"This could even involve the entire Corleone family," Max added gravely.


    "Which is exactly the point," Ss replied.


    "Excuse me?"


    "The count gave me this gift with that intent in mind. By making me a target, he can push me into this war, force me to use Toby and Rey, and even involve the Corleone family."


    "And you epted, knowing all that?"


    "Because taking her was still in my best interest," Ss said with a faint smile as he approached the elf. She red at him with the intensity of someone ready to tear him apart, which only made him smirk.


    "Alv-seden. De''aran lo ra." Ss said in elvish.


    "...!" The elf''s eyes widened in shock, as did the other retainers, who turned to Ss in astonishment.


    "My lord, you know elvish?" Max asked, unable to hide his surprise.


    "I studied it once," Ss replied casually.


    "And what did you just say?"


    "I asked if she could understand me. It looks like I learned correctly," Ss said, nodding toward the stunned elf.


    In elvish, he continued, "If you understand me, say something. How long will you keep your mouth shut?"


    The elf''s gaze twisted with anger, and in a disy of defiance, she opened her mouth wide, revealing her tongue—orck thereof. Max leaned in for a closer look and frowned.


    "Her tongue''s been cut," he muttered.


    "That damned count," Ss cursed under his breath. Cutting her tendons to prevent escape was one thing, but to cut her tongue as well?


    "He was intent on making me an enemy of the elves," Ss said grimly.


    "Well, so much for exining anything if we meet on the battlefield," Max sighed.


    "Fortunately, it''s only been cauterized and hasn''t fully healed yet," Ss noted.


    "How is that fortunate?"


    Ss reached into his coat and pulled out a small vial of elixir. Ignoring the astonished gasps of his retainers, he held the vial out to the elf.


    "Drink this," he ordered.


    "...!"


    "It''s an elixir, you fool. Don''t refuse it—it''s not poison. If you want your tongue and tendons to regenerate, drink it."


    The elf looked away defiantly at first, but her eyes widened as she processed his words. After a moment''s hesitation, she reluctantly opened her mouth. Ss poured the elixir into her mouth, and the elf swallowed, gasping and twisting in difort as the healing process began.


    "What''s happening?" Max asked, rmed.


    "It''s painful because her body is regenerating. Her tongue was cut deeply, after all," Ss replied calmly. Just as he''d expected, the elf soon stopped writhing, her tongue and tendons now healed. Tentatively, she stood, hopping slightly to test her restored legs. For a brief moment, she almost smiled, but catching Ss''s gaze, she quickly scowled.


    "I won''t thank you, human. If it weren''t for you and your kind, I''d never have been hurt in the first ce," she spat in elvish.


    "I didn''t do it for your gratitude, so don''t worry," Ss replied, unfazed. "I''m more interested in why you and the count are at war."


    "What? Are you not a subordinate of this castle''s lord?"


    "No. But your attitude is making me reconsider my stance. If the count was at fault, I''d nned to withdraw or even side with you. Maybe I should just support him in this war and demandpensation."


    The elf''s face went pale. As a people, elves had be an elite minority—not by choice, but because their poption had dwindled so drastically. Every loss was a substantial blow to their survival. And if Ss''s knights, who could easily defeat ten elves, joined the war? They could be a tipping point.


    "If you''re not going to tell me anything, then I''ll just start preparing for theing battle," Ss said, turning away.


    "W-Wait! I''ll tell you my name!" she blurted out.


    "Actually, now that I think about it, I don''t care to hear it anymore…" Ss replied, feigning indifference.


    "Eldira! I am Eldira, the firstborn daughter of Arathion, Grand Duke of the Sword!" she shouted.


    Ss halted mid-step. Did she just say…?


    "What did you just say?"


    "My name is Eldira!"


    "No, before that. Whose firstborn did you say you were?"


    "My father is Arathion, the Grand Duke of the Sword."


    Ss clenched his jaw, understanding everything in an instant. The elves, suffering from a poption crisis, would still go to extraordinary lengths to avenge their kin. No wonder they had razed five noble families. No wonder their forces had gone wild, unleashing monsters across thend.


    That damned count had captured the daughter of the elven grand duke.


    The elves had no king. Although the concept of a throne existed, no one had upied it since ancient times. The reason was simple: no one had managed to unite the scattered elven tribes. Thus, those who ruled the various elven domains referred to themselves not as kings but as grand dukes.


    In essence, a grand duke among the elves was effectively akin to a king, especially given that only one elven nation remained beyond the Western forests. This meant that Eldira, as the daughter of a grand duke, was essentially a princess. No wonder the elves had gone into such an uproar. They were already a dwindling race, and it wasn''t just any noble who had been taken but their princess.@@novelbin@@


    No wonder the elves beyond the Western forest were livid.


    Yet, a few questions still nagged at Ss''s mind.


    「Why would the grand duke''s daughter be here in the first ce?」 he asked. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    If she was so precious, she would have been treated with utmost care. Why would the grand duke''s daughter be on the front lines, carrying out an assassination mission? It made no sense; even approaching human territories would have triggered an outcry among other elves.


    「Given your father''s position, he would never have approved this mission,」 Ss added.


    「Why would my father be involved in this? This is my war!」


    「What? But isn''t your father leading this war?」


    The two stared at each other in confusion, realizing they were speaking at cross purposes.