"Oh? Of course, please," Elder Leynar replied.
"I did just meet him. But, he's not someone we should worry about at all," Glok said, referring to the figure inside the iron Construct who was now looking at him with the same expression, as if he only had one expression. "I know what I'm saying lacks evidence and will be hard to accept, especially by all of you, considering the elders' decisions can directly change the lives of the elves. But I dare say that he is someone we can trust."
Those words surprised everyone in the room. Such words couldn't be said lightly, especially by the child of a leader. Glok was risking so much by saying that, making the elders more curious about what had happened between the two of them that Grako's child was willing to do it.
"Without him, I might not be alive," Glok shook his head slowly. "No, I'm definitely not alive. Two days ago, we entered the inner forest."
The elders were even more shocked to hear this, astonished, not believing Grako allowed his child to enter such a dangerous area. Even that kingdom itself didn't want to touch it.
"There, I lost so many honorable warriors. I even almost lost my best friends and my own life. If not for him," Glok raised his left hand towards the iron Construct, "I wouldn't be standing here today. He came to help without asking for anything. A figure as strong as him, someone who should be able to do whatever he wants, came to aid and even fought alongside. And his gaze, it's not the gaze of a traitor. He is a brave and generous knight, and I, Glok, son of Grako, believe in him."
The elders looked at each other, unsure how to accept this. Not because they didn't believe Glok, but there was much to consider carefully. They also couldn't possibly hide this iron Construct forever, especially when that kingdom was already inside the city. Once they knew about this, big trouble would surely come knocking.
Elder Erna raised her hand, drawing the attention of every pair of eyes. "I understand what you're saying, Glok. You're truly brave, willing to risk your life for a stranger you don't even know. However, the betrayal of that kingdom still lingers in everyone's hearts. Moreover, they are now here, within the kingdom. Just by us harboring him, we are putting the kingdom in danger. What's more, if they find out that we are helping to heal him. We still don't know where he comes from and what his intentions are. At least, we should hear that first," her suggestion was met with nods from the other elders.
Glok didn't know how to respond because, as Elder Erna stated, the figure was still a stranger. He knew nothing except that he was a human. And that thought made him even more worried because if the elders were to find out, there was a possibility they wouldn't help heal him.
"Excuse me."
Upon hearing the voice, Glok immediately turned to look at him, followed by the elders who once again were surprised to hear such a voice coming from someone who appeared to be still young.
"I know I have no right to speak. However, I also can't bear to see him struggle to help me while I just stand idly by. That's why I promise you, on my own life, whatever happens, I will intervene to help confront the kingdom you call traitors. But, for now, I cannot disclose where I come from, for my own safety as well as yours," Ailord declared, making the elders even more suspicious of him.
"What do you mean you can't tell us? How can we trust someone who still keeps secrets?" Elder Wern asked with a raised voice. He detested someone with hidden agendas the most.
"Wern is right! We can't trust someone whose origins are unknown!" Elder Ciel exclaimed, agreeing.
"But he has promised to intervene and help confront them," Elder Ferna replied, much calmer than the other two who seemed ready to leap over the table.
Elder Wern slammed the table. "Hmph! The kingdom also promised before! And what? They turned out to be traitors! We can't trust someone who still keeps secrets. We never know what he's actually planning. We can't even see his face!"
As Elder Wern said that, they were reminded of one important thing that somehow got overlooked.
"That's right, why don't you come out of the Construct?" Elder Leynar asked.
Glok's eyes widened, just realizing that.
Ailord sighed deeply. "I can't."
"What!? How can you not!?"
Elder Leynar looked towards Wern, saying, "Wern, sit down. Give him a chance to speak."
"But—"
Instantly, Leynar's gaze sharpened, causing the entire room to grow cold, and sparks of electricity could be seen in the air, even Elder Wern, who was previously fiery, now shrinking in his seat. Erna could only turn her face away, unable to meet Leynar's gaze. And the other elders stopped talking, sitting upright in their chairs.
"Please," Leynar said.
Ailord swallowed hard, not expecting the elder who seemed so relaxed to have such a terrifying side like this. "As I said, I can't come out. Believe it or not, once the energy of this Construct is depleted, I will be trapped forever until the energy is replenished. The reason the energy can be depleted is because, as Glok said, I used it to confront our enemies. Otherwise, neither of us would have come out of that forest alive."
Elder Leynar pondered for a moment, realizing that his words made sense when connected with Grako seeking their help. It was possible that he was still injured, and the wound was covered by the Construct, so Grako asked for their help to directly flow mana into his body and close the wound from within.
"Why not just forcefully open the Construct?" Wern asked, not understanding.
Elder Ferna shook her head. "We can't. There's a possibility he could get more injured because parts of the Construct might pierce his body. Whether we like it or not, he must be brought here to receive our healing magic, or he will slowly die from blood loss or infection." Quickly, she recited an incantation, and a magical circle appeared right in front of her palm, pointing towards Ailord.
In less than three seconds, a larger-than-life magical circle, glowing in bright green, appeared on the floor. Specks of light formed there, rising slowly and forming a large green screen with strange foreign writings that Ailord surprisingly could understand.
The eyes of the elders widened as they saw the information on the screen, not expecting that Ailord was actually suffering from several broken ribs piercing his lungs, arm bones, and shoulder bones. He was essentially dead if not for the continuous healing magic. However, that didn't mean it was a good thing. The healing magic that couldn't mend such severe injuries could only maintain his body from worsening, meanwhile, he would continue to feel the same excruciating pain without any relief.
One of the reasons Ailord's expression remained unchanged and only shifted slightly. Because he was currently enduring that pain and trying not to scream.
"Quick! Use the healing magic immediately!" Elder Leynar commanded, rising to his feet and then reciting an incantation.
Quickly, the elders combined their healing magic, forming an even larger circle above and leaving the goblins awestruck by their high-level magic.
Greenish light descended, slowly entering through the crevices of the Construct's armor and the damaged parts of the helmet. Ailord could feel the cool, refreshing air entering his body and flowing into his wounds, reducing the pain he felt. Slowly, Ailord could breathe more easily, and his body was no longer as drenched in cold sweat as before.
From the large screen, it could be seen that the severe injuries were slowly healing, returning to their original state. Even gaining additional statuses that made the goblins feel slightly envious. Though not as strong as Glok's body, at least it was above an average goblin warrior, almost approaching the bodies of their elite forces. Receiving high-level elf magic directly from the elders was a tremendous gift.
Once it was done, the elders immediately leaned on the table, supporting their bodies to prevent them from falling down. Using high-level magic without any preparation almost depleted each of their mana.
"W-why... didn't we... use... regular... healing magic...?" Elder Oval asked, panting.
"I... I also don't know why,"
Elder Leynar's response made the elders finally give up trying to hold on and instead opted to slump down, groaning in frustration. They had just spent so much mana and! High-level magic for someone they didn't even know and who could potentially be dangerous.