“Why? I think Your Highness Liana should be well aware of the reason,” Avira said with a smile.

This was another reason why Avira believed Liana.

Regarding public, regarding private,1于公于私 (yú gōng yú sī), a Chinese idiom literally meaning “regarding public, regarding private.” It is used to state that a decision or feeling is based on both official/public reasons and personal/private ones. Avira was willing to trust Liana.

Publicly, it was because Liana was the choice of Mother Tree of Life; privately, it was because Liana had helped find and bring back her sister.

Of course, Sephirena hadn’t revealed anything about Liana, but Avira was certain that this matter was definitely related to her.

“I’m not very clear on the matter. I still hope Princess Avira can explain it more directly,” Liana said with a shrug.

There was no way she would be the one to bring up Sephirena.

“My younger sister, Sephirena, suddenly returned to the Elf Forest a few days ago,” Avira said.

Liana’s brow furrowed slightly. She wouldn’t have just promised me not to expose my identity, only to turn around and confess everything to Princess Avira, would she?

“Then my congratulations to you, Princess Avira.”

“How should I put it... Sephirena has truly changed a lot. When she appeared before me, I was still wondering who she was, why she knew me, and why she carried the aura of having been blessed by Mother Tree of Life,” Avira said.

“For an important family member to be able to return to your side, this is a good thing, is it not?” Liana said with a smile.

Liana’s words rendered Avira silent for a moment. It wasn’t that Liana was wrong, but because she was so accurate that Avira was left unsure of how to respond.

Avira knew a little about what had happened to Liana’s parents. Liana surely also hoped for her own family to return to her side. The things she was saying now must be quite harsh for Liana to hear.

“What’s wrong? Is Sephirena not an important member of your family?” Liana asked, puzzled. Could it be that Sephirena’s situation in the Elf Forest is not good?

“Sephirena is indeed my most important sister. I am overjoyed that she was able to return.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? From your expression, I thought the two of you had a terrible relationship,” Liana said, relieved.

After all, the poor relationship between Sephirena and the Second Princess Nimeris was an unchangeable fact. If her relationship with Princess Avira was also bad, things would become very troublesome.

Seeing that Liana didn’t seem to mind, or was perhaps being considerate of her feelings, Avira’s favorable impression of Liana grew a little more.

“Your Highness Liana is truly a magical person,” Avira said.

“Why the sudden comment?” Liana was a little confused.

Avira shook her head. “It’s nothing. Let’s get back to the main topic.”

“Mm,” Liana nodded.

“We are very happy that Sephirena has returned. Although she did some undesirable things in the past, the fact that she can once again use illusion magic represents that she has been acknowledged by Mother Tree of Life. Since Mother Tree of Life has already acknowledged Sephirena, we naturally have no reason not to welcome her home,” Avira said.

“A happy occasion.” 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“If it were only that, then it would indeed be a happy occasion.” Avira’s previously relaxed expression vanished. “I presume Your Highness Liana and Princess Mephilia are already aware of this? The demon race has already begun to slowly revive.”

“Of course. That is precisely why we have come.” Liana nodded. Mephilia had already contacted Avira about this in advance, so it was normal for her to know.

“The demons are the common enemy of this world, and the elf race is their mortal foe. Therefore, we wish to learn from the elves some detailed information concerning the demon race,” Liana said.

“Our understanding of demonkind dates back hundreds of years. Within our Elf Forest, there are still some elves who participated in the war against the demons. But unfortunately, even though they survived that war and have lived to this day, they are still being affected by the demons.” Avira took a sip of tea, looking helpless.

She glanced out the window, where the silhouette of the Tree of Life could be seen in the distance. “Just like our Mother, the Tree of Life. To be able to occasionally maintain lucidity is already the best they can do.”

It seemed the current situation of the elvenkind was much more troublesome than imagined.

“You... also know very little about demonkind?” Liana asked.

“The current elves’ knowledge of the demon race is limited to some legends passed down orally from the older generation. Of course, our race definitely had some records concerning this mortal enemy, but those records, from ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) some point in time, all suddenly disappeared. Or rather, they were destroyed,” Avira said.

“So you mean you don’t know any specific details about the demons either?” Liana was a little frustrated.

“I wouldn’t say we know nothing at all.” Avira waved her hand, and a totem appeared in it.

“This is a totem that only the Elf Queen is qualified to view. It records many things about the elf race, and even about the demon race,” Avira said.

“For something so important, I imagine Princess Avira wouldn’t be able to show it to us,” Liana said with a shrug of her hands.

“My apologies.” This matter concerned all elves; Avira naturally couldn’t let others see it.

Not to mention, she was currently only a candidate for the next Elf Queen and had not yet truly become one.

“Perhaps if Your Highness Liana were to go before Mother Tree of Life again, Mother might grant you the opportunity to see it?” Avira suggested.

“Let’s not.” Liana shrugged. “The burden of keeping secrets for others is too heavy.”

Liana didn’t want to inexplicably end up taking the blame for something. “Princess Avira, you should just tell us what you can about them.”

Avira unrolled the scroll and began to speak. “From the moment the demon race was born, they were destined to be the enemy of all life in this world. They feed on the very foundation of this world. If they are not dealt with over a long period, the world we live in will face the danger of collapse.”

“The first time the demon race appeared, a human wielding the holy sword united humanity to repel and seal the demons, and carved a guardian stone statue.”

“The second time the demon race appeared, an elf took up that same holy sword and united with humanity to repel the demons. Similarly, that elf used a part of Mother Tree of Life to carve a guardian wood carving. And this time, it is the demon race’s third resurgence.”

Those two statues... could they be the ones at the Ibett Magic Academy?