Chapter 312: Betrayal

"This is not good..."

Elysia’s voice rang inside the Temple of Life.

Her usually elegant voice was now tinged with endless worry, fear, and even a hint of desperation.

"Edenelia’s forces are all fully deployed, but the settlements are just far too scattered. Evacuation efforts had been accelerated, but at the current rate of the demonic worshipper’s invasion..."

Elysia’s brows knitted into a tight frown.

Through the Eternal Orb, she could sense what was happening throughout the occupied territories of Edenelia in the Forest of Eternity.

Every settlement possessed a branch of the Temple of Life, each staffed by shrine maidens and sages responsible for spreading the Word of Life, healing the sick, and serving as the temple’s combat force when necessary.

At first glance, this structure might seem less organized than the Grand Cathedral of Light’s highly centralized hierarchy, which featured detailed positions such as the Pope, Executors, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Priestesses, and Holy Knights.

However, one must remember that both the faith and the crown of Edenelia ultimately served a single figure.

Coupled with the elves’ great racial pride, patriotism, and sense of unity, the Temple of Life’s influence and power were by no means inferior to those of the Grand Cathedral of Light.

Still, the overwhelming number of enemies made Elysia have doubts.

"The demonic worshippers mainly consisted of demonized elves... but where could they have possibly recruited that much— Wait!"

A grave expression appeared on the queen’s face as she seemed to have realized something.

"The Sanctuary of Life and Death... but how!?"

Elysia, as the Queen of Edenelia, possessed exceptional intelligence that had been honed through the many years she had spent on the throne.

Coupled with the fact that she knew the ins and outs of everything within the Kingdom of Edenelia, it did not take long for her to think of some hypotheses.

The Sanctuary of Life and Death is the final resting place of the elves who had returned to the embrace of the Mother Tree— in other words, it was a grave.

Despite the elves’ long life, which was only inferior to that of dragons, they would still ultimately die at the end of their lifespans.

Furthermore, the population of pure-blooded elves had long been limited, only seeing gradual growth in recent years through marriage alliances with humans and the rise in the half-elven population.

Given those circumstances, there was no other reasonable explanation for how the enemy had managed to gather such an enormous number of elves to demonize.

"But... the Sanctuary of Life and Death is personally protected by the Mother Tree..."

Thinking this, a painful thought started to creep up in her mind.

"..."

After a moment of deliberation, Elysia turned around and went to the altar at the center of the temple, leaving the Eternal Orb behind.

She took a deep breath and knelt slowly, her expression oozing with faith.

As Elysia clasped her hands and lowered her head in devotion, her soft voice gradually echoed throughout the empty temple.

"I humbly call upon the exalted name of the World Tree;

The Root of All Beginnings that Predates Fate Itself;

The Mother of Elves;

The Holy Constellation of Life that Nurtures All Creation."

With every word, the power of faith around the pontifex becomes stronger.

As the last word left her lips, Elysia’s lashes quivered slightly.

Empty.

Despite the powerful faith she was emitting, she did not sense any connection.

Unwilling to give up, Elysia began the honorific invocation once again.

"I humbly call upon the exalted name of the World Tree;

The Root of All Beginnings that Predates Fate Itself;

The Mother of Elves;

The Holy Constellation of Life that Nurtures All Creation;

Mother Tree, Yggdrasilia."

This time, after a slight pause, she added three words in the honorific invocation, mentioning the true name of the Elven Goddess of Life herself.

Elysia’s power of faith this time was at an all-time high

Still, there was nothing.

At this juncture, she finally realized something in her heart.

"Mother Yggdrasilia..."

Despite this, Elysia kept whispering, refusing to open her eyes.

Tap— Tap— Tap—

Footsteps sounded as two figures entered the Temple of Life with respectful expressions on their faces.

They were none other than Elwood and Sylvanna, the heads of two ancient families that had the closest ties to the Royal Family.

Elwood was the Head of Rosalith, whereas Sylvanna was the Head of Naralith.

"Your Holiness."

Elwood and Sylvanna said as they lowered their heads respectfully at the same time.

Elysia slowly opened her eyes, though she still maintained her position as though she was praying devoutly, "Do you have important matters to report?"

"Yes, Your Holiness."

Elwood paused for a moment, "The shrine maidens and sages tasked with studying the demonized elves and finding a reliable method to distinguish them from normal elves have achieved a breakthrough."

"Oh?" Elysia’s voice had a tinge of relief and satisfaction at the good news.

Sylvanna chimed in, "Yes, Your Holiness. They have requested that you visit in person. Not only do they wish to present their findings directly to you, but they also hope you will witness the fruits of their efforts firsthand."

"Very well," Elysia responded as she slowly rose to her feet.

Elwood immediately made a respectful gesture and said with a bow, "After you, Your Holiness."

Sylvanna also followed suit.

Looking at her two childhood friends, a complicated gaze flashed in Elysia’s eyes.

However, it was only a flicker as she nodded elegantly towards them with a smile.

The three of them soon made their way out of the Temple of Life in silence.

’They’re... really gone.’

Elysia’s eyes dimmed as her foot stepped out of the Temple of Life’s entrance.

The moment her figure passed through the door of the temple, a sword pierced through her heart, while an arrow pierced through her throat.

Behind her, a bow had already appeared in Elwood’s hand, while Sylvanna looked at her coldly.

Nothing was different from their earlier state to show any signs of their sudden actions...

...aside from the glowing crimsons that had replaced their emerald green eyes.