Chapter 63: Owen Slaps The Elven Kingdom?
Chapter 63: Owen Slaps The Elven Kingdom?
The SDF-One cut a steady path across the clear, azure expanse of the Inner Sea, its massive engines humming a low rhythm through the deck plates.
On the distant horizon, the towering silhouette of the World Tree rose like a myth made solid, marking the threshold of the isolationist Elven Island Kingdom.
Loki leaned his forearms against the high-speed airship’s guardrail, staring into the spray. Beside him, Ayala rested her elbows on the wood, her back to the open ocean. The slipstream only gently ruffled her long, crimson hair; the ship’s localized wind-barriers deflected the worst of the gale, leaving her looking fiercely heroic in her polished bikini armor.
To Loki’s right, Lisa Swallow pointed toward the approaching horizon, continuing her ongoing lessons on the world's unwritten rules—the kind of cutthroat geography never found in academy textbooks.
"See that small landmass approaching to the south of the main Elven isles?" Lisa said, her voice carrying over the engine hum. "That is South Point Island. It’s the designated arrival hub for foreigners, merchants, and dignitaries. Remember Ambassador Celia Breeze? The elf woman I had lunch with at the grill? She lives there."
Lisa shifted her weight, her gaze hardening. "Non-elves are strictly forbidden from setting foot on the main kingdom’s soil. The penalty is immediate execution. Because of that, South Point is the only place where elves willingly mingle with outsiders—it's a melting pot of Western humans, Amazons, and Eastern merchants. The portal to the Royal Realm is hidden there, too. Taking these fleeing elves back isn't just a courtesy; some of our own academy students were forced through the Elf Gates during the chaos, so we're picking up our people."
Ayala reached over, playfully poking Loki’s cheek. "Don't you worry about any rogue Amazons trying to hunt you down while we're docked," she teased, a fierce glint in her eyes. "You're my man, and I have the official certifications to keep people off our territory."
Loki caught her hand mid-air, brushing his lips against her knuckles. "Mwah! Don't forget your promise, either. The moment we get back, you’re teaching me the 5th Circle Turtle Shell ability. I need to get stronger for you."
Ayala’s green eyes flared with a sudden, localized heat. To an Amazon, a request for rigorous combat training was practically foreplay.
Observing the exchange, Lisa cleared her throat, a sharp pang of jealousy tightening her expression. She tapped Loki’s arm. "I believe your brother is waiting to speak with you. Ayala, let's go find the captain and the King to prepare for our arrival."
Though reluctant to break the moment, Ayala nodded with the discipline of an academy instructor. As the two women moved toward the command deck, they passed Thorin, who offered them an awkward, deeply defeated smile.
"Hello, Teachers Lisa, Ayala," Thorin muttered, offering a heavy sigh.
Ayala gave a satisfied smirk at his humbled demeanor, while Lisa offered a polite, professional nod before leaving the brothers alone.
Thorin stepped up to the rail, his eyes tracking the approaching shoreline of South Point Island. The silence stretched between them before he finally broke it. "I was wrong to punch you back then. I'm sorry."
"You deserved to be mad," Loki replied cleanly, keeping his eyes on the sea. "That’s why I let the hit land. We're blood brothers, Thorin. Brothers fight."
"Sister Sylvia's treatment hurt the worst," Thorin admitted, his shoulders slumping. "That was when I knew I’d crossed a line."
"She wouldn't have been so harsh if Vali hadn't tricked you into bringing the Princess to the estate," Loki reasoned. "As the Duchess and the master of that house, she had to enforce protocol. If it had just been you acting foolishly, she would have let it slide. But politics were involved."
Thorin looked down at his knuckles. "So... you and Princess Lana. I lost, didn't I?"
"Yeah," Loki said softly. "Honestly, I wish I'd been competing against anyone else. If it had been some arrogant noble asshole, I could gloat and brag about the victory. I hated hurting you over her. Just know... I love her as much as you do. Probably more."
"It still stings," Thorin sighed.
"If it makes you feel any better, Owen's dealing with a much bigger headache than us right now."
Thorin looked over, surprised. "So you two actually talked about Earth?"
"He called me into his quarters, yeah. He belongs to the generation right before mine back home—we didn't live there at the same time, but the connection is there."
"Is that why you're not locked in the ship's brig?"
"Absolutely. Anyone else would've been executed or caged, but Owen stayed entirely out of our mess. He’s actually a pretty reasonable guy when he wants to be."
Thorin chuckled weekly. "His wives are nice, too."
"Wait, you met Queen Angelica Cross in person?" Loki asked, turning his head.
"Yeah. She’s intense. Hot, but in a dangerous, Evil Queen or vampire kind of way. Why?"
"I might be forced to meet with her soon, and I wanted to know what I’m walking into."
"Well," Thorin recalled, staring into space, "she’s about as tall as you are without heels. Good figure—about the same build as Lisa Swallow.
Extraordinary blue eyes, hair you just want to run your fingers through, and lips that practically invite you to kiss them."
Loki raised an eyebrow, a grin breaking across his face. "Haha! You realize you're talking about the King's wife, right?"
"Hey, that’s just pure art appreciation," Thorin coughed, shifting uncomfortably. "Complimenting beauty isn't a crime. But seriously... she's terrifying in person. I felt like a mouse being toyed with. Looking back, I realize she was intentionally manipulating me to oppose you. I'm sorry."
"Forget it. Men have died over swords and women since the dawn of time. Speaking of—what’s the situation with Jane Roth and Mary Cross?"
Thorin’s face drained of color. He let out a long, agonizing groan. "I... I got them both pregnant."
Loki froze, staring at his brother in absolute disbelief before a laugh burst from his throat. "Wow! Do you have any idea what you just did? You just guaranteed your survival against Angelica Cross!"
"Huh? How?"
"Mary Cross is Queen Angelica's direct niece, and Jane is her prized Mage apprentice! Angelica might be ruthless, but she can't exactly execute the father of her niece's and apprentice's unborn children without starting a family war. You're bulletproof!"
"I'm so screwed," Thorin groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I didn't even know Mary was the South Duke's daughter until recently. What am I supposed to do, Loki?!"
Loki clapped a heavy hand on his brother's shoulder, assuming the tone of a seasoned romantic advisor. "From the moment we leave this island all the way until we return home, you need to make mad, passionate love to those women. Remind them every single day how beautiful, talented, and utterly perfect they are to you. Show those South Duchy women exactly why Northern Sky men are worth loving. Oh, and buy gifts. The South appreciates clean black-and-white aesthetics. And snacks—never forget the snacks. Pregnant girls love them."
Thorin managed a genuine grin, shaking his head. "For a guy who spent years completely ignoring the dating scene, you're surprisingly good at sucking up to wives and girlfriends."
"I picked up Shade Winter when I was eight years old, what kind of crap are you spouting?" Loki laughed, kicking his brother's boot. "Look alive, we're nearing the airfield. Let's go."
That was the reality of blood brothers—they fought hard, loved fiercely, and settled their debts with simple, unvarnished honesty.
The moment the SDF-One touched down at the foreign vessel airfield, they hit a massive political wall.
Down on the tarmac, the academy instructors, King Owen, and his personal summons were already locked in a heated, echoing argument with a contingent of stone-faced Elven politicians. The dispute centered on the Elves currently aboard the ship and the three human students who had fled the blue forest fire alongside them.
As Loki walked out onto the upper deck, it became immediately clear that he was the core issue. Neither side was willing to release their respective hostages until Loki was delivered into Elven custody for trial.
King Owen might not have been a master of subtle, backroom scheming, but when it came to blunt diplomacy, he knew exactly how to handle the high-and-mighty Elves.
"Loki Sky maliciously slaughtered over a hundred of our youth!" the leading Elven politician shouted, his robes shaking with indignation. "This is an unmitigated travesty! We demand you hand him over to face imperial justice."
Owen nodded slowly, his expression entirely neutral. "It was an unmitigated travesty when your people ordered those youths to maliciously hunt down and kill my unprovoked student. So, hand over the ones who issued the order, and we'll talk."
"Do not attempt to turn black into white, King Owen! The boy is a summoner of our ancient, hated foe—the Dark Elf! We are entirely within our rights to hunt him down for aiding an enemy of the entire Elven race!"
Suddenly, a familiar green-haired elf girl—the one Loki had mentally labeled "Piss"—pointed a trembling finger straight up at the airship's top deck.
"Uncle! That's him! That's the one who murdered my sister, tried to kill me, and torched our entire camp!"
Loki leaned over the guardrail, his temper snapping. He bellowed down into the courtyard before he could stop himself. "You fucking shot me in the face before you even said hello! Even the bitch from Purple Cloud introduced herself before we fought! You barbarian woman! Your sister jumped out of the bushes out of nowhere and literally screamed, 'Kill that human, because he is too handsome!'"
A few muffled snorts and hidden laughs rippled through the gathered human guards and diplomats, breaking the tension. King Owen quickly seized the momentum, bringing the focus back to the core issue.
"Right. So your entire excuse for attempting to assassinate my prodigy rests on the claim that he possesses a Dark Elf summons, correct?" Owen asked, his voice dripping with dangerous calm.
The Elven uncle nodded slowly, a sudden, uneasy premonition tightening in his chest.
"Loki, my 5th Circle Summoner is right up there," Owen commanded, looking up. "Come down here and show these blind fools your summons. Once they fail to see a Dark Elf, we can officially declare war for the unlawful detention of my citizens."
Whoosh—Bang!
Loki didn't bother with the ramp. Utilizing his Vanguard class physical conditioning, he vaulted over the high rail, executing a flawless, heavy "Iron-man landing" right onto the stone tarmac. Skogul and Gondul instantly materialized at his flanks, magic shields raised to intercept any sudden Elven treachery.
Loki stared directly at the green-haired girl and her uncle, a cold smirk playing on his lips. "Shehuang. Baihu. Come out and put on a show. Call Summons!"
A massive, twenty-foot-wide magic circle erupted beneath his boots, glowing with a brilliant fusion of crimson and emerald light. As the mana coalesced, two towering figures materialized through the mist.
Shehuang appeared in her true, majestic Snake Lamia form. To maintain her high charm attribute, she wore a semi-transparent black veil over the lower half of her face, her arms crossed confidently beneath her chest. Beside her, Baihu took form as a massive, fifteen-foot-tall Kyuubi, her multiple tails swaying as she bared her fangs in a mocking grin at the dumbfounded Elven contingent.
Up on the deck, Thorin’s jaw dropped. Seeing Shehuang in her terrifyingly powerful, true form, the memory of getting punched into oblivion suddenly made perfect sense. He finally understood exactly why he had been beaten so completely.
"As you can all clearly see, there is no Dark Elf here," Owen announced, his voice echoing across the tarmac. He extended his hand, his eyes locking onto the politicians. "Fenrir, come forth. Buff Summons!"
Thud—Buzz!
The ground groaned as the massive wolf materialized into reality. Instantly, a heavy, slate-gray magical aura enveloped Fenrir’s fur. The surrounding air began to violently vibrate, the sheer density of the magical amplification forcing the beast's power level straight into the realm of a 10th Circle entity.
Every breath Fenrir took caused the ambient mana in the courtyard to ripple like disturbed water.
"You have broken the peace treaty by holding Western humans hostage without a valid cause," Loki stated, his tone dropping into a deadly whisper. "If our academy students aren't returned to us in five... actually, no. If they aren't released in exactly two minutes, I am letting Fenrir eat every single elf on this island."
On the inside, Loki gave Owen a silent thumbs-up. The sudden countdown reduction from five minutes to two was a brilliant tactical touch.
With a casual wave of his hand, Loki dismissed Shehuang back into his core magic space to keep her hidden capabilities secure. Then, with an effortless leap, he landed smoothly on Baihu’s massive neck, patting the great beast's head. Good to see you again, Baihu, he sent through their mental link, feeling an immediate wave of fierce affection bounce back from her consciousness.
Faced with the literal manifestation of a 10th Circle calamity shaking the airfield, the Elven politicians threw away their pride. They reluctantly signaled their guards, swiftly trading the captured human students back to the academy's custody. A quick inspection by the instructors confirmed the students were unharmed, narrowly averting the wrath of the giant wolf.
Loki smirked. Whoever had leaked the flawed information about his "Dark Elf" summons was going to face a brutal internal purge when the politicians got back to the capital. As long as Shehuang never publicly revealed her own Summoner class, his ultimate trump cards remained perfectly hidden in plain sight.
Just as the human delegation began boarding the airship to depart, King Owen turned back to face the humiliated, silent Elven leadership, delivering one final, devastating stroke.
"By the way," Owen called out, his voice carrying flawlessly across the tarmac. "Have Ambassador Celia Breeze travel to the capital and issue a public, formal apology to Count Loki Sky during our winter court session. If she fails to appear, every single Elven diplomat in my kingdom can pack their bags and head home permanently. Or, as my student Loki would say... later, losers!"
Loki nearly choked on his own breath. Oh, fuck. Owen was actually executing his signature, arrogant backhand wave perfectly. The King was a natural at posing.
Catching the furious glare of the green-haired elf girl one last time, Loki proudly flipped her the bird. With a powerful, muscular flex, Baihu leaped cleanly through the air, landing in style right onto the upper deck of the departing airship.
Finally, the engines roared to life, lifting them into the sky. It was time to go home.
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