reacted as the legendary Duke of Silver attempted suicide.
Just as the surrounding Elves cried out, rushing to intervene,
And as King Ailiando leaned slightly forward on the throne, his eyes revealing a painful and conflicted hope,
BOOM!
The doors of the king's side hall were suddenly burst open as if by some colossal force.
The broken gilded door pillars crashed directly onto the resolute face of the Duke of Silver, Mirillian.
The legendary figure hesitated for a moment.
Instinctively looking towards the direction of the 'attack', she was then shocked to see four Silver Dragons, almost piled on top of one another, rolling towards her in a 'Silver Dragon ball'.
"Ah?" Mirillian had the same dumbfounded expression that Attilicia had when she first saw her daughter, completely startled.
The next second, one of Dewensen's legends, the Duke of Silver, was run over by four Silver Dragons at once.
CRACK.
The Elven Royal Court was momentarily stunned and silent, and then various voices erupted simultaneously:
"Quick! Take the sword from the Duke's hand!"
"Protect King Ailiando!"
"The Duke has been gravely injured and has fainted!"
"Quick! Priest! Priest! Save the Elf!"
Only the king on the throne stared deathly at David and the Silver Dragons that had suddenly burst into the room.
David, who was beneath the second-to-last Dragon, had the distinct feeling that he had somehow become the target of someone's resentment.
He immediately cried foul, trying to shift the blame:
"I told you not to come here!
"The floors in this broken place are slippery!
"You can't brake!"
"I..." Tania was completely dumbfounded. She had already stopped just before the door, but her brother had fiercely dragged them all inside.
Upon sensing the anomaly in the hall, Tania understood her brother's intentions. She stayed quiet, bearing the enormous blame, and felt somewhat aggrieved beneath the focused gaze of all the Elves.
Sigh, another day spent performing alongside her brother.
Without her, Tania, this family was bound to fall apart someday.
On the other side, Attilicia, likewise involved by her son, was concerned for the safety of her best friend:
"Move your leg! You're crushing Mirillian beneath you!"
Whilst David merely gestured subtly to his sister, to his father, he fully expressed his frustration:
"How is this my fault? Get your butt off my head!"
Wrath