CHAPTER 169: MEETING THE EMPRESS [1]

[Capital City, Sylvan Kingdom.]

Elves rarely take in people for tourism.

They despise outsiders more than anything in the world.

For elves, their sacred tree is a lot more important than anything else in the world.

Because of it, there aren’t many inns or places where Akamir and their group could rest.

Still, they found one, but their price was something else.

The night was creeping in, and the group sat in a loose circle.

Akamir stood in front of the map laid out over a table.

It pointed at the marked path leading toward the inner sections of the Elven Kingdom.

In the past three days, all of them had tried to gather as much information about the elves and the empress as possible.

Akamir looked at the map, then at the other three.

"I’ll go alone," he said. "It would be better if there isn’t any hindrance."

Viros leaned forward, his brows furrowed.

"You’re talking about the Empress of the Elves, right?" he asked, giving him an awkward look. "You do realize people don’t just stroll into her palace, have a chat, and walk back out."

Luca nodded in agreement, arms crossed tightly.

"This plan is reckless. We’re not even sure where she stays exactly." He swept a glance at the entire map.

"The palace isn’t mapped. You don’t even know if you’ll get close enough."

Akamir didn’t flinch, though he agreed with them.

’It is kinda reckless to go and meet her, even more when she doesn’t even know me.’

But Akamir did have a plan that he was going with.

Empress Seraphina lives alone without any form of security with her.

’If I get close enough, I would be able to talk with her.’

"I won’t go in blind. I’ve prepared," he said, looking at them. "I will have someone feed me all the structure data I need."

They looked curious but didn’t ask him what that was.

Reagan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His tone wasn’t loud, but it carried weight. "Getting close isn’t the problem. It’s what happens if she looks at you."

That quieted everyone.

Akamir glanced over. "I have ways to defend against curses. I can withstand—"

"No," Reagan cut in. "Her curse doesn’t hit the body. It slips under everything and targets the soul."

There was a pause as everyone looked at him grimly.

"I’ve never met her," Reagan continued, his voice low. "Even the Elves avoid her. I’ve heard stories of people losing their minds. Some die. Others forget who they are entirely."

"You didn’t meet her even though she is Velyrian’s daughter?" Akamir asked, his brow knitted together.

"..."

Reagan kept his silence as he refused to say anything.

Luca scoffed. "So why exactly do you think you’ll be fine?"

"Because I’m not going to see her face," Akamir replied. "Just talk. Nothing more. I’ll wear the mask Zaina gave me. I won’t even make eye contact."

Akamir didn’t want to tell them about the spirit eyes and body.

It would only make things harder to explain to them.

Viros sighed, rubbing his face. "This all feels... thin, like we’re leaning on a bunch of ifs."

"We are," Akamir admitted, there wasn’t much known about her.

"But what’s the alternative? Lewin’s cut off all communication. If I want this to work, I need her consent and to confirm her involvement with the Servants of Skinless."

Luca stared at the map for a long time.

"She used to be famous, didn’t she? The Empress," he said, his voice barely audible.

"People said she was the most powerful Elven ruler in centuries. How did she manage to do it without going out?"

Reagan rubbed his button-like eyes as he sighed.

"After the curse grew out of control, she stopped appearing publicly,"

he said, looking at Akamir once again.

"There’s only a handful—no, there isn’t even one who has seen her face and kept his sanity."

Akamir tapped the side of his head. "You don’t have to worry about me," he said with a smile. "I know what I am doing."

Viros still looked uneasy, but he said nothing more.

Luca leaned back with a low breath. "Alright. Just don’t be a hero. We need you alive."

Reagan added one final warning. "Don’t try to test her. Don’t try to see if you can handle it."

He stood up from his seat, walking towards him.

"Stick to your plan, and if something feels wrong—get out."

Akamir gave them a small nod. "Got it."

---

[Later That Night - World Tree border]

The moonlight filtered down through the thick branches, making markings all over the city.

Akamir moved swiftly, his face covered with the white mask Zaina had given him.

It glowed faintly under the light, designed to make anyone ready for combat anytime.

’I wonder, what other uses there are for this mask.’

It was something that was made by the son of the first elf for his wife.

Akamir was sure there must be some hidden use of this artifact.

’Not the right time to find out though.’

His boots made little sound as he made his way past the guards.

He had timed their patrols carefully, slipping past in the narrow windows between their rotations.

The mimickers had become small spirit creatures shaped like mossy insects.

They crawled ahead of him along the bark of the world tree, feeding him information through thin strands of shared mana.

Every so often, Akamir would stop and observe the place for the patrolling of the guards.

It wasn’t long before he reached the main branch that was a colossal wooden bridge covered in soft glowing moss.

At its end stood a sealed chamber, encased in crystal vines.

It was a small mansion-type home where Empress Seraphina sleeps.

’She often changes it with the top house of the world tree.....’

Akamir wasn’t really very sure if she was inside the place or not.

Taking in a deep breath, he sent one of the insects inside to inspect the place.

Outside, he began to prepare for a fight just in case.

Nayomi’s returned to his line of sight once again as she looked at him.

"Akamir."

"I’m listening."

"You sure have gotten a lot better at using your strength," she said, her voice soft. "But I didn’t know the king would be a thief one day."

"Shut up." Akamir groaned at her words.

He didn’t like being called a thief, and especially not from her who tried to steal his body.

"The mimickers did their job well," Akamir said, glancing at her. "It was a good idea to use them as insects."

"Not really," Nayomi said, floating beside him. "They are hard to control and can only do simple tasks."

"....Yeah." Akamir admitted with a slight nod. "Still better than nothing."

There was a silence between them as Akamir waited for the information.

Nayomi suddenly jumped in front of him, looking dead into his eyes.

"Listen to me very carefully," Nayomi said. "She’s stronger than you. Far stronger. Don’t try to measure her. Don’t try to guess what she’ll do. Just speak and leave."

"I know."

"No, you don’t."

Akamir gave her a look. "Why you say so?"

"You don’t understand someone who has lived her life in solitude," she replied, looking at the mansion. "If she found out that you are the only one who won’t go sane by looking at her....."

Nayomi didn’t complete her words, but Akamir was smart enough to understand.

"No way."

He scoffed, dismissing her words.

"You think she would capture me or what?"

Nayomi didn’t say anything as she kept on looking at the mansion.

"Hmm?"

Akamir felt a message in his head from the mimicker.

"She is inside."

He took a breath.

And then, he stepped forward.

The mimickers had gone quiet now. They stayed curled up along the edges of the bridge, watching.

The sealed crystal vines shimmered as he approached the door.

There was no visible lock, no guard, no barrier—just an ancient stillness that made the air heavy.

He placed a hand gently against the crystalline bark.

It was warm.

He waited. The door didn’t open.

For a moment, he wondered if she was already aware of him.

Maybe she was watching from inside or maybe she already knew everything.

The idea sent a chill down his spine.

"I’ll only talk," Akamir muttered under his breath, repeating it like a prayer. "Just talk."

The mimicker on the other side changed its shape into a different thing.

The door slowly creaked open without any problem.

Akamir slowly walked inside the place as the mimicker who was inside merged with his shadow.

He quickly walked in and slowly closed the door behind him.

The moment he walked in, he was greeted with a beautiful scent.

It was so good that he stood there for a second.

’Maybe I should ask about it later on.’

Akamir slowly walked inside the main hall.

But his steps stopped as he looked at the ancient painting hanging in front of him.

’....What?’

It was the painting of the first elf....

’...Why is he there?’

Along with her was Velyrian.