450: Chapter 435 Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!

The elves saw the reality clearly.

The King's status as the God's Blessing was not to be offended; even if the King was wrong, no one dared, nor could they, impose punishment upon him.

But the Crown Prince was different.

The Elf Clan currently had two Crown Princes; the death of one would not shake the foundations of the royal family, especially since the King had already decided to sacrifice one of them.

Since one Crown Prince was destined to die, it should naturally be the one who had brought about the calamity.

Under Anna's induction, the elves' pent-up rage found an outlet. Led by two peak High-tier Professionals, they marched with firm steps toward Frederica's palace for the second time.

The elves understood that the crime of arbitrarily judging a Crown Prince was comparable to rebellion and treason.

Therefore, no one could back down; everyone had to be united to resist the King's subsequent accountability.

Upon arriving at the door, the elves followed this principle. No one hid at the back; everyone crowded forward, ensuring their faces would be remembered by the Crown Prince's personal guards.

The two leaders moved forward side by side and raised their hands to knock—although their purpose was to punish the Crown Prince, the most basic rules still had to be followed. After all, the banner they raised was "Judging the Culprit," not betraying the Elf King.

Of course, if Frederica refused to open the door, they wouldn't mind breaking in.

The Sky Knight believed Frederica would most likely choose to stay behind closed doors, attempting to stall for time and wait for the King to arrive and resolve the situation.

To prevent this from happening, after knocking, he didn't wait for Frederica's response at all and raised his hand, about to blast the door to pieces.

However, the subsequent events were unexpected. Just as he clenched his fist, the palace gate opened inward. Frederica was in front, with Saldari and Alice a step behind; the three of them walked out together.

Frederica had her hands behind her back, her face showing neither sorrow nor joy as her gaze swept over her kinsmen below the steps.

"I see undisguised anger in your expressions, hmm, and it seems there's a bit of resentment too. What do you plan to do to me?"

Such a calm response made the leading Sky Knight and Magister hesitate slightly.

Did Her Highness Frederica anticipate that we would come?

The two looked at each other, their eyes questioning one another.

Is this genuine or a facade?

After a moment's thought, both made the same judgment: the latter.

If it were the former, and Frederica truly knew her kinsmen would come today, she would have surely notified the King in advance. How could she face the aggressive crowd alone?

What hypocrisy!

They recalled yesterday. Despite being the sinner who brought disaster, Frederica had feigned tolerance and forgiven the kinsmen who blocked her door. Today was so similar—or rather, exactly the same.

Enough!

Fury erupted in their eyes.

"Her Highness Frederica, it seems you already understand our purpose for coming."

"You're overthinking it; I don't understand."

The Sky Knight was at a loss for words, then regained his senses with an irritable look: "We hope you will take responsibility for your mistakes."

"Hmm?" Frederica tilted her head and smiled, "What did I do wrong?"

The Magister took a step forward and raised his hand, pointing his index finger at her face: "Your Highness, playing dumb is meaningless. Furthermore, what we are saying is not a request, but a demand!"

"How dare you disrespect the Crown Prince!" Saldari gripped the hilt of the longsword at his waist, ready to draw it, but was stopped by Frederica.

She waved her hand, signaling Alice and Saldari to step back: "Although I still don't understand what your so-called mistakes are, they should have nothing to do with this."

The Sky Knight glanced at the two: "Yes."

Frederica swept her gaze over the expressions of her kinsmen again. Similar resentment and anger were interwoven, as if they were trying to kill an enemy with their eyes.

"It seems I must go with you."

The elves present responded with silence. They didn't seem to answer, but from their cold expressions, the answer had clearly been given.

"Saldari, Alice."

"Here."

"You two go back."

The two of them desperately wanted to accompany Her Highness or witness the final moments of her life. However, once Frederica died, the two of them, having lost their protection, might be persecuted by their frenzied kinsmen.

They bore a mission and had to stay alive.

Frederica slowly walked down the steps. The kinsmen directly in front instinctively backed away to the left and right, forcing a one-person-wide aisle out of the crowded mass.

After a few steps, she looked back in confusion at the Sky Knight and Magister standing in place: "Why are you dazing off? Let's go."

Aren't we going to the life tree?"

She really knows our purpose?!

The Sky Knight was utterly bewildered. Before coming to the palace, Anna had mentioned, intentionally or not, that she was "going to see the King to discuss important matters," implying she would keep the King occupied and that they should move as quickly as possible.

He thought that as long as he didn't waste time, he could sacrifice Frederica before the King noticed.

But looking at it now, Frederica clearly anticipated the kinsmen's uprising. So what was the point of Elder Anna's actions?

Furthermore, why didn't Her Highness...

Before the Sky Knight's thoughts could finish, the irrational kinsmen had already surrounded Frederica and were surging toward the life tree.

He and the Magister looked at each other again.

"Do you think..."

"It's too late." The Magister shook his head, looking at the departing kinsmen and gritting his teeth. "Whether Her Highness is being framed or not, she must die!"

The Sky Knight lowered his head in deep thought. Yes, if Her Highness didn't die, it would be them who died.

They were the ones leading the team, they were the ones who knocked on the palace gate, and they were the ones questioning the Crown Prince. The kinsmen hadn't said a word throughout. Although they indeed had no need to speak, they had also unintentionally defined themselves as mere bystanders.

If he voiced his suspicion now that Her Highness Frederica might have been set up, the kinsmen would be safe since they technically did nothing, but the fate of the two of them would be...

The two of them tacitly shut their mouths, burying their rising confusion deep in their hearts, and then chased after the kinsmen.

Saldari and Alice watched the back of Her Highness as she was submerged by the crowd from afar.

"Alice, we should set off as well."

"Mm." Alice wiped the corner of her eye. "Let's go!"

...

Gezhe sat cross-legged under the life tree, his eyes slightly closed.

After a few minutes, he suddenly opened his eyes, stood up, and looked into the distant woods: "A wonderful play is about to begin."

Noisy movements came from the woods—the crisp sound of feet crushing withered leaves, accompanied by several insults, vicious curses, and shouts urging people to quicken their pace.

Soon, the crowd emerged from the edge of the forest. They were all pointed-eared elves, and the most conspicuous one was Frederica, walking at the front.

"Hehe." Gezhe looked at them, his light laugh full of sarcasm. "The once strongest race on the continent, the owners of the Hegemon's Crown, has actually fallen to such a state.

Their courage crushed by the gods, their spines broken, ha, they even believe the nonsense about the gods inflicting punishment. Truly tragic."

As the crowd slowly approached the life tree, Gezhe flew into the air and sat on a branch.

His posture was very leisurely, with one leg bent and stepping on the branch, an arm resting on his knee, and the other thigh hanging naturally, swinging back and forth in mid-air.

"Come on, let me see how foolish the current elves are."

The elves drove Frederica to the base of the tree.

The Sky Knight and the Magister, who had remained silent along the way, passed through the crowd and walked to the very front. They immediately noticed the sacrifice Magic Array laid out on the ground by the tree.

Their eyes met for a moment in the air, and the suspicion in their hearts seemed even more credible.

Damn it! We've been played!

The two were a peak Sky Knight and a peak Magister, the cream of the crop among the younger generation of elves. They were only half a step away from joining the Council of Elders, and their status was second only to the King and the Elders. They were already qualified to access some high-level secrets.

One of those secrets was—Anna is Sinéad's teacher.

Without a doubt, this was a complete conspiracy, a trap targeting Her Highness Frederica. The purpose was self-evident: so Her Highness Sinéad could win without a fight and preserve her life.

And they, the two fools, had failed to see through Anna's plan at the beginning. The moment they led the kinsmen to question Her Highness Frederica, they became accomplices and could no longer escape.

The King wouldn't care if they were deceived; the King only knew they had offended the Crown Prince. In the King's rules, this was betrayal, a capital offense.

If they wanted to live now, the only way was to carry out the mistake to the end, sacrifice Frederica, and firmly bind the participating kinsmen to themselves.

The two took a deep breath and turned around together: "The King has not abandoned his people! The King knows Frederica's sins and has prepared the sacrifice Magic Array in advance!"

It must be said they were very clever. By clearing the King of the charge of shielding the Crown Prince, the King would have no reason to impose punishment when facing the kinsmen who loved and praised him afterward.

The kinsmen indeed became excited: "The King has not abandoned us! He hasn't!"

The waves of shouting grew higher and higher. At some point, someone yelled: "Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!"

At first, there were only a few scattered voices, which were soon drowned out by cheers. But as the elves around those "scattered voices" joined in, the momentum gradually grew until it became dominant, and eventually, only one sound remained in the entire field.

"Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!"

"Sacrifice Frederica! Sacrifice Frederica! Sacrifice Frederica!"

The Sky Knight and the Magister, one on each side, escorted the smiling Frederica toward the Magic Array.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry," the Sky Knight said in a voice only she could hear.

The Magister lowered his head, his steps heavy: "Your Highness, we can't turn back."

Frederica looked at one, then the other, and smiled: "Don't worry, I don't blame you. The mastermind behind this is someone else; you were also innocently implicated."

"Re-really?"

The two felt ashamed, but the guilt in their hearts also faded a bit as they found a reason to comfort themselves.

Her Highness is right; I didn't know the truth at all. I was provoked by Anna. That's right, it's all Anna's fault!

Please believe us, Your Highness. In the near future, we will surely avenge you and clear your name!

They secretly made vows, their intentions incredibly sincere. As for whether they would fulfill them, only the parties involved would know.

The three walked to the edge of the Magic Array. The Sky Knight and Magister stopped, while Frederica stepped into the Magic Array on her own, her steps showing no pause or hesitation as she slowly reached the center.

She turned around, facing her kinsmen, and once again examined their expressions.

After a long time, perhaps having seen enough, Frederica withdrew her gaze and looked up slightly, gazing toward Lake.

Zhang Mu, when you receive the news of my death, will you be sad?

Hmm... I can't guess.

Haha—

She laughed for some reason.

The elves didn't understand why she, who was about to become nutrients for the life tree, could laugh, but they didn't care.

"Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!" The shouting resounded through the sky again.

The Sky Knight and Magister assumed their stances and poured mana into the Magic Array; the lines etched on the ground began to glow.

Frederica sat cross-legged, her hand supporting her chin, looking at the ground with vacant eyes.

"I heard that when the Princess of Lake was in deep crisis, it was you who arrived in time to save her.

Zhang Mu, will you... also save me?"

Dreams are called dreams precisely because most of the time they can only be realized in sleep.

Regrettably, Frederica had no time for a nap now.

Not only was the Magic Array about to activate, but there was also...

She looked at the woods behind the crowd. A familiar thin figure rushed out of the forest, long hair flying in the wind. Likely because she hadn't recovered from her serious injuries, she stumbled as she ran, nearly falling several times.

Approaching the life tree, she shouted "Stop!" while pushing through the crowd to reach the front of the Magic Array.

After the Sky Knight and Magister saw her, they were stunned for a moment. Coming to their senses, they immediately bowed, and the activation of the Magic Array was interrupted.

"Her Highness Sinéad."

"Are you all crazy?!" Sinéad scolded angrily, running to the middle of the Magic Array and spreading her arms to stand in front of Frederica.

"What do you think you are doing to my sister, the Crown Prince of the Elf Clan!"

"Her Highness Sinéad." The Sky Knight knew he couldn't turn back and replied with a stiff upper lip, "Her Highness Frederica associated with a heretic without authorization, and even went to Lake for a rescue mission regardless of the clan's safety. This is what led to the life tree—"

"Nonsense!" Sinéad's face was taut.

The Magister was a bit anxious, fearing the King might arrive if they delayed further. He stepped forward to subdue Sinéad and start the Magic Array.

However, she didn't budge an inch and raised her chin: "Who dares touch me!"

Sinéad was a Crown Prince, and with the nineteen Elders' positions unified, her succession to the throne was basically set. The two truly didn't dare use force against her.

The situation suddenly fell into a stalemate.

During this time, Frederica didn't say a word. She sat cross-legged, watching the pull between the three and the current confrontation with interest.

As time passed second by second, the eyes of the two showed urgency.

"Sinéad, move aside!"

Anna's voice came from the sky. The two turned around in surprise; the person to break the deadlock had arrived!

But... wasn't she supposed to be keeping the King occupied? Why would she appear here?

Because of Anna's concealment, the two didn't know that using the secret technique indeed required preparation in advance, so their confusion was normal.

Anna flew over the crowd and landed on the ground outside the Magic Array, scanning the few people in the field.

The Sky Knight and Magister looked back with cold gazes—they had no favorable feelings for the mastermind who had placed them at the center of this storm. They didn't start a fight simply because they couldn't win.

Sinéad still had her arms spread, her small face tight. Even facing her own teacher, she did not back down.

Frederica's expression was rather strange. She didn't seem to care that she was about to be sacrificed, looking at Anna with a half-smile.

Anna silently swept her gaze over them, her eyes finally landing on Sinéad: "I command you as your teacher, move aside!"