The Elf Queen’s Guardian Ceremony was a rare and grand event. Even Helen was attending for the first time; when she had met the previous Elf Queen, the queen already had a guardian by her side.

Aside from the elder of the Axton family who was locked in an ice prison, the other Wolf Race families each left one or two elders behind to guard their territories. The rest of the werewolves all followed Helen to the Elf Territory.

The werewolves lived in the ice fields, a land of snow and ice where entertainment was scarce. The young werewolves spent their days either fighting with their kin or finding places to sleep. It was incredibly dull. This rare opportunity to visit the Elf Territory for such a lively event had them so excited they were practically going mad.

The young wolves transformed into their original forms, rolling around on the grass. Their howls rose and fell, nearly drowning out the elves’ music. Hanni sat alone in a corner, her long, snow-white hair trailing on the ground, unconcerned about the grass leaves clinging to it. She stared blankly at the frolicking young wolves, her sky-blue eyes looking listless.

She had been staying in the God Race’s territory this whole time and had not returned. Although it was to obey Clan Leader Helen’s command, in her heart, she was also unwilling to go back.

Her relationship with Joanna had always been strained. They were never like a normal mother and daughter. But even so, she was unwilling to believe that Joanna would collude with the Vampires.

Her time with the God Race was spent waiting for Clan Leader Helen to investigate the matter. When she learned that Helen was bringing the clan to the Elf Territory, she had hoped to see Joanna by Helen’s side, but she was ultimately disappointed.

Not only was Joanna absent, but all the elders of the Axton clan were also missing. Only the younger generation of wolves had been brought along. Hanni could certainly guess what this meant.

The Axton family’s status among the werewolves was second only to the Fielder family. Hanni couldn’t understand why they would betray them.

“Why are you here all alone?” Helen’s voice suddenly sounded by Hanni’s ear, snapping her out of her daze. She turned to look at Helen, who had appeared behind her at some point, and called out in a muffled voice, “Clan Leader Helen.”

Helen reached out and stroked her hair, her attitude as patient and gentle as ever, showing no sign of distance. She said softly, “Hanna said you were in a bad mood, so she asked me to come check on you.”

Hanni was stunned for a moment, then tilted her head to look past Helen. Hanna was standing about ten meters away, looking at her worriedly. When their eyes met, she gave a tentative wave.

Hanni forced a smile for Hanna, then raised a hand to rub her eyes. She lowered her head and said in a small voice, “I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“I just…” She paused before continuing, “I just don’t understand why she did it.”

Though the words were vague, Helen understood. She clasped her hands behind her back, feeling the light, flower-scented breeze unique to the Elf Territory for a moment before speaking softly, “Joanna wanted the Wolf Race to be as powerful as the Vampires.”

“She disregarded the survival of the Elf Race to seize their Tree of Life because she believed that once the Wolf Race’s reproduction problem was solved, they would become the most powerful race on the Sitatul Continent.”

“She felt that the Wolf Race should be the masters of this continent.”

She had known Joanna for centuries. No one knew better than her the ambition hidden beneath that gentle exterior. She didn’t think ambition was a bad thing, but one must have a bottom line.

And Joanna clearly didn’t have one.

“But wouldn’t that make us a second Vampire race…?” Harming other races just to strengthen one’s own—what difference would there be between them and the Vampires?

Helen smiled at Hanni and stroked her hair, her tone gentle. “She is not as kind as you.”

Hanni rubbed against Helen’s leg and looked up. “Clan Leader Helen doesn’t agree with her ideas either, right?”

Helen hummed in agreement, then turned her head slightly toward Cynthia and Olivia. Her voice was so soft it seemed to drift away with the wind, like a sigh. “This continent doesn’t need a master.” It only needs peace.

She knew this from the moment she became the Wolf Race’s leader. She believed Cynthia and Olivia knew it too.

That was why they were all working toward this goal.

The Elf Queen’s Guardian Ceremony usually involved four or five days of festivities before it officially began. But now was a critical time for expelling the Vampires, so after the sky darkened, Polly directed the celebrating crowd to clear a space to hold the ceremony immediately.

According to the normal procedure, the Guardian Ceremony involved a branch left by the Goddess of the Forest selecting the most suitable candidate from among the elven warrior candidates to father the next Elf Queen. The guardian chosen this way could be the Elf Queen’s partner, but could also have a purely guardian relationship.

However, if the Elf Queen already had someone in her heart, the branch was not needed for selection. She only needed to hold the branch and place a mark on her chosen elf.

But Olivia’s situation fit neither of these. Cynthia was from another race, so whether a mark was placed or not was entirely up to Olivia.

After all, the mark from the Goddess of the Forest’s branch only served to enhance the elven guardian’s ability to perceive the power of nature.

The elves were very curious whether Queen Olivia would place a mark on Cynthia, so their eyes all lit up when they saw her walk out holding the branch.

The elves’ enthusiastic discussions reached the Wolf Race on the other side. After Helen’s comforting words, half of the knot in Hanni’s heart had been untied. Influenced by the atmosphere from the elves’ side, she also became excited. Seeing Olivia emerge with the branch, she belatedly realized that this ceremony was for the Elf Queen to choose Cynthia as her guardian.

“So Queen Olivia and Cynthia like each other?” Hanni exclaimed while craning her neck to see. “Does that mean they’re going to have a little elf together?”

Cynthia was of the God Race, and judging by her power, the Power of Light in her bloodline must be pure and rich. When her blood essence merged with the Elf Queen’s, would their offspring be an elf or a God Race?

She wasn’t the only one with this question; the other werewolves were all curious about it too. Some had even run up to Helen to ask.

Helen was an old friend of the previous Elf Queen, so she knew a bit about the history of the Elf Race. She raised a hand to the white gauze covering her eyes and said with a smile, “It will definitely be an elf.”

“Every Elf Queen in history who chose a guardian from another race has successfully given birth to the next Elf Queen.” The Elf Queen’s bloodline was special to begin with, and since the Elf Fruit was used for reproduction, the bloodline of another race could not suppress the Elf Queen’s.

None of the previous non-elf guardians could suppress it. How could Cynthia be an exception?

The elves were curious if their queen would place a mark on her guardian, while the werewolves wondered if an Elf Queen and a non-elf could produce an elf. The other two races present didn’t have so many questions; they were simply enjoying the ceremony.

After all, with two people as outstanding and beautiful as Cynthia and Olivia, just seeing them stand together was a feast for the eyes.

The elves’ whispers and the werewolves’ excited discussions reached Cynthia’s ears, but they didn’t distract her in the slightest. She walked on a carpet of fresh flowers, all her attention focused on the pale green figure at the end.

Even on such an occasion, Olivia was still wearing a simple white long dress, having only swapped her elegant silver belt for a brilliant gold one. As the greatest beauty on the Sitatul Continent, Olivia needed no ornate attire; a faint smile on her lips was enough to make all else lose its color.

The branch in her hand emitted a pale green light, and the power of nature swirled around Olivia. She watched Cynthia walk toward her, the coldness in her pale green eyes gradually melting into a clear smile. Her gaze moved up to the flower crown on Cynthia’s head, and she asked with a light laugh, “When did you put on the flower crown?”

It wasn’t there when they parted just now.

Cynthia raised a hand to touch the crown on her head, her long silver hair falling smoothly behind her. She blinked at Olivia and said with a gentle smile, “On such an important occasion, I must wear the token of love Her Majesty the Queen gave me to show its importance.”

Olivia’s lips curled. She met Cynthia’s gaze for a moment before slowly raising the branch in her hand. She slowed her speech, speaking earnestly as if reciting an oath, “Under the witness of the power of nature and with the blessing of the Goddess of the Forest, I, Olivia Fansiseer, in the name of the Elf Queen, wish to present the branch of the Goddess of the Forest to my guardian, Cynthia.”

As she spoke, she held the branch horizontally and offered it to Cynthia.

Cynthia, who had been smiling at Olivia, was taken aback. She looked down at the branch, surprised. “For me?”

She had inquired about the procedures of the Guardian Ceremony long before she and Olivia got together. This step was not part of it.

Not only was Cynthia surprised, but the elves who were just enthusiastically discussing whether Queen Olivia would place a mark on Cynthia had all fallen silent, looking at each other, shocked by Olivia’s decision.

Never before had an Elf Queen given the Goddess of the Forest’s branch to a non-elf guardian. Of course, before Olivia, the Elf Race only had one such branch.

The branch in Olivia’s hand was a new one she obtained when the previous Elf Queen died in battle and the Elf Race was besieged by Vampires. In that moment of life and death, she risked everything to awaken the sunken temple of the Goddess of the Forest.

Even Polly hadn’t expected Olivia to be willing to give this branch, which held such significance for her, to Cynthia.

She often accompanied Olivia and had seen how she and Cynthia interacted. She had always thought Cynthia’s feelings for their queen were deeper, but now it seemed their queen’s feelings were no shallower than Cynthia’s.

“A staff for you.” A beautiful smile graced Olivia’s lips. She reached directly for the Space Gem at Cynthia’s waist, and a crystal emitting a faint golden light appeared in her hand. She used the power of nature to levitate the Light Crystal in the air, then chanted an incantation in a low voice.

The Goddess of the Forest’s branch flickered with pale green light and, guided by the power of nature, slowly merged with the Light Crystal. The Light Crystal suddenly flashed with brilliant gold light, and the slender, verdant branch was gradually enveloped by it. When the golden light faded, the slender branch had transformed into a pure white staff, its body engraved with exquisite patterns.

With the Goddess of the Forest’s branch as its core, the energy contained within the Light Crystal seemed to have been completely unleashed. The once ordinary-looking crystal now appeared exceptionally clear and translucent.

Olivia used the power of nature to present the staff to Cynthia, gesturing for her to take it.

Cynthia looked down at the staff for a moment before reaching out to grasp it. The staff was smooth and delicate to the touch, and the moment she held it, she could feel the surging Power of Light coming from the Light Crystal.

“Cynthia Staff.” Cynthia, who was gently stroking the staff with her fingers, heard the voice and looked up in confusion. Olivia looked into her eyes and said softly, “The staff’s name.”

Realizing what she meant, Cynthia couldn’t help but chuckle. “Does ‘Cynthia Staff’ sound better than ‘Olivia Staff’?”

She hadn’t forgotten Olivia’s expression when she had previously suggested naming the staff ‘Olivia Staff’.

Olivia pretended not to see the teasing in Cynthia’s eyes and said with a straight face, “‘Cynthia Staff’ is more suitable.”

Cynthia smiled and didn’t argue. She stroked the staff in her hand for a while longer, then suddenly gave it a wave. Dazzling, brilliant golden petals rained down from the sky, bright enough to illuminate the night.

The gazes focused on them were mostly drawn away by the shower of golden petals. Cynthia took the opportunity to step forward, leaning in close to Olivia’s ear and saying in a soft voice only they could hear, “I am willing to spend my life protecting Queen Olivia.”

She gazed at Olivia’s profile, her eyes and brows filled with a smile. “I swear this in the name of Cynthia Fansiseer.”

Olivia maintained a calm expression at first, but upon hearing the second half of the sentence, she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. She pressed a hand to her forehead, her tone tinged with faint helplessness. “That is my surname.”

Cynthia inhaled Olivia’s unique, faint fragrance, her gaze sweeping over the side of her neck and behind her ear. Her eyes darkened slightly as she said with a low laugh, “Her Majesty the Queen has already given me a staff. Surely you wouldn’t mind if I took a surname as well.”

Although she knew many people were watching them, with Olivia right there where she could reach out and embrace or kiss her, Cynthia still felt a stir of impulse. She waved the staff again, summoning another shower of golden petals. Then, under the cover of the golden light, she leaned down and kissed Olivia’s forehead, finally satisfying the desire to touch Olivia that she’d been feeling since the ceremony began.

This staff was unexpected, but it brought her immense joy.