Chapter 136
Ella's Background
Chapter 136 Ella's Background
Barnaby looked somewhat obsequious. He strode to the bar, respectfully returned the lion emblem to Ella with both hands, and then bowed.
Despite Karen and her group's attempts to conceal their identities, the branch president immediately recognized the three as knights: "And esteemed knights. Forgive my poor eyesight for failing to recognize the tokens at first glance. Please follow me; a room upstairs has been prepared for you."
His attitude was extremely humble, as if a subordinate were meeting his highest-ranking officer.
Amidst the astonished gazes of the surrounding adventurers, the three were respectfully led by Barnaby to the VIP room on the second floor.
"What brings you three lords to Trident Town?" Barnaby asked cautiously. "As long as it is within my capabilities, I will do my utmost, even at the cost of my life."
"We need to replenish some supplies," Karen said calmly.
"No problem! Absolutely no problem!" Barnaby immediately patted his chest and assured them, "All expenses will be covered by the guild!"
He paused, then tentatively asked, "I wonder—I wonder how Lord Leonhardt is doing lately?"
Ryan turned to look at Ella, and the Leonhardt he mentioned seemed to be the reason for his respectful attitude.
Ella picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and said calmly, "Father is fine, just a bit busy lately. We're just passing through, Chairman Barnaby doesn't need to be so concerned."
"Yes, yes." Barnaby nodded repeatedly.
Raine watched quietly from the side, his curiosity about Ella's father growing ever stronger.
It's as if the branch leader of an adventurers' guild in a major commercial city is so afraid of him.
This man named Leonhardt is far more than just an ordinary branch president.
That night, they were put in guest rooms inside the guild.
Raine stood alone on the balcony of his room, watching the bustling crowds and lights of the street below. His thoughts drifted to Ella.
"What are you thinking about?"
Ella's lithe figure appeared silently on the balcony beside him. She deftly flipped over from the balcony of the next room.
"I was thinking about your emblem." Renn didn't hide anything.
"Oh, that?" Ella leaned against the railing, resting her chin on her hands, looking at the moon in the sky, and said casually, "That belongs to my father. He's in the Adventurers' Guild... kind of like a branch leader, except he manages all the branches in the Western Regions and the Reach."
This position was higher than Ryan had imagined.
Ji Ping is a powerful figure second only to the members of the Guild's highest council.
"His name is Leonhardt." Ella's tone lacked pride, instead carrying a hint of detachment: "A workaholic, a man who values the guild above all else. The last time I saw him was about three years ago."
Raine detected a hint of loneliness in her words.
"And what about your mother?" he couldn't help but ask.
When Ella mentioned her mother, her eyes softened considerably.
She took off a silver chain from her neck, with a leaf pendant hanging from the end of the chain.
"I am a half-elf, and my mother was naturally an elf." Ella gently stroked the leaf pendant. "A wandering elf. She said she was rescued by my foolish father when she was lost. And then, I came into being."
She left when I was very young.
"When she left, she only left me this pendant."
She said it was a leaf from the World Tree, and as long as I wore it, she could sense my presence wherever I went.
Raine looked at the pendant in her hand, which emanated a pure energy.
"So, your joining the Knights was purely a personal decision? Your family seems to be far removed from the word 'knight'."
"Hmm." Ella nodded, putting the pendant back on and tucking it close to her clothes. "Father always wanted me to inherit his position, to groom me into a shrewd businesswoman or a ruthless guild manager. But I didn't want that kind of life. I told my father I wanted to try becoming a knight, and that's how it is."
Her story is simple.
Just then, Sir Karen's voice came from the private courtyard behind the guild below, clearly having overheard Rein and the others' conversation.
Get some rest.
The two looked down and saw the old knight sitting alone under an old tree in the courtyard, polishing his longsword.
The moonlight shone on him, casting a long shadow.
Karen didn't look up, as if she were talking to herself: "Speaking of elves, it reminds me of something."
Renn and Ella exchanged a glance, then both climbed down from the balcony and sat down next to the old knight.
"Do you know why our Kingdom of Orland has been able to maintain peace with the elven kingdom of Elvenheim in the east for three hundred years?" Karen asked.
Both shook their heads.
"Because of a covenant." Karen's gaze turned to the eastern horizon: "Three hundred years ago, humans and elves were allies who fought side by side. After the war, the then King of Orlando and the Elf Queen signed the Sunstone Covenant atop the Holy Mountain."
"The covenant stipulates that humans are not allowed to enter the Misty Forest of Elvenheim without authorization, and the elves promise not to interfere in the internal affairs of human kingdoms. Both sides share intelligence on monsters from the far north, and if either side encounters a crisis that could overthrow its kingdom, the other side must send troops to its aid."
"The token of this covenant is a magical gem called the Sunstone. It has been split in two, with one half kept by the Orland royal family and the other half held by the Elven royal court. As long as the gem remains intact, the covenant will remain in effect forever."
"For three hundred years, it is because of this covenant that the Kingdom of Orland has been able to devote almost all of its military power to the northern defense line, focusing on fighting monsters without having to worry about the threat from the Eastern elves. It can be said that the Sunstone Covenant is the cornerstone of our kingdom's peace."
After Karen finished speaking, a long silence fell over the courtyard.
A storm raged within Raine. He hadn't expected that there was such a grand historical background and complex racial relations behind it all.
Humans, elves, monsters —
The Sunstone Covenant, the Northern Frontier —
He glanced at Ella, who was standing beside him lost in thought, and then at the leaf pendant around her neck.
He suddenly had a premonition that his future path might unexpectedly intersect with that mysterious elven kingdom.