Chapter 38 : Queen's Mark

Queen's Mark

Just as Serea was about to continue putting on airs, a pained expression suddenly appeared on Lola's face, and her hair and eye color reverted back to their original state.

Breathing weakly, Lola explained,

"I'm sorry, my lady. When your race suddenly vanished back then, the blood elf lineage continued down to my generation and has almost completely degraded into a jungle elf bloodline. I beg your forgiveness for my tribe's failure to protect the blood elf bloodline."

Upon hearing this, cold sweat beaded on Serea's forehead. The bloodkin disappeared? What the hell? She had no idea about any of this.

However, so as not to expose herself, Serea still replied in that chilling tone,

"This... this is not your fault, and there were reasons for the disappearance of the bloodkin. It's not convenient for me to explain in detail now."

"Then, please allow my tribe to once again serve under the bloodkin and help you rebuild the legend of our kind."

"But if you choose to follow me, your tribe may face unprecedented danger. Are you certain you wish to do this?"

Serea asked, as she currently did need a territory where she could peacefully develop.

"Yes, my lady, the blood elves will never betray you. So I earnestly ask permission to immediately construct the Blood Well and awaken the powers of the blood elves anew."

"Very well, since you are so determined, you may build the Blood Well."

"Thank you, my lady. I will go gather materials at once."

"Mm, but before that, do not alert anyone else—specifically, your elven subordinates."

Upon hearing this, Lola looked at Serea with puzzlement, but then quickly understood.

"I understand. Although the jungle elves have long been on good terms with us, the tribe has declined and you are concerned that word of our resurgence might leak out."

"Uh... yes."

"I understand. I will keep my mouth tightly shut."

"That's for the best."

Serea was very satisfied with this outcome. Initially, she had planned to use force or even enslavement to drive the elves into building the Blood Well for her; now, it seemed unnecessary.

As the last remaining descendant of the blood elves, Lola's loyalty saved Serea those needless troubles.

Just as Serea was imagining her own rise in dominance after the Blood Well was completed, Lola suddenly approached her.

"I shall serve with dedication. To keep our plans secret and ensure the bloodkin's revival, I now devote the Darkmoon Clan's loyalty to you, my lady."

"Huh?"

Serea, seeing Lola step right in front of her, had no idea what she intended. Before she could react, Lola pressed her lips to Serea's.

Clang!

There was a sound like a blade being drawn. Alarmed, Serea immediately called out to Dogsius.

"Restrain that crazy woman! Quickly!"

Glancing out of the corner of her eye at Celia beside her, Serea saw that Celia's cross sword was already halfway drawn.

That flash of steel sent another cold sweat down Serea's back as Celia glared at her with undisguised contempt.

"Tch!"

With a disdainful grunt, Celia's movements were halted by Dogsius's control. Had Serea not reacted quickly, who knows what Celia might have done.

Their lips parted.

Blushing, Lola took a few steps back and stood several meters from Serea.

Serea was utterly confused by this sudden action until Dogsius, using Celia's perspective, noticed the three green leaf patterns appearing above Serea's head.

System: Skill Acquired—Elf Queen's Mark (Passive): Communicate with, channel, and share the power of nature. All attributes of elven subordinates are increased by 10%.

System: Secondary Class—Elf Queen Unlocked. Skills available: None. Non-altar class. Please explore abilities on your own.

With the sound of the system's prompt, Serea felt herself enter a new and wondrous state—one where she seemed able to perceive the life in vines, trees, and other plants around her.

"This is the Darkmoon Clan's Queen's Mark. From this moment on, my lady, you are the queen of my tribe."

"That easy?"

Serea touched her own forehead, perplexed. Sensing the host's confusion, the system spoke again.

System: The power of an elf tribe is rooted in faith in nature. Jungle elves draw strength from plants, but due to differing blood purity, not every individual can do this. Thus, a large elf tribe requires a single individual to channel that power and distribute it, and the elf queen is the nexus for this flow.

"But I'm not an elf. Can another species inherit the title of Elf Queen?"

System: No, only elves of extremely pure bloodlines can inherit it. However, you are the queen of the bloodkin, which is an elf-like species, and simultaneously the creator of the blood elves, making your blood purity exceptionally high. Thus, you can inherit the Elf Queen's identity. In addition, to ensure control, every blood elf queen in history has been a member of the blood royal clan.

"So it works like that. In other words, Lola, as a blood elf descendant, still retains loyalty to the bloodkin, so passing the 'Queen's Mark' to me could be considered returning it to its rightful owner."

Truly, the world is full of wonders.

"In that case, my lady need not worry about the jungle elves' betrayal—for from this moment, the Darkmoon Clan will follow you for life!"

Lola said respectfully. Serea nodded in approval.

"Good, well done."

"Thank you for your praise, my lady."

"Let's get started on building the Blood Well, then. Only with it can the bloodkin and blood elves find the foundation for revival."

"I'll have my people prepare at once."

"Mm... I'll go with you. I'll also explain things to your clan members."

Having suddenly become queen of the elves, there would certainly be objectors among the Darkmoon Clan. To prevent anything unexpected, Serea had to deal with the jungle elf problem first.

But just as they were preparing to head out, Little Black sent a warning about an enemy encounter.

Bang!

A tremendous crash rang out—so loud that the three inside the house heard it clearly.

"This isn't good. Is it humans again?"

"We'll know if we take a look."

With that, Serea took the lead in stepping outside, followed closely by Celia and Lola. As soon as they exited, they saw the situation outside.

The first thing Serea noticed was a creature with a wolf's head and a human body, clad in heavy leather armor and carrying a sword as tall as a person. At that moment, it was riding a giant, snow-white wolf, leaping into the elven village.

Focusing on the half-human, half-wolf creature, Serea automatically obtained its information.

Character: Aruka the Bloodthirsty Fang (Werewolf Tribe, Junior Wolf Rider, Gold Elite)

Level: 28

Condition: Good

Spirit: B

Strength: A+

Agility: D

Endurance: B

Constitution: B

Charisma: B

Luck: F

Skills: Wolf Fang Charge (Tier 1), Whirlwind Slash (Tier 1), Tenfold Heavy Strike (Tier 2), Primal Awakening (Tier 3)

Description: The werewolf tribe is inherently aggressive and roams in groups. They are a sub-race of beastmen who rely on hunting for survival.

A level 28 gold elite werewolf!

While Serea was marveling, more werewolves, similar in appearance to Aruka, charged into the elf village, each riding a massive gray-black wolf over a meter tall.

"Awooo!"

The giant wolves howled. Led by Aruka, ten wolf riders stormed into the elven settlement—the lowest among them was level 12.

Seeing this, Little Black became highly alert, positioning the heavy-armored Skeleton Warriors at the front, while the Skeleton Archers stayed protected at the rear.

(To be continued.)

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=