The current situation made Anya remember her days as an apprentice, although, to be honest, Alex was nothing like the dean of the Shining Summit. It was more about the fact that ever since she had graduated, no one had ever treated her as just another person. Alex, on the other hand, although he addressed her with respect and conveyed his orders cordially, made it clear that she was not superior to the rest and ensured she couldn’t excuse herself from her tasks.

"Your elves are particularly useless," Alex commented.

Anya felt a headache for the sixth time today.

"What did they do?" she asked, not really wanting to know, but knowing that as their leader, she had to take responsibility. Otherwise, the consequences could be greater.

"They tried to sabotage the group of lunar elves, almost exposing the entire operation. The dwarves were about to execute them on the spot, but they handed them over to me to deal with," Alex replied.

"Where are they now?" Anya asked, worried.

"Tied up next to the idiots from the other side who tried to get the goblins to capture your people," Alex responded with evident exhaustion in his voice and pointed to a direction in the forest.

Anya looked in the direction and thanked Alex.

When she arrived at the place, she found the rival elf leader. What she saw was a humble leader in his position accepting Grant's hostile words. The dwarf was a firm supporter of executing these troublesome elements, now a staunch believer that the best elf was a dead elf.

When Grant saw her, he also directed his fair share of responsibility for the actions of her guards. Both leaders had to accept the reprimand from both the dwarves and Alex until finally, the ultimatum came.

"Listen well, both of you. Your followers have done everything possible to make this operation a failure and get us discovered by our enemies. If I didn't know better, I would say you were working for the goblins with the consequences that entails. After discussing it well with Lord Grant, I've decided to give you one last chance. You both will have to work together to achieve your objectives, or else this is the end. You will be closely watched, and at the slightest sign of trouble, it will be the end. If you refuse to follow an order, it will be the end. I don't think I need to elaborate further, do I?" Alex posed the rhetorical question.

Both elven leaders looked at each other and nodded at Alex's words. "No need," they said.

"Good," Alex said simply and withdrew with Grant. Both leaders had much to discuss since it was becoming evident that the ritual was just around the corner.

"They're going to discuss the ritual, the intervention that will soon take place," Anya remarked.

"I know," she replied.

"They didn't invite us."

"They don't consider us worthy."

"That bothers me."

"It bothers you that they don't consider you worthy?" Anya asked sarcastically.

"It bothers me to know that I'm not," her counterpart admitted.

Anya was surprised by the rival leader's honesty. The elf had been introspective since encountering the human for the second time. Her impression was that, while both had different starts, Alex kept rising while she was in a free fall.

"We both know this won't end well for us. Our titles might intimidate Master Grant to some extent, but Alex doesn't seem to have an ounce of respect for us," Anya said.

"I know. Maybe Grant would let us go with a warning and throw us out of the camp, but the human is different. I don't understand him well—who supports him and how he managed to establish himself so well among the gnolls and resh."

"From what I saw during the time he spent with them, it seems that the relationship with the gnolls is natural. It doesn't look like he subdued them in any way... and there's no magic that can subdue a matriarch," Anya said.

"What are you talking about with such nonsense?"

"It's true. There's a matriarch behind the boy who truly follows his words. I saw it with my own eyes," Anya said seriously, looking him in the eyes.

"In that case, the boy is much more special than we thought. And now it doesn't surprise me that he commands so many initiated gnolls. I still don't know why the resh follow him, but the mere fact that there's a matriarch behind him indicates he has much more help than the gnolls here. The question is, why are you sharing this information with me?" the elven leader asked skeptically.

"Because I'm planning a truce. I need our groups to cooperate so we can gain something from this encounter. Otherwise, when all is said and done and we sit at the negotiation table, we might not even get the crumbs," Anya explained.

The two elf leaders sat pondering, and although their long-term goals and needs differed greatly, they both realized something: Alex was too great an anomaly to ignore. His faction could represent many things—a potential trade partner, a military ally, or an international friend who could establish diplomatic ties and assist them on the current international stage.

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"It will be hard to convince everyone. Some of my men fought on the Keltur Plains," the lunar elf leader said.

"Oh, I see. It will be quite complicated to convince them. I was there too," Anya replied.

"You seem to handle it much better than the boys."

"I don't plan to take it out on soldiers who were just following orders. My problems, my hatred, and my spells are reserved for other insidious bastards," Anya responded. For a moment, a glint of madness appeared in her eyes, her clenched jaw almost causing her teeth to grind as she spoke.

The lunar elf understood perfectly where Anya's resentment came from. The battle of the plains resulted in the massive death of many elves who had until then mostly faced auxiliary troops using all kinds of species as their pawns, be they kobolds, goblins, or even gnolls.

"I see. With your cooperation, it might be possible to at least stop sabotaging each other and start cooperating with Alex's troops," the lunar elf said. He knew Anya well, as the rivalry between their kingdoms had become so sharp that every relatively powerful or prominent figure was marked. If he killed her here and now, he could ensure a reward upon returning home. However, any reward would pale in comparison to what they would give him if he managed to rescue the person captured by the goblins.

"Elaya, it's good to see you finally back. Tell me the details of your mission before I update you on what's happened," Anya said as she saw her trusted guard arrive. Elaya had been an elite warrior for a long time, and she was sure that no one in this group could threaten his life, that is, if he didn't have to worry about Anya's life.

"Alright, my lady, let's go somewhere more private," Elaya responded.

"That won't be necessary. We will share our information," Anya said.

Not only Elaya but also the regular elves from both sides who hadn't been captured were impressed by the mage's declaration.

"If that is your decision, my lady, this is what we found out," Elaya responded after hesitating for a second. The veteran gave a brief explanation of the plan the gnolls had devised and how it had been effective. Elaya had managed to infiltrate the enemy prison and contact the key figures marked for him, so within the temple, most of the figures knew there was a rescue plan in motion.

"Were you able to see our lady?" Anya asked anxiously.

"Yes, she is relatively well. It seems they have kept her weakened with magic-absorbing parasites, and she looked severely deprived of her own mana. However, there didn't appear to be other physical injuries," Elaya responded.

The method of magic-absorbing parasites was an uncommon form of torture among civilized races, but not unheard of. The long-term consequences for a mage of having their mana constantly drained were a long and macabre list.

"What about the plan to rescue them?" the lunar leader asked.

"I wasn't told much about that, but it seems the moment is near. I don't know what preparations the human made, but they should be ready soon," Elaya responded.

Meanwhile, in the other meeting, there was a gloomy and somber atmosphere.

"Are you sure this will work?" Grant asked.

"There should be enough forces," Alex replied.

"I'm not doubting your forces... actually, I do doubt them. Are you sure about those numbers? It seems inconceivable. Plus, how will we know they'll arrive on time?"

"I have no additional ways to contact them at the moment. The number of patrols has exploded, so we can only trust they'll come," Alex responded.

"But why would we trust that?" Grant asked.

"Because the goblins are a great threat in this sector, one my subjects want to get rid of at all costs. They will come to prevent this ritual from continuing," Alex assured him.

Grant had trouble trusting that the troops Alex promised would actually arrive. The plan to retreat to these caves and act as a decoy for the others to surround and annihilate the goblins was too much for him. If they were truly surrounded here by the entire goblin army, they would be annihilated sooner or later, probably sooner.

"Boy, it's better that we run. You can face them with your army another time. It would be a monumental victory if you rescue the prisoners and prevent the ritual," Grant responded.

Although the dwarf wasn't weak, it was clear he needed Alex's help to survive in the forest, especially if he expected to flee from a large horde of goblins angry about their ritual being interrupted.

Alex, on the other hand, didn't exactly need Grant for his plan, but having him would be more than useful. With his strength on his side, he wouldn't need to negotiate with the elves. They would instantly accept his plan without the strength to oppose it or carry out another plan on their own.

The only real inconvenience for Alex's plan to be accepted was the fact that no one had seen his group before. No one besides the dwarves of the Golden Boar Trading Company knew there was an emerging kingdom in the very forest of Iretar. And although Alex had mentioned this trading company, Grant had entered from another part and had not come into contact with them.

"If you have no way to prove that support, I can't back your plan, boy," Grant finally said, intransigent.

Alex thought for a few moments, truly reluctant to abandon his plan, but couldn't see how to make them believe. When he thought there was no way, an idea came to him.

"Kragash, go fetch Anya. In fact, bring the pair to join this meeting," the young human ordered.

Kragash left immediately and quickly returned with the elven guests.

"What are you planning, boy?" Grant asked, doubtful of Alex's intentions.

"Anya, is it true or not that I have the support of a matriarch?" Alex asked loudly as soon as the elves sat around the campfire.

"It is," Anya replied.

Grant was shocked by this revelation. He looked intensely at the elf, searching for any sign of deceit. Seeing the doubt on the dwarf's face, Anya began recounting her encounter with Alex, shedding more light on the matter. The human didn't interrupt the story. Although he hoped to maintain an aura of mysticism around him, he knew he couldn't lie to achieve it. It was enough that there was information leaving his true capabilities in the air.

"You were the one who caused such a stir in Nyxhaven?" the elf asked.

"I had an encounter with the princess of Kellenar. Yes, that was me," Alex replied, trying to be vague about his encounter with the marquis and his true relationship.

"Now I understand where your soldiers' weapons come from," Grant commented.

Most of Alex's elite troops had swords or axes plus hunting knives, equipment made of metal that was scarce in the forest and only accessible outside. In addition to the powerful glass-steel spears and shields, it was clear the boy wasn't a pauper and had some real support or faction with him.

"Are you really sure they'll come?" Grant asked again, hating the fact that he was seriously considering Alex's suicidal plan. However, it had real merit. Doing it this way, the proximity of this base would allow them to rescue virtually all the prisoners since they would only have to move them a short distance.

Alex was about to respond when a sudden sound penetrated the forest, a howl like no other that lasted for almost 30 full seconds.

"I am completely sure," Alex replied with a big smile.

No one knew where the boy's confidence and security came from, but they didn't want to ask. The howl had sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

"Prepare well, the moment is near," Alex said in farewell.