Taste of Magic: Ambassador's Voice

Chapter 181 – The City in The Trees

"What the hell happened in Fenrora?" Alistair frowned. Mother had sent him a message that Melina wouldn't return to Sunglow for a few more days. But why?

From his understanding, they went to find her an engagement dress. He knew that it could take a long time for a noblewoman to choose the right dress, but several days... What could have prompted this?

More importantly, why would Melina agree to it? She certainly wasn't one to care about fancy dresses. She wouldn't leave the bakery unattended for one. So it must be something more important than just that. But what exactly? Alistair wanted to send a message to Melina, but in the end decided to trust her and his mother. If there was something urgent, he would have been warned.

Not to mention that his hands were full. He'd received a message from his father from the capital. Heiliger, priests, and System users had been delivered to the capital, and the matter had been brought before the King. Unfortunately, the Church had reacted very quickly to the case, with the Archbishop already pleading for Heiliger's release.

The King is also questioning the legitimacy of the presented evidence. After all, it was within Church's jurisdiction to traverse the Monster Realm and ascertain what to consider safe and what to treat as a danger to the Human Realm as a whole. Heiliger was claiming that the Monster Lord was dangerous, while Duke Sinclair was pushing for coexistence.

It was obvious which opinion people were more likely to accept. But the King ignored the accounts of people gathered from the whole city, so the Duke said that it was still far too soon to give up. He urged Alistair to involve elves and drow as well in the daily lives of Sunglow to better display their cooperation.

Apparently, the King will be sending the Royal Guard to investigate and see the situation with their own eyes. This gave Alistair about a week to prepare for their arrival. He wanted to scream. A week wasn't nearly enough time to prepare everything.

Whistlewisps were flying all over the place, and mana levels were just as high as the day the Monster Lord visited. What if the Royal Guard decided that such high mana levels in the Human Realm were too risky for humans? Everyone appeared fine for now, but realistically, nobody knew the long-term ramifications for this.

"Are you alright, Young Lord?" Mark asked cautiously, watching Alistair rub his temples.

"The Royal Guard is due to arrive in Sunglow in about a week," he said.

Mark went visibly pale. The appearance of the Royal Guard was enough to set anyone off. Alistair suspected that any regular citizen would faint at the mention of their arrival. The Royal Guard only came when the situation was really dire, and their presence often brought great change. Sometimes in the form of heads rolling on the ground.

"What for?" Mark asked shakily.

"To ascertain whether things here are the way Father presented them. Most people believe that the Church is correct, and cooperation between the two realms is impossible," Alistair explained.

"They'll be searching for anything to latch onto. One mistake could undo everything that has been done up until now," he said.

"Thanks, Mark… That certainly doesn't feel like a lot of pressure…"

"It is something that you, as the Duke's son, should get used to. But I don't believe the situation is as bad as you think, even if the Royal Guard comes," the man said, brushing down his vest.

"What do you mean?" Alistair asked.

"Sunglow is always displaying far beyond what most cities can even imagine. You've been living here for a while, so it appears you've already accepted it as completely normal. But elves and humans are already living peacefully in this town. Elves are working as guards and adventurers, a drow is working as a tailor, and now there are drow walking through the town, doing an investigation of their own. Can you imagine something like that happening in Fenrora?"

Alistair paused to think. He honestly couldn't. An elf would instantly draw so much attention in any city, not just Fenrora. When they went to Pertia, Remi had to hide her ears since the innkeeper nearly freaked out when he saw her. She hadn't even done anything.

He shuddered to think what would happen if drow were to appear in Fenrora. Widespread panic, guards instantly sent to apprehend them. They would likely be treated as if a monster had appeared right in the middle of the city.

But that didn't happen in Sunglow. Sure, the tourists were quite jumpy around the elves at first. He had been too when he first came. But the locals are very protective of their elven friends. Erina, the innkeeper, instantly threw out any guests who dared to bully the elves. Guards supported their elf colleagues.

Even Etrian, the drow, was well-respected among the populace, having lived here for a whole generation. It was then that Alistair realized that he didn't even need to do much to appeal to the Royal Guard. Everything necessary to show that Father was right was already here. All Alistair had to do was showcase it in a manner that would be easy to see.

"I'll have to speak with a few people. Organize a few jobs. Mark, could you please call The Guildmaster? I have a few ideas on what we could do," Alistair said.

"At once, Young Lord," Mark bowed politely and left the room.

"Your Grace, are you sure about this?" One of the Sinclair soldiers asked as they stood at the entrance of Euroa City.

Melina couldn't believe that she was here, and for such a silly reason as a dress. But once the Duchess heard about dresses adorned with magic, she had to learn more. She insisted Melina stay overnight in Fenrora and they visit the elven city to learn more.

Elowen had been eager for the Duchess and other humans to visit the elven city, especially for a more casual reason rather than something that involved world-shaking stakes. He saw this as an opportunity for the two races to grow closer.

"I'm sure. We have an escort, and we've maintained a good relationship with Euroa. I honestly believe it is a shame that we don't learn more about elves and their culture. They have so many unique things. Dresses adorned with magic could be a new trend that could spread not just through Alemahria, but through neighboring countries too," The Duchess said.

Clearly, she was seeing a lot of potential in magically adorned dresses. Melina suspected she would be quite disappointed, as such dresses can only be maintained if the wearer is decently good at controlling mana or if the dresses were imbued with an expensive mana crystal. Although that would make the dresses closer to magitech than anything else.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

But Melina wasn't about to rain on her parade. She knew that she would have no problem maintaining a magical dress, not to mention that she was curious to see Euroa again.

"Let's go then," Elowen said, pointing towards the hidden entrance to the city. The terrain wasn't the best, but it was well enough for the Duchess to comfortably sit on her horse.

One of her guards led her horse forward by the reins, and before long, they were in the city. Nobody else had noticed it yet, since the scenery on the forest floor hadn't changed.

"Welcome to Euroa!" Elowen announced proudly and pointed up.

Everyone looked up and gasped, seeing the bustling city built in the treetops. The many buildings built around the tree trunks, the wooden bridges that connected them just like streets would in human cities, and most amazingly, the mother tree, which housed the most important elves of all—the council of elders.

Melina smiled at the natural beauty that elves always managed to achieve with their architecture. Their houses specifically suited the trees they were built on, but they didn't look crude; instead, they exuded a natural grace as the walls bent along with the shape of branches, while the foliage was incorporated to be used as part of the roof. It was a masterpiece of elven architecture and nature's beauty,

"Amazing…" The Duchess gasped.

The elves who were likely doing their daily work stared down at the sudden visitors in surprise. Several guards instantly jumped down to the ground, approaching the group cautiously, but without drawing their weapons.

Elowen stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "I pardon the sudden intrusion, but these humans are interested in dresses adorned with magic as they are searching for an engagement dress at an event which might bring our two races closer."

"Bring our races closer?" The guard elves muttered in confusion. They were likely confused why Elowen, who was supposed to be on a mission in Sunglow, had come back to ask for some dresses.

"I'd explain everything if you would allow me and Duchess Sinclair meet with the elders," Elowen said.

Duchess's name instantly brought recognition, and the elves inclined their heads respectfully towards her.

"Thank you ever so much for your visit, Duchess Sinclair. It may be unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. It is thanks to your kindness that we were able to build our city here in the Human Realm," one of the elves, likely the captain, stepped forward and bowed politely before the Duchess.

"I believe it is actually long overdue that we sit down and have a proper discussion. Despite being neighbours, we've barely interacted. Yet Elowen and Melina here have lived peacefully in the same town for quite a while. I'm ever so intrigued by the prospect of elves and humans living together since you have so many talents we do not possess."

"The feeling is mutual. There are things each of our races excels at. Allow me to speak to the elders. In the meantime, you may rest in my home," the guard captain said.

"I do have to apologize, but climbing up a tree is a bit beyond me," the Duchess said. One of the Sinclair guards walked up to the horse, carefully lifted her down, and then held her hand to support her.

"Don't worry. Obviously, not all elves can scale the trees easily. We have special adaptations for that," the elf captain said, and signalled to his subordinates.

They swiftly rushed away, and a few moments later, a special platform was lowered down from the trees using some vines. Melina noted the ingenuity of the construction, which had enough space for five people, yet could easily be pulled up by a single elf thanks to the many mechanisms that made the job easier.

Before long, they were at the elf captain's home, where his kind wife prepared tea and refreshments for the Duchess and Melina. Elowen demonstratively took the first bite and sip of everything to show that it was safe, and Melina followed suit, just to ease the nervous Sinclair guards who didn't quite trust him just yet.

"Your house is delightful. I love how efficiently you're using the tree to suit your needs, but at the same time not damage it," the Duchess noted, looking around the interior of the elven house.

It wasn't large; however, it was long. Each floor contained one, maximum two rooms, and was adjusted to the specific needs. The guest room had a large table set near the window, which allowed plenty of light and at the same time gave a wonderful view of the city and forest around it.

Bookshelves were positioned around the tree trunk, underneath the staircase that snaked around it. Not to mention all the wonderful plants that grew out of every corner. The air inside smelled so wonderfully fresh that Melina felt she was recovering with each breath.

"Of course. It is easy to cut down trees; however, we elves believe that preserving them is so much more valuable, even if setting up a new home is far more difficult than building a house as you humans do. Of course, a lot of magic is involved in the process, so we understand why it isn't feasible on a large scale," the elven woman said, trying to remain graceful, but the gentle shaking of her fingers indicated her nervousness.

"Perhaps if we had System users specializing in this kind of thing…" The Duchess mused.

"How observant of you! We do have exactly such craftsmen," Elowen said.

"My! We humans really have much to learn from your race. But today our time is limited. What we're interested in are dresses decorated with magic," the Duchess said and pointed at Melina. "For my future daughter-in-law."

The elven woman opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment, the guard captain returned. "My apologies for interrupting you, but the elders are ready to see you, Duchess Sinclair."

They politely bid goodbye to the captain's wife and soon found themselves in the mother tree. Six elven figures dressed each in their own colors, with their faces and bodies completely covered, only their hands visible. Melina understood well why this was so, although the Duchess appeared confused by their choice of outfit.

She leaned closer and whispered. "The council of elders contains some of the oldest elves of the particular elven community. Since elves grow only more beautiful with age, they cover themselves completely so their beauty wouldn't distract people they work with from their duties."

"I understand. Although I have to admit I'm a bit jealous. Growing only more beautiful as you age…" the Duchess said.

"It might be too much of a good thing. And I believe you look quite wonderful," Melina said and really meant it.

Logically, Duchess Sinclair should be over forty years old, probably near her fifties. But she didn't look a day over thirty-five; her skin only had a few small wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

"I do try," she replied, then turned her attention to the elders. "Thank you ever so much for meeting with me on such short notice."

"No, we must thank you for your visit," the white elder said. "We always hoped to establish a closer relationship with our human neighbors. To think that you, who has granted us a place in the Human Realm, come and seek us out brings us much joy."

"But may we ask what brings you to our city? Is there perhaps some kind of trouble?" The black elder asked, his voice not quite as welcoming.

"Yes, there is trouble indeed," the Duchess said. "My future daughter-in-law requires an engagement dress that would suit her perfectly. Her guard Elowen, suspects that the dress that you adorn with magic would suit her the best since she, too, is a magic-user. I'd love to learn more about these dresses."

"Dresses…"

"...with magic…" the yellow and green elders drawled out, their voices filled with surprise.

"Indeed. This engagement party is of utmost importance. We're going to display magical pastries, monster familiar, and ideally the aforementioned dress. All to make other noblemen more acquainted with the Monster Realm and its culture," The Duchess explained.

"Allow me to ask a question to Elowen. Is Miss Melina the one?" the blue elder asked, turning to Elowen, who stood right beside Melina.

She could only suspect that Elowen had told them of his vision, and that in these visions he had seen Melina quite often.

"She is the one," Elowen confirmed. "I, too, believe that the success of this engagement party is crucial to establishing better relations not just among humans and elves, but among the two realms as a whole."

Melina couldn't believe how ridiculous it sounded. Yet at the same time, she knew Elowen was right. If the noblemen wouldn't be willing to accept Melina into their midst with her magic, familiars, and pastries, then what chance did elves and drow and the rest of the Monster Realm stand?