When royals meet

Had the frenzied flame grown stronger, or had the Erdtree grown weaker?

Zhao Si dealt with the frenzied flame sufferers with practiced ease, but doubts kept nagging at him.

"Does the Erdtree really harbor some serious underlying problem?" Zhao Si muttered under his breath, stealing a glance at Malenia.

Suppose the Erdtree could grow, starting as the Crucible of Life in ancient times and growing into the towering tree it was today.

Leaving aside where the Crucible of Life had come from, the ancient Erdtree had once brimmed with vitality. There had even been a golden age when its dew fell like rain.

Then had the Fingers chosen Ranni, Malenia, and Miquella as Empyreans-as candidates-to help the Erdtree grow further?

To use the stars, scarlet rot, or the Haligtree to make up for the Erdtree's shortcomings. Nothing in the world remained unchanged forever. Trees withered, dynasties declined, and even gold would eventually decay.

Fresh blood had to be introduced to sustain its strength.

Even Marika, the "Eternal Queen," would have to step down one day.

Sensing Zhao Si's strange gaze, Malenia raised her head to meet his eyes. "What are you thinking about?"

Zhao Si paused. "I'm thinking about how to talk to Ranni."

He had specifically asked Helena to disguise Malenia. Malenia wore a loose cloak that concealed her head, face, and figure, along with a mask that completely hid her distinguishing features.

When Helena saw the flames rising high over Gatefront Town, she knew the matter had been settled. All the bodies of the afflicted had been burned. She then rode out to find Zhao Si and Malenia.

Watching the bodies burn, Zhao Si suddenly recalled the funeral he had glimpsed at Castle Morne.

The bodies of fallen soldiers would be taken to tombs beneath Minor Erdtrees to nourish their roots. Some powerful warriors would instead be placed inside jars and buried at the foot of a Minor Erdtree.

In other words, cremation was not customary in the Lands Between. But when dealing with an incurable plague, burning the victims' bodies to prevent infection was perfectly reasonable.

Still, didn't that mean the Erdtree would never get to consume the bodies of these frenzied flame sufferers?

A possibility suddenly occurred to Zhao Si: Shabriri was not simply causing random chaos. He was weakening the Erdtree by depriving it of bodies.

Even if it was only a drop in the bucket, it was better than doing nothing.

Once a body was burned, only ashes remained. Those ashes would still be buried beneath the tree, but only the soul would return to it. The body was gone.

Looking around, at least several hundred people must have died in this battle outside the Academy. The Lands Between were vast and sparsely populated. If Shabriri kept doing this, wearing down the Erdtree over and over, he would succeed sooner or later.

Smack.

Zhao Si slapped his forehead and set the question aside. Ranni was the immediate priority.

The Cuckoo Knights had already invited the three of them into the Academy, where sorcerers would receive them.

A sorcerer wearing a W overwise Glintstone Crown came forward as their representative to thank Zhao Si and his companions.

"Thank you all for your contributions to the Academy. Please feel free to make any requests. We will do whatever is within our power." The W overwise Sorcerer offered a restrained smile as he delivered these formal courtesies.

Only highly gifted members of the Academy were entitled to wear a W overwise Glintstone Crown. It resembled two men's heads fused together, topped with azure and blue glintstone.

It looked rather odd.

Zhao Si had no intention of beating around the bush. "We would like an audience with the queen."

"Huh?" The W overwise Sorcerer was at a loss for words. After a long pause, he finally said, "This is a matter of great importance. We will need to discuss it."

With that, he turned and left, leaving the three of them stranded in the Cuckoo Church.

Zhao Si sat down in a chair and laughed. "They actually didn't recognize me."

Helena drew Malenia down into a seat. "Maybe you didn't attract much attention when you came here before."

They were just about to chat when Thops and Shrimp-Meat Boy came running over.

Panting, Thops handed Zhao Si the Glintstone Firearm. "This is a prototype. Try it out when you get the chance."

"What about those two masters?" Zhao Si asked.

"They passed out. Casting Legendary Sorcery took too much out of them. They won't wake up anytime soon. Senior Sellen is looking after them," Thops said.

Zhao Si nodded. With Thops's guidance, he learned how to use the Glintstone Firearm and received a small pouch of spare ammunition.

Then he took out the Executioner's Sword and handed it to Thops.

"Help me return this to Mare Mare at the Shaded Castle. Tell him I caught a thief on the road, killed him, and recovered it. Then I ran into you and asked you to bring it back," Zhao Si instructed.

Thops struggled for ages without managing to lift the Executioner's Sword. In the end, Shrimp-Meat Boy had to shoulder it.

He volunteered, "Why don't I go too?"

Zhao Si gave him a thumbs-up. "Good. Just what I'd expect from an expert lobster catcher."

Shrimp-Meat Boy was no good in battle, but he regularly did heavy labor and had carried plenty of heavy loads. Shouldering a sword was hardly difficult. In truth, a farmer would have done just as well.

You're making me look really weak here.

Zhao Si resolved to train his strength. He would get a pair of dumbbells tomorrow and start working out-provided today went smoothly.

As he watched Thops and Shrimp-Meat Boy carry the Executioner's Sword away, Zhao Si felt a little more at ease. At least whatever happened here probably would not affect them.

Before long, a crowd of sorcerers and Cuckoos came flooding over. The W overwise Sorcerer said, "Please come with us to the Debate Parlor. We can discuss things in detail there."

Among the crowd, a Sorcery Professor eyed Helena furtively and muttered, "A Finger Maiden, hehehe. If I made her into a puppet..."

The Academy of Magic's grand Debate Parlor was quite spacious. It looked like a theater, with an open floor in the middle and seats on either side. It seemed well suited to duels.

How large was it? Put simply, a Red Wolf that looked about as big as an elephant could dodge, weave, and cast sorcery inside it.

Chandeliers hung from the exquisite dome, providing ample light at night.

Most striking of all was the Moon Model suspended from the dome.

Large floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor provided daylight.

Bringing Zhao Si and his companions here did not seem particularly well intentioned. If two hundred armed men were lying in ambush, they might even hack the three of them to pieces-assuming they could beat Malenia.

That was a joke, of course. With Malenia here, their safety was certainly assured.

"Please wait a moment," the W overwise Sorcerer said.

Then he left with everyone else. Once the doors on both sides closed, the three of them were effectively trapped.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Malenia said.

"At worst, Ranni will throw a dark moon at us." Zhao Si pretended to be calm, though his palms were sweating.

Time ticked past, second by second. Waiting was the hardest part. They had no idea what the Academy was up to.

They were only asking to see the queen. If it was possible, say yes. If not, say no.

Was giving them an answer really that difficult? Was it?

After another stretch of waiting, Zhao Si was growing impatient when the doors suddenly swung open.

A woman's ringing voice called out, "Who wishes to see the queen?"

Looking toward the voice, they saw a woman enter with a helmet tucked in her arm. She wore silver-white knight's armor and had a martial bearing, her tall frame every bit the equal of a man's.

She wore the Silver-Iron Royal Knight Armor unique to Caria. Helmet, breastplate, gauntlets, and greaves formed a complete set that covered her securely, paired with a cloak as blue as lapis lazuli.

The cloak was embroidered with the emblem of the Carian Royal Family.

Her short hair was pale gold, her brows carried a warrior's fierceness, and her eyes were wide with anger. One look at her sharply defined face told them she was no ordinary female commander.

Zhao Si raised a hand. "We do. May I ask who you are?"

"I am Loretta, a Carian Royal Family Royal Guard Knight. Who are you to demand an audience with the queen?" After introducing herself, Loretta questioned the three of them.

Ten Carian Sorcerer Knights followed behind her. Among them, some carried her exquisitely crafted Silver War Scythe and her amber-inlaid Silver Shield, whose design drew upon the image of Tears.

They plainly looked ready for a fight. The request to see the queen had clearly struck a nerve.

Before Zhao Si could speak, Malenia lowered her hood and removed her mask. "It is I, Malenia of the Haligtree. I seek an audience with the Full Moon Queen."

Loretta froze. "Lady... Malenia?"

Suddenly, Zhao Si felt the temperature in the Debate Parlor plummet. White frost appeared on the floor-to-ceiling windows and the chandeliers, as though a blizzard was gathering indoors.

"What is the daughter of Radagon and Marika doing here?"

The cold, clear voice reached everyone's ears. Its utter lack of warmth sent a chill down their spines, leaving them feeling as though they might freeze solid.

Loretta and the knights immediately dropped to their knees and called toward the outside of the Debate Parlor:

"Princess."