Whispering Poems

Chapter 3856 The Coming-of-Age Ceremony

Although Shad was worried about being late, the three professional maids managed to keep track of the time perfectly. Tifa not only demonstrated to Winnie how quickly she could get Shad ready, but Tifa and Matilda even gave themselves time to wash up and apply lipstick again.

Of course, the sudden change in temperature can easily cause a cold. Although Shad was perfectly healthy, the thoughtful maids still told him that he could come back to them if he felt unwell later. However, that was a matter for later.

After confirming that there were no suspicious marks on himself, Shad hurriedly returned to the ceremony venue with Winnie, while the two maids smiled and said goodbye to Shad before returning to the Radiant Messenger through the portal.

Although I was only gone for twenty minutes, the entire venue had become completely different from before.

The snow was cleared away, revealing the ancient bricks and stones, which were then covered with a lush green carpet of grass; flowers and green branches entwined the silver fence, and tiny, thumb-sized semi-elemental summons—sprites—danced among the flowers.

Starlight twinkled overhead, and the air was filled with a unique scent that blended ice and warmth. The elven orchestra had begun their performance, and their music truly transformed into visible golden notes, one after another floating into the starry sky.

Most of the guests attending the ceremony had already changed their clothes and taken their seats. Those without seats gathered in twos and threes by the fence, chatting quietly.

The chosen elven maidens served as maids, guiding the guests or providing other assistance on this night before dawn; the elven guards, though no match for most of those seated, loyally stood in formation outside the fence awaiting the start of the ceremony.

Although Mr. Eldron, the only 13th-ring warlock of the Elven race from the Flower Whisperer clan, did not participate in tonight's final battle on the mountaintop, he played a significant role at the foot of the mountain.

The elf, who appeared to be a middle-aged man with blond hair and was currently the strongest of his race, was carefully casting a spell, causing two lush oak trees to grow on either side of the field.

He had to ensure that the tree canopy wouldn't block out the starry sky, and that the tree roots wouldn't permanently damage this ancient site, so he seemed quite serious when casting the spell.

Shad, who had rushed over with Winnie, immediately spotted the area where the witches had been assigned. They were at the very front of the right-hand seats—the right side was the women's seating area, and apart from the first two rows reserved for the thirteenth-ring sorceresses, the third and fourth rows were all reserved for the witches. And right in front of the witches were Daniste and Miss Asperger, the "Winter Singer."

Shad could easily spot the witches, since the illusions Adele used to conceal their faces were ineffective against him. The already stunning witches were now made up and dressed in gowns, each one a beautiful sight to behold.

Shad even discovered that the other thirteen-ring sorceresses, including Daniste, did not choose to speak to them, and neither did Sirius or Miss Elizabeth stand around them.

Shad initially thought something had happened, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the sorceresses were intentionally avoiding appearing with the witches to prevent themselves from becoming mere supporting characters.

"I am with the witch apprentices."

Winnie whispered to Shad, then left behind him. Shad, while greeting the people who were already seated, walked towards the witches, led by a blushing elf girl.

The young elf girl wore a beautiful flower wreath on her head. She seemed to want to say something to Shad, but after getting closer to the witches, she gave up on striking up a conversation with Shad and left them somewhat reluctantly.

To put it bluntly, even with your eyes closed, you can sense that "beauty" is concentrated in this area. The charm of the witches, which was deliberately concealed in the past, only seemed surprising. But when they made no attempt to hide themselves, they were the epitome of beauty.

Although witches are cursed, they gain power and beauty in return, which is actually quite fair.

Seeing that the ceremony was about to begin, Shad decided to say a few more words to the witches before heading towards the archway.

It was Adele who spoke first again. The tall witch had changed into a golden dress, and her hair, styled by a maid, was styled in a rather complicated way, making her look exceptionally noble and elegant.

"Your face is so handsome even when blurred by illusion. Summoner, it's really hard to imagine what your true face looks like."

The Great Witch of Time brought up this sensitive topic, completely disregarding the expressions of the other girls around her.

Xia De then laughed and said:
"Your beauty is beyond my imagination, or rather, all the ladies here are simply the embodiment of beauty."

To prevent her from bringing up topics that shouldn't be discussed, such as "So who do you think is the most beautiful?", Xia De asked again:
"The elves say they're holding a banquet tonight at their camp to celebrate the new king's coronation. Will you go?"

Adele felt a pang of regret and shook her head.

"I will be leaving the island after the capping ceremony, and I'm afraid I won't be able to attend the banquet tonight."

"We will represent His Excellency the Speaker."

Vanessa immediately smiled and spoke up. Adele glanced at her but didn't say anything more.

Soon all the guests were seated, and Shad stood on the right side of the archway as instructed by the old elves. Lord Eldron, the "Lord of the Valley," stood behind Shad, dressed in light elven armor and holding a purple cushion upon which rested the crown known as the "Elven Royal Crown."

In front of the archway, sixteen fully armored elven guards stood in rows on either side, stretching from the archway all the way to the edge of the cliff. While waiting for Emilia to appear, Shad sensed her presence and discovered that the women inside the armor were all pointy-eared elven girls; they would likely become Queen Emilia's personal guards.

The guests took their seats, and those without seats stood still, no longer talking. The other races all appeared in human form, except for the unicorns, who remained in their original forms, gathering at the back of the guest seating area, watching this scene with curiosity.

Because the ceremony was kept simple, after the ancient elven music began, the soon-to-be-crowned Emilia made her entrance directly among the unicorns at the end of the red carpet.

Emilia had also pondered what form she should take, and ultimately she chose the more mature and dignified form of a great elf.

The specially chosen outfit was a deep emerald green floor-length gown, the body of which was woven from elven silk blended with moonlight vine fibers. The outer layer of the skirt was covered with three layers of semi-transparent dark silver lace, each layer adorned with curling laurel vines and star patterns using the ancient silver thread embroidery technique of the elves.

However, Emilia's skirt did not drag on the ground when she walked, because eight pure elven maids stood on either side of her, supporting her skirt. These would be Emilia's future maids.

Emilia's silver-green gown featured a high-necked, fitted bodice, with a dark silver woven gold shawl draped over her shoulders and a wide corset woven from unicorn tail feathers at the waist.

Her long golden hair was not styled in much detail, but simply braided with three silver threads, wrapped around her head and tied into a low bun. Several silver hairpins were interspersed in her hair, with the heads of the hairpins carved with miniature versions of the Elf Throne pattern.

“It’s so beautiful~”

On the deck of the Radiant Messenger, Adelina, leaning on the railing and gazing in this direction, murmured with a mixture of excitement and envy. Lacia smiled and placed her hand on her younger sister's shoulder, gently reminding her:

"Don't you feel that the current scene is a bit strange?"

Lacia's voice sounded strange to the little princess, but Adelina, who knew her sister well, immediately realized she was angry, and very angry. Adelina's eyes swept again over the ancient and solemn ceremony site not far away:
"A red carpet, an archway, a festive and solemn band, guests seated on the left and right, hmm? Isn't this..."

She understood too.

On the red carpet, the great elf Emilia looked solemn and serious, with a faint silver glow surrounding her—the extraordinary force field inherent in her dress.

The luster of lace and gemstones, the elven mithril ornaments and the ancient style of the gown complement each other, making Emilia look more dignified than ever before.

The guests who came to witness the ceremony all stood up, and as Emilia approached the arch, the humanoid Ellie and Leona, who were standing on either side of the arch carrying small flower baskets, happily grabbed the flower petals from the baskets and scattered them into the air.

The seats were originally reserved for two underage elf girls, but Emilia just changed them to them at the last minute. Ellie and little Leona, dressed in white robes symbolizing purity, were having a great time. Scattering flower petals required no skill, so there was no need to worry about them making any mistakes.

The sky was already beginning to brighten, but the stars were still clearly visible in the night sky.

Queen Emilia smiled and nodded to the little unicorns. Under the watchful eyes of the most luxurious guests in the material world, she walked through the archway woven from flowers and leaves, and stepped out onto the red carpet to the sound of music, arriving at the edge of the cliff.

She also wore light makeup, with leaf and star earrings on her left and right ears, and her hands, clasped together in front of her, were covered with white lace gloves.

She smiled and nodded slightly to Shad, then stood to the left of the archway. Her smile, a blend of nobility and gentleness, solemnity and authority, even made Shad doubt whether the Emilia before him was truly Emilia.

It's her.

With the capping ceremony now complete, the most important step has been taken.

After the girls holding up Emilia's long skirts had taken their positions, Mr. Eldron presented the crown to Shad.

As Shad picked up the crown, the "Elders of the Elves," consisting of Sister Kisara and other old elves, appeared from the side. Some held scepters, others scrolls of documents, some carried longswords, and others held trays containing rings of authority.

(End of this chapter)