Chapter 136 The Last Tailing Days of an Elf

----------------------------------------

Less than a week after their last meeting, Eldamar arrived in Edenthal with a retinue of five, all wearing white shirts with face coverings embroidered in gold and accompanied by over ten elven knights in ceremonial armor and bearing elven banners. Their carriages were filled with gold, with one grand enough for Eldamar and his retainers.

"We welcome you, Lord Eldamar," Lily bowed as she greeted him.

"Hello, Lord Lily. Where will we be staying today?" Eldamar replied.

"Right this way. I shall guide you," Lily replied, eager to show her respect for the visiting lord by following proper etiquette.

"Thank you for welcoming me warmly," Eldamar smiled and returned the bow.

After settling in, Lily found Eldamar strolling casually the next day. He waved at her and beckoned her closer.

"Greetings, Lord Lily," Eldamar greeted her.

"Hello, Lord Eldamar. It's good to see you. I thought the council gave you more than a month. Didn't you wish to say farewell to your friends or family?" Lily asked.

"Please don't bring up such a painful topic. None of my household members survived during Northlangard's fall," Eldamar replied with a wry smile.

"I see. My apologies. I thought it was only your fiancee," Lily apologized.

"That's fine," Eldamar replied before continuing to walk. The atmosphere turned awkward, and Lily struggled to find the right words to ease the tension.

"Lily, how did you become a lord?" Eldamar asked, observing how the people they passed greeted them with bows and greetings to the elves but more informal greetings to Lily.

Lily replied, "Whenever we pass someone, they greet us and bow their heads to the elves, but not me. Some even hug me. They hold no malice, but the decorum is there to prevent unintentional offense."

Eldamar looked pensive upon seeing the scene. "I didn't appreciate such affectionate behavior. But this is your territory, and they don't seem to hold any malice. Are you okay with them not showing respect like that?"

"You said they hold no malice, right? That's enough. Respect should be earned, not given," Lily replied with pride.

"Although there was no malice, the decorum was there to prevent unintentional offense."

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"Well, we can teach them that little by little. According to elven history, tailfolk tribes were that kind of noisy neighbor but held no malice, right? Ambushes often appeared at the border, but there was never a real war. I believe that's just who we are," Lily replied.

"What a weird race," Eldamar commented.

"I've been to other countries. I started as a slave in a human country, then moved here, and also visited the dwarven country. I think everyone is different," Lily replied.

"But they hold no malice? Except for humans?" Eldamar asked. As an elf, he disliked all other races but tolerated them to an extent, except humans, who caused Northlangard to fall and kill all of his family. He no longer even considered them as a fellow sentient race.

"For humans, they were more greedy and arrogant than malicious, I think. What do you think malice is, Lord Eldamar?" Lily tried to engage in a philosophical discussion.

"Incarnation of evil," Lord Eldamar declared firmly, referring to the humans who come to their lands seeking nothing but plunder and rape. "Undead are also an incarnation of evil. They come to kill and destroy; that is their sole purpose."

Lily pondered aloud why other races couldn't seem to get along in a true sense, even as they spoke. "I find that elves are arrogant in their behavior, dwarves are dirty, and humans are greedy. Likewise, you also view us as unruly and mischievous kids. I think you look down on everyone a little too much," she said, looking at Lord Eldamar through her eyes, sensing disdain emanating from his gaze.

Lord Eldamar responded, his eyes widening in realization, "Does it look that transparent in your eyes?"

Lily nodded, "Yes. However, I do not hate it. Just like you tolerate some of the tailfolk's behavior, we also tolerate some of the elves' behavior. Besides, nobody is perfect. Even in the same race, we all have something against other people's behavior."

"I see. Thank you, your honesty is appreciated," Lord Eldamar replied.

"And so is your honesty," Lily replied.

"I still have a few weeks before I have to go into King Sig's territory. Can I help around?" Lord Eldamar asked.

"What do you want to help with?" Lily inquired.

"I want to help with farming," he said, smiling.

"Why? Want to try becoming a peasant?" Lily chuckled.

"Yes. Hahaha," Lord Eldamar laughed. But a sad tinge was present in his eye. he was serious about trying to become a peasant. He knew we would not be good at it, but at least he wanted to try.

"I will prepare where you will work tomorrow," Lily said.

"Lily!" Lhorne came in, jogging in a hurry. "I need your signature here."

Lily looked at the proposals regarding the deployment of their troops. They needed to send three sets of five thousand soldiers to various spots, with one thousand stationed in Fort Soleil, and the rest acting as sentries on the border. While being a sentry might be a lousy job, given the ongoing war, it could also be the most dangerous.

Moreover, they wouldn't be stationed in a fortified fort but spread out and camped in the wilderness. The camping out was still fine, but if they were attacked, it would lead to sacrifices so other members could warn the main base.

Lord Eldamar asked about their war circumstances, but Lily could only answer about troop deployment. The war was coming, and all of them needed to be ready.

After some time, Lily assigned Lord Eldamar to work in their village for a while to see how peasants lived their lives. Lhorne was baffled but agreed to work on it. He said he would arrange for Eldamar to work as a poultry farmer or grow crops in a field. Lily presented the choice to him, and they continued to entertain Lord Eldamar in chitchat afterward while strolling on his future workplaces.