Chapter Sixty-Four: The One Who Holds the Reins Is Me

After the prince was seized by Hera, the guards stationed outside the Hall of Order exchanged glances and gradually cleared a path.

“You have defeated our master. As promised, we will allow you to pass,” the guards announced, which surprised Linley. It seemed they were not servants of the new king, but rather the prince’s own retainers.

Yet even with the guards no longer blocking the way, entering the Hall of Order was not so simple—a pale violet barrier enveloped the hall, warding off all intruders.

“This is the queen’s protective barrier,” Eve observed, her tone grave. “Do not touch it, no matter what. Its surface appears harmless, but inside, the currents are no less than lightning.”

“Ouch!”

A scream rang out. Eve turned her head to see Linley convulsing on the ground, his entire body twitching, the scent of scorched flesh lingering in the air.

“Boss!”

“Boss, are you alright?”

The night elves rushed to Linley’s side. Eve’s lips twitched—she was growing accustomed to this little prince; he would not die so easily.

“What a thrilling surge of electricity.”

Indeed, less than half a minute later, Linley stood up as if nothing had happened—except now he was half a meter taller.

That extra half meter was merely the length of his hair. The electric current had made every strand of fur stand on end, his hair shooting skyward like a rocket, still smoking.

“It seems brute force won’t get us through,” Linley mused thoughtfully. “At this point, I have a brilliant idea!”

Eve had a foreboding sense this would not be a good idea—and sure enough, what happened next gave her a headache.

“Bang!” Linley borrowed a shield and struck it like a gong. “Brothers, shout out the next line for me!”

“Queen inside, listen up! You are surrounded by our Justice Organization. Remove the barrier at once, open the door, and surrender peacefully!”

The night elves, eager not to be outdone, shouted loudly.

“Bang!”—“Queen inside, listen up! You are surrounded by our Justice Organization. Remove the barrier at once, open the door, and surrender peacefully!”

They repeated their call.

Some night elves felt something was off and questioned Linley in confusion, “Boss, is it really okay for us to shout this? Aren’t we here to rescue the queen?”

“I’m old friends with the queen, trust me, it’s fine. Shout a few more times, and she’ll open the door,” Linley replied, handing the shield to others and glancing up at the sky.

There seemed to be something there, yet nothing could be seen.

Linley withdrew his gaze. “We want to rescue the queen so she can help us reclaim the Twin Moons Wheel; we don’t necessarily have to return it to her.”

“I see now…”

The night elves suddenly understood. Indeed, they had nearly forgotten—should the Twin Moons Wheel’s rightful owner really be the queen? That had yet to be decided. The queen was decent, but they had the right to choose a better monarch—like the boss, for example.

With that realization, their shouting grew more forceful.

“Queen inside, listen up! You are surrounded by our Justice Organization. Remove the barrier at once, open the door, and surrender peacefully!”

Eve was at the brink of losing her composure; with such shouting, how could the queen possibly emerge?

But just as she was about to explode, a rumbling sound echoed from the Hall of Order—the doors swung open.

Through the purple barrier, the night elves saw twenty maids in long dresses emerge, each carrying a red carpet. They carefully laid it out across the path, then stood respectfully on either side of the entrance.

The shouting ceased. Within the Hall of Order, a figure stepped out with graceful poise.

“The queen! The queen is coming!”

The night elves were excited; most had only glimpsed the queen from afar during festivals, but today they could see her up close for the first time.

At last, the figure appeared before all.

She had eyes like black onyx, her lips always seemed to carry a smile, and her fur was snowy white, making her look exceedingly adorable—yes, the one walking down the red carpet was merely a teddy bear.

“Commoners, the queen is asleep and does not wish to receive visitors. Come again tomorrow!”

The teddy bear held up a sign, leaving many night elves dumbfounded.

“Is this the queen’s pet?”

“I knew the queen couldn’t be so tiny!”

A wave of astonishment swept through the night elves.

Linley, however, was excited to see the little bear, waving his hand energetically. “Teddy!”

The voice was unfamiliar, but the tone was intimately familiar. The teddy bear’s expression changed, memories flashing of a boy pulling it along beneath a sunset years ago.

It looked at Linley in panic, then quickly raised the sign.

“D-demon approaching! Close the doors!”

The maids promptly scooped it up, rolled the carpet back into the hall, and slammed the doors shut once more.

Everyone outside was stunned. Eve whispered to Linley, “Is it you the bear called a demon?”

“No, absolutely not,” Linley replied, shaking his head. How could that be? Teddy adored him!

He looked gloomily at the Hall of Order, sealed by the barrier, troubled—if the barrier remained, what could they do?

“Are you truly acquainted with the queen?” The leopard asked suddenly. “Any way to rouse her?”

“…That does give me an idea,” Linley said, breaking into a smile. “I think I know what to do.”

Eve looked on curiously. “What’s your plan?”

“Do you know how old the Night Elf Queen is?”

“I heard she’s barely an adult, just over fifty.”

“Exactly.” Linley grinned—his two lifetimes together still didn’t add up to the queen’s age.

He took a deep breath and called out loudly, “Auntie! Wake up!!”

With a crack, the purple barrier shattered, and a phantom of a female elf appeared in the sky.

“I warned you—do not call me Auntie. Brother, you broke our agreement!”

Her golden hair gleamed, and her eyes burned like twin flames.

When Angel appeared, her majesty enveloped the shore, and all the elves bowed in reverence—except Linley.

“I’ve kept my promise,” Linley replied, looking up at her. “By our agreement, now that we’ve met, big sister’s game must end—come, best two out of three, let’s compete again. This time, I won’t lose!”

Angel’s phantom drew near. “What’s the wager?”

“If you win, I’ll keep calling you big sister. If I win—” Linley pointed above him, “you’ll help me take back that dreadful thing!”

Everyone looked up. In the night sky, the invisible moon wheel began to show its edge.

“Heh heh, now that the barrier is broken, discovery no longer matters,” the new king’s figure appeared high above. “Foolish rebels, thank you for delivering the queen to me—but unfortunately, I am the one in control, not you.”