Guided by Jenna, our party of over thirty took a hidden trail through Silverleaf Forest. Though the fastest route, it still required three full days to reach the holy elf sacred grounds.
I'd only read about this place in books and rumors—Gaia Ridge, closed to humans forever. Few outsiders had ever set foot there. Legends claimed it wasn't a true mountain range but a marvel of the most natural yet miraculous technology. I'd always wanted to see it for myself. And for me, Gaia held one reason I absolutely had to visit.
"Master, in one more hour we'll enter the sacred boundary. From there, my people's barriers begin, and the ground is thick with poisonous plants. Please instruct the knights to stay close."
After three days together, Jenna had grown accustomed to my arms around her. Even when I kissed her cheek, she accepted it without protest. Once we reached her homeland, it would be time for the next phase of her training. Heh heh heh…
Emerging from the dense forest at a small river, I stopped dead.
Before us stood a tree—but no ordinary tree. It rivaled an entire mountain range in scale. This was the legendary Gaia Ridge.
Even two hours away, its presence overwhelmed us. The crown touched the clouds; the trunk was impossibly vast. Leaves formed a green sea hanging in the sky; roots sprawled for miles. I'd read countless books, yet never imagined anything like this.
"That divine tree ahead is Gaia—son of Gaea, the Mother of Nature we worship. Thanks to its protection, our million-strong clan lives safely beneath it, sheltered through every season with endless fruit."
Jenna gazed at Gaia in reverence, leaning into my shoulder for the first time on her own. From the side, her flawless profile shone—eyes sparkling with devotion to nature and the relief of coming home.
Watching this pure elf, I suddenly felt selfish. Would she be happier living freely in nature than chained to human society?
I glanced back at my men. They too stood awestruck, sighing at nature's wonder.
"Fine! Sacred Gaia, orcs, dark elves, your 400,000 combined army—Sorola Rubia is here to meet you all! Brothers, move out!"
Dismissing doubts, I signaled with high spirits. My knights cheered. I spurred the horse toward Gaia Ridge in the direction Jenna indicated.
She was right—the path was guarded by countless barriers and tangled with toxic flora. For any race but elves, passage would be near impossible.
Reaching Gaia Ridge up close revealed yet another sight. Layer upon layer of platforms ringed the massive trunk, connected by rising and falling wooden lifts. Each platform could house a village; thousands together formed a true arboreal kingdom.
Before I could fully admire the grandeur, my eyes locked on something else. An army of roughly five thousand awaited us. At their head stood a handsome golden-haired male elf in pure black robes, holding a purple staff.
I didn't know him, but my instinct for talent screamed: hidden beneath his calm was terrifying power and a heart vast enough to embrace the world.
"Uncle!!"
Jenna leapt from my grasp with a joyful cry and ran to embrace him. Hugging another man right in front of her master without permission? Looks like I'll need to teach this elf proper slave etiquette soon.
As I dismounted, the elegant male led Jenna to me and bowed in half-salute. The thousands behind him mirrored the gesture in perfect unison. I returned it hastily, sensing trouble. Elves rarely bowed to humans. This one was forcing my hand from the start.
"Honored Baron Sorola, I am Serbei, supreme commander of the holy elf mage legions. On behalf of our clan, I welcome you with our highest honors."
Serbei? Odd name.
Elves often named themselves after plants or animals, but "Serbei" felt strange.
(Serbei: Hey, got a problem with it?)
Only then did I notice the thousands behind him—all in neat, color-coded mage robes. This was the famed five thousand-strong mage corps the Empire itself feared to face.
In the Empire, mages were rare and expensive—usually organized in fifty-man divisions. With around a thousand registered mages nationwide, we had roughly eighteen divisions. A major army boasting three was impressive. Even my family's Black Dragon Knights had only two, and my 30,000 garrison in Febenli just one.
Yet here stood a hundred divisions—five times the Empire's total.
"Commander Serbei, I am Sorola Rubia. On behalf of the Martial Rost Empire and the Rubia family, I bring greetings to the holy elves."
Ugh, more long-winded diplomatic nonsense.
After introductions, Serbei personally led Jenna and me to Gaia's roots. Gods—the roots alone towered like several houses stacked. Climbing stone steps carved into them, I felt like an ant.
Serbei assigned aides to settle my men, then ushered Jenna and me onto one of the strange wooden lifts rising along the trunk.
"These are our elevators—powered by natural magic stones storing sunlight. Incredibly stable; no accidents in our history."
Jenna noticed my unease on the lift and offered reassurance, though she carefully omitted "Master" in front of Serbei—still hiding our relationship.
Serbei ignored it, more concerned with the war.
"Lord Sorola, I'll introduce you to our clan leader soon, but first—our calculations had the allied army arriving yesterday. Yet today, still no sign. Any insight?"
"If you were Longevity and suddenly lost track of the Empire's 100,000 Black Dragon Knights right under your nose—what would you do?"
Both Jenna and Serbei froze, then understood. Serbei burst into hearty laughter, clapping my shoulder hard. Jenna's eyes shone with excitement—she finally grasped why I'd brought no army.
This was my first visit, but a sacred ground's defenses had to be formidable. If 200,000 elves couldn't hold it, my few thousand would only add corpses. Better to deploy them outside on my real plan.
Faster than expected, the lift carried us into the dense canopy—another forest in the sky. Guerrilla warfare here would be a nightmare.
Higher up, temperature dropped, foliage thinned. Finally, Serbei led us into a natural tree hollow—clearly a military hub, guarded by at least a hundred soldiers with a small drill ground inside.
Entering the meeting chamber, dozens of elves already sat around a long table. All appeared youthful; I guessed ranks by seating and attire. The silver-haired elder at the head was likely the grand elder; armed figures at the end, younger generals.
Seeing Serbei and Jenna, fourteen elves rose in salute—including several strikingly beautiful females. Two caught my eye: a red-haired swordswoman in revealing attire, longsword on her back; and a gentle blue-haired officer in uniform.
But the rest remained seated—making clear I wasn't exactly welcome.
"Elder brother, everyone—this is Baron Sorola Rubia, who has come from the Empire to fight alongside us."
The grand elder's eyes flickered with barely veiled hostility, nodding curtly. I returned a cool smile. Several younger generals leapt up, swords half-drawn in anger.
"Rebellion?"
Serbei spoke calmly, but his eyes flashed like lightning. Air vanished; breathing grew hard. The hotheads wilted under his aura. I realized Serbei's magic far exceeded imagination—likely archmage level.
Archmages—capable of ultimate magic—numbered only two in the entire Empire, one in neighboring Diyari. No wonder the elves were the magic race.
"Serbei, Jenna—please sit with the baron."
At the grand elder's gesture, Serbei took the seat below him. Jenna and I were relegated to the far end. Serbei gave me an apologetic smile; I nodded understanding.
"Jenna, what happened? Where is Deep Wolf? I sent you to borrow troops from the crown prince—how did the baron end up here?"
Now it clicked. The grand elder wanted troops from the crown prince—my family's rival faction. No wonder the hostility.
Seeing Jenna's distressed face, anger flared in me. I'm the damn protagonist—why take crap from side characters?
"Jenna, let me explain."
As I opened my mouth, the grand elder cut me off with a gesture.
"Sorry, Baron Sorola. Though our guest, you have no speaking rights here. Ancient clan rule—please understand."
"Ridiculous. As Jenna's master, don't I have the right to speak for my own slave?"
The room exploded in shock. The grand elder's eyes burned with killing intent. Serbei froze. Others gripped weapons, awaiting the order to strike.
Holy elves hadn't contracted with humans in a millennium—most contracts were master-slave, deeply humiliating to their race.
I smirked coldly, placing my left hand on the table. Magic flowed into the Magilight Ring; black light flooded the chamber.
The grand elder was old and cunning—he knew this wasn't the moment for pride. One gesture calmed the room. His furious gaze turned to Jenna; under the table, I squeezed her trembling hand.
"Then, Baron Sorola, please explain what happened."
"Another joke, respected grand elder. Did you invite me to win a war—or to explain this and that?"
Tension thickened, but I held the trump card for certain victory.
"Grand elder and honored elves—I don't understand your fixation on the crown prince and Golden Lions versus Sorola and Black Dragons. I risked my life traveling thousands of miles to this godforsaken backwater to save you. And what do I get? Cold stares."
Stunned silence. Even Serbei tried mediation: "Lord Sorola, please calm down. No one here means to slight you."
"Commander Serbei, I'm perfectly calm. You're the ones who aren't. They drew swords on an imperial envoy—grounds for war. They ignored me to berate my woman—an insult to the Empire and Rubia family.
You want speaking rights? Fine. Three victories against orcs—qualified? My family's 100,000 troops—qualified?
Jenna, I kept my promise and came. They simply reject me. Stay and die with them if you wish—I won't."
Ignoring their shock and pleas, I strode out.