*Evan POV*

After her initial attempt to shake me down for info, Elizabeth felt sorry and proceeded to explain herself by telling be about her childhood, which was quite lengthy so let me summarize it all.

Apparently, there were two tribes called the Neko Wolves and Tiger Fox that had gone extinct around a few thousand years ago. These tribes were among the strongest races, and even a single member could go toe-to-toe with a dragon and emerge victorious.

Despite their strength, the tribes were highly competitive and neutral towards other races, but for some reason, they harbored an intense hatred towards each other. Elizabeth went on to explain that their ancestors were known for constantly playing pranks on each other until one of them went too far and ended up killing the other's wife. This tragic event led to a cycle of revenge and hostility that continued for generations.

When Elizabeth was in her 50s, basically a child for the future elf queen, a battered married couple with two eggs landed in her father's kingdom. Surprisingly, the couple was from both the Neko Wolves and Tiger Fox tribes, the father being from the former and the mother from the latter.

Despite the tribes' long-standing animosity towards each other, the couple had fallen in love and secretly married without letting their respective tribes know. They even had two babies together. However, when their tribes found out about their union, the couple had to flee and seek shelter elsewhere.

Yea that’s right, A classic Romeo and Juliet… but their family has nukes.

Elizabeth's father took in the battered couple and hid them, but it wasn't long before their presence was discovered. The two tribes were at war, and the conflict soon spilled over into Elizabeth's father's kingdom and the surrounding areas.

The scale of the war was massive, and it led to the complete annihilation of three kingdoms besides the Elven kingdom.

Thankfully, Elizabeth, the Neko Fox's mother, and a few other elves managed to survive the war. However, tragically, Elizabeth's father, mother, the Neko Fox's father, and almost everyone else perished in the conflict.

Elizabeth stopped talking after that and I didn’t press her to continue.

The castle's courtyard was alive with activity as soldiers and captains alike mingled and chatted with one another, their laughter and cheerful banter filling the air as all the maids were prancingly ran about to complete their tasks

Elizabeth and I stood alone in a quiet corner of the courtyard, surrounded by the merriment of the soldiers. Despite the jovial atmosphere, Elizabeth was silent, lost in thought.

Just then, Rudolph arrived with plates filled with steaming hot food, but neither Elizabeth nor I had much of an appetite at the moment. The soldier's jolly nature and the delicious aroma of the food did little to lift our spirits, and we remained lost in our own thoughts amidst the hustle and bustle of the castle's courtyard.

“…but, this doesn't explain why the eggs were cursed” I broke the silence between us three.

Elizabeth stared at the ground as she explained with a monotone voice, “Soon enough, we found out that some of Neko wolves tribe had survived and found out about the mother we were helping. The mother was powerless to save her kids so she cursed them, she cursed them with last remaining life force she had. I still remember what she said during that time. "I curse you to never hatch and never reveal yourselves until someone of pure heart from this world comes for you." After the curse, the eggs disappeared and the mother fought the others to death. It looked like she hated her babies but she would rather kill herself then see any harm on her babies.”

I went back into deep thought, “…until someone of pure heart from this world comes for you.” That’s the condition to break the spell, but I’m not of pure heart.

Is that why the curse got broken? Because I'm not from this world?

It looked like Elizabeth’s story had finished and the only thing I could say was, “…I’m sorry for your loss.”

Elizabeth shook her head, “Don't be, it was a long time ago and as a queen, I have to leave the past behind.”

She took a bite of the chicken on her plate, but it was clear that her heart wasn't in it. A sense of sadness hung around her, and even Rudolph seemed at a loss for what to do. Determined to lift her spirits, I spoke up.

"You're really strong," I said, trying to inject some positivity into the conversation. "Let's forget about the negativity and focus on the present. Look around you, everything here is the result of your determination. The past is in the past, and you've made something amazing out of it. What do you say we join the others? They're probably getting worried."

Sarah, Tifa, had been glancing in our direction, clearly concerned. It was time to leave behind the heaviness of the past and enjoy the company of our friends in the present.

Elizabeth's smile returned, and she nodded in agreement. "You're right," she said. "We have to focus on the present."

… I think I'm forgetting something… Oh Yea!

"Hey Elizabeth, I wanted to ask you about the necklace. Did you make it for some heroes, perhaps?" Curious about the origins of the necklace, I waited eagerly for her response.

"No," she said, "the world spirits awakened a few hundred years ago, and they blessed the world with special materials like Cobalt, Mithril, and others. We managed to get our hands on some Mithril and used it to make the necklaces."

… Wut?

The world spirits awaken when you beat the wall of flesh and activate hard-mode. After that, you just have to destroy some corruption or crimson altars which spawns naturally in the evil biomes but that’s besides the point.

I remember clearly that one of the hero’s diaries said that they visited the Elven kingdom. Or had I misread?

"Hey Elizabeth… What happened to the rest of the materials that were given by the world spirit?"

She took a moment to think before responding. "Most of the materials were either used up or locked away in the strongest of vaults," she said. There was a brief pause before she continued, "We don't know the real reason why, but the world spirit removed all of their blessings and fell asleep on June 30, 994."

This World has clearly existed for more than few thousands of years THEN WHY THE HELL IS THE YEAR TODAY IN THE THOUSAND!?!

{Author Note: Dumb Evan doesn’t know that the calendar was invented a thousand years ago so the date started from there and not when the world was first formed.}

I used my archives ability and pulled the diary out to make sure and yep that was exactly the date Elizabeth mentioned was exactly when they went back home.

Elizabeth went back to the others who were worried about her and I followed slowly, deep in thought.

After Elizabeth met up with everyone, they all had a great time together while I slipped away and grabbed a plate of food for myself, settling down to eat the meat in peace and collect my thoughts.

However, my solitude was short-lived, as every single elf seemed to gravitate towards me for a chat. Perhaps it was because I was wearing the necklace that Elizabeth had given me, or maybe they knew about my heroic deeds. Either way, I found myself constantly engaged in conversation and unable to take a moment to myself.

I sneaked away again, and finally took a moment to think about all the info I’ve gotten up till now.

I'm definitely missing something. Because all the hero dude wrote that they’ve definitely met the Queen Elizabeth of the elf kingdom.

But, then why does she not remember them? I can’t exactly force her to try and remember unless I want to make her think I’m a hero as well… But, why does she not remember them? She definitely remembers when they left this world, but doesn’t remember why their leaving caused the world spirits to go back to sleep?

I couldn't help but wonder why Elizabeth didn't seem to remember the heroes. I didn't want to force her to try and recall them, as that might make me come off as desperate for recognition.

However, I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to the story than what she was letting on. Elizabeth clearly remembered when the heroes left this world, but it was strange that she didn't seem to connect that the hero’s departure caused the world spirits to go back to sleep. Cancelling the hard-mode in process.

I'm definitely missing something here… But what?

I still had some leads to follow up on. First, I needed to talk to Lucy's grandfather, and I also had to discuss the books with Ruby.

With a clear plan in mind, I decided to start by talking to Ruby. She might have some valuable information that could help me and she’s nearby as well so let’s do that.

I searched for her and she was in the middle of a crowd of elf, I had to shamelessly ask her to give me a moment of her time and went straight for the bullet.

“Hey Ruby, where did you find the books that you lent me?”

She started pondering for a while, “Well, I don't really know. It's like I always had them. Why do you ask?

Goddam it, she doesn’t know either.

“Nah, it’s nothing, anyway sorry for butting in.” I said as I quickly left her alone before she could protest.

Looks like my last hope is Lucy's grandfather. I’ll talk to him then I'll recollect all my findings back in my mansion, re-read all the diaries and try to find some connection between all the evidence I have.

Returning back home is gonna be a pain in the ass.

Well I should have fun now, everyone is having fun so I might as well, but what do I do?

I Decided to stop thinking about it and join in on the fun, I looked around for someone to hang out with. Tifa seemed like a good choice, so I started to search for her in the crowd. However, before I could find her, I saw my main man Trish approaching me, which was weird since he’s the captain of Daisy’s personal guards so I thought he’d be sticking by her.

"Hey Evan, d-do you have a minute?" he asked nervously.

"Of course," I replied with a smile.

I smiled, “I got tons of minutes if it's you.”

He nodded and looked around, “Not here… Somewhere more… private.”

Holy Shit! Is he gonna propose? Probably not...... I Hope.

and thus, I went back to the corner where Elizabeth told me her story. It’s a nice corner where everyone is far away that no one can see or hear you unless they’re actively looking for you.

“So, What’s up?” I decided to break the ice.

Trish was blushing as he couldn’t look me in the eye, “I-I need a favor.” He stumbled on his words.

I raised my eyebrow as I started hoping he’s not gay, “…Yea?”

“I… I…” His nervousness suddenly turned to anger, “Damn it! Why is it so hard to say it!?”

I raised my hands, “Woah what happened? Come on tell me, I won’t bite.”

“Promise me that you won’t laugh or tell anyone else about this!”

I crossed my finger on my heart, “Absolutely, I promise.”

Taking a deep breath, he began to speak, but his voice grew softer and quieter as he went on, “T-There's this..... girl that I want to talk to..... but I don't know how.

HOLY SHIT MY DUDES IN LOVE!!!!!

I cleaned my throat as I put my hand on his shoulder, “Okay, I'll be straight with you Trish, Firstly, I'm glad you're honest with me. Secondly, I'm the worst person to talk about this with.” I let go of my hand on his shoulder before continuing, “And thirdly, Strap in boy! Cause I'm gonna teach you how to woo a lady!”

“W-What!? No! I just want-”

“You like her don’t you?”

Trish paused for quite a while, almost as if he was fighting an internal battle before finally responding a bit later, “…Yes.”

“That's enough of a reason. Now, have you talked to anyone else about this?”

“Do you seriously think that a Captain like me would ask others for this kind of advice?”

“Yeaaa, You right. Now then, Who’s the lucky girl?”

Trish seemed to have resigned himself to his fate as he responded, “It's the captain of the elves army's assassin.”

Looks like someone got rid of his hatred.

“Okay, now listen closely. My first advice is that always be yourself. Don't be like, "I'm Batman!", because after that, even I can't save you.”

Trish was confused beyond belief but I was having fun so it’s all good. “I… Uh… okay? I think I get what you’re trying to say?”

I continued my coaching session, “Good, secondly, Be confident. A woman likes a man who can always take the lead.”

At least I think so… Well, we’ll find out in a minute.

{Author Note: Trish is in the wrong hands.}

Trish nodded his head, “Okay. I got it.”

"Alright, next up is being honest at the right time and lying at other times," I explained to Trish.

He looked at me confused, so I elaborated. "For example, if she likes something that you don't, you should still compliment her on it. But when you're discussing something else, like your family or hobbies, then you should be honest."

Trish nodded, taking in my advice. "I think I got it," He said with a determined look in her eyes.

“Alright, it's also important to always maintain eye contact, smile and only give attention to her. You got that?”

"Okay, and it's also important to maintain eye contact, smile, and give her your undivided attention. Got it?" I asked Trish.

He nodded confidently. "Yea, I think I got it,"

"Great, now go out there and get yourself a girl!" I encouraged him.

"Thanks, Evan. I'll go right away," Trish replied, looking more determined than ever.

Watching him go, I couldn't help but feel proud. It was always heartening to see someone take charge of their love life and try to pursue their heart's desires. I knew that Trish was capable of great things, both on and off the battlefield.

“Yep,” I said to myself, “He’s gonna get dumped the next second unless I do something.”

“What were you two talking about?” Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me and turned to see that it was Tifa.

I smiled at her. "Just talking about some guys' stuff. Anyway, I'm gonna go stalk him now. want to join me?" I asked.

Tifa looked at me weirdly and hesitated for a moment before agreeing to come along. Together, we followed Trish, trying to blend in with the crowds of soldiers as we kept a discreet distance. It was an exciting adventure, and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

"There he is," I whispered to Tifa, pointing towards Trish's crush.

Tifa looked over and nodded in agreement. "He's talking to Cerene?" she asked.

"I'm going to make sure everything goes smoothly," I replied confidently.

Tifa looked confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Shhh," I hushed her. "They're talking."

I listened intently to their conversation, trying to pick up any cues that would help me guide Trish towards a successful interaction with his crush.

"Ah, hello. Captain Trish, how do you do?" Cerene greeted Trish, and I could see the nervousness in Trish's eyes.

Okay, Trish, you got this, just say "I'm fine" followed by something else to let the conversation going.

Trish started sweating and with dead eyes, he said. “Yes.”

MISSION FAILED!!! ABORT!! ABORTTTT!!!!!!!!!!

I straight up jumped in between them.

“Hi, Hello, I need him for a few minutes, okay, thank you, bye.” I said all of that in under one second, making Cerene confused and kidnapping Trish before she figures out what happened.

Once we were at a safe distance I quickly asked him, “Trish, What the Hell Happened!?

“I-I don't know, my heart started beating very fast, I started sweating and my mind went blank..... You know what Evan? Let's just call this off. She probably thinks I'm weird now.”

"Hell no!" I exclaimed. "You already started this fight, and I'm going to make sure that you finish it.” I pointed back towards the corner which I seem to keep coming back to, “Back to the hideout!"

We returned to our secluded spot, and I couldn't help but feel like Tifa was watching us. But I didn't care; I would fill her in on the details later.

Now, I needed to figure out how to teach Trish the skills he needed to win over Cerene. It was time to get to work.

UGGHHHHH, The only thing he knows about is Military stuff and that does not help our situation at all- Wait! Maybe I can use that!

Alright, it’s time to roleplay!

I narrowed my eyes and started to act like a 60-year-old war veteran, "Listen here, son,"

“wha-?”

Trish was confused but I continued. "You're about to face the hardest battle you'll ever face. You can't use your swords, spears, or any other weapons. You can't use any tactics or strategies you've learned over the years... The only thing you can use is your voice."

Trish nodded, starting to understand what I was getting at.

"But your body will fail you, your heart won't listen to you, and your brain won't respond," I added, emphasizing the difficulty of the task ahead.

Trish looked concerned. "Then... how can I win this fight?" he asked.

"Simple," I replied. "You have to 'think' that it's a battle of the mind. Although on the outside, it will look like a normal conversation, there will be a battle going on in your mind. You have to keep control of all your body parts so that they won't fail you! You’ll have to look at your target’s face and determine her current and future moves! You’ll have to know the unspoken language talked by her body movements!"

Trish nodded firmly, seeming more confident now.

"Remember when you shook hands with her before? What were you thinking then?" I asked.

"… That I wanted this peace treaty to become successful, so I didn't care about my own feelings then," Trish replied.

"Good," I said. "You have to do the same thing again. I believe in you, Trish. Now go out there and show them what you're capable of!"

{Author Note: … Show who?}

"I got it! I definitely won't fail this time!" Trish exclaimed, looking more confident than ever before.

I nodded, happy to see that my advice had helped him.

"I really hope he doesn't screw up this time," I muttered to myself, still a bit worried about how things would turn out.

Tifa, who had been watching the whole time, asked me what was going on.

"That guy has spent most of his lifetime on revenge. Now he wants to enjoy life a little bit, so I was teaching him how to do that... I'm going to stalk him again. Want to join me?" I asked.

"Sure," Tifa replied with a smile.

And just like that, we were back in our original positions, ready to observe and guide Trish towards a successful interaction with his crush. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

Cerene was alone, admiring her soldiers getting along with others. And Trish is slowly closing in on the target.

[Alright, Trish is engaging the enemy.] (Me)

[What?] (Tifa)

[Oh, shit, sorry, I was still in roleplaying-mode let’s just ignore that and watch listen to what they're doing.] (Me)

Tifa was used to me by now and just focused on Trish and Cerene.

"H-Hello, Captain Cerene. Sorry about before, my friends are a little bit bothersome at times," Trish said, a little stiffly.

Cerene smiled understandingly. "That's okay, Captain Trish. I relate to you, and please call me Cerene. We're all friends here," she replied.

"Then please call me Trish too," Trish replied, gaining a bit more confidence.

Cerene chuckled. "Alright, then Trish. How do you do?" she asked.

“Better than ever… What do you think about the Peace Treaty?”

After that, Trish gained more and more courage, and soon they were talking about military matters, their hometowns, personal stories, and more. Trish was still a bit stiff at first, but he slowly gained confidence, and soon he was talking effortlessly.

I remained there for quite a while, observing their conversation, and Tifa was doing the same. I was determined to stay until either the conversation finished or I got bored.

Everything was going smoothly until Cerene asked Trish what had led him to join the Queen's Private Army, mentioning that outstanding achievements and trust that were required to become a captain like that.

Trish hesitated for a moment before answering. "It's a bit complicated,"

Cerene pressed him for more information. "Oh? How is it complicated?"

Trish looked away and took a deep breath in. "It's because I was driven by my revenge to kill all the demi-humans," he admitted, his voice low.

MY BOY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!

I was about to jump forward in concern, but Tifa stopped me, gesturing for me to wait and see what would happen next.

I looked back at Trish and Cerene, and saw that Cerene was taken aback by Trish's comment.

Trish took a deep breath and began to tell her his story. As a kid, his family had hired some demi-humans of the shark kin to protect them, but things went downhill quickly. The guards ended up killing everyone in Trish's family, and he was lucky enough to escape.

Cerene was clearly affected by Trish's story. "That's awful," she said, her voice full of sympathy.

Trish nodded, looking grateful for her understanding. I couldn't help but feel proud of him for being so open and vulnerable with Cerene. It was a sign of his growing confidence and trust in himself.

“After that, I kept training so that one day I would not only get revenge but kill all the other demi-humans too. I’ll be honest, I was a dumbass before but a friend of mine helped me out and he showed me the correct path. I owe him a lot for that.”

Cerene seemed surprised by Trish's confession, and there was an awkward silence between them for a while. Trish looked nervous and scratched his head, as if he wanted to run away. But then Cerene spoke up.

"Well, I guess we're both not that different then," she said, before starting to share her own story.

In summary, Cerene had been a small citizen before, but after her little brother among many others were kidnapped and later on killed by the cultists, she joined the army to seek justice. She worked hard and eventually became a captain of the Assassins Corps.

She continued, “I had a deep hatred with Humans. But when I heard that even they would consider the Cultist as demons then I felt wrong and tried to change my view and honestly, I didn't think that sometime later I would be exchanging hands with them.”

Trish offered his condolences when Cerene shared her story, and they both fell into a brief silence. Cerene's friends soon came to get her, and she and Trish parted ways.

Well, The results were a little bit unsatisfactory but he did do a good job nonetheless.

“Hey Cerene!” Trish suddenly called her out which surprised even me, “Do you mind if I call you for dinner later?”

HOLY SHIT! My boy is going for the bullet!

Cerene smiled and said, “I’ll look forward to it.” before going back to her friends.

OH MY GOD! MY DUDE HAS ACTUALLY DONE IT!!! YES!!!

“Trish! You Did It!” I yelled out.

Trish turned towards me and I saw a huge smile plastered on his face, “Thank you Evan!” He said and immediately hugged me.

Awww, my boy is emotional now.

I patted his back as I looked up and noticed that it was getting darker.

Hmm, It’s almost nighttime, which means the peace treaty party should end soon, after that I gotta go with Lucy to her grandparents and get some more clues about the ancient heroes if things go smoothly.

I mean it’s not like the cultists will attack in the dead of night when everyone’s tired and asleep… right?

Shit, I raised a flag didn’t I?