Do you have a problem with necromancers?

Chapter 44 The Capital and the Homeland

The team bid farewell to the Dire Legion and then embarked on their journey again.

Instead of visiting the Malorne family, the group discreetly boarded a ship at the High Rock docks and began crossing the Long River.

Ellina stood on the boat, feeling the river breeze, when suddenly the events of yesterday came back to her mind.

In order to eliminate the legion commander, the tribunal did not hesitate to collude with the heretics, plunging the entire legion into a life-or-death crisis.

The legion commander had clearly guessed this, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to calmly and without surprise issue the order after Bersalia had defended against the tribunal's sneak attack.

Without our intervention, he would probably have ended up killing the tribunal by force, right? But that would have been a blatant internal power struggle within the legion, and it would have affected how the important figures in the imperial court viewed him.

We helped him lure out the heretics and then killed the traitorous tribunes, making the entire logical chain and causal relationship of the event complete. This allowed him to maintain his innocence in the matter and reap the most perfect victory.

After Raine saw through this and pointed it out, he decisively accepted the favor in exchange for us not revealing any information to outsiders. This way, he could decide the narrative for the Imperial Court entirely on his own...

Ellina sighed.

Whether in ancient or modern times, whether among elves or humans, infighting remains as ugly and ruthless as ever, leaving her with a nauseating feeling as if she had a fishbone stuck in her throat.

The more sordid adults become, the more they cherish a pure and kind girl like Dia.

The group crossed the long river and arrived at the riverside region.

Having wasted an extra day at the Nightshade Legion's encampment, Raine didn't linger there. He advanced at full speed during the day, camped near the Imperial Road at night, and soon crossed the Riverlands, reaching the northeastern border of the Southern Territory.

This place is only a day's journey from the capital, and the terrain is completely flat. The group can even see the shadow of the Tower of Babel on the horizon, a magnificent building left behind by the ancestral Elven Empire.

Ellina was born in the royal family atop the Tower of Babel and spent most of her life in the capital. Now, suddenly seeing that familiar, towering building, she felt a mix of homesickness and trepidation, and remained speechless for a long time.

Renn also felt a pang of nostalgia: Ah, the Southern Territory…

Anyone who has been to the four borders of the empire knows that this place is completely different from the border provinces of the empire.

The dense population, abundant resources, and thriving commerce spurred rapid cultural development. Over 70% of the elven artworks smuggled back to the mainland from the Gem Islands by the Faher family were purchased by nobles from the four realms.

The vast disparity in overall strength led to regional discrimination. The nobles of the capital city discriminated against the nobles of the four border regions, who in turn discriminated against the nobles of the border areas. Even in River Bend Province, the nobles of the Fahel family, whose residence was considered borderland, were among the most backward of the backward.

But, then again.

I have two elven companions! Do you have any?
The convoy began its journey towards the capital along the Imperial Avenue.

After entering the southern region, the frequency of caravans passing through increased at least tenfold, and completely empty roads were rarely seen.

The family knights relaxed. With so many caravans around, there was clearly no need to worry about attacks from bandits or monsters anymore.

After traveling from morning until evening, the group finally arrived at the gates of the capital.

The capital city, a megacity with a massive population, is a magnificent city unparalleled on this continent and even in the entire world.

The outer city wall was about 20 meters high and surrounded by canals and artificial lakes. Neither siege towers, ladders, nor battering rams could cross the water to approach the city wall.

Entry into the Imperial City required crossing five bridges. The Nerva Bridge was open only to nobles; the Trajan Bridge, with its triumphal arch, was used only by generals returning victorious from campaigns to lead their armies into the capital.

The remaining three bridges do not restrict passenger status, so they are extremely crowded during peak hours, with incidents even occurring where passengers and their vehicles have been pushed into the river. Renn, with his family entourage, submitted the Fahel family's application for entry into the city at the Nerva Bridge, and then crossed the bridge into the western district of the capital.

After dinner, the group settled into an inn called "Old Fisherman".

Late at night, Ellina put on a light coat and left the inn alone.

She found a bench in a nearby public garden, sat down, and felt the coolness and chill of the night breeze. Suddenly, she became lost in thought.

"Thinking about how to deal with me?" Renn's voice came from behind.

Ellina turned around, and a bottle of mead was pressed against her cheek.

It is warm.

"The innkeeper's wife brought the drink," Raine said casually. "The maid brought it to your room but found you weren't there."

"So you're doing the work of a maid," Ellina said calmly. "It suits you perfectly."

“I would rather be an ordinary human maid than a princess of a fallen elven kingdom.” Seeing her accept the mead, Raine rested his arm on a nearby tree trunk and said casually, “This is the municipal garden in the western district of the imperial capital. I heard that during the time of the ancestral elven empire, this was Duke Okron’s private garden.”

"When the capital was captured by an internal uprising of human slaves, his mansion was demolished until not a single brick remained. Later, Emperor Nerva converted it into a municipal garden, which was opened to all human citizens of the capital for free."

Ellina stared blankly at the stone path beneath her feet until Renn began drinking his mead, then she said softly:

“Duke Ocron…her daughter Mariana, and I have known each other since childhood and grown up together as best friends.”

“Ah—the Duke’s daughter,” Renn deliberately drew out, “worthy of the noble status of our royal princess.”

"Why did you become a necromancer?" Ellina asked, frowning. "You are clearly the son of a human marquis."

“The Marquis has too many sons,” Renn said sarcastically. “Anything becomes worthless when there’s too much of it. Besides, to the White Walkers, a nobleman is no different from a pig; they’re both edible meat.”

"Neither being an unfavored noble's son nor fighting against the White Walkers is a reason to become a necromancer," Ellina said coldly.

“Okay, actually it’s because I’m a pervert,” Renn said nonchalantly. “I enjoy the pleasure of toying with death and the joy of desecrating the dead. I like to forcibly resurrect you from the River Styx and then enjoy your expressions of despair, resentment, and helplessness. How about I resurrect your best friend Marianna too?”

Ellina stared straight into his eyes, unperturbed by Raine's sarcastic remarks.

After a long while, she finally stood up in the increasingly cold and biting night wind, shaking the dew off her shawl:

"I'm going back."

Renn watched her retreating figure and said coldly:
"Remember. If you want to return to that eternal slumber, you must help me deal with the White Walkers as soon as possible."

"You have no other choice."

Ellina did not turn around.

She simply pulled her clothes tighter, took another sip of warm mead, and silently walked back to the inn.

(End of this chapter)