Chapter Fifty-Nine: Crushing Five Hundred Demons to Death

“Charge!”
Inside the Grand Hall of the Astral Arts, the clash between the men in black and the guards erupted into fierce combat. The oppressive atmosphere was almost suffocating.

“Don’t be afraid, brothers, charge ahead!”
Linley punched aside a guard who tried to ambush him, raised his sword, and shouted, “Cut down all the guards here! Anyone who helps the new king is our enemy. Don’t fear sacrifice! Today’s bloodshed will be tomorrow’s honor!”

“Boss!”
A man in black rushed over.

“What is it?”
“The guards say they don’t want to fight anymore. They want to join our organization, and they’ve told us that the Chief Astral Mage is on the third floor.”

“What?”
Linley turned and saw that the guards still engaged in battle were gradually lowering their weapons.

“Boss, boss, let me show you the way, please follow me!”
The captain of the guards even came over personally, enthusiastically leading the way. “We’ve heard about the monster! We absolutely won’t let it devour us!”

Linley scowled as he followed—damned guides, could they have a little more backbone?

But when they reached the second floor, a group of fierce-looking night elf mages stood in their way. “Stop! You rabble, don’t even think about approaching the Chief Astral Mage!”

Linley’s eyes lit up. Good, these people have backbone.

“Brothers, let me go first!”
He rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge, but the captain who had just defected suddenly blocked his way. “Boss, please give me a chance to earn merit. Let me say a few words.”

Linley stared wide-eyed. Persuade? Persuade your sister! I want to fight! Don’t stop me!

Yet, eager to prove himself, the captain had already stepped forward. “Honored sirs, Filigree is in chaos. The new king has lost the people’s support. I’ve seen this boss’s speech; I was deeply moved. I hope you will stand with us.”
He handed over a sheet bearing Linley’s speech.

“Who wrote this down?” Linley’s eyes widened as he turned to question the night elves.

“I did!”
“No, it was me!”
A few night elves, oblivious to danger, stood out. “Boss, we transcribed it. Your speech was so inspiring, we copied it and spread it around.”

“Now all the elves in Filigree are reciting your words, sir!”
“Our numbers are swelling rapidly, almost a thousand strong!”

The night elves seemed unusually excited. Linley could only curse inwardly—how could they move so fast? It’s only been an hour, does the whole city know I’m leading a rebellion?

The mages quickly finished reading the sheet, visibly shaken, and looked at Linley with deep respect.

“Forgive us, we didn’t expect you to be such a noble soul!”
The leading night elf mage stepped forward. “However, the Chief Astral Mage is our mentor. We cannot forsake our loyalty to her!”

Linley was overjoyed—backbone, I like it!

“Why, why do you stand with the new king?” Before Linley could speak again, the night elves behind him angrily demanded, “That monster is devouring our kin, our race is on the brink of destruction. Can loyalty truly matter more than our people?”

Some mages wavered, but the leader remained resolute.

“…I respect your ideals, but I don’t trust the queen.” He spoke out. “Three years ago, she started a war for the forest elves’ prince. She actually favored our greatest enemy. How could such a woman rule us?”

“Yes, yes!”
Linley nodded, reasoned and logical. It seemed there was no avoiding battle.

He turned around, only to find the men in black exchanging uncertain glances, unconvinced by the leader’s words.

“Is it wrong to like an adorable child?”
A young night elf suddenly spoke. “The queen likes the forest elf prince—what’s wrong with that? I like him too!”

His unexpected confession made Linley tense, but in the next moment, all the night elves, regardless of gender, eagerly agreed.

“That’s right! The little prince is so cute, it’s natural for the queen to like him!”
“Adorableness is justice; liking him isn’t wrong. We all like the prince!”
“I even collect his singing gems!”
“What, you do too?”
“What do you mean ‘you too,’ do you all…”
The night elves erupted in lively chatter. Linley was stunned—what on earth is happening!

“Boss.”
Eve whispered in his ear, “Since the war began, the night elves have always been curious about you. In recent years, the queen’s merchandise has been in high demand on the night elves’ black market. The story of the sleeping prince is a household tale in their society.”

“What!”
Linley glared furiously at the night elves behind him. How shameless could they be?

“You—you’re so shameless! He’s the enemy!”
The mage leader trembled with outrage.

“Even enemies must be judged for good and evil.”
The night elves argued righteously. “That prince is a hero, sacrificing himself to save a city and falling into eternal sleep!”

“At first I disliked him, but later I understood the queen. He’s so kind, so adorable!”
“If we night elves had a prince like him, the twin moons wouldn’t be wielded so recklessly.”

“You—you!”
The mage leader snatched up his staff in anger, but several mages suddenly rushed forward and pinned him to the ground. “What are you doing? Let me go!”

“Captain, I think they’re right,” the mages said.

“There’s nothing wrong with the queen liking the prince. Everyone knows he’s kind and adorable. We can’t use that to condemn her.”

“Since ascending the throne, the queen has never suppressed dissent by force. She exposed the truth about the monster for us—that’s far better than the new king!”

“We believe she should be our ruler, not the current one!”

The mages held down their leader and looked up at the men in black. “Heroes, go on! The Chief Astral Mage is upstairs!”

“Damn it!”
Linley, a bit annoyed, strode forward.

“What’s wrong, boss?”
Eve asked.

“How am I supposed to play when it’s this easy!”
“Isn’t easy good?”
“What’s good about it? Everyone’s defected, and now I have nowhere to unleash my passion!”

Linley was furious. All his hard-earned fervor had been wasted by these damned guides.

Eve smiled, “But I think everyone is happy.”

She glanced back at the men in black. Since the resistance wasn’t fierce and the night elves realized their actions were just, each was overflowing with morale.

“Hmph, forget it!”
Linley waved his hand grandly and shouted, “Brothers, wait outside! The Chief Astral Mage can wipe out five hundred demons with a single fireball!”

“Such a dangerous enemy must be dealt with by me personally!”

The night elves were startled—so the Chief Astral Mage was that formidable!

They were deeply moved—Boss truly was loyal and righteous. To minimize casualties, he would face such deadly foes alone.