As a villain, I really don't want to be pursued by the heroine.

Roy, who was drinking tea, paused slightly.

The Forest of Ever Darkness?

I remember Red had said before that the Ever Dark Forest was in urgent need of manpower, so many adventurers from the Academy had been transferred there.

This is very unusual.

You know, in terms of the number of adventurers, the Emerald Council is second only to the Citadel.

There was no more convenient place to get information than the Adventurer's Guild, so Roy simply asked, "Can you tell me more?"

Seeing that Roy wasn't a local adventurer, the bartender Chick began to explain: "The Everdark Forest is an area deep within the Elven Forest. It's one of the few dangerous areas in the forest that's outside the jurisdiction of the Emerald Council."

"The magical beasts there are incredibly dangerous, and the vegetation has mutated so drastically that even sunlight can barely penetrate it, hence the name, the Forest of Everlasting Darkness. Legend has it that this is where the first Elf Queen died, and it was her tragic wish that tainted the forest. Since ancient times, there have been many adventurers who coveted the Elf Queen's legacy, but no one has ever returned alive from the Forest of Everlasting Darkness."

It's really suspenseful...

Neither Nia nor Natasha reacted much to this legend. It was clear that the legend was just that: a legend.

"Lord Bahamut, do you know anything about the first Elf Queen?" Out of curiosity, Roy asked the people involved in that era.

"When I fell into my slumber, the elves seemed to be in some kind of crisis, and they have been hidden from the world for a long time. But honestly, in my opinion, the Queen should have been the most likely existence to have continued from the First Age to the present day. With the life force she controlled, not only could she protect the elves, but she should also have lived for over ten thousand years."

In my mind, Bahamut's voice sounded a little melancholy.

"It's just stories after all," Natasha hummed.

Chick, the bartender, was still in high spirits. "I thought so too, but recently, the monsters from the Ever Dark Forest have been migrating outwards on a large scale. It's said that these monsters actually have some artifacts from the First Age!"

"Perhaps the Elf Queen's regrets are true! Otherwise, why would the Emerald Council and Guild Headquarters gather so many people so quickly?! Big Sister, why don't you come along and take a look? Maybe you can actually find something!"

Roy had an epiphany.

It turned out that there was no trouble in the Emerald Council, but they were going to explore the heritage from the First Age in the Forest of Ever Darkness.

As a [False King], Roy could fully understand people's desire for mythical power.

"Forget it. I've been retired for so many years, and my skills are no longer as good as before." Natasha waved her hand, showing no interest in this.

Natasha seemed to have been a renowned adventurer in her youth, and now possessed Sequence 5 strength. Previously, she had accompanied Carl and his team in a confrontation against the Sword Master, under Nia's commission. She was already more formidable than most adventurers Roy knew.

But everyone has their own desires. Since the other person has no intention of returning to the arena, Roy certainly won't interfere.

On the contrary, Nia's eyes were already shining after hearing this.

As soon as she opened her mouth, Roy and Natasha said in unison: "No! *2"

"Hey, we haven't said anything yet!"

You just want to go on some adventure again?!

"Have you forgotten? Not to mention how dangerous the Forest of Ever Darkness is, [Withering of All Things] is still watching you. Except for the Emerald City, no place is safe for you." Natasha warned.

"Be good, it's nice to stay here and have a peaceful vacation." Roy also pinched the girl's cheek and coaxed her softly.

"That's true."

It’s hard to say whether the sticks are useful or not, but dates are very much to Nia’s liking.

Nia put her head on Roy's shoulder and relaxed, and soon she stopped being obsessed with the Forest of Ever Darkness.

After breakfast, Roy toured the Emerald City with Nia, also to entertain Nia and prevent her from becoming unnecessarily interested in the Forest of Ever Darkness.

Unlike the highly respected Princess, Nia interacted with the residents more naturally, laughing and joking along the way, greeting them with warm good mornings one after another, just like the sweet girl next door who was loved by everyone and made flowers bloom wherever she went.

Especially after arriving at the commercial street, we received various gifts from the residents.

Fortunately, Roy is now a high-level extraordinary person, otherwise his stomach capacity would really not be able to keep up with Nia, who seems to have a bottomless pit.

It’s different when you have someone to guide you.

Roy followed Nia to visit all the attractions in the Emerald City in one day and gained a lot.

Of course, there were also some gains that Roy didn't want.

"...Why would you buy this kind of clothes?" Roy was speechless, holding the tropical grass skirt shorts in his hand.

He doesn't want to cosplay Tarzan!

"Didn't you say you wanted the traditional clothing of the elves?"

"Who are you trying to fool?! It's obvious that passersby aren't wearing this stuff. Is this tradition of yours from the Stone Age?!"

"It's okay. The customer has such a great figure. Miss Nia will definitely like it." The clerk who was familiar with Nia also joked with a concealed smile.

Nia pointed at Roy and laughed mercilessly: "Hahahaha, how great, people even praised your good figure."

"By the way, this is a rare opportunity, why don't you buy one too, Miss Nia!"

Nia's smile froze on the spot after she was accidentally injured by a friendly force.

Before she could react, Roy quickly agreed: "That makes sense. After all, she has a nice figure."

Holding the grass skirt in her hand, Nia was embarrassed: "You must be joking, how can I wear something like this?!"

Just when Nia was feeling depressed, Roy suddenly dragged her into the alley between the tree houses and pressed her against the wall.

"Wait, wait, don't be impatient. Can't we go back and put it on you? It's too embarrassing to wear something like this on the street. I don't want others to see me naked!"

"...What do you take me for?"

Roy peeked into the distance, his eyes sharpening: "Didn't you notice? Someone is following us."

Chapter 26: The True Face of Valoran

The adventurer, Roderick, had black hair and dark pupils, and was quite handsome. His Sequence 7 bloodline level was quite good for a young man with no power or background.

After a whole day of surveillance, Tal's conclusions were basically consistent with the intelligence he had collected previously.

To be honest, Tal didn't think the other party was worthy of being a [Forest Elf], let alone worthy of Lord Valoran's vigilance to this extent. After tracking him for a whole day, he felt a little bored.

The elf youth, hiding in the crowd and peeking into the distant alley with his peripheral vision, yawned out of boredom.

The Shadow Elves, inheriting the bloodline of the Dark Elves, have always been masters of concealing their presence. Tal, a leader among them, has reached Sequence 6 at a young age and is trusted by Valoran.

As a leader of the younger generation of the Emerald Council, Tal looked down on outside adventurers from the bottom of his heart and was even more annoyed by his closeness with Nia.

Nightingale wasn't a specific job title, but rather a nickname for the most beautiful and captivating elf girl of her generation. Furthermore, Nia herself had awakened the bloodline of the Forest Elves, making her the dream lover of every young elf.

Same with Tal.

The vulgar adventurer is not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath with Miss Nia, let alone being worthy of Lord Valoran's attention.

What's the point of monitoring them? Might as well just kill them.

Tal thought maliciously and couldn't help laughing.

But the next second, he frowned.

The two men's auras suddenly moved quickly.

Discovered? How is that possible?

[Dark Elf] is slightly inferior to [Forest Elf].

He hadn't ignored the gap between Sequence 6 and Sequence 5, and had always maintained an appropriate distance and the cover of the crowd, not getting too close.

Without even thinking about the reason, Tal quickly stepped into the alley and caught up.

But as soon as he entered the alley, he could no longer detect the scent of the two people.

"How could..."

"Everything is possible."

Tal turned his head suddenly and drew his dagger out of its sheath. His movements were as fast as lightning. It was obvious that he was not just a secret sentry, but also a well-trained killer.

Unfortunately, the opponent just casually elbowed him, and Tal's eyes widened, his tongue stretched out and bent like a shrimp, making a strange "buga" sound. He fell to his knees under the heavy blow and vomited stomach acid continuously.

"No way, someone is really following us. What are the secret guards my mother arranged for eating and drinking?" Nia complained.

Roy glanced at her and said sarcastically, "Didn't you notice it before I told you?"

"I, I was just careless for a moment..."

Are you kidding me? Was that attack just now truly Sequence 7 power?!

Tal was horrified, but he quickly reacted and showed a hint of coldness.

This Roderick has great skills, but he is still an amateur after all.

He actually didn't control himself immediately, and even had the time to chat with Miss Nia. He was completely flawed. If it weren't for the sneak attack with some props just now, I could kill him ten times!

No matter how much he disobeyed, the mission was the rule he had to follow. In order not to reveal his identity, Tal didn't dare to take action.

“Who sent you…!”

While the other party was leisurely asking questions, Tal suddenly threw out a flying knife.

In a trance, one of the boy's eyes flashed a terrifying blood red.

But no matter what ability it is, it doesn’t matter.

Tal chuckled, having already seized the opportunity, and transformed into a swift shadow. He stepped on the wall of the tree house, flew up, and quickly got away from the two of them.

Tal, who successfully escaped back to Valoran, reported everything that had happened truthfully.

"In short, apart from being a little stronger than expected, there's nothing special about Roderick."

"Nothing special, then how did he find you?"

Under Valoran's interrogation, Tal opened his mouth, seemed to remember something, but forgot it in an instant.

"It was probably thanks to Miss Nia's ability that she discovered it."

"So what do you think of his combat effectiveness as a guard?"

"Stronger than an ordinary Sequence 7, but only a Sequence 6. One-on-one, I can take him out by myself." Tal said with disdain, even a little impatient.

"...You can go back now."

After Tal left, looking at his staggering back, which was obviously caused by serious injuries, Valoran frowned slightly and uttered two words.

"waste."

Not only was his surveillance discovered, but he was also beaten. It was truly embarrassing.

Fortunately, he was not caught by the other party and did not reveal his identity, which was considered to be the last bottom line of defending the chess piece.

However, Roderick, who was able to capture Tal so easily, was indeed not as simple as he seemed.

Valoran turned to the window.

At some point, a bird made of humus landed there, staring at me with its empty eyes.

"A Sequence 7, no, how could he be just an ordinary person to be chosen as Nia Jasmine's guard? If you really want to wipe out the Forest Elves, to be on the safe side, it's best to treat him as a Sequence 6, or even a Sequence 5, and formulate a countermeasure." Valoran instructed in a deep voice.

Fei Niao nodded slightly. "Please rest assured. I swear in the name of the Mother Goddess that we will win this time. Even a true Sequence 5 cannot stop us."

"Flesh and blood are weak, only the Mother Goddess endures!"

Tiny yellow-green veins emerged from his pupils, and Valoran smiled at the decaying bird and repeated: "Flesh and blood are weak, only the Mother Goddess is eternal!"

--------

at the same time.

Inside the Sacred Tree.

"So, the people who are monitoring you are from Valoran?"

Even Janetia was shocked by the news Roy brought.

It was the sensitive period when [Withering of All Things] was rampant, and the other party suddenly targeted Nia, which made it difficult for Janetia not to be vigilant.

Roy's judgment, on the other hand, was much more direct.

"Lady Gentia, let me be frank. I suspect Valoran and [Death of All Things] are colluding in some way and plotting against Nia."

"Lord Valoran and I often have political disagreements, but I never thought he would actually go to this extent..."

Janetia turned serious. "Roy, it's not that I don't believe you, but you're accusing the Second Chair of the Emerald Council of betrayal. Do you have any evidence?"

"It is thanks to you that I have mastered the vampire illusion. You should know that [Charm] can see through the aspirations of the heart, and a low-level transcendent cannot resist it at all. I can guarantee that Valoran is Tal's direct superior. Even if he is not [Withering All Things], he must be planning to do something to Nia."

In order not to alert the enemy, Roy did not choose to capture the stalker at that time.