Chapter 495: Did I Rob Your Ancestral Grave?

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Lasha, as if trying to break the tense atmosphere, bowed to Sophie, the Elven Queen.

This gesture elicited a strong reaction from Sophie.

“N-no need to be so polite!”

Sophie quickly waved her hands.

She looked less humble and more frightened.

Shien had seen this scene before.

When Lasha bowed to Airi and Sara, the two Demon Lords also reacted strongly, as if they were flattered or couldn’t bear it.

Shien had sensed something was amiss, but both Airi and Sara were evasive, not explaining anything to him.

Now, even this Elven Queen, who had lived for thousands of years, was acting like this, which truly puzzled Shien.

But seeing Lucy’s unprecedentedly serious expression, Shien knew this matter wasn’t simple. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have stopped him from pursuing it.

Shien could only turn to Lasha.

But Lasha’s expression remained impassive, not because she was calm, but as if she was resisting something, making her appear aloof.

And this seemed to greatly displease Airi, whose gaze towards the Elven Queen turned hostile.

Seeing this, Sophie felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.

She knew that she had inadvertently touched upon a secret that everyone at the top of Omnipotence had tacitly agreed to keep silent.

She had been out of touch for too long. Although she had been paying attention to the news from the outside world, it was only passive observation. She hadn’t personally experienced many things, lacking some mental preparation.

Therefore, Sophie subconsciously reacted when she first saw Lasha, and Leia and Nia behind her did the same.

Only now did Sophie recall the incident that happened in the capital of the Kingdom of Mitra ten years ago and understand why Airi was so displeased.

She wanted to apologize, but she couldn’t.

Because this matter couldn’t be mentioned publicly.

This was probably also Airi’s reason for stepping forward.

If Sophie apologized for this matter now, it would undoubtedly bring it up again.

And this was clearly not what Airi and Lucy wanted to see.

Therefore…

“My apologies, everyone. I was being rude.”

Sophie calmed herself down, regaining her composure, and nodded slightly to Shien and his group.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

“I am Sophie, Queen of the Elves. Please forgive me for not greeting you sooner and for my carelessness.”

Sophie bowed slightly, apologizing to Shien and his group.

Thanks to this, the atmosphere finally eased somewhat.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.” Lucy also curtsied to Sophie and said in a clear and pleasant voice, “I am Roselucia Mitra.”

“I see, you’re the Kingdom’s treasure.” Sophie seemed to suddenly realize, saying with a smile, “This is our first meeting, right?”

“Yes.” Lucy wasn’t intimidated by the Elven Queen’s aura and said calmly, “The Elven Race is secluded from the world, and even my father has never met you. It’s my honor to meet you today.”

“Thank you for your politeness, Princess Lucy.” Sophie said gently and kindly, “Although the Elven Race is secluded, and I haven’t left the Elven Homeland for a long time, the name of the Kingdom’s treasure is well-known even among the Elven Race. I also had the honor of fighting alongside your ancestor, the Hero Mitra. Since you are the descendant of an old friend, there’s no need to be so polite. Please make yourself at home.”

Before Lucy could respond, Airi interjected.

“Old friend?” Airi snorted, as if seizing the opportunity. “Wasn’t that idiot Mitra always pursuing you? And you only consider him an old friend?”

This shocking secret was revealed by Airi.

“Cough…!”

Lucy choked.

“Pursuing?”

Shien was also startled, completely forgetting about what had just happened, his face full of surprise.

Even Melika and the elven magicians of the Elven Corps widened their eyes, stunned, clearly not expecting to hear such explosive news.

“What? Didn’t you know?” Airi, seemingly not intending to let Sophie off the hook, continued to reveal information indifferently. “There’s nothing to be surprised about, right? Heroes of all generations are philanderers, none of them ever staying faithful. That hypocritical Mitra, seeing the beautiful Queen of the Elves, wanting to pursue her, isn’t that normal?”

As she said this, Airi glanced at Shien for some reason.

“???”

Shien felt offended.

Was she implying something?

Could she be any more obvious?

What was even more outrageous was that after hearing the words “Heroes of all generations are philanderers,” everyone else also glanced at him discreetly.

Shien almost flipped the table.

Why were they suddenly targeting him?

Did he rob their ancestral graves or something?

Damn it!

Sophie, on the other hand, didn’t change her expression at the revelation.

“You’re quite the joker, Your Highness Airi.” Sophie said casually, “The pursuit of beauty is an instinct deep within every human’s heart. Although Mitra was a Hero, he was also human. It’s normal for him to do some impulsive things in his youth. In the end, didn’t he also find his soulmate, start a family, and leave behind such outstanding descendants?”

With these words, she downplayed the Hero’s past pursuit of her as the impulsive actions of a young man.

This sounded like she was defending the Hero’s reputation, but if Mitra were still alive and heard that the goddess he had once pursued actually saw him as an impulsive youngster, he would definitely be heartbroken, right?

“Speaking of which, you also ruthlessly rejected his pursuit back then.” Airi said with a smirk. “I heard that because he was rejected by you and suffered a blow, coupled with being severely injured by the Demon King’s power, his injuries unable to heal, and his body left with hidden ailments, he became disheartened and went to establish a country, eventually marrying his maid and no longer indulging in pleasure.”

Saying so, Airi glanced at Shien again, making his lips twitch.

Sophie’s expression remained unchanged.

“I personally think that’s a good thing.”

Sophie said this, seemingly truly indifferent towards Mitra.

Shien could only offer his silent condolences to his predecessor.

“Hmph!”

Airi no longer bothered with Sophie, snorting coldly and turning her head away.

Lucy also didn’t say anything.

It wasn’t that she had nothing to say, but she was suddenly bombarded with such shocking news, and it was about her ancestor, whom she was so proud of. Her feelings were incredibly complicated.

Especially hearing that her ancestor, Mitra, only established the Kingdom after being rejected by the Elven Queen, and even married his maid, no longer indulging in pleasure, Lucy felt very strange.

She felt like her ancestor’s image was crumbling.

Sophie turned her gaze to Shien.

“You’re Earl Shien Buztout, right?”

Sophie looked at Shien, some emotion flickering in her eyes.

“Hello, Your Majesty.”

Seeing her attention on him, Shien touched his nose, his tone neither cold nor warm.

It wasn’t that he was putting on airs, but the previous situation told Shien that it was best to pay attention to his image at this time. Otherwise, he might become like his predecessor, ridiculed for thousands of years.

That would be tragic.

“Welcome to the Elven Homeland.” Sophie didn’t seem to mind Shien’s attitude and simply said, “You’re the second male from another race to visit the Elven Homeland after the Hero Mitra, so I apologize if we offended you. Please don’t mind it.”

The implication was that the Elven Race rarely entertained men, so any lack of hospitality couldn’t be helped.

This made Shien realize that this Elven Queen was quite tactful, subtly downplaying the situation in just a few words.

“So, I can enter now?”

Shien’s tone was slightly emotional.

“Of course.” Sophie said calmly, “Since you have been recognized by our people and received a proper invitation during the Peace Festival, you can enter the Elven Homeland and participate in the celebration.”

Sophie’s words made Carol speak up.

“But Your Majesty, about him…”

Carol wanted to explain Shien’s situation.

But Sophie had naturally noticed the abnormality.

“Viscount Buztout is a human hero protected by the Demon Race and the Divine Race, with powerful magic and outstanding strength. It’s not surprising that he’s a bit special.” Sophie shook her head at Carol. “He’s not an intruder, nor does he have any malicious intentions. He’s a guest invited by our people. It would be not only impolite, but also offensive, to turn him away because of our own reasons.”

“During the Peace Festival, we should promote peace and unity, not exclude others due to some unfounded worries.”

“Moreover, this person has been recognized by our people. Turning him away would be very hurtful to the child who acknowledged him, Carol.”

Hearing this, Carol paused and looked at Melika.