"?"
At Lord Payn's reminder, Murphy, who had thought it would be no trouble to obtain the Creation Engine's activation key, immediately raised an eyebrow.
He glanced at the Lord's expression, then turned to look at the person he trusted most. Triss, the Scarlet Witch, wore the same "those were painful times" expression.
She explained to her beloved little Murphy:
"King Quirion is the sort of person you could call dutiful, steadfast, and brave if you put it nicely. Put it less nicely, and he's an old stubborn fool. He really is a leader worthy of the elves' respect, protecting every subject as he would his own family. His reputation in the Kingdom of Castile is exceptionally high.
"But that gentleness only extends to his own people.
"Elves have always been rather hard, cold, and haughty toward outsiders. They also practice isolationism and don't want to get too involved in the affairs of the continent.
"Most importantly, elves are generally very stubborn and place great importance on their history. That's a part of their racial character that's hard to change. It probably won't be easy to get them to hand over the sacred relic they possess.
"Especially since this matter also involves King Quirion's position a thousand years ago."
"That's right. A thousand years ago, Quirion was the commander in chief of the Creation Engine project. He held a high position in the Garden of Eden district. He wasn't a councilor, but he was a powerful governor with real authority. The elves were a major force among the Eden Walkers of that era, too."
Lord Payn explained:
"The council appointed Quirion and his people to oversee this important project in the Land of Origin because they were conservative and effective at carrying out orders. They were the best suited to