CHAPTER 199: CONFLICT [1]

The first thing he noticed was dozens of headless dead bodies lying in front of the house.

Their blood seeped out of the necks and spelled out six words on the ground.

"DEATH TO THOSE WHO HELP ELVES."

Akamir stared at the words for a few seconds before he walked over it.

The door of the building was still closed and Akamir didn’t waste his time on knocking.

He cut open the door as he quickly walked in.

But Akamir didn’t see the massacre he was expecting.

Instead, he only found Mika waiting for him inside.

He looked around and didn’t find anything suspicious, not even a trace of blood.

Akamir frowned as he looked at her. "What happened here?"

She bowed her head slightly.

"Nothing, my Lord." She replied. "There were only a few people who came inside but I took care of them."

Akamir frowned even harder. "What about those who are outside?"

"They killed themselves, my Lord." She replied, looking at him. "It was more like a statement than an attack."

Akamir let out a sigh as he rubbed his temples in frustration.

He was expecting some kind of brawl but Mika was much more competent than he had expected.

Nerco also walked inside, though his mood remained spoiled.

Akamir moved to his chair as he sat down, relaxing his tensed-up body.

"What about Reagan?" Akamir asked, remembering the teddy bear.

"He did wake up due to the commotion." She replied. "But I asked him to stay in his room."

"...I see." Akamir mumbled, not thinking too much about it.

Mika quietly poured him a cup of water before stepping aside, her posture straight as ever.

The silence in the room felt heavier than the smell of blood outside.

Nerco leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on nothing in particular.

Akamir took a slow sip, his eyes half-closed. "The people outside... do you recognise what they are?"

Mika’s lips curved into the faintest smile. "Most likely ghouls, my Lord." She replied. "They are the only ones who emit the scent of death even though alive."

Akamir tapped his fingers against the armrest of his chair.

His mind wasn’t on the dead anymore—it was on what this message meant.

’Are they this unhappy with the arrival of the spirit herbs?’

He wondered to himself as he leaned back on the sofa.

The ghouls are most likely produced by a Vampire.

And as much as Akamir knows, there is only one prominent house of Vampires.

’El Lunari.’

He thought as he stared at the ceiling with a conflicting look.

’I didn’t expect for them to join in.’

It was out of his wildest expectations and it wasn’t on him as well.

The El Lunari house lives more than half a world away from here.

Who would have thought they would still keep eyes on the matter of elves?

"This is troublesome....."

Akamir mumbled, rubbing his temples in frustration.

Mika stood still, her eyes lowered, waiting for his next order.

Nayomi floated close by as he looked at him.

"If the El Lunari really sent those things here, then they already know you’re involved."

Akamir’s gaze flicked to him. "And?"

"And..." Nerco shrugged, though his tone was sharp, "They don’t send warnings twice."

The words lingered in the room like smoke.

Akamir leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"If they want a fight, they’ll have to come all the way here. Let them waste their strength on travel."

"They won’t come in person," Nayomi said quietly.

"The El Lunari prefer shadows over battlefields. They’ll send pawns, and those pawns will bleed others before they bleed themselves."

Akamir rubbed his jaw, the sound of the clock ticking on the wall somehow louder now.

He didn’t like fighting enemies he couldn’t see.

Akamir let out a sigh as he stood up from his place.

Nerco pulled him off the wall as he asked. "What now, my Lord?"

"We will see if we can have a deal with the elves or not." Akamir replied. "If we truly can’t, then we will seek a new buyer."

He gave him a nod as Akamir began to walk away.

"Where are you going, my Lord?" Mika asked, hiding her concern.

"I need to check something." He replied before he walked out. "I will be back soon."

---

It didn’t take Akamir a few minutes for him to reach back the place of the attack.

The moon was still hanging high in the sky along with the crimson solitude.

Akamir didn’t give the moon much attention as he looked at Lewin from a safe distance.

The elven man was still staring at the moon with his guard protecting him.

’What the hell happened to him?’

Akamir couldn’t help but wonder as he stared at him.

Lewin’s face was pale, he didn’t blink. Didn’t twitch. Didn’t even seem to breathe.

The guards around him stood tense, hands near their weapons, but their eyes kept flicking toward him with unease.

Akamir stayed in the shadows, watching.

He’d seen warriors frozen in fear, he’d seen the trance of magic, but this... this was something else entirely.

The air around Lewin seemed heavier.

It was only after a while that Lewin began to blink once again.

"It is happening." Lewin mumbled aloud. "It is happening!!!"

Akamir frowned as he looked at the happiness on his face.

"What is happening, my Lord?" The guard asked, as confused as Akamir.

"I found a way!" He said with a bright smile. "I found a way to make the power of Greater One my own!!"

The guard seemed even more confused now. "How, Sir?"

Lewin didn’t reply; instead, he gestured. "Come with me!"

"Where to?"

"To where the experiments are happening." He replied happily. "I can finally make them break through."

He began walking, eager to reach the place.

Akamir followed them from a safe distance without making much sound.

The group moved quickly through the empty streets, their footsteps echoing in the still night.

Halfway through, a group of soldiers flanked Lewin like loyal hounds, though their eyes betrayed unease.

Akamir trailed behind, keeping his trail as quiet as possible.

Every now and then, Lewin would glance up at the moon again, his smile stretching a little too wide.

Like a man who’d just uncovered the key to immortality and didn’t care about the cost.

They left the main streets, heading toward the outskirts where the buildings thinned out and the air grew colder.

Soon, a small, worn-down warehouse came into view.

Its windows were boarded up, yet faint flickers of light seeped through the cracks.

They couldn’t keep the dead body of the Greater One underground because it always created an earthquake.

Akamir stayed low, slipping around the side of the building, his senses sharpened.

With the mask still on his face, Akamir created a platform and looked inside from the upper window.

Rows of tables lined the room, each one holding an elf strapped down with thick restraints.

When Akamir looked closely, he recognised them.

They were those who he had seen in Malik Town.

Lewin moved from table to table, checking pulses, muttering to himself like a priest reading blessings.

And in the centre of it was the dead body of the Greater One.

Her body was immense, stretching from one end of the chamber to the other.

Pure white in colour, like polished bone and pearl.

Her form resembled a jellyfish, with long tendrils curled around her sides.

....But the body had been mutilated.

Her abdomen had been cut open completely, organs removed or melted.

Her spine was visible, thick and coiled like a twisted tree root.

Despite the damage, there was still a strange beauty to her.

Akamir felt a strange emotion as he kept on staring at her.

Lewin finally reached the dead body as he stood tall in front of it.

"Finally." He said with a wide grin. "Your power will be mine."

The elf then picked up a surgical knife and raised it up.

"Argh!"

He cut open his own hand and the blood began to seep down.

"Come on, you pathetic being." He said with a strange smile. "Feed on my blood."

’Huh?’

Akamir couldn’t stop his astonishment as he saw the dead body move.

---

[In the throne room]

The vast throne room of the elven kingdom was much more beautiful than most.

It was decorated with gold and the history of their race.

On the throne sat the empress of the Elven kingdom.

She was fully covered even though there was no one to see.

In front of her stood an enormous wall that parted the throne room in two.

Sephrina, who had her eyes closed, slowly opened them as she felt a presence.

"My oh my."

A sweet voice echoed from the other side of the throne room.

"Placing a wall even though you should meet me in person."

Sephrina didn’t reply as she looked out of the window.

"The moon." She said quietly. "Was it your doing?"

"Hm? No." The voice replied. "It was the result of your elves’ ignorance."

Sephrina stared at the wall before she asked. "Who are you?"

The voice replied mischievously. "The representative of El Lunari."