With the return of the Holy Sword, the entire Elven Kingdom erupted into a frenzy of celebration. Music echoed throughout the palace, petals danced on the streets in the wind, and even the soldiers in the training grounds were given an unprecedented day off.

  In contrast, Draven's return felt a bit uneasy. As Nightmare Horse flew over the city walls of Black Flag Territory, he saw Viola standing at the front of the crowd, her amber eyes filled with anticipation as she gazed up toward the sky.

  Draven's heart skipped a beat, a guilty feeling washing over him, even though nothing had actually happened. He just felt nervous.

  Because Sylvia's true identity had to be kept secret, upon landing, he could only introduce her as a cat-person girl they had "found" along the way. The explanation sounded absurd, but he had no other choice.

  Unexpectedly, Viola didn't show any suspicion. Instead, she warmly welcomed Sylvia and took her hand, chatting as they walked. The two of them quickly fell into an easy rapport, walking down from the city walls like old friends arm in arm.

  Draven watched their intimate backs and twitched his lips."This can't be that simple," he muttered under his breath.

  He knew well that the mating and family concepts of the demi-humans were not as complex as humans'. Family, spouse, children—these ideas were vague.

  But that didn't mean they didn't get jealous. In fact, it was often the opposite. Rivalries and jealousy among demi-humans could be more direct—and bloodier.

  Lost in his own thoughts, Draven suddenly passed an open area and saw Liliana.

  The young druid was playing with a group of children, laughter and screams ringing out.

  Her eyes caught sight of Draven passing by, and she suddenly stopped, twitching her nose. Like a hound, she darted to Draven's side, nearly pressing her nose to his neck.

  "What are you doing?" Draven nearly broke out in a cold sweat.

  Liliana ignored him, her eyes lighting up, then she pulled Sylvia aside and whispered something.

  When they returned, the atmosphere had changed. Sylvia wore a faint smile, and Liliana looked like she had just discovered a treasure.

  Before Draven could react, the little druid announced,"From today, the little cat is one of the child leaders of Village No. 2."

  Draven:"Huh?"

  "Got a problem?" Liliana challenged with a provocative grin.

  "Nope." Draven raised his hands and quickly gave in.

  On the way back, Draven and Sylvia discussed terms.

  Sylvia's compensation proposal was generous: magic cores, potions, rare magical items, even a set of high-level mage-exclusive spell scrolls. But Draven refused them all.

  Though tempting, they were all one-time gifts. His goal was far beyond that.

  Eventually, he successfully persuaded Sylvia to agree to a long-term arrangement: she would remain in Black Flag Territory, assisting its development until she felt her contributions were enough to balance the value of the Holy Sword.

  "Of course, when it ends is up to me," Draven thought with a sly smile.

  Sylvia said,"We need to report to my father."

  "Your father?"

  "The Elven King."

  Draven nearly fell off his horse. They landed on an open meadow. Sylvia took out an ornate gold-edged mirror from her bracelet, its surface shimmering with a faint silver light.

  She whispered some incantations, and the mirror's surface rippled like water. Slowly, a dignified male elf's face appeared.

  It was a calm and handsome face, with noble reserve and authority in his eyes. This was the Elven King—Sylvia's father.

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  Draven stood silently by, barely breathing.

  Sylvia calmly explained her decision to her father, including the return of the Holy Sword and her temporary stay in Black Flag Territory to assist its development.

  The Elven King was silent for over ten seconds, then nodded."You have the right to choose, Sylvia."

  No reprimand, no questioning—just quiet acceptance. Draven even thought he saw a trace of trust in the king's eyes.

  This left him momentarily stunned. He expected trouble, but everything had gone smoothly beyond belief.

  As the mirror's surface returned to normal, Draven couldn't look away.

  "That mirror…" he whispered.

  "It's called a Double-faced Mirror. Only the Elven Royal Family owns a pair. I can ask my father to give you one," Sylvia said with a smile,"But do you dare use it?"

  Draven twitched his mouth and decisively shook his head.

  Another thing was Sylvia's one and only request: her elven identity must be kept secret.

  For Draven, this was not difficult at all; in fact, it was quite a reasonable request. Moreover, she was already wearing that special illusion mask, making her look like an ordinary catfolk girl.

  Her ears, tail, skin tone, even her scent had all been perfectly disguised. No one would suspect her true race.

  But now, after seeing Liliana's series of actions just now, Draven began to feel that something was off.

  To be honest, he was reluctant to admit it, but the druid girl's perception was really sharp.

  He hadn't noticed any flaws in Sylvia all along, yet Liliana just sniffed once and seemed to have uncovered some secret?

  Draven frowned inwardly. Liliana must have already sensed Sylvia's unusual identity; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so proactive and even taken Sylvia to play with the others.

  Come to think of it, druids and elves share some mysterious connection; in many ancient rituals, they even cooperate as partners. Perhaps Liliana smelled some elven aura? Or traces of magic?

  This was something he needed to clarify later. He certainly didn't want his secret to be accidentally uncovered.

  But for now, things seemed safe. Under Liliana's lead, Sylvia quickly became familiar with the elven children and young beastfolk.

  They played the games Draven had taught them, chasing and wrestling around, completely unaware that Sylvia was actually a high-status saintess.

  To the other villagers in Village No. 2, she was just a newly arrived catfolk girl—cute and down-to-earth.

  Her short silver-white hair was a bit tousled, soft as freshly washed wool. Her two fluffy white cat ears twitched lightly, as if constantly picking up information from her surroundings.

  Her tail was long and fluffy, like a feather in the snow, occasionally brushing behind her with a casual, alluring charm.

  When she smiled, a single tiger tooth showed, and her eyes curved like a crescent moon, making her look innocent and harmless. Who would think twice beyond that?

  There was a small incident at dinner. Alaric, the overly curious little fire fox, gave Sylvia some strange looks.

  He sat not far from her but kept glancing at her secretly, occasionally furrowing his brows as if trying to solve a puzzle.

  Draven immediately saw the boy's mind wandering and felt a headache coming on. As the brother-in-law, he felt it was his duty to straighten Alaric out.

  So after dinner, in a serious tone, he called Alaric aside:"From now on, besides taking care of the little ones, you need to learn a new skill."

  Alaric looked up warily:"What skill?"

  "Brewing," Draven said without mercy."Starting tomorrow, you're in charge of cassava wine and fruit wine. I'll prepare the ingredients and the recipes aren't a secret. The key is you have to learn patience, responsibility, and stop thinking about things you shouldn't."

  Alaric was about to protest, but Draven narrowed his eyes and added with a smile,"Of course, if you think you can't handle it, I can talk to Ayla."

  Alaric wilted instantly and lowered his head in agreement.

  Draven patted his shoulder approvingly:"It's settled then."

  After everyone finished eating and dispersed, the big house gradually fell silent. Viola finished cleaning up and was about to take a bath when she suddenly turned and was pulled into Draven's arms.

  "I thought you'd bring back a succubus," the little fox girl said lightly, leaning against his chest, fingers playing with her hair, with a teasing smile.

  Draven's mouth twitched. He knew clearly Viola was jealous. She didn't say it, but her heart couldn't hide it.

  He said nothing, just bent down and kissed her, expressing his feelings with actions. That night, they stayed entangled until late.

  Meanwhile, in the stone cottage, Liliana and Sylvia lay on the same bed, close together like long-lost sisters.

  They talked a lot—from funny stories in Village No. 2 to cultures of other demi-human races, and even about Draven.

  Sylvia listened while secretly observing Liliana. She felt the little girl had an indescribable aura, speaking with wisdom beyond her years.

  Suddenly, Sylvia's ears twitched. She tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

  "Wait, I think I heard Viola's voice?"

  She frowned, her voice barely above a whisper."She sounded like she was calling… like she was in pain?"

  "Should we go check?" Sylvia got up and was about to get off the bed, but Liliana grabbed her.

  The druid girl gave a strange smile, as if she knew a secret, then leaned close to Sylvia's ear and whispered a few words.

  Sylvia's face flushed deeply; her voice barely audible:"We elves would never do that."

  Liliana smirked and turned over:"Is that so? Then you're missing out."

  That night, Draven not only successfully proved his feelings to Viola but also told her everything about Sylvia's true identity.

  Leaving Sylvia behind wasn't just a matter of personal affection. His ambitions were much bigger.

  He needed Sylvia and the elves behind her to push Black Flag Territory's development further.

  But he couldn't control it all alone; he needed cooperation, and Viola was the trustworthy and sociable key figure.

  He believed that with her help, Black Flag Territory's agriculture, herb cultivation, and magical ingredient production would enter a new stage.