Chapter 563: The Night of Farewell

Finally, the Peace Festival came to an end.

When Sophie, as the Elven Queen, appeared in front of the Queen’s Palace and delivered a speech before the entire Elven Homeland, expressing gratitude for peace and praising the friendship between races, the centennial Peace Festival officially concluded.

The elves clapped cheerfully, offering their applause.

The invited guests from other races also applauded, feeling a sense of reluctance.

For the elves, such a festival might be held a dozen times in their lifetime, but for people of other races, it wasn’t necessarily the case.

For humans, a hundred years often meant a lifetime.

Therefore, this centennial Peace Festival might be the only one a human could attend in their entire life.

It was only natural for people to feel sentimental.

Even Shien wondered if he would have the opportunity to attend the next Peace Festival.

After all, who knew what would happen in a hundred years?

He was only in his early twenties; it was too difficult for him to think about things a hundred years from now.

Lucy thought the same. In the end, she no longer cared about her image and, like a true princess, stood with her back to the enchanted forest, a serene and beautiful smile on her face.

Shien felt he would never forget that breathtaking sight.

But no matter what, life had to go on.

The Peace Festival was over, and the visitors from various countries would spend one last night in the Elven Homeland.

Tomorrow morning, the invited guests would depart one after another.

Shien and his companions also planned to leave tomorrow, without further delay.

Tomorrow, Shien would bid farewell to the Elven Homeland and head to the Empire to meet Diere.

However, Shien didn’t expect that the others’ itineraries would be different from his.

For example, Airi…

“You’re going back to the Demon Realm?”

When Shien mentioned in the treehouse that they would be leaving tomorrow and heading to the Empire, Airi’s words stunned him.

“That’s right.” Airi didn’t seem very happy, saying unhappily, “Sister Lid said we need to go back and report on the Original Demon’s emergence. The six of us sisters might have a meeting, so it’s best if I go back with them.” 𝖗ἁ𐌽𝙤ꞖΕᶊ

Hearing this, Shien couldn’t help but look at Lid.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Lid, lying on the table, sensed Shien’s gaze and immediately said, “The Demon Race has been paying attention to the Original Demon for a long time and can’t wait to eliminate these Old Demon Factions. Now that they’ve finally shown themselves, as leaders of the Demon Race, we naturally have to discuss how to respond.”

“Mm-hmm!” Millu nodded seriously beside her, though it was unclear if she understood.

“So…” Shien blinked, asking uncertainly, “All three of you are going back to the Demon Realm?”

“That’s right.” Lid nodded.

“Right, right.” Millu nodded seriously again.

“Honestly…” Airi seemed reluctant, even resistant.

Shien also felt somewhat at a loss.

Ever since he met Airi, they had never been apart.

Besides living under the same roof, whenever he went on any trips, Airi would always accompany him.

Airi was with him at Atlus Gorge.

She was also by his side when he went to Duke Strimm’s territory.

This trip to the Elven Homeland was the same.

Airi had always been by Shien’s side, closer than anyone else, and for a longer time than anyone else.

Now, after careful calculation, Shien realized that Airi was the person who had been with him the longest since he came to this world.

It had only been about half a year since Shien was summoned to this world.

And he met Airi when he first entered the Royal Capital.

At that time, it had only been about a month since he arrived in this world.

Afterward, every time he went on a trip, she would be by his side, naturally becoming the person who had accompanied him the longest.

Now, this girl was actually leaving?

Shien felt a little uncomfortable.

Airi seemed to see through this.

However, she opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

How could she be willing to leave?

In the past, Airi rarely stayed with someone for such a long time.

Although she had lived for over ten thousand years, as a dragon, she spent most of her time sleeping.

For Airi, who could sleep for hundreds of years at a time, the experience of waking up almost every day and staying by someone’s side, talking and laughing with them, was practically nonexistent.

Even when the Demon King was still alive, Airi had never woken up so frequently or stayed by his side for so long.

But this time, she met someone worth doing this for.

At first, it was just to observe him.

Later, this observation gradually turned into appreciation and admiration.

By the time Airi realized it, she discovered that her relationship with Shien had become very close without her knowing.

He dared to tease her mercilessly in front of her.

He dared to treat her like a doll, hugging and holding her hand whenever he wanted, without any sense of reservation.

He even dared to climb into her bed, sleep with her, and constantly try to provoke her, not only wanting to ride her but also wanting to see what was hidden under her pillow.

If it were anyone else, even if they dared to do so, she would instantly incinerate them, leaving no trace of ash.

Only this man, this Hero who was so much to her liking, had done this.

And now, she had to leave him.

Thinking of this, Airi felt a surge of anxiety, making her want to tell Lid that she didn’t want to go back.

But Lid spoke first.

“Don’t tell me you don’t want to go back. We still need you to give orders to your subordinates in your territory and have them cooperate with our arrangements.” Lid said impatiently, “Besides, it won’t take too long. Sister Sara will be doing most of the work, and we just need to cooperate. It won’t take much effort. Can’t you even spare this little bit of time?”

“This…” Airi was speechless, only able to retort, “What if someone bullies him while I’m gone?”

Upon hearing this, many present were speechless.

“Bully…” Lid narrowed her eyes and sighed, “I’d really like to know who would dare to bully him now.”

Recalling the sword strike that could even cut through collapsing space, and the brilliant flames that made even her heart palpitate, frankly speaking, Lid really wanted to know who would dare to bully this kid now.

“With his strength, I don’t think anyone besides the few of us in this realm can bully him.” Lid curled her lip, “Besides, doesn’t he have the Evil God Lilith with him?”

This statement made Lilith, who was standing beside them, nod repeatedly, eager to make her presence known.

Now, Airi had nothing to say.

Seeing this, Shien knew that the matter was settled.

“Alright.”

Shien could only accept this reality helplessly.

However, at this moment, Lucy, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, raised her hand.

“I should also return to the Royal Capital. I probably won’t be going to the Empire with you.”

Lucy said this unexpectedly.

“You?”

Shien looked at Lucy in astonishment.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Lucy smiled wryly, “I’m still the princess of the Mitra Kingdom. Without a proper reason, casually barging into the Imperial Capital of the Ragna Empire, our long-time rival, what do you think their reaction would be?”

Did that even need to be said?

They would definitely use it as an excuse to target her, hoping to keep the Kingdom’s Treasure there permanently.

Therefore, it was best for Lucy not to go to the Empire, lest she give them a reason.

If that happened, although Shien wouldn’t be afraid, the Kingdom would definitely face various problems.

Moreover…

“I also have some things I need to take care of.” Lucy muttered, “Otherwise, I’ll be completely left behind by you.”

“Left behind in what way?” Shien didn’t understand what she meant.

“It’s nothing.” Lucy shook her head and smiled, “Anyway, I definitely can’t go to the Empire with you. You wouldn’t want such an obvious target like me to cause you trouble, right?”

The Empire was different from the Elven Homeland. Not only was it the Kingdom’s rival, but it was also the outside world, filled with various intertwined stances and desires.

As the most beautiful woman in the human race, even without considering her status as a princess, just her beauty alone would cause all sorts of commotion if she appeared in the Empire.

If that happened, it would be difficult for Shien to carry out any plans.

Therefore, Lucy felt it was better for her not to go.

“Just take Lilith and Lasha with you.” Lucy held Shien’s hand and said, “Remember to bring Diere back. I don’t want to lose her.”

Clearly, Lucy had made up her mind.

“What is this…”

Shien felt frustrated.

But there was nothing he could do.

When they came, they were a large and lively group.

But now, Melika was in the Divine Realm, Airi was about to return to the Demon Realm, and even Lucy was going back to the Royal Capital. This made Shien very unhappy.

It wasn’t that he was being unreasonable; he simply felt bad.

And for some reason, seeing Shien unhappy about their departure, Lucy and Airi’s expressions softened.

“Don’t worry.” Airi said without hesitation, “I’ll come back to you as soon as I’m done with my business here.”

This was the Dragon Demon’s promise.

Moreover, it was a promise that others couldn’t even dream of obtaining. No one but Shien could have it.

“I’ll be waiting for good news from you in the Royal Capital.” Lucy smiled sweetly and said meaningfully, “When you come back, I might even have a surprise for you.”

What surprise?

Lucy didn’t say, and Shien wasn’t in the mood to ask.

“Alright.”

Shien sighed.

Just like that, the night of farewell arrived.