"Your Highness! Your Highness!" Firis rushed into the cave with an animated expression, yelling at the top of her lungs as she did so. All the while, the countless cheeky branches draping down around her attempted to stall her in her progress.
"What's gotten you so excited today, Firis? There's a lot of range of motion from your running, but they still look really small." Irina turned with a serious expression as her gaze fell on Firis' heaving chest.
"Your Highness! I'm still growing!" Firis tried to reason with Irina, but clearly even she wasn't convinced with her own argument.
"They're about the same size as mine back when I was 13." Irina nodded.
"Don't say that, Your Highness! I'm going to cry..." Firis' face was plastered with a pitiable expression.
"Oh? I've been a little bored today, so I'd be keen to see you cry." Irina's eyes lit up as she nodded with a smile.
"..." Firis felt as if she had been dealt a heavy blow. As expected, the princess couldn't be communicated with in a conventional manner.
"What's gotten you in such a hurry?" Irina asked with a smile.
"Snarr's back, would you like to see him?" After the ribbing she had received, Firis had almost forgotten the news she had come to deliver.
"Tell him to come in." Irina immediately clenched her fists with undisguised excitement on her face.
"Yes." Firis turned and rushed out of the cave. The tree of life seemed to have sensed Irina's emotions, and it parted to allow Firis through.
After a short while, Firis led into the cave a tall and thin golden-haired elf, who quickly made his way toward Irina.
"Snarr pays his respects, Your Highness." The elf stopped two meters in front of Irina and extended a respectful bow.
Irina was silent for a moment as she looked at Snarr before remarking, "You've lost weight, golden turtle boy."
Firis was initially quite nervous, but she almost burst into laughter upon hearing that. She looked up into the sky and turned her head away, trying her best to smother her laughter.
"You've also lost weight, Your Highness." Snarr faltered momentarily before a peculiar expression appeared on his face. He was already resigned to this nickname that he had had for over a decade, but it was still a little strange for an elf to be known as golden turtle boy.
"Really? Looks like my recent weight-loss regime is paying dividends. You've got a good eye, golden turtle boy." Irina nodded, but the smile on her face soon receded as she raised her hand. A barrier of golden light immediately enshrouded the entire cave, and she looked at Snarr as she asked, "What were your findings from your trip to Rodu? Are Alex and my child still alive? If so, where are they now?"
"Your Highness, I uncovered a lot of useful information during my trip. After cross-referencing the information that I've dug up during the past few trips, I can confirm that Master Alex and your child are still alive. The fire from three years ago was nothing but a hoax, and no one actually died in it." Snarr reported on his findings.
"That's great!" An excited expression appeared on Firis' face.
"So where are they now?" Irina also wore an animated expression as she unconsciously took a step forward.
"I don't know. In fact, the entirety of Rodu and our elven race most likely do not know of their location, either. However, the fact that no one knows where they are makes them quite safe." Snarr shook his head in response.
"Josh has also been unable to locate them after all this time." Irina clenched her fists as she struggled to keep her emotions under control. She fell silent for a moment before asking, "Who played a part in the incident from three years ago? Have you found out?"
"I investigated many people from Rodu, and all of the evidence point toward the Magus Tower. Aside from those demons, the rest of the assassins sent to kill Master Alex were most likely all Magus Tower magic casters," Snarr replied.
"Josh told me that all of those magic casters were traitors. They struck deals with the demons before attacking Alex, and all of them have since been executed by the Magus Tower." Irina nodded in response.
"But, Your Highness, according to my investigation, all of the great magic casters involved in that incident are still alive. In fact, they all currently hold high posts in the Magus Tower. The ones that were killed were only a few 9th-tier magic casters. At the height of Master Alex's powers, a 9th-tier magic caster wouldn't even be able to take a single sword strike from him, so..." Snarr's voice trailed off as a grim expression appeared on his face.
"So what you're saying is... Josh is lying to me?" Irina's expression immediately turned cold as she furrowed her brows in deep thought. After a while, she said, "Josh has great influence over the Magus Tower, and his confidence in his battle for the throne against Sean mostly lies in the Magus Tower, so there's no way that he would be unaware which magic casters were involved in that incident. He made a promise to me in his letters that all of those people had been executed. Not only that, he told me that Alex and my child were dead, and that he had discovered their charred bodies."
Snarr hesitated momentarily before looking up at Irina, and said, "Your Highness, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should say it."
"Go ahead." Irina nodded.
Snarr wore a serious expression as he said, "With Master Alex's influence over the citizens and the army of the Roth Empire in conjunction with his fearsome power, no one would dare to assassinate Master Alex in such a brazen attack without a thorough plan and absolute assurance of success. The demons do not have anywhere near sufficient power and resources to pull off such a feat, and I trust that our elven race would never cooperate with the demons. As such, there had to have been a middleman in the equation. This middleman must have enough power to command the great magic casters of the Magus Tower, and also handle the backlash from the royal family and the army following Master Alex's demise. There aren't many people in Rodu who fit that description."
"Aside from the king of the Roth Empire, only Josh Edward is capable of filling that role. Sean's influence is limited to the army, so he won't be able to call on any great magic casters from the Magus Tower. Alex already completely removed himself from the army five years ago, so he posed no threat to the empire, and the empire had no incentive to target him." Irina's expression cooled even further as she clenched her fists in puzzlement, and said, "Why would he do that? Back when we were in Rodu, he had been very good friends with Alex and me, and never displayed any animosity toward us."
"Master Alex hailed, and had fought alongside the first prince for many years. Once the battle for the throne reached a climax between the two princes, it wouldn't be difficult to foresee whom he would side with. With Master Alex's power and influence, his decision could prove to be very instrumental," Snarr replied.
"But Alex has never pledged his support for Sean. You're telling me Josh planned this assassination just so he could get rid of a volatile factor standing between him and the throne?" Irina murmured to herself as her long silver hair suddenly rose into the air. Countless branches on the tree of life also abruptly began to tremor in unison.
"Which members of our elven tribe participated in the assassination?" Irina asked.
"The leader of the Krol Family," Snarr replied.
Irina nodded before walking out of the cave. The branches of the tree of life parted as if it were bidding farewell to its ruler.
"Where are you going, Your Highness?" Firis asked with a concerned look.
"I'm going to kill someone," Irina replied coldly. Golden light flashed, and she disappeared on the spot.