The strange being released some information that left me cold.
"What do you mean by 'dragon'?"
"Oh, right, that race rarely shows itself. It's normal that you don't know them. Well, to make a long story short, a dragon beat me up and locked me in this library."
"What does the dragon that trapped you look like?"
"You've asked too many questions. It's time for you to go."
When I asked about the guy who locked him up, I was kicked out by the being almost instantly.
"Calm down, I won't ask any more about that individual, but I seriously want you to help me develop my authority."
If he could learn the basics of that strange power called authority, he could easily defeat this demon.
"I can't help you with that; my authority is inherited, therefore, I didn't develop it."
"So if someone murders you, they could keep that authority?"
Silence reigned for several minutes. My question shocked the strange being. Soon, the silence was broken by him.
"Kukuku, if someone were to do this, they would undoubtedly be able to obtain my authority."
"I see."
After thinking about what that being had told me, I contemplated things and soon a wonderful idea occurred to me.
"Hey, can you please lessen the influence your authority has over me?"
"????"
"You heard right. I've come up with an idea that can help me develop my authority."
"Kukuku, okay. Show me what you're capable of, Lucien."
After reaching an agreement, the restrictions on me were drastically weakened. Thanks to that, the features could be used at minimum power.
'D, analyze all the space and force that oppresses us. It doesn't matter how long it takes.'
- UNDERSTOOD.
Without wasting any time, I walked over to a table in the distance and sat down on a chair. You could see large shelves filled with books that looked super old. Another thing I noticed was the ceiling; it seemed to be painted black, but looking closely, within the black you could see small white dots. I knew those were the white dots.
"I'll take my time. When I've finished developing my authority, I'll leave."
"Do what you want, but don't take too long, because I might change my mind and kill you. Kukukukuku."
"How scary."
Already seated on a wooden chair, I crossed my legs and closed my eyes. Now that I was no longer being heavily oppressed by that being, I could concentrate on analyzing its powers. My plan was not only to learn the basics of developing authority; I was going to replicate its authority without it noticing. My chances were about 10%. My powers were still weak. After all, I knew it could work. The reason behind my confidence was due to what that being told me at one point: it indicated to me that I did not have a physical body.
'You may not have a physical body, but there's one thing I know: you're touching me in some way, and if you're touching me 'extraction', it should work in some way.'
- IT IS POSSIBLE.
'D, use 'extraction'. If you're not careful, he might realize my intentions. It doesn't matter how long it takes you; you must replicate that power for me.'
- UNDERSTOOD.
I had made a bet. I bet that D would successfully replicate that being's authority. At worst, that being would discover me and kill me.
One month later.
In a large living room, where the sun's rays filtered through the glass windows, three figures and a transparent mass could be seen. The three figures did not look very good.
"Idril, are you sure the contract stopped working?"
"Yes, from that day on I regained control of my body."
Idril had recovered; she was now free from D's grasp. She didn't know what had happened. The last thing she remembered was the little tea party Eryn had thrown. After that, she couldn't remember anything.
"Tsk, if only we hadn't provoked him."
Angrod's voice had a trace of sadness; he was regretting his past decisions.
"Father-in-law, my husband will regain consciousness. He is strong."
Maedhros' body was completely healed. His life was saved, or so they thought at first.
"It's been a month and three days since that incident. It's not normal that my son hasn't regained consciousness yet."
The cuts made by D were no joke. According to reports from the healers who examined Maedhros' body, no residual mana was found on him. That, in itself, was strange; the healing magic the elves were so proud of was overwhelmed.
"And to make matters worse, that elemental disappeared."
"Where do you think he might be?"
"I don't know, Idril. To be honest, I don't understand the elemental's modus operandi; it's so strange and unpredictable."
- That's why I told you not to provoke him.
Flurris was upset with the situation. In his absence, King Maedhros was left on the brink of death. Upon learning of the situation, he asked the world tree about that elemental he had encountered, but he received no answer; he only received silence from the world tree. This surprised Flurris.
"If my son doesn't wake up soon, the ten noble houses won't stay silent. They're already beginning to suspect that something is wrong."
"It doesn't matter if they make a fuss or try something; if they do it, I'll..."
"Idril, we cannot afford to lose the trust of the people who support us. A war will bring us nothing good."
"I understand."
The situation was not good for anyone. Without Maedhros in charge, things could get ugly in the kingdom. The last thing they wanted was a war between elves; they had enough with the humans attacking them relentlessly.
"Idril, Eryn, and Flurris, if you ever encounter that elemental, do not provoke him. The royal guard has instructions not to touch a single hair on his head. I must admit that I was wrong about him; I underestimated him greatly."
Angrod's face was serious and his imposing voice echoed through the room.
"I'm not willing to put another family member at risk; and if a human made a pact with an elemental, and if the rules condemn it, I don't care if someone wants to judge that being; it won't be us."
Silence fell in the living room. That statement surprised Eryn, who opened her mouth wide, and Idril was not far behind. Flurris just kept silent; he too did not want to expose the people he was supposed to protect to danger because of a stupid rule.
"If that elemental comes back, we'll give him that. If he asks for something else, we'll give it to him; that'll be our way of apologizing. After all, we started this."
"Understood, father-in-law."
"Understood."
Angrod had plenty of time to reflect these past few days. The prejudices he had towards humans nearly caused his son's death. If they hadn't tried to separate the elemental from the human, things would have been completely different.