"—Azel!"

Gwendolyn's voice cut through the air as she materialized in a panic with urgency written across her ghostly features.

She was about to speak immediately, to warn him about what she had just witnessed in Sylvia's reflection.

However, she didn't find Azel.

Instead, she found herself staring at a grand meeting table filled with elves dressed in elaborate robes and armor.

They sat in high-backed chairs arranged in a perfect circle, and at the head of the table was a Queen.

An Elf Queen.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, with the same distinctive tri-tone eyes as the current Elf King… gold at the center, silver around it, and emerald at the outer rim.

Her silver-green hair cascaded down her back in elegant waves, and she wore flowing white robes embroidered with golden thread.

And her breasts were full and prominent, though not quite as large as Gwendolyn's own.

'Oh Gwen… nice timing.' Azel's thoughts suddenly reached her. 'Help me check the back of that elf at the other side of the table.'

Gwendolyn blinked in surprise, then realized the truth.

Azel was currently inhabiting the body of the Elf Queen though the current elves seated at this table were clearly very indignant toward their Queen.

Their body language screamed resentment… with crossed arms, averted gazes, and barely concealed sneers.

She was the first Elf Queen, which apparently made her controversial.

As for Azel's mission in this particular trial, a notification floated at the edge of his vision.

[Trial Mission: Survive 24 Hours As The First Elf Queen]

[Reward: Bloodline Awakening]

'Bloodline awakening… huh? That sounds like something straight out of a novel.' Azel thought while observing one of the elves at the meeting table.

The male elf was droning on endlessly about how monsters were attacking their trade routes, disrupting commerce with the human kingdoms and dwarven strongholds.

'Wait, the elves were actively trading with humans and dwarves before?' Azel's thoughts carried genuine confusion. 'What the hell caused such a dramatic change?'

That was a legitimate question.

Because as of right now in the present timeline, everyone was divided into hostile factions.

Though Starbloom had managed to establish a truce with the Aegis Empire, they also maintained a separate truce with the dwarven kingdoms, which provided weapons and enchanted magical armaments from their mountain capitals.

But full-scale cooperation? That hadn't existed in centuries.

Gwendolyn obliged his earlier request, floating silently across the room toward the elf Azel had indicated.

She phased partially through the table to get a better angle.

Behind the elf's back… concealed within the folds of his elaborate robes, was a dagger.

She leaned closer, examining it carefully.

There were runes engraved along the blade's surface, glowing faintly with malicious intent.

"It's a dagger enchanted with a poison rune." Gwendolyn reported with a crisp salute, floating back toward Azel. "One of the simpler runic formulas, but extremely effective for assassination."

"I see…"

Azel spoke aloud as the Elf Queen, his voice cutting through the meeting with sudden authority.

All the elves at the table immediately became alert, their casual postures stiffening.

"Where is your respect?"

The elves looked at their Queen with obvious confusion.

What was she talking about?

They had been conducting the meeting normally, hadn't they? Where was the issue at?

"Who would dare attempt to murder a Queen while seated at the meeting table…" Azel said slowly, his tri-tone eyes fixing directly on the elf with the concealed dagger.

The moment those words left his mouth, the accused elf's face went pale then, realizing he had been discovered, the assassin made his desperate move.

He climbed onto the meeting table in a frantic dash, his boots scattering papers and inkwells as he charged directly toward the Queen.

His hand pulled the poisoned dagger free, swinging it around wildly like an amateur rather than a trained killer.

The Elf's movement was sloppy and panicked, though he believed that he would still be able to assassinate the Queen like that… he was wrong.

A burst of concentrated light suddenly escaped from Azel's tri-tone eyes.

The beam was brilliant gold mixed with silver and emerald, moving faster than anyone could track.

It struck the charging elf directly.

His head and entire upper body were consumed instantly by the devastating energy, disintegrating into nothing more than scattered particles of light.

Even the enchanted dagger was obliterated, its poison rune breaking apart harmlessly.

The lower half of the elf's body collapsed onto the table with a wet thud, blood pooling across the polished wood.

There was absolute silence around the meeting table and not a single elf dared to move or even breathe too loudly.

Azel barely contained a satisfied smirk.

'I cannot believe the Elf King possesses all these incredible abilities…' he thought with genuine appreciation.

Currently inhabiting the Elf Queen's body, he felt exponentially more powerful than his normal form. The raw magical capacity alone was staggering… possibly even surpassing a Great Mage's reserves.

But he cleared his throat and maintained the Queen's dignified composure.

"Is anyone else willing to attempt assassinating their Queen…?" Azel's gaze slowly swept across the remaining elves at the table.

They were all visibly shaking in their chairs, with their faces pale with terror.

"As I expected. Meeting adjourned. Send me the detailed reports later."

With that declaration, Azel stood gracefully from his chair and walked out of the meeting room with perfect royal bearing.

The Queen's body moved with natural elegance with each step completely purposeful.

The moment the door closed behind him, cutting him off from view, one of the elves slammed his fist against the table in fury.

"Fuck that bit—"

A blast of concentrated energy shot backward through the closed door.

It struck the cursing elf with pinpoint accuracy, eviscerating his entire upper body in a brilliant flash of light.

The other elves stared in horror at the door, the Queen wasn't even there anymore.

She had kept walking, never breaking stride.

'Oh ho, so I can redirect and delay these laser attacks as well…' Azel thought with growing excitement. 'I am really enjoying these tri-tone eyes tremendously.'

He continued down the corridor, and Gwendolyn floated beside him.

"I'm guessing this is your ancestor…" Gwendolyn observed, watching Azel strut away with the Queen's confident gait.

With each step he took, his new breasts bounced and jiggled noticeably beneath the elegant robes.

She couldn't deny it… she was genuinely jealous of their perfect shape.

"Yes, apparently so," Azel muttered. "Though I must admit, at this particular point in history, the elves appear to have been completely lawless. I still do not understand how anyone could blatantly attempt to murder their ruler so openly during an official meeting."

"I agree completely," Gwendolyn said. "Though isn't that the first assassination attempt you've faced?"

"No, it was actually the second." Azel replied casually.

They passed by another body left sprawled on the marble floor… a maid, completely shriveled and desiccated as if every drop of moisture had been drained from her corpse.

"I was served poisoned tea by that maid earlier, so I forced her to drink it instead."

Gwendolyn looked down at the withered remains.

"I suppose she might have been coerced into the attempt, but I truly do not care about her circumstances. Ugh… I'm speaking formally." Azel continued without a trace of sympathy.

"It seems you are thoroughly enjoying acting as a powerful queen…" Gwendolyn observed with a knowing smile.

Azel nodded enthusiastically as he reached the grand staircase and began descending.

"Of course I am enjoying this immensely. Who wouldn't appreciate being an overpowered woman with reality-bending abilities?" He paused, then added with annoyance, "However, this castle is simply far too tedious to navigate… Again…"

He reached the bottom of the stairs and walked directly toward the main entrance.

The massive doors stood open, leading to the front courtyard and the gates beyond.

Azel wanted to test whether he could leave the castle grounds entirely, perhaps explore the ancient version of Elun'varis.

However, upon reaching the outer gates where armored guards stood at attention, a notification appeared:

[You are not allowed to leave the Memory Zone]

'I see…' Azel thought, turning smoothly back toward the castle. 'So the trial has geographical limitations.'

This Elf Queen was clearly disrespected constantly within her own castle, facing assassination attempts from her own people.

But surely they wouldn't dare try anything while he was out here in the open courtyard, especially with only two guards present.

Right?

Right???!!!

One of the guards let out a soft, barely audible whistle.

Azel's enhanced hearing caught it immediately.

From the several massive trees that surrounded the courtyard, dozens of arrows suddenly shot downward from concealed positions.

They came from all sides simultaneously, each one coated with deadly Lunar energy that made them shimmer silver in the light.

'I suppose I genuinely underestimated how desperate these conspirators are…' Azel thought with grim amusement.

His mana expelled outward in a perfect sphere of protective force.

All the arrows were instantly deflected, their trajectories redirected harmlessly into the ground where they embedded with multiple thunking sounds.

From the trees came the assassins themselves.

They dropped from the branches like predatory cats, wielding wickedly curved knives that gleamed with enchantments.

There were at least a dozen of them, all dressed in dark clothing designed for stealth.

Azel let out a long, theatrical sigh.

"Azel, you need to finish this trial quickly and warn the Elf King," Gwendolyn urged, her expression serious. "What I witnessed in Sylvia's reflection—"

Azel took a precise step backward, his body moving with the Queen's natural grace.

He dodged a vicious thrust from one of the assassins, the knife passing within inches of his ribs.

With a powerful backhand strike enhanced by the Queen's strength, Azel shattered the assassin's face completely.

Bones crunched sickeningly, and the elf crumpled to the ground, his features caved inward and unrecognizable.

'I wonder why these individuals are willing to risk their lives so recklessly,' Azel thought while another assassin shot several arrows at him from close range.

A thin laser beam erupted from his tri-tone eyes.

The concentrated light struck the archer's head, obliterating it entirely in a spray of blood and bone.

Then Azel proceeded to systematically eliminate the remaining assassins using the same technique, sweeping his laser vision across the courtyard.

The two traitorous guards died as well, cut down before they could flee.

'Aren't royal assassinations supposed to be conducted with subtlety and careful planning…?' he mused while bodies collapsed around him.

Just then, there was a distinct sensation of danger directly behind his back.

A knife suddenly made contact with his neck, piercing the skin.

The blade sank deep, cutting through flesh with practiced efficiency.

[You have been poisoned]

[Kyone's Blessing prevents the poison from taking effect]

'So divine blessings still function within memory zones?' Azel thought with interest.

Without turning around, he reached backward with one hand and pressed his palm firmly against the assassin's face.

With his other hand, he calmly pulled the knife free from his own neck, blood running down onto the Queen's white robes.

Then he immediately activated one of Elarielle's abilities, willing the life energy contained within this assassin's body to flow directly into himself.

The transfer was instantaneous and absolute.

The assassin began to wither rapidly, his flesh desiccating as his life force was drained.

Within seconds, he had shrunk down to nothing more than a skeleton wrapped in loose skin, his eyes sunken and empty.

[Elarielle's Blessing has been activated]

[Life Force absorbed: +2,847]

[Wounds healing…]

The puncture wound in Azel's neck sealed itself completely, not even leaving a scar.

He casually threw the skeletal remains aside, where they shattered against the courtyard stones.

"So, Gwen…" Azel turned to face the ghost, brushing dust from his robes. "What were you attempting to tell me earlier?"

Gwendolyn's expression was surprised at what he had just done, but it soon turned grave.

"Sylvia has successfully made contact with Merek," she said quietly. "She has secured his cooperation to eliminate the Elf King. They made an agreement… she will free him from his dimensional seal, and in exchange, he will slaughter the elven population down to a minimal breeding stock."

Azel felt his heart stop completely.

'…Huh?'

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