CHAPTER 322: CHAPTER 321: A CONVENIENT TRUTH

Hours later, Lumberling sat across from the still-injured Lucian, Daigo, and Silas. Beside him were the three elves, along with Liraeth. The room was quiet and there was a hint of tension in the air.

"How are your injuries, Heir Arden?" Lumberling broke the silence first.

Lucian smiled faintly. "Still recovering," he said, flexing his arm slightly before letting it rest again. "But I’m fine now, thanks to you... and your companions."

Lumberling nodded slightly. "That’s good to hear."

Daigo leaned forward then, his usual playful attitude nowhere to be found. His eyes were steady, his voice more serious than usual. "I didn’t know you were acquainted with people from the enemy empire."

The air instantly grew heavier.

Lumberling turned his gaze to the three elves. They met his eyes in silence, each giving him a small, knowing nod. It was the signal they had agreed on earlier.

They had decided to let him and Liraeth do the talking, to avoid stirring any misunderstandings. After all, years ago, Vaenyra and the others had become fugitives in the Pentaline Empire after destroying several cities while searching for Sylra.

And though time had passed, the memory of that chaos had not faded.

"I believe there’s been a misunderstanding," Liraeth finally spoke, her voice calm. "Heir Arden... Sir Daigo, Sir Silas, if you don’t mind, could you at least hear their side before passing judgment?"

The three men exchanged glances. Daigo leaned back slightly, his usual smirk nowhere in sight. Silas gave a small nod, quietly deferring to Lucian.

Lucian sighed, then nodded once. "Very well. "We’ll listen. After all, they saved us and our soldiers. That alone makes them our benefactors."

Lumberling drew a slow breath before meeting their eyes. "These three women are my lovers."

The room fell silent for a heartbeat. The words caught all three men off guard. Daigo blinked, raising a brow in disbelief, while Lucian looked genuinely stunned. Three powerful women, elves, no less, standing by his side as lovers? It was a revelation none of them expected.

"I met them when they were searching for someone dear to them," Lumberling continued. "A friend who had been enslaved by a noble."

Lucian’s frown deepened. "Enslaved?" he asked, his tone sharper now. It was clear the word itself left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Yes," Lumberling said softly. "I saw it myself. An elf girl named Sylra was sold at an underground auction. Later, by sheer chance, I met her again, and I saved her from the earl who had kept her captive."

He paused for a moment, his tone growing more emotional. "These three have been searching for her for years," he said, his voice laced with sympathy and drama.

"They’ve crossed battlefields, endured hunger and storms, fought enemies stronger than them... yet they never stopped. Even when hope was almost gone, they kept looking, because that’s how much their friend meant to them. And when they finally learned that Sylra had been sold into our empire, they risked everything just to bring her home."

The three elves stayed quiet, their expressions calm but their eyes fixed on him, as if silently saying he’s overdoing it again.

Lumberling didn’t stop there. He leaned forward a little, speaking with passion that almost sounded rehearsed. "When they finally arrived at one of our cities, they were filled with excitement and hope. But instead of a warm welcome, they were treated like enemies. Soldiers attacked them before they could even explain themselves. They had no choice but to defend their lives... and what started as a misunderstanding turned into chaos. From that day, they were hunted across our lands."

He glanced at the elves briefly, his tone softening as if painting a picture of tragedy. "Even with knights on their trail, they didn’t give up. They kept searching, driven by love, by loyalty, by a bond stronger than blood itself. They lost comrades and friends along the way... but in the end, their faith led them to Sylra through me."

"I see..." Lucian said quietly, his expression softening, a hint of sympathy flashing across his face. "Then you must have gone through a lot together."

Lumberling gave a faint smile and threw a quick wink toward the elves. Aurelya’s eyes narrowed faintly, half-annoyed, half-impressed by his dramatics. Thessalia just sighed quietly, and Vaenyra gave the smallest shake of her head.

"They’re not enemies, Heir Arden," Liraeth added gently, her voice firm. "There’s simply been a misunderstanding. Just because they came from the enemy empire doesn’t mean they are the enemy. And everyone here knows the truth, they were the ones who killed the Legate and saved us all."

Lucian, Daigo, and Silas exchanged quiet looks among themselves.

Lucian exhaled softly, then smiled. "Since you both say they’re not enemies," he said, glancing between Lumberling and Liraeth, "then I’ll trust your word. It’s just..."

Vaenyra’s calm voice cut in before he could finish. "You’re worried this might reach the Emperor," her emerald eyes steady on him. "That he might accuse you of colluding with the enemy, especially now that your empire is in chaos."

Lucian froze for a second, his polite smile fading. Her words hit closer to the truth than he wanted to admit.

"If that’s what troubles you," Vaenyra continued, "then you can rest easy. There are neutral factions within the Aetherborn Empire, and our kin belong to one of them. We hold no allegiance to either side of this war."

Lumberling leaned forward. "To make things less complicated, we’d like you to claim that you were the one who killed the Legate."

Lucian blinked in surprise, as did Daigo and Silas.

"What do you mean by that?" Daigo asked, frowning slightly.

"This way, it benefits both sides," Lumberling explained. "You won’t draw suspicion or risk being accused of working with outsiders. And for them" he nodded toward the elves "it won’t strain their standing with the Archmage, who’s still allied with the Sengolio Empire."

For a moment, silence filled the room. Then Lucian let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head before smiling faintly.

"So you’ve already thought all this through, huh?"

"That’s right," Lumberling said with a small nod.

Lucian let out a quiet laugh. "It seems I’m getting more and more indebted to you, Lord Lumberling... and to you as well, Viscount Liraeth." Then his gaze shifted toward the three elves, his tone turning respectful. "And I haven’t properly thanked you for saving our lives."

Daigo and Silas both rose, following Lucian’s lead. The three of them bowed slightly in unison.

"We thank you," Lucian said sincerely. "For saving us. We won’t forget this debt."

Vaenyra met their gratitude with calm composure. "We were saving Lumberling," she said plainly. "It just happened you were there too."

Lucian smiled at her words instead of taking offense. "Even so, we owe you," he said firmly. "I hope the next time we meet, it’s as allies... and that we can repay what we owe."

With that, their meeting came to an end. As Lucian’s group departed, the room fell silent again.

Lumberling leaned back with a small exhale, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "Well," he murmured, "that went better than expected."

Aurelya gave him a sideways look. "You overacted again."

"And it worked," he said, grinning wider.

Outside, the air was thick with the scent of smoke and blood. The sun had already dipped low. Lucian and his men moved quietly through the open field.

Behind them, a pair of soldiers carried the charred remains, the ashes and fragments left of the Legate and the General, sealed carefully inside dark metal urns.

Lucian paused for a moment, glancing back toward the tent where Lumberling and the others remained. His expression softened, a mix of gratitude and reflection crossing his face.

"Let’s go," Daigo said quietly.

Lucian nodded. With slow and steady steps they left the camp behind.