Chapter 473: You F*cking Dare Touch My Elves?
The instant those words escaped the noble's lips, the First Prince's heart lurched with sudden recognition.
He'd sensed something familiar about the figure trapped within the crystalline prison, yet couldn't quite place her identity.
It truly was Duke Levi's precious daughter!
Seeing the young woman before him, the First Prince's memory sparked—this banquet had indeed extended an invitation to Duke Levi himself.
However, the Duke had politely declined, citing pressing obligations, and dispatched his daughter to attend the festivities in his stead.
But Aubrey had glimpsed Erica only briefly during the banquet's opening ceremonies—after that, she'd vanished entirely from his awareness.
How had she ended up sealed within this mystical ice formation in such a short span?
The First Prince studied Erica's imprisoned form with mounting anxiety etched across his features.
"We must devise some method to extract her immediately!"
This was the Duke's beloved daughter—absolutely nothing could be permitted to befall her.
Fortunately, Claudia had been conducting her own careful examination of the ice-bound Erica, speaking softly to reassure the First Prince:
"Remain calm. She suffers no harm."
This declaration left both the First Prince and the nearby noble utterly speechless.
They stood frozen in bewildered silence, exchanging incredulous glances.
Wait—someone could actually survive being sealed within solid ice?
The First Prince redirected his attention to the crystalline formation, observing that Erica's chest continued rising and falling with gentle rhythm.
Her breathing remained steady and peaceful—as if she were merely enjoying tranquil slumber within her frozen sanctuary.
Witnessing this impossible scene, the First Prince felt his understanding of reality wavering.
Was she genuinely sleeping within that ice block?
Claudia's focus had likewise settled upon the mysterious formation.
However, her attention wasn't drawn to Erica herself, but rather to the golden radiance emanating from the ice's surface.
She extended one hand, fingertips barely grazing the frozen barrier—immediately sensing that familiar repulsive energy.
Identical to what she'd detected emanating from Leopold earlier.
Based upon this single observation, she could definitively determine who had imprisoned this young woman within her crystalline cage.
Claudia contemplated the golden luminescence with intense concentration before turning to question the First Prince:
"Earlier—what precisely did Viktor say to Leopold?"
Hearing her inquiry, the First Prince gradually emerged from his stupor, stroking his chin thoughtfully as memories surfaced:
"Mother, you're referring to...?"
Viktor had addressed Leopold as "Leopold Nannade."
The Nannade surname commanded thunderous recognition throughout commercial circles worldwide.
That was the family name of the Casidra Trading Association's president—the globe's most powerful mercantile organization.
The First Prince couldn't suppress contemplation of these staggering implications.
If Leopold maintained connections to the Casidra Trading Association, that revelation carried terrifying ramifications.
After all, Leopold had established himself within the empire decades ago—operating under the merchant alias 'Reiser' while constructing the Reiser family's vast financial empire.
Now it appeared he possessed ties extending to the Casidra Trading Association beyond imperial borders.
Viewed from this perspective, Leopold's accumulated wealth and influence might rival the empire itself.
Yet such a formidable figure had been effortlessly eliminated by Viktor?
The First Prince's instincts rebelled against accepting this possibility.
But Claudia's inquiry concerned different matters entirely. She continued with measured calm:
"No—I require knowledge of Viktor's subsequent statement."
Viktor's unleashing of that devastating fifth-tier magic had generated explosive reverberations that shook the very atmosphere—preventing Claudia from clearly discerning his final words.
"Something resembling Hel... I believe?"
The First Prince's recollection remained equally fragmented.
At that crucial moment, his attention had been completely captivated by that soul-stirring magical display—causing him to miss the conversation between Viktor and Leopold entirely.
That heart-stopping magical demonstration had commanded every observer's undivided focus.
The more Claudia pondered this incomplete name, the stronger her sense of recognition grew.
Yet without hearing the complete designation, they remained unable to piece together its full significance.
The most pressing concern involved extracting Erica from her frozen imprisonment.
The First Prince studied Erica's crystalline prison with growing determination before declaring:
"Given these circumstances, only Count Viktor possesses the capability to attempt her rescue."
Fortunately, he retained awareness that Erica served as Viktor's student.
Viktor would never abandon her to such a fate.
The noble positioned nearby, demonstrating admirable perception, immediately volunteered with eager enthusiasm:
"I shall locate Mr. Viktor without delay."
However, before he could advance a single step, that familiar voice of arctic composure drifted from nearby shadows:
"Such efforts prove unnecessary—I have already arrived."
Everyone pivoted toward the sound, discovering that distinctive figure draped in midnight-black windbreaker approaching with measured strides.
He gripped his staff with casual authority, projecting absolute composure as he joined their gathering.
Upon Viktor's appearance, the First Prince's tension immediately dissolved into relief.
Somehow, Viktor's mere presence possessed the remarkable ability to instill profound tranquility in countless souls.
This represented Viktor's extraordinary sphere of influence.
"Mr. Viktor, what catastrophic events have transpired here?"
Viktor lowered his gaze, allowing those penetrating eyes to settle upon Erica's peaceful form—as if deeply contemplating the serene expression gracing her features.
Even the obsidian crow perched upon his shoulder narrowed that profound single eye, engaging in silent mental communion with Viktor:
"Fascinating craftsmanship. Perhaps that diminutive thief deity possesses greater utility than anticipated."
"Indeed."
Observing this mystical scene, Viktor addressed the situation with characteristic self-reflection:
"Hermes—I acknowledge his considerable cunning."
"He has certainly manufactured some... minor complications for my plans."
The First Prince, overhearing Viktor's murmured commentary, couldn't restrain his curiosity:
"Complications? Count Viktor, what manner of difficulties are you referencing?"
"Might I offer assistance?"
But Claudia, positioned close enough to catch Viktor's words, experienced a sudden widening of eyes beneath her concealing mask.
"Her... mes?"
She whispered the name like a forbidden incantation—as if recognizing something of monumental significance.
At this moment, Viktor casually slipped both hands into his coat pockets, turning to gaze toward the elves' concealed positions while speaking with chilling indifference:
"Should circumstances proceed as anticipated, the elves are about to encounter severe difficulties."
These words only deepened the First Prince's confusion.
If nothing unexpected occurs, something unexpected will definitely occur?
Just as bewilderment reached its peak, sudden sounds of bodies impacting earth erupted from the elves' hidden sanctuary.
The First Prince's attention snapped toward the disturbance—witnessing several elven figures plummeting from their arboreal perches.
They writhed in agony, hands desperately clutching their chests while faces contorted with unbearable suffering.
The remaining elves, initially assuming their companions had simply lost their footing, quickly recognized the gravity of the situation as panic seized their expressions.
They leaped down from branches with fluid grace, tenderly examining their afflicted sisters:
"What's happening to you!"
But upon witnessing the crimson thorns emerging across her companion's throat—steadily climbing upward like living vines—
She recoiled in absolute terror, stumbling backward several paces with face drained of all color.
Those blood-colored thorns moved across flesh like sentient tattoos.
Coiling around the elf's neck and limbs while extending inexorably toward her heart.
Razor-sharp agony and crushing suffocation overwhelmed the fallen elf's entire being.
As those demonic thorns lengthened, her heart blazed with increasingly unbearable torment—pain penetrating to her very soul.
Piercing screams shattered the night's tranquility, drawing every observer's horrified attention.
The First Prince witnessed this nightmarish spectacle with shock exploding across his bewildered features.
"What in the name of all gods is occurring here?"
How could perfectly healthy elves suddenly collapse in such excruciating torment?
Almost instantaneously, the demon hunters positioned behind Claudia snapped to full alertness.
Their eyes gradually blazed with crimson intensity as they focused upon those thorn-afflicted elves.
In that moment, the demon hunters detected familiar malevolent energy emanating from those suffering figures.
The unmistakable aura of prey that demanded immediate elimination.
Only Claudia remained different.
Despite sharing their demon hunter nature, her gaze rested upon these elves with perfect composure.
Because this particular power was intimately familiar to her consciousness.
"The envy demon..."
However, these elves hadn't been transformed into their current state through demonic possession.
They had simply fallen victim to the escaped envy demon's vicious assault.
Every primordial demon possessed unique characteristics defining their essential nature.
The greed demon could never satisfy its insatiable hunger for more, while the wrath demon periodically erupted in uncontrollable fury.
Similarly, the envy demon's fundamental trait was its pathologically excessive jealousy.
The envy demon would inevitably attack individuals who excelled in any particular aspect.
The beautiful, the intelligent, the powerful—all became targets of its consuming hatred.
The reason behind such attacks was devastatingly simple:
The envy demon absolutely refused to tolerate anyone surpassing its own perceived perfection.
Among all beings present, the most perfect creatures were undeniably obvious.
Elves were universally celebrated as nature's most beloved children—each individual representing absolute perfection born from the natural world itself.
Therefore, they had become the envy demon's primary targets.
At this critical juncture, Viktor's voice cut through the chaos with prophetic clarity:
"Your Highness, do you comprehend why elves are revered as nature's most cherished offspring?"
Hearing this inquiry, the First Prince turned toward Viktor with instinctive response:
"Because... should anyone dare harm elves, nature itself will unleash devastating retribution upon the perpetrator."
This knowledge was virtually universal.
But the moment these words left the First Prince's lips, his eyes widened with dawning horror.
"They've been attacked by the envy demon."
Viktor's explanation struck like lightning—in that instant, absolute terror consumed the First Prince's expression.
"Quickly—we must rescue them immediately..."
"It's far too late."
Claudia's voice carried the weight of inevitable doom. The First Prince could only stare in helpless shock as those innocent elves endured unimaginable suffering.
The surrounding atmosphere seemed saturated with mounting dread—panic spreading like wildfire through every observer.
BOOM—!!!
Without warning, the earth beneath their feet erupted in catastrophic tremors—thunderous rumbling reverberating throughout the entire courtyard complex.
Everyone felt those terrifying vibrations surging upward through their bones as many struggled to maintain balance amid this violent seismic assault.
Legs buckled with weakness, threatening complete collapse.
Even their vision blurred from the overwhelming intensity.
One noble, feeling the devastating tremors, voiced his confusion with mounting panic:
"Was that... an earthquake just now?"
He frantically sought support against a nearby wall, barely managing to steady his trembling form.
Every gaze now focused desperately upon Viktor—hoping to derive some measure of comfort from his presence.
But Viktor offered no explanations for the cataclysmic trembling. He merely gazed toward the elves' location with dangerous luminescence flickering in those penetrating eyes.
"Begin immediate evacuation of all capital residents."
The First Prince stared at Viktor with complete bewilderment as that ominous voice continued:
"War has arrived."
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