The Book Of Flowers

Before Returning

...

...

The three of us sat around a table in my living room since then, but none of us opened the conversation

Verdea just kept quiet while putting her face on the table, probably due to exhaustion over Luxor and the children. Then, Veskal looks busy enjoying the flower tea served to him. His face showed that he was tired too

Then I kept quiet because I still thought about a lot of things. The fate of the Andromeda people in the future, Zaphir and Luna who have not improved, and lastly our next plan when in Hortensia back

...

"By the way, you guys want to discuss what we're going to do in Hortensia later?"

"... Be able. But let me keep it this way" Verdea replied

And he really didn't move in the slightest, just like a rock

"Hm... I'm more curious what you think of sending Cyth to go hunt Walter Hunt. I know he's the best man to hunt Walter, but isn't he dangerous enough? I mean, she can send someone else instead, considering that Rosalia has a lot of violent people by her side?"

That's a good question

"Your thinking has a point. But, I sent him not solely because he's the best person for it"

His thinking is not wrong at all. Unlike us, Cyth was very weak and careless. He was an expert at long distances, but when his enemy approached, he would be finished

But, his charisma is quite interesting. Orion's men will follow the hunt, considering that they are the strongest in the entire world. And if my estimation is correct, he might be able to capture the heart of King Orion, Julius

That person will intervene directly in this hunt, and I'm sure with that given his nature. With the exception of Artorius, I know his nature best among all the kings of the world. After all, he always bothered me when I was adventuring in Orion first. He had unceasingly asked me to fight him after I overturned a royal soldier who tried to injure me first

Julius Orion is a man who upholds justice. That's what he screamed first. And seeing his reaction when the encounter between humans and Elves a few days ago, I still believe he embraced it. My guess is, he'll step in personally to clear his name and keep up justice

He is the kind of person who is easy to guess. But I can't take it lightly either. He's smart enough, and he's endowed with the power of a contractor

Is correct. In another sense, he was a contracted spiritist. Not many people can do that because spirits are generally so strong that they can kill their owners when they have just made a contract in seconds

If he really intervenes, I don't have to worry about Cyth. Then, Cyth can also try to get closer to him to form a good ally. I will also need to help Verdea later

"So, let's move on to the Hortensia section"

After listening to the long detailed explanation just now, Verdea and Veskal immediately listened well. Verdea even began to lift her head off the table, although it still looked limp

"In short, I want to make Verdea and Artorius drop Rosalia's absolute power. To end all the crazy things he wants to do, as fast as we can"

"... By way?"

"Make one of them king through later rebellion"

"H- huh?! You even thought of getting that far!? Are you sure your current plan will all work?" Veskal exclaims

"That's just my final goal. It would be good if Artorius could become king again, but it might be hard to remember that the rules of the human kingdoms thought it strange. This will cause controversy because Damien has been chosen as the rightful king, although the news of Artorius' death has been declared false lately

So, my second plan was to make Verdea a king. It's all just to get rid of Rosalia's power from the Hortensia throne so we can easily crush her without the distraction of unpleasant rumors"

They both look surprised. But I had expected this to happen

I can get rid of Rosalia right now, as I always said before. However, it will forever defame the Elves, and it will have a devastating effect on both of these children

Worst case scenario, our interracial war will be inevitable

"But Verdea is too young for that! Why suddenly want to make him king!?"

...

I didn't answer. I'm just waiting for Verdea's opinion. Veskal also realized that and just turned to staring at Verdea

I'm not gonna force it. If you don't want to, then no. I just need to think of another path

Verdea sipped the tea that was served to her just one sip. Not long after putting it back down, he gave us an answer

"I'm ready to be king, if that's the best way to end my brother's bad intentions"

...

That's a really unexpected answer. But it saved me strength and made me not have to think too much anymore

"Verdeans... You sure...?" Veskal said with wide eyes

His fist suddenly tightened, until not long, the table was hit as hard as possible to make us both surprised

"Being king is not easy! Every second you breathe, someone will try to stop it! You won't even rest in peace at any time! You know that, don't you?!" He added later

Verdea did not answer, until a strand came out of her mouth

"... I know this isn't gonna be easy. I just need to see Dad, and I know that. Pressure from other nobles, pressure from family, and you can no longer get what you want

But, if this thing can save everyone from my brother's intentions, I'll trust this to Vainzel"

He had to stop trusting me too much, really. There's not much he can accomplish if he continues to rely on me. Fearfully, he would end up like Artorius who had always relied on others to help him

"... Verdea"

"Yes?"

"What do you think a king is?"

...

"The person who is most devoted to his country and only thinks of the best way to increase the prosperity of all the inhabitants of that country"

...

It was the best question to test what kind of king he would be. And I don't regret asking that question

"If I ask someone else this question, do you think they'll answer the same?"

"... Maybe not. I don't know..."

I myself consider that the king is a position that makes someone carry a heavy burden, and it drags me to all kinds of burdens that can be given by this world

And hearing his reply just now, I was sure that he would become a very great king, even more than his predecessor. I'm sure about that

It seems like my plan will have more and more good results

"Uh... The vainzel? Veskal?"

Hm?

"Why?"

Verdea pointed towards the entrance of this room. We both looked towards it, then found 2 pairs of eyes peering at us from behind it

"duh... Caught!"

After jumping out, the first person showed his form

"Sorry to interrupt"

T-wait!??

"YOUNG!!??"

I was so shocked that I hit the table in front of me to the point of breaking into pieces. All the cups fell to the floor and cracked, as the contents spilled. Verdea and Veskal themselves looked so shocked by my actions that their hearts almost fell out

I should consider my physical strength again when shocked later...

But, why is that little form of Father here? That body should no longer contain the spirit core of Ayahanda, right?

"And I'm here, as a second spy!"

C - C

CLAUDIA!?

"Stop!! Explain what's happening right now Ayahanda!"

Both of their bodies should no longer be able to live. Don't-don't...

"Easy enough. Since Claudia's soul was once replenished with the power of my spirit core, even the real me could recognize her soul form. So, the real me also copied his soul and my own soul into this body back

In abbreviation, we are just a copy of the original. 'The 'I' that was here was not Alf, but only a copy. So is this 'Claudia' beside me"

...

A-ah's... I think they're the undead or something...

That explanation makes sense. Given that there are people who are able to make the soul of the father intact in this body before, I am sure Father himself can do it. A copy of her and Claudia herself became a testament to her power

"What about my strength?"

I turned towards the voice and found one of the small roots belonging to the great tree poking out from the ground below me

He immediately sounded a small laugh

"Alf, or I call myself the real one, purposely got us to help you. Given that he couldn't get out of Miralius, and that there was no longer a body that could withstand his full strength, he created me to help you out there"

"Ooh.. It seems that the name 'The strongest Elf' is not a play for you, Alf Eternitia" Vescal said while paying attention to the two copies

"I envy the power of all of you... Whatever it is, even if it feels impossible, you can do it..." Verdea muttered as she tilted her head limply

But, since this was only a copy, and given that this body was the same as the previous one, the strength of this one 'Ayahanda' was extremely weak and limited only to his future vision

I still have to protect her, but it won't be a problem for me

"Then, why was Claudia copied as well?"

"It was because of my original request" Claudia immediately interrupted

"He wants me to drag Darwin back to the dead. If that was done, he could leave this world quietly"

He may feel guilty considering that Darwin became a crazy undead for wanting to revive him

"Then I get to the point. What can you do to help us?"

"Hm... It's rude to ask that first, isn't it?"

"That's why I said get straight to the point, right? I want to get through the bases. Besides, I'm sure the real Claudia doesn't want to wait too long"

"... You are good at words

Alright. I was a doctor first. I might not be useful in healing considering you have many good healers, but I can be a spy under the guise of a specialist"

A spy?

"Don't be surprised. I used to do this. After all, I was sentenced to death by the Xiang kingdom for being caught selling such information"

So then... He's been undercover all his life? To sell important information from a country?

"I'm not going to go into details about why and how I did it. But I'm not a good person, and you should remember that

Even I'm the one who got you in trouble, aren't I...?"

...

"alright. I'm sure you can do it"

Claudia raised her face when she heard that word. He then nodded with a pleased face and sparkling eyes

Maybe I should immediately send him to a country as our spy. I'll start with Crux

"You already have a job. So, get ready first"

"Understand!"

He then ran out for some reason. I haven't even explained where he's going

Whatever. I'll tell him when he's ready

"... And I have one wish, Vainzel"

"What is that, Veskal?"

He was silent for a moment. I immediately felt something was uncomfortable

"... I want to go with Cyth to hunt down Walter Herb"

...

I've been expecting it...

"Why is that?"

"There won't be much I can do when we're in Hortensia. After all, considering that you are going to bring those five, I am not really needed as a Verdea bodyguard, am I? I just want to help as much as I can"

"... If your logic is like that, isn't it better that I send one of them alone with Cyth? I mean, they're not gonna do much in there either, you know?"

Didn't mention that my friends are much stronger than Veskal. But, sending them there can also be a problem

The ones who should not be there are Verdea and Veskal considering that Walter knows they are my biggest weakness. The sailor had even gone all the way to sending his strongest fleet to tail the Black Hunt before the Blood Sabbath incident occurred

There was something he was looking for, and it was clear. I mean, Rosalia could have just sent the Vampires to chase the Black Hunt, but somehow the vampires went to face us. He should have known it would be useless to hinder me, especially when he and his allies managed to destroy Miralius

My guess is only one, that Walter knows something about Verdea. He's quite shrewd, and he's got a lot of power. With his relationship with Rosalia as well, I'm sure he's not easy to take down, and he can tell a lot of things. A sailor's nose like his is always looking for treasure

"Enough with the explanation?"

"... Thats enough. But I'm not gonna change my thinking"

Yep, he's still stubborn

"I know I'm forcing you right now, but please reconsider. That person isn't just anyone you know?" I tried to negotiate with him

"Hm..."

"... Why Ayahanda?"

I looked at him when I heard him mutter

"... The big waves will take you away. A snake will catch you later in the day"

...

Ambiguous forecast again...

"Yahanda! Please just explain the meaning!"

"I don't know. But, I can tell you that I just predicted Veskal's fate"

Uh! I thought bad luck awaited him!

And that also means, this kid is somehow going to keep going. Ayahanda's prophecy was ambiguous when it was still a long time to come, but it could not be changed at all

"Verdea! Convince him! You've heard what Ayahanda just told you, haven't you?"

"... Vainzel and Alf are right, Veskal. That prophecy also sounds dangerous"

I am grateful that this child agrees with me. But...

"No. I'll keep going"

The other kid is stubborn...

"... Big waves will take you...?"

That means there's something big changing going on. But since the 'spear' was carrying it, it meant that something was a bad thing

Regarding the snake part, I don't know who, but it definitely involves someone who's cunning

"Oh, and one more thing"

"... What is Ayahanda?"

I hope it's not something bad...

"The snake will die because of its greed trying to swallow you"

...

That's pretty good. But it still does not guarantee the safety of Veskal

The serpent discussed by Father, what snake is it? Because there are different types of snakes. Some are poisonous and some are not

"At least it's pretty convincing. I'll make sure I survive that 'snake'" Veskal said again

I wanted to reject her words again, but I was at a loss for words. He will definitely leave even if I am long. He also said he would not follow my words anymore, so I could not expect to change his mind much

"... Careful"

Veskal only nodded when he heard my slow murmur

Verdea looked agitated, but Alf patted her on the shoulder to reassure her heart

"alright. Our plan is fully ready. All we need to do is execute that plan"

As long as Yael is inactive, we will be free. Darwin can only be active at night, and Yuriel is faltering because of our abduction

The rest is just Walter, and he's got to drop us as fast as we can. After that, Yuriel had to follow him. We have to get rid of the two most influential people first from the Rosalia group

Alright. In a few days, our plan will be done. I want to keep seeing all this stuff until the end