They don't pay as much attention to Grivar as they used to...... They are no longer as longing to return to their homeland as their ancestors were. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 Separated by thousands of years, they have become accustomed to the independence and freedom they have, and the only thing they care about is whether this freedom will be destroyed - whether the ruler of Grivar will break the promise of the king of thousands of years.

The news from Grivar has not been cut off, only less and less. Even so, they were well aware of the growing tensions between the Council of Elders and Payne, and had speculated if one side would try to pull them into their side.

The Antlers Forest is not very powerful, but it is not to be underestimated, and when the two sides are evenly matched, which side they choose to side is particularly important.

The presence of the messenger was not expected for them...... The result was something they never expected.

"He threatened me. Panasses's tone was calm, but there was still anger in his eyes.

The messenger named Arundi looked arrogant, and even though he used euphemisms, he still sounded threatening.

"He said we had been identified by the Presbyterian Church as blasphemous like Ankeland. After all, even humans themselves have a lot of discussion about the authenticity of Scott Christus's name as a sage, and we who believe in it are either foolish...... Or ulterior motives. ”

Panasses paused, the muscles in the corners of his eyes twitching slightly, and it took a moment to calm down.

He said the Elders claimed that the ghosts of Ankelan were hiding in the Antler Forest, intent on rebuilding their empire in the midst of chaos. And whether we are the most vertical chess pieces or willing followers, perhaps it is still up to debate, before we make a move, it is the right choice to attack quickly, so that we are 'under protection or control', and it is also the unshirkable responsibility of the king, otherwise the disaster of the past will come again...... And this time may be the destruction of the entire race. ”

Orin knew he should be as angry as Parnassas—it wasn't just their faith that was questioned and slandered, it sounded like their blood-linked elves were either as stupid as orcs or as evil as demons in the eyes of the "elders."

That really chilled him...... However, deep down, he realized with horror that he actually had a faint feeling that those malicious 'slanders' were ...... There seems to be some truth to it.

They never thought about where that faith came from. After all, it was as if it had existed for a long time, only to finally be awakened. It's so powerful and hard to disobey, so warm and hard to let go...... And is its light so bright that it blinds them?

He didn't dare to think about it.

"Payne? Silverleaf knows very well why the Council of Elders would suddenly attack at such a time - having a common 'enemy' can ease their previous relationship. Panasses sneered, "Even if they hate each other to the core, they are not ready to tear off their masks and immediately go to war...... Grivar's elves are always like this, looking ahead and being indecisive. ”

Orin was silent about the angry and contemptuous assessment.

"And the silver king is willing to 'give us a chance.'" Panasses curled the corners of his mouth disdainfully, "Guess who gave this 'opportunity'?"

Orin remained silent. Even if he could calmly judge that the emissary, who was more like fanning the flames than seeking allies, might not have been sent by Payne, Panasses clearly had no liking for either the Council of Elders or the Elven King.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

"We can no longer be so passive waiting to be 'controlled or protected'. Panasses' pupils constricted slightly, "We have to make them understand that we don't need 'protection'...... It won't be so easily controlled -- it won't be controlled by any force. ”

“...... We need more news. "Ohlin can only give such advice.

They have been brothers since childhood, but his duty lies in the defense of the Antler Forest. He never wanted to meddle in more complicated matters, and he was worried about the wisdom of influencing Panasses' decision with judgments that even he himself was not sure of.

But he had to voice his doubts and uneasiness: "If things have gotten so bad...... Why didn't we get a little warning?"

Parnasas glanced up at him, and for a moment his complicated expression seemed to be running away from something.

"No one knows everything. He replied stiffly.

This familiar answer made Orin's heart move, and he gave up the question.

For a long time after that, Parnasas seemed to deliberately avoid him. Orin didn't know if he was seeking more information, as he had suggested, and he didn't bother to ask any more. Hidden in Grivar's "eyes and ears", only the two elders who lived in seclusion in the depths of the forest and the leader of each of them knew how to contact each other, presumably to ensure the safety of the other...... The elves who had the right to know about it were accustomed to it, and no one had any doubts, and many more elves did not even know that they had been spying on Grivar's people for thousands of years.

Even if it is necessary...... That's not something to put in the sun, after all.

Parnasas spent more time standing in front of the stone monument, staring silently at the massive emblem of Nesses. In the midst of the unease, it is not surprising that many elves behave in the same way...... But Orin could feel that the burden on Panasses's heart was not lightened by this.

Half a month later, Orin suddenly received an unexpected order.

Parnasas asked him to select a thousand of the best warriors and accompany him to Grivar, while the rest protected the elves to retreat deep into the Antler Forest, west through the Alcázar Canyon, and dwelling in the Orne Valley.

“...... Thousand. Orin repeated incredulously, "And bring the leopard...... Are you preparing for war?!"

He had a mild-mannered temperament, and there was almost never such a sharp accusatory tone. Panasses' face changed slightly, but he still explained to him: "I don't want to go to war...... But you have to understand that from the moment we chose our faith, conflict with Grivar could not have been avoided. Instead of sitting back and waiting, it's better to take the initiative ......"

"Are you crazy?" Orin blurted out in anger, "even if it is as you say, the best thing to do is to stay here...... If Grivar dared to send troops, we would have enough strength to defend ourselves against any attack in this familiar forest, and we would have traveled thousands of miles with a thousand warriors to their territory to provoke them...... That's a send-off!"

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