Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World - Chapter 253

Chapter 253: New Sigil
Eleanor yanked her hand back. “Who are you?” she asked, her eyes widening as the air around them grew colder, as though her voice itself had summoned the northern winds and covered the ground with a blanked of snow.

“Oh, come on, no need for that, is there? It is already freezing in here.” Luna waved her hand, and a soft breeze swept through the dining room, carrying the cold away. A faint smile curved her lips.

“I will answer your question… if you answer mine. How about it?” Her green eyes gleamed with the same hunger she felt when opening a new book.

Eleanor hesitated, drawing in a deep breath before nodding. “Fine. But I will ask first.”

Luna’s gaze sharpened in silent agreement, urging her to continue.

“Although you know my name and position, I don’t know yours…so, who are you?” Eleanor asked again.

“Luna Elvensworth,” Luna replied without hesitation, firing back her own question almost instantly. “How have you managed to withstand the curse until now?”

Eleanor froze at the name, her breath catching. Her eyes widened. “That’s why you look like an elf… you are from the Elvensworth family.” Her gaze flicked toward Luna’s ears, as if to confirm what she already suspected. Beside her, Zolun stiffened, torn between fear and awe. He knew what the name Elvensworth implied.

But Luna paid no attention to their reactions. She pressed on. “It is still my turn. So, how did you survive?”

Eleanor shook herself from her thoughts and finally answered, her tone calm but proud, not diminishing her own family name or position. “You could say it was a mix of will and luck. The Mana Freezing Curse attacks the whole body, freezing both the mana pathways and the spirit. So I focused on strengthening my spirit, forcing it to slowly expel the curse. In time, I created a new Sigil, one that keeps the chill at bay.”

Luna’s eyes lit with keen interest. A new Sigil, a new combination that is able to keep at bay the curse that even her own master didn’t manage to treat. Fascinating. Truly fascinating.

“My turn,” Eleanor said firmly. “What is the First Princess of the Elvensworth family doing here? Shouldn’t you be protecting the boundary of the World Tree, like the other golden half-elves?”

Luna shrugged. “It was too boring there. So I ran away.” She was about to fire off another question, but stopped when Eleanor lifted her hand.

“Princess Luna Elvensworth, that’s not fair,” Eleanor said evenly. “If we are going to exchange questions and answers, you should at least be sincere, don’t you think?”

Luna tilted her head, studying the fiery-haired woman before her. Eleanor hadn’t flinched once, not even under the weight of such a deadly curse. A stubborn being, one that took all Luna’s energy.

“You are right,” Luna admitted at last, afraid to lose her questions. “So… what was the question again?” Her tone made it clear she hadn’t bothered to remember.

Eleanor pinched the bridge of her nose. “What are you doing here instead of guarding the boundary of the World Tree?”

“Oh, that.” Luna flicked her wrist dismissively. “I’ve hit a bottleneck. The spirit of the World Tree came to me in a dream and said my chance was in the Far North, where even its roots can not stretch, frozen in the ice. So I came here. I have been researching these.” She pulled a cracked seed from her pocket. It pulsed with faint blue light. A Torch Tree Seed.

“I am almost at the end of this project…I’ve also collected a number of ancient books as well. They’ve been guiding me toward a breakthrough. Maybe this year, or the next, I’ll reach the Transcendent Stage.” – She completed.

At those words, Zolun stiffened. The last of his fighting spirit drained away. If things turned dangerous, escape would be impossible against a Ninth Stage Mage, especially one of the Elvensworth line, famed for their speed. Some even said they could vanish through the branches of the World Tree itself.

Luna returned another question, her eyes narrowing with curiosity. “So tell me, if you created a new Sigil to resist the curse, why are you here?”

Eleanor took a steadying breath. “Because the curse is growing stronger than my spirit can bear. The Sigil weakens day by day. I can’t stay outside for long and even a short walk outside is enough to strengthen it. I was almost surrendering my life back to Mana.

She paused to take a deep breath, holding another cough fit – “Until I found a book that mentioned a mythical fire, one said to cure all curses, even restore life itself. So, I came looking for a way to break this Curse.”

Luna nodded, her mind racing. The fire was intriguing, yes, but the Sigil was what truly caught her attention. A proper mage cared for what could be studied, tested, and understood. Myths could wait… unless she ran out of books to read.

“So. your next question?” Luna pressed, her green eyes gleaming with hunger for knowledge.

Eleanor only gave her a bright yet subtle smile, one touched with a cunning and crafty image.

“Sorry. I have no more questions. I think it’s better to stop here.” She lifted a handkerchief to her lips, covering a small cough, maybe a false one. “I should return to my room and prepare for today’s search.”

Luna’s eyes widened, as if Eleanor had spoken something outrageous. “What? No, no, you can’t stop now! I still have so many questions. Can you show me the Sigil? What combinations did you use? How exactly is the curse affecting it? What do you mean it’s weakening? Tell me, tell me everything!”

She listed off questions without pause, countless of them tumbling from her lips. Eleanor answered none. She simply turned and walked away, closing the dining’s door with Zolun beside her.

“Princess,” Zolun whispered, swallowing hard, “is it really wise to leave her like that? What if she retaliates?” His hand hovered near his sword. He knew it was useless, but the motion brought a shred of comfort.

“It’s fine,” Eleanor replied, her smile sharpening with sly confidence. “Did you see her eyes? Everyone of elven blood is the same. Their curiosity runs as deep as the roots of the World Tree. They’ll do almost anything to satisfy it.”

Zolun frowned. “All the more reason to be cautious. What if she forces the answers out of you? We should call more guards.”

Eleanor’s gaze remained steady. “Have you ever seen an elf attack without reason? If they did, they would lose the favor of the World Tree, and with it, the balance of the world itself.”