Chapter Seventy-One: An Unexpected Change of Allegiance

The night elves surged toward the pyre, determined this time to rescue Linley. The guards had not anticipated such a sudden burst of fervor, and with their numbers vastly outmatched, their defenses quickly crumbled under the tide of people.

Linley was swiftly freed.

"Thank you," he said to the night elves, "Could you help me save that girl as well?"

The night elves glanced to the side, where someone had already rescued Eve—none of the others objected to this. Since their master was not a villain, the girl likely wasn’t either.

Eire was facing off with a night elf general, the one responsible for guarding the pyre. The general’s strength was nearly on par with Eire’s, but witnessing the scene before him, he dared not act.

"Your Highness, even you would betray His Majesty?" the general demanded.

Eire nodded. He had ties with the new king and, if possible, would have preferred not to betray him. But Eire could see clearly the resolve of the people; now, regardless of who sat on the throne, they would fight to the end.

Before the greater cause of the Twin Moon Wheel, Eire had no choice.

"I share their beliefs," Eire declared, then turned to Linley. "And perhaps, after this event, our long-standing war with the forest elves might finally find resolution..."

The general’s heart stirred. He surveyed the furious crowd surrounding him; such a sight he had never seen, and in the five hundred years of night elf history, it was surely unprecedented.

He closed his eyes in contemplation. Unlike the forest elves, the night elves held little loyalty to their monarchs; the changing of the Twin Moon Wheel had happened five or six times in the general’s memory. Even if the new king defeated the queen, the general believed someone else would replace him within his lifetime—and he would serve that person in turn.

Was this cycle worth maintaining?

The general opened his eyes, flames seemingly burning within them. "If Your Highness feels this way, then I’ll take a gamble with you. But, Your Highness, if it turns out this boy brings disaster upon us..."

Eire smiled faintly. "You needn’t say it—I would kill him myself."

Eire trusted Linley, but he did not rule out the possibility of misjudging him. If so, even if it took a lifetime, Eire would ensure Linley faced retribution.

The general was reassured.

"Warriors, raise your weapons!" he shouted suddenly. The guards outside the palace looked up at him as he turned to face the palace. "Let us join their struggle!"

"General, wise!" the guards responded passionately; they had long wished to switch sides. With the general’s declaration, all the guards stood with the night elves, and those outside the palace united in purpose.

Eire walked to the pyre and saw Linley surrounded by night elves, seated in meditation to recover. Nearby, Eve was far lonelier, with only Hera at her side, offering water in concern.

"Thank you."

Seeing Eire approach, Eve expressed her gratitude—she had little fondness for night elves, but without this prince, she would have lost her life here.

"No need to thank me," Eire replied, shaking his head and speaking quietly, "You should thank your little prince."

Eve was momentarily stunned, while Hera, standing beside her, couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

"We had only just arrived here when we met your little prince," Hera explained in a low voice. "He’s cunning beyond compare—knowing he couldn’t win the night elves’ trust himself, he deliberately arranged for the prince to speak those words."

Eve turned her gaze, glaring fiercely at Linley, who was being shielded by the night elves.

He was working hard to recover his strength, but his complexion was clearly much better than before—was it all an act?

Unbelievable! Was he born for the stage?

All her worry was wasted—Eve ground her teeth in frustration; so, the little prince clearly intended to save her, yet had deliberately acted indifferent earlier.

"Why is she glaring at me?" Linley felt Eve’s gaze, puzzled by her surprise. Life is a stage, after all, and everything depends on performance—how else could one survive without a touch of acting?

Linley himself was surprised; he’d thought he might have to rely on his charm, but it hadn’t come to that—these night elves already had a good impression of him.

Winnie’s flourishing business, it turned out, brought him such benefits.

Rare and fortunate indeed—

Ten minutes later, Linley felt sufficiently recovered and stood up.

"Where’s my sword? Did any of you see it?" he asked the delighted night elves.

"Here, boss, your sword is right here!" a night elf came running over, cradling Linley’s broken blade.

The surrounding elves were even more moved.

"Look, this is the boss’s sword! He broke it for our cause!"

"A sword is a warrior’s life—he sacrificed his life for us!"

The night elves were stirred to their core. Linley lightly took the sword, revived his spirits, and raised it high.

"Night elves, if you’re still willing to accept me, let me stand with you and fight to the end!"

A thunderous cheer erupted.

In that moment, the racial divide seemed to vanish from their hearts; they were brimming with strength.

"Then, let us attack the palace at once!" Linley pointed with his sword. "Follow my command—let’s break down the palace gates together!"

He stepped forward once more, leading the charge. The night elves ahead parted to make way, then followed behind him.

Many night elves were ablaze with passion.

They followed behind Linley, and his figure filled them with confidence.

"Quick, keep up!"

"With the boss, victory is ours!"

Outside the palace, a fierce battle began—Eire was surprised to find all the night elves at his side had joined in, including some of the guards he brought. Somehow, all command had passed to Linley.

Yet the other night elves felt nothing amiss, instead naturally cooperating with him—even though they had been eager to burn him moments earlier.

"He truly has the charisma of a leader," Eire marveled, for he had never seen such a peculiar scene.

"I don’t see it," Eve scoffed, lips curling. She hadn’t seen the prince do anything a leader ought to, but she had to admit, he was certainly good at persuading others.

"But, Prince, why did you help him with his act?" Eve asked Eire.

"Act?" Eire was taken aback, then laughed. "If you mean what I said, that was indeed at his request."

He too was surprised: Linley, whom he had just met, entrusted him with such a crucial choice. Had Eire not complied and exposed him, Linley would have met a terrible fate.

But Linley trusted Eire without hesitation, displaying a generosity that even surpassed the new king’s confidence in him. Eire couldn’t help but wonder—was this prince naïve or terrifying?

Eire ultimately chose to cooperate with Linley; since the prince trusted him, he would trust Linley in return.

Eve called it acting, but those words were also Eire’s own thoughts. Linley’s rhetoric could be true or false—but Eire hoped for the best.

In Twin Moon City, after witnessing the farce’s end, the royal magicians gradually relaxed their tense nerves.

They discussed among themselves for a while, then concluded: "We really can’t let the little prince go out and talk freely!"

"His ability to turn black into white is extraordinary!"

"Those night elves were bent on killing him, and now they’ve switched sides!"

"He remains their leader, not suffering a single loss, and from now on, no night elf can use his identity against him!"

"The forest elves are openly leading the night elves—the first time in five hundred years!"

The royal magicians, hearts still racing, were nonetheless thoroughly impressed by Linley. In such a dangerous situation, he had turned peril into safety in an instant.