CHAPTER 673

【 FARCE AND DIVINE FAVOR 】

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The human noble strutted with an air of superiority, which contrasted sharply with his gaunt thin frame. His tone carried an even greater sense of condescension, as if the matter he spoke of were an immense favor to the Elves, which caused everyone, including Sophia, to frown slightly.

Combined with his brash and arrogant demeanor, it was difficult for anyone to form a favorable impression of him.

The players exchanged glances and whispered openly to one another.

“Where did this idiot NPC come from? Is he out of his mind?”

“God, he looks awful… is he a goblin?”

“Isn’t he here to ask for our help? Everyone already knows what is going on in Maple Leaf Territory, so why is he behaving like that?”

“I know right? And he calls himself a count? Pfft, I feel like his aura is weaker than mine…”

The players chattered as they looked at the noble with a mix of curiosity and open disdain.

However, since they were speaking in Elvish, aside from Sophia, who had studied the language, the imperial noble holding what seemed to be an official document clearly could not understand a single word.

Even so, the human noble who introduced himself as Count Bayer still sensed the hostility directed at him.

He let out a cold laugh.

“So this is how the Elves treat their guests? Where is your representative? Is no one going to receive us?”

The players fell silent for a moment.

This…

Isn’t this guy really just looking for trouble?!

The two players at the front, who were responsible for patrol duty, were already annoyed by his attitude and were seconds away from snapping back when a crisp, mocking laugh rose from the elven side.

“So this is how an Imperial envoy conducts a formal visit? Since when did the Empire allow unruly goblins to serve as its envoys?”

Someone spoke in the common tongue of the continent.

Count Bayer froze. A visible tremor ran through his thin frame as he jerked his head up angrily. Stepping out from the crowd was a young half elven girl in the robes of an apprentice priestess. Ř𝓪ꞐòΒĘš

Her beauty was striking enough to capture attention instantly, yet her eyes were as cold as ice as she gaze toward the noble with unmistakable disgust.

The surrounding players immediately grew excited upon seeing the rather infamous noble lady who had been a guest of Heart of Nature for the past month or so, their earlier irritation melting into anticipation.

“Whoa, it’s Miss Sophia!”

“Isn’t she that sharp tongued noble lady? Did Sister Dōngdōng finally finish indoctrinating her?”

“Cough, cough, what are you saying, it is called ideological enlightenment, okay? Enlightenment.”

“Riiight… ideological enlightenment, sure.”

“Haha, Sophia is here? Oh this is going to be good!”

“Quick, take notes guys. Watch how a master berates someone while using perfectly polite speech…”

They whispered among themselves in Elvish, half laughing and half thrilled as the tension escalated. A few stepped back to give them space, while others subtly leaned forward to get a better view.

“Who are you? How dare you insult our imperial delegation?”

Count Bayer glared at Sophia.

Comparing someone to a goblin was one of the most insulting remarks one could utter, since it was especially offensive to the inhabitants of Seigües.

Sophia glanced at him with disdain. She then widened her eyes in exaggerated surprise before giving a cold smile.

“Oh, my apologies. I did not look closely at first. I thought you were a goblin who stole a noble’s clothes. But now that I examine you properly… it seems you simply have a rather unusual face.”

Her tone was calm, almost gentle, yet each word felt like a dagger wrapped in silk.

“Count Bayer, is it? Judging by your attire and the medal on your chest, you appear to be a count. If that is the case, you should be well versed in imperial regulations. Do you not know that an official diplomatic visit requires notifying the receiving side in advance or communicating through a third party?”

“Alas, the behavior you showed just now lacks decorum entirely, and not a shred of noble dignity. I truly feel embarrassed for Her Majesty, the Empress.”

Her voice dripped with contempt while Count Bayer’s mustache practically stood on end with rage.

“Who are you to speak to me this way? Do you know who my father is?”

He shouted, veins bulging on his forehead as he jabbed a trembling finger at her.

Sophia’s gaze grew even colder.

“Who I am is irrelevant. Who your father is is even less so. What matters… is who you are right now.”

She shook her head slightly, almost pityingly.

“It seems the gods are still fair. They gave you an intellect that matches your appearance, so nothing looks out of balance. For someone like you to lead an imperial delegation… the Empire must truly be rotten to the core.”

“You…!”

“What? What about me? I am only stating facts. If you had even a shred of self awareness, you would return to the elementary division of the Imperial Academy and study diplomacy properly. Actually, no. Given your current state, I fear you would not graduate even then, since you neither look young anymore nor possess the intelligence of a twelve year old.”

“YOU!!”

Count Bayer’s face turned pale with fury. Spittle formed at the corner of his mouth as he tried and failed to form a coherent retort. Trembling, he glared at Sophia with venom, then barked at the knights beside him.

“What are you waiting for? Quick, arrest that girl for insulting the Empire!”

At his command, several human silver-rank guards advanced toward Sophia. She, however, shook her head in disappointment and tightened her grip on her magical item, ready to teach them a lesson if necessary.

Yet before the knights could even surround her, a red-haired figure dropped from the sky like a falling meteor, before kicking the knights away with relative ease.

“Who dares lay hands on anyone here in the Elven Forest?” he shouted coldly.

It was Demacia.

His aura flickered wildly, clearly showing that he had just advanced to intermediate silver-rank. Even so, the knights, who had only reached low silver-rank, stood no chance against him, especially with him being clad in a full set of top grade equipment.

After sending each of them flying into the river below the docks, Demacia hefted his greatsword and sneered.

“So this is the Empire’s attitude when asking for help? If you want aid, then you could’ve just ask. If you want an alliance, then negotiate properly. At the very least, show some sincerity. Everyone benefits that way. So explain something to me, why are you behaving like this? Or is it that your side never intended to form an alliance at all and only came here to cause trouble?”

“Who are you?!”

Count Bayer narrowed his eyes at Demacia and demanded an answer.

“Tsk… that arrogant attitude of yours really is irritating.”

Demacia clicked his tongue.

Waving his hands, he signaled to the players behind him.

“Brothers, tie these guys up and toss them into the river. That’ll probably cool them off.”

At his command, the other members of Heart of Nature let out a few cold laughs, drew their weapons, and moved forward. Several even cracked their knuckles in anticipation, while others grinned as if this were nothing more than another entertaining side quest.

However, just then, a shout rang out from the imperial fleet.

“Enough!”

A powerful pressure erupted, sweeping across the docks and suppressing everyone in the vicinity. Even Demacia, who had already reached intermediate silver-rank, felt a terrifying force lock onto him. Everyone’s hair stood on end, and their bodies trembled as if it were no longer under their control.

A moment later, a figure clad in red cardinal robes descended from the fleet’s flagship, his presence radiating an almost tangible aura of sanctity.

It was an elderly man with gray hair, one eye missing that’s covered by a golden eyepatch. His entire body was wrapped in gentle, shimmering holy light that seemed to push back the oppressive tension around him.

Seeing the elderly priest, Sophia’s expression grew solemn.

“Cardinal Morris…”

Demacia and the nearby players narrowed their eyes slightly.

A cardinal…?

Through their long-term interactions with human merchants from the Empire, the players had already learned a thing or two about the hierarchy within the Eternal Church.

And based on what they knew, a human priest who could become a cardinal was always a devout believer possessing the strength of a legendary-rank expert.

Even so, although a legendary-rank cardinal had appeared, Demacia did not show the slightest hint of fear at all.

Instead, he even boldly smirked and spoke with open mockery.

“So what if you are a legendary-rank expert? Do you think you can just act arrogantly here in the Elven Forest?”

Then he suddenly turned and shouted into the sky.

“Lord Mars! Some humans are bullying us elves!”

His voice carried like thunder, echoing across the docks and rippling through the surroundings. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but a few moments later, a presence far more terrifying than a legendary-rank swept across the area. Its vast, overwhelming power pressed down on everyone, causing even the cardinal’s composed expression to shift slightly.

“Leave. The Elven Forest does not welcome hostile guests.”

A cold voice reverberated through the minds of everyone present.

Cardinal Morris stiffened.

“A… demigod…”

He muttered in disbelief.

He then looked toward the city of Greyhaven in silence.

Frowning, he glanced down at Count Bayer, who had already collapsed to the ground under the pressure, his body trembling with terror, before ordering the remaining knights,

“Take him. We are leaving.”

With that, he turned and boarded the imperial flagship without looking back.

The knights lifted the incapacitated Count and followed the Cardinal onto their ship. Before long, the sails of the Imperial fleet rose once more, as each ship slowly departed from the port.

There was no hesitation at all. In fact, it looked almost like a hasty retreat.

“Good riddance!”

Demacia cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted triumphantly, laughing aloud.

Several players from Heart of Nature stepped forward in perfect coordination as they pulled out small packets of salt and tossed them into the air. ¹

Sophia fell silent.

After laughing for a while, Demacia turned back and grinned.

“Heh, lucky for us Brother Mu invited Lord Mars to Greyhaven today. Did you see the face of that cardinal just now? He must have been shocked by Lord Mars’s aura. That was quite a sight. Hahaha, just look at them, running so fast!”

But when he noticed the conflicted look in Sophia’s eyes as she watched the human fleet recede into the distance, he quickly added:

“Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s obvious they never came here to seek an alliance in the first place. I mean, who acts rudely like that? Plus, I have some insider information from the Empire. It seems the imperial nobles and the Eternal Church are having a conflict of interest. The nobles apparently want us Elves to help them eliminate the evil god wreaking havoc in Maple Leaf, but the Eternal Church completely refuses…”

“Although seeing that a legendary-rank cardinal was included in their delegation, I guess those two probably reached a compromise, although I still don’t understand why they wanted to cause trouble like that.”

“But even so, if the Empire had come seeking our help, we could not trust them, since those Elves who joined the civil war as mercenaries still haven’t received a single coin of compensation. The noble council promised them, but they still haven’t been paid at all.”

“So in my opinion, no, they had no intention of forming a sincere alliance with us at all and can’t trusted.”

Demacia shook his head.

Sophia gave him a complicated look, then nodded.

“I know.”

“You… know?”

Demacia was stunned.

She nodded again.

“That was nothing but a farce. I am not foolish. Human nobles have never regarded other races as their equals. In their minds, the other races are meant to be dominated and enslaved. Most are a bunch of hypocritical and self-righteous opportunists, always putting their own interests above all else…”

She let out a quiet sigh.

“But even if it is a farce, I did not expect the Empire to have fallen so far. It really is just as Teacher Dōngdōng said. The current human society has already fractured, whether between commoners and nobles, or between the latter and the Church.”

“With society torn apart and evil gods running rampant, I cannot fathom what kind of life the people of Maple Leaf Territory are living right now.”

After speaking, Sophia turned to look for Féng, but she soon realized that the mysterious female elf had already disappeared at some point.

Seeing the subtle disappointment in her eyes, Demacia asked curiously,

“Who are you looking for?”

“Lady Féng.”

“Féng? She’s here? Where is she?”

Demacia hurriedly scanned the surrounding area.

“Seems like… she already left.”

Sophia shook her head.

“Yeah, looks like it. She’s even more mysterious than Big Sister…”

Demacia muttered to himself, his voice trailing off as he contemplated the enigma that was Féng. Then, recalling something from their previous encounter, he looked at the half-elven girl with a slightly guilty expression.

“Oh yeah… I spoke a bit harshly the last time we met. You didn’t take it to heart, did you?”

Sophia fell silent. She fixed her calm gaze on Demacia for a long moment, long enough to make him shift uncomfortably under her scrutiny. Then she let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh.

“Sir Demacia…”

“Hmm?”

“…You’re really bad at words, no?”

Demacia froze, caught off guard. He scratched his head awkwardly, unsure what he had said wrong this time. But then, unexpectedly, he heard her quiet voice again.

“…Thank you.”

“…Huh?”

Demacia’s eyes widened in shock. He quickly looked at Sophia, but her usual calm expression gave nothing away, making him wonder if he had imagined it.

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

Sophia’s face remained expressionless, but the soft, fleeting warmth in her voice lingered in the air, leaving Demacia both bewildered and strangely uplifted.

Sophia’s gaze moved past the surrounding elves and settled again on the humans coming and going along the docks.

Another ship had arrived, this one carrying another batch of refugees. Their clothes were tattered, and their bodies were thin and frail, with some clutching children to their chests, while others looked around cautiously.

Sophia watched all these refugees in silence for a moment, then spoke.

“Sir Demacia.”

“Mhm?”

“You’re acquainted with many Elven Chosen Ones, do you not?”

“Why, yeah, of course! I am the vice leader of Heart of Nature and the deputy city lord of Greyhaven, after all.”

The noble girl paused for a moment, her eyes scanning the refugees faces along the docks, then lifted her head with resolve.

“I want to request a task of you.”

“You? What task?”

“I want to retake Maple Leaf Territory.”

Demacia: “…”

“What? Pardon me, my lady, but… Maple Leaf is currently overrun by an evil god. What could we possibly do to retake it? Moreover, after everything that has happened, do you still want to return to the Empire?”

Sophia shook her head.

“No. The moment I became a believer of the Goddess of Life, I decided to abandon my noble status.”

“Then what are you trying to do?”

“I simply wish to bring light to the common people, to uphold true justice, and to spread the faith of Her Grace, the Goddess, in order to save the innocent.”

Demacia: “…”

He stared at her, dumbfounded. He wondered what she had being learning in these last two months. But then he noticed a faint holy light slowly rising from her body.

“W-Wait, what the… divine favor?!”

He could not stop himself from shouting.

At the same time, Sophia’s vision blurred as she glimpsed a magnificent divine throne with a lofty sacred female figure seated upon it with silver hair and violet eyes, smiling gently at her.

“…Have you finally made your decision?”

A warm, kind voice echoed within her mind.

Hearing it, Sophia’s heart trembled. The moment she saw the figure, she already knew who it was. Her expression grew fervent and reverent.

“Yes, Your Divine Grace. I… have decided.”

As soon as she spoke, her vision was flooded by golden radiance.

Before Demacia’s astonished eyes, brilliant light enveloped the half-elven girl, shimmering and pulsing with divine energy. He recognized that light instantly—it was the unmistakable power of the Goddess!

Surrounded by potent divine energy, Sophia’s aura surged upward as her strength shot through iron-rank in an instant, soared past the Silver stage, and finally stepped into Gold-rank.

The brilliance lasted several seconds before gradually fading, leaving behind a faint symbol of a scepter shimmering on Sophia’s forehead. It pulsed once, then slowly faded from sight.

In that moment, she became a Godwarden, blessed directly by the Goddess herself.

At the same time, all concurrent players online—including the speechless Demacia—saw a new server-wide notification appear before their eyes.

【

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【Player ‘Demacia’ has triggered the hidden quest: Sophia’s Request 】

¹ In most Eastern culture, the act of sprinkling/tossing salt is a customary ritual for warding off evil or bad luck.

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