Taste of Magic: Ambassador's Voice

Chapter 192 – When History Lies

When Melina and Elowen arrived in Fenrora, it was late evening. They couldn't continue straight to Euroa, so instead they went to Sinclair Manor to spend the night there.

To say that Melina was nervous was an understatement. Standing before the huge white Sinclair manor with its towering spires made Melina feel like an intruder. Surely, this opulent estate was not meant for someone like her.

But when she arrived at the gate and Elowen, as her guard, introduced her to the gate guards, they let her in immediately. The head butler was informed of her arrival, and before long, a long line of servants was standing before her and greeting her politely.

"Good day, Lady Melina," they all said in unison, the head butler standing in the center. She admired their professionalism. Not a single one of them doubted or questioned Sienna's presence.

"Lady Melina…" She muttered, not quite comfortable with such a formal way of address.

Thankfully, she wasn't left standing there for long, and soon Charlotte bounded down the stairs.

"Melina!" The girl cheered and hugged Melina.

"Hello, Lady Charlotte," she greeted her.

"Just Charlotte! You're going to be part of our family soon. Oh, I can't wait for the wedding. The engagement party was already amazing, and those cakes!"

"Charlotte, please calm yourself," the Duchess reprimanded, descending the staircase with the help of her guard. "It's a pleasure to welcome you to our home, Melina."

"The pleasure is all mine!" Melina said and curtsied in greeting.

The Duchess hummed in approval at the gesture. After that, Melina was swept away by the servants, where she was bathed, dressed, and later invited to dinner with Charlotte and the Duchess. Apparently, Richard had left for the capital to deal with the matter of his engagement to the princess while the Duke was on his way back home.

Since Heiliger had escaped, the trial had been put on hold. The most aggressive of the System users would remain in prison, while those who cooperated were released back to the Monastery under strict conditions that they couldn't leave the Monastery grounds. Melina wasn't pleased to learn this.

Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about that. The best thing she could do was find the remaining two Sacred Treasures and destroy them. It wouldn't be easy, as they were protected by ancient magic. Conventional means wouldn't work. But she was sure that she could discover a way. Perhaps Lord Eidranis knew something.

After a dinner with the Duchess and Charlotte, Melina was given a guest bedroom to sleep in. Melina was blown away by how huge it was. The whole first floor of the bakery could fit inside it. The bed itself was enough for six or maybe even more people to sleep in.

When she lay down, it felt as if she was sleeping in a cloud. While it sounded nice in theory, Melina actually wished the mattress were firmer. She also missed the familiar warmth that came from Alistair's body.

But there was no time to sulk. An important task stood in front of her. The next morning, before dawn, Melina and Elowen were already dressed and left the Sinclair estate to head to Euroa.

The trip was actually very short since they both rode on Sienna's back. Landing was a bit finicky among the dense forest foliage. However, the elves of Euroa, noticing Sienna's approach, actually used magic to temporarily bend tree tops out of the way and allow the wyvern to land safely.

Everyone gathered around them instantly. Not because of Melina. Nobody really cared about her. It was Sienna they admired. Apparently, wyrm evolving into a wyvern wasn't a common occurrence. Most wyrms hung around either at elven homes in their small forms and didn't really battle, or lived at Wyrm's Peak.

Some fighting did happen there on occasion, but not very often. Who would be crazy enough to attack a large collective of wyrms? Not to mention that even if something did attack, the experience would be spread rather thin with how many wyrms lived there.

While the elves admired Sienna, who was more than happy to bask in the glory of elven praise, Melina and Elowen went to meet with the council of elders. She would have liked to head straight to the Architect, but they were insistent, and Melina wasn't so rude as to turn down the most important elves in the Human Realm.

Although once she was seated at their table with six of them looking at her through their hoods, Melina couldn't help but feel… nervous. Judged? They were definitely assessing her carefully.

"It is a great honor that you would invite me to dine with you, honored council," Melina said politely.

"Melina Dufour…" The white elder began in a melodious, feminine voice. "The one whom Elowen has told us so much about."

"Destroyer of realms," the black elder added coldly.

"You got some nerve. Last time you showed up with Duchess Sinclair, searching for a dress. Out of courtesy towards her, we couldn't address you then, but we will get answers out of you now."

"Dear elders, I assure you that Melina only has the best intentions in mind. Please, allow us to explain our reason for coming here," Elowen said.

"Calm, Red. We invited her to finally learn the full picture of the situation, not to throw accusations!" the green elder said calmly.

"That's right. Please tell us, Melina Dufour. Why do you seek to meet the Architect?" The white elder asked.

Melina nodded and told the council of elders the whole truth. Yes, absolutely everything, including the fact that she had been the one to rewind time, that Heiliger, the one who was pushing the realm separation, was now roaming free, and that Melina wanted to gather all three Sacred Treasures and destroy them.

"Destroy Sacred Treasures? It's preposterous," the blue elder shook his head. "They were a gift from the first Monster Lord to the King of Humans."

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"What?" Melina exclaimed in shock.

"Do humans not know this?" the yellow elder asked.

"No. In fact, most humans don't even know that the Sacred Treasures exist," Melina said.

Heavy silence descended upon the room as the elders nervously glanced at each other.

"This was not how it was supposed to be…" The black elder shook his head.

"You're telling us that the Sacred Treasures aren't known to humans?" The red elder asked in disbelief.

"No. They are nothing more than a forgotten myth for most people," Melina confirmed.

"That's strange, because I certainly knew of the treasures. I never expected that humans wouldn't know of something that was gifted to them by the first Monster Lord," Elowen muttered.

"Knowing human nature, the king must have hidden the treasures for himself…" The blue elder growled.

"No, that can't be the case," Melina objected, recalling the myths she had been told in the orphanage by nannies. "When the first passageways to the Monster Realm appeared, the human king died. Everyone believed that it was monsters that killed him, hence why humans always held a grudge towards the Monster Realm."

"He was killed?" The white elder asked.

"Perhaps somebody else took the treasures then?" The red elder guessed. "Humans are incredibly greedy and always thirsting for power."

"I'm afraid it's impossible to know what happened in ancient history. The point is that the treasures are lost, and I seek to retrieve and destroy them. I already have the Stone of Sacrifice in my possession."

"Is it with you?" The yellow elder asked.

"No, it is currently being safeguarded by my fiancé," Melina replied.

"I see… Perhaps the treasures must be destroyed. They were supposed to be a symbol of unity, yet it seems that they only served as instruments of destruction. Perhaps, the best course truly is to destroy them."

"Destroying them won't be an easy task," the black elder said. "They were made with primal magic, something only the Monster Lord can wield."

"I'm sure Lord Eidranis would be willing to help in this matter," Elowen said.

There was a moment of heavy silence, then the white elder said. "Please, give us time to think on the matter. Destruction of the treasures is not something we can agree to lightly."

"I'm afraid we have no time. Heiliger is roaming free, likely seeking a way to split the realms apart. We must act quickly. At the very least, allow me to continue searching for them," Melina pleaded.

"Letting the crazy human bishop get it certainly would do nobody any good," the blue elder said.

"I think we can all agree that finding them is a priority. Whether their destruction is required is something we need to think more about," the yellow elder said.

"Are we in agreement?" the white elder asked.

None of the other elders objected, although Melina could see how tense the hands of red and black elders looked.

"We ask that you inform us once you find the other two Sacred Treasures before you do anything," the black elder demanded.

"I agree," the red elder said.

"Of course," Melina agreed. She didn't believe she should be making such a huge decision on her own. Perhaps the council could find a way to safeguard treasures without destroying them.

With that settled, Melina and Elowen could continue their way to the Architect's hidden sanctuary. On Sienna's back, getting to the entrance stream near Wyrm's Peak was easy. A few hours and they were there.

Melina couldn't believe how incredibly convenient flying was. Sienna was having the time of her life, too, especially once they flew over Wyrm's Peak. There were a few wyverns there, too, who flew up to greet Sienna.

Melina was actually content letting the wyvern mingle with her own kind while she and Elowen went to meet the Architect. She wasn't really needed down there, not to mention that the wyvern didn't like cramped places too much.

Once they were done with their business, Melina would reach out to their bond and find Sienna that way.

The labyrinth apparently had changed from the last time, and Elowen sadly wasn't of much help. Alistair had been the one to find the right path, so this time it was Melina's turn to do it. Thankfully, it was only a matter of finding the tunnel with more mana coming out of it.

As a System being, the Architect was bound to exude mana. At first, it was difficult to pick up the faint mana traces, but the deeper they ventured, the easier it became. Until finally, they reached the hidden sanctuary.

It was just like Melina remembered it. A place overfilled with life and beauty. Monsters and animals roam together with the Architect watching over the scene in its serenity. Its unique appearance did unnerve Melina—marbled skin, six arms, each pair made of different material, and an indistinguishable face which changed its features each time she blinked.

In a way, she could see similarities between it and the Monster Lord. Both ethereal creatures, clearly above mere mortals. Although the Architect was definitely something… more. Not quite a god, but definitely somebody you showed reverence to.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Melina greeted the Architect with a curtsy, stopping some distance away from its like marble shrine in the middle of the sanctuary.

"It's an honor to see you again," Elowen bowed.

"A pleasure to see you both again," the Architect said in an ethereal voice that was both male and female, both childish and old.

"Again?" Melina questioned. She hadn't met the Architect in this timeline yet.

"I can remember everything that happened before you rewound time," the Architect explained.

Melina berated herself inwardly. Of course, the Architect would know. After all, it insisted that Alistair should remember the past. For some reason, she had been preparing herself for another lengthy explanation, but it appeared it wouldn't be necessary.

"Then I shall get right to the heart of the matter. I wish to find the Sacred Treasures and either destroy them or make them otherwise inaccessible, so the realms couldn't be split apart again."

"You already possess one of them, correct?" The Architect raised one of its six hands and pointed its finger at her. For some reason, it made her shudder. She couldn't quite look it in the eyes.

"I do."

"Do you know the location of the others?" Elowen asked.

"Only vaguely. I'm not all-powerful," the Architect said. "One of them, the Chalice, is in the hands of your enemy."

Melina gasped. "Heiliger has it?"

The Architect nodded.

"That's bad…" Elowen said, his fists clenched. Melina could tell from his tense expression that the elf was actually far more distressed by this news than he appeared to be.

"What about the Codex?" Melina asked.

"Codex's location is unknown to me. I only know that it is not within this realm," it replied solemnly.

"It's in the Monster Realm… It'll be very hard to find there," Melina muttered.

"Seek the help of the Monster Lord. He should be able to help you," the Architect said solemnly, then waved his hand, inviting Melina closer.

Melina took a careful step forward, then another as it bid her to come closer still. When she was right in front of it, the Architect reached out and took her hand in his wooden hands.

"If you wish to destroy the Sacred Treasures, a heavy price will have to be paid."

"H-Heavy price?" Melina shivered as the Architect held her hand. She wanted to pry it free. It felt like something was crawling through her mind as if searching for something there.

"Yes. The past that you cling to, you'll have to let it go," the Architect said and then released her hand.

Melina staggered back, not understanding what exactly it meant.

"Go. This is as much as I can tell you."