Chapter 1036 Why Not?
Whoos.h.!.+
Felix jumped out of the water like his tail was caught in fire...He didn't dare spend another second within the fountain when he had already absorbed thousands worth of life essence bottles!
"What do we do?! My big sister is going to kill you!" Selphie was so agitated and scared for Felix's well-being she thoroughly ignored his nudity.
"I swear to G.o.d, I had no idea that I will absorb that much!" Felix promised while covering himself with his nano-clothes.
"Don't bother, big sister won't lend you even a second to hear you when she finds out!"
Felix knew that she was right...He was already despised by the Queen without even doing anything. Now, that he had emptied a third of their precious life essence fountain, he would be hung upside down at the highest point of the palace!
What's worse? His hard-earned friends.h.i.+p with Baron, Moana, Elnora, and Carwen would break apart instantly when they hear the news!
They would see him as nothing but a greedy human, who finally decided to show his true colors.
"We still have eight minutes before the gate opens up." Felix suggested, "Call your mother and inform her about our situation...She must have known that this would happen when she gave me the cosmic enchanter flower."
"Is that the thing that caused the water to boil?"
"Yes."
"Phew, if it's like that, then my mother can cover for you." Selphie sighed in relief after realizing that her mother was somewhat responsible for this.
Without further ado, she video called her mother.
The moment the call was picked, Selphie skipped the greeting and shared with a worried tone, "Mom, we are in a bit of trouble."
"What now?"
Selphie narrated what happened, not daring to hide anything...While she was doing so, she had no idea that Queen Alfreda had heard everything as she was in a meeting with Lady Yggdrasil!
"30%...30%? Selphie, please tell me that you are joking!" Suddenly, Queen Alfreda's face emerged in front of the video call, scaring the sh*t out of Felix and Selphie.
Felix disappeared into the background, knowing that his face would just make things even more difficult.
As for Selphie? She kept opening and closing her mouth but no words came out of it.
However, her panicky expression was enough for Queen Alfreda to recognize that she wasn't fooling around.
Just as Queen Alfreda's expression was starting to twist and her heart turning inflamed in rage, Lady Yggdrasil commentated kindly, "Oh, that's a little shorter than what I had antic.i.p.ated...Child, go back in the fountain, you still have some time."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Felix, Selphie, and even Queen Alfreda were thrown off guard with her statement. Felix peeked from the background at Lady Yggdrasil's expression, wanting to see if she was being for real.
When he saw her usual gentle warm smile, he gulped a mouthful as he asked, "Elder, are you sure? I have already consumed more than I hoped for."
"Go ahead and don't mind those little ones." Lady Yggdrasil permitted, not caring at all that Queen Alfreda's veins were popping out of her neck.
"Alright, I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity." Felix bowed his head in appreciation before disappearing into the background again.
There was nothing to be fearful of anymore when Lady Yggdrasil gave him permission right next to Queen Alfreda.
If she didn't like it, she could take it with her.
Splas.h.!.+
'I am going to kill him!'
Queen Alfreda almost coughed out blood from anger after hearing the water getting disturbed.
Just the thought of Felix submerging his naked body within their sacred water was enough to give her a heart attack.
Now, he had absorbed 30% and was still going for more? This wasn't funny anymore!
"Thank you, mom! You're the best." Selphie gave an air kiss with a cheerful expression.
"Don't be shy and go join him in the fountain." Lady Yggdrasil advised her, "You should use any opportunity you have."
"Mom!!!"
Selphie swiftly turned off the video call, fearing that Felix would hear more of her shameful suggestion.
'Join him? Isn't that borderline s.e.xual a.s.sault? Mom is really too traditional in her thinking.'
Selphie mumured in her mind as she watched Felix, sitting in a meditation position while trying his best to absorb the water before his duration ends.
Meanwhile, in the royal garden, Queen Alfreda was trying her very best to hold herself from las.h.i.+ng out at Lady Yggdrasil.
She knew her place very well and if she ever dared to step above it, Lady Yggdrasil wouldn't hesitate to strip her from every single authority she had.
Still, she couldn't stomach what had just transpired in front of her own eyes.
"Mother, I am not questioning you, but why would you go this far for that bast...human?" Queen Alfreda asked with a suppressed tone.
"Why not?" Lady Yggdrasil took a sip from tea cup and gave her the warmest smile ever, "I took your entire race under my wing, give you homes, food, clothes, and taught you about runes."
"Shouldn't you ask me first why did I go that far for your race?"
"I...I..." Queen Alfreda felt like her tongue was tied up as she was unable to muster a single response to her question.
She realized that she was doing the unthinkable...Believing that Lady Yggdrasil was their own race property.
In reality? She was merely their benefactor, who took pity in their race and helped them develop to what they became today.
For such a generous and warm being to go that far for an entire race, why wouldn't she help her peers' student?
Especially when the life essence fountain was hers in the first place!
Not everyone knew about this, but the life essence fountain was simply the excessive sap of the world tree.
In other words, it was Lady Yggdrasil's own blood that keep her branches and leaves alive for eternity.
Who dares to question her about how to use it and whom to give it to?
"My apologies, mother. I have grossly stepped out of line."
Without an ounce of hesitation, Queen Alfreda kneeled on one knee in front of Lady Yggdrasil and kissed her hand with an ashamed expression.
"Child, I know that you are disgruntled and have a broken heart filled with hatred towards humans." Lady Yggdrasil patted her in the head, "But, I still advise you to put it aside...Otherwise, your heart will never heal, and you will remain without love for the rest of your life."
The first thing that surfaced in Queen Alfreda's mind after hearing so was her fianc's face...Usually, she would throw an inner fit at his image before erasing it from her mind.
But now? She simply cursed him a couple of times in her mind...One would say a great improvement and step towards the right path.
"I will try, but I can't make any promises." Queen Alfreda exhaled deeply before standing up...Her rage was finally calmed a bit.
Just a bit...Felix's face still ticked her off...Especially now that he had consumed decades worth of life essence bottles in twenty minutes.
...
Knock knock!
'Felix, it's time.' Selphie informed after the elders knocked on the gate the instant thirty minutes pa.s.sed.
Not wanting to be too overbearing or ungrateful, Felix swiftly exited the puddle and wore some clothes.
When he looked down, he saw that the water drops fallen on the flowers were moving back towards the puddle.
"So mysterious..." Felix mumbled.
"My mom has turned them like this so not a single life essence drop get wasted." Selphie smiled.
'This means that you have truly absorbed more than 30% of the water instead of it getting wasted after it evaporated.' Asna mentioned.
'Well, with this kind of insane enhancement, I thought the same.' Felix replied while walking outside the gate with Selphie.
They bowed slightly at the elders then walked away, not mentioning a single thing about life essence reduced level.
The elders didn't bother to even glance at the fountain as they kept their eyes glued on the board while closing the gate.
'Shouldn't they at least have checked?' Felix wondered telepathically, 'What if someone took more than he should?'
'Why would they do so?' Selphie tilted her head in confusion, seeming like the question was incomprehensible to her.
'My bad...'
Felix chuckled in derision and dropped the subject after remembering that elves never steal or believe in the concept of taking someone's else things.
In other words, if a high elf was allowed fifteen minutes within the fountain, he would spend that period and leave without taking a single drop with him.
Elves and humans might look alike, but they were truly too different in the way they think and behave.
...
After Felix returned to his room, he sent Mistress Candace to spy on the royal family, wanting to know if Queen Alfreda would rat on him.
He honestly had a strong belief that she would do so...It was the perfect opportunity to smear his reputation and turn the royal family against him.
However, hours went by and then days...Yet, Mistress Candace had found no one talking about the life essence incident.
'Did she have a turn of heart or is she planning for a bigger punch to completely destroy my reputation?'
Felix had no clue what to think about the situation...He even sent Mistress Candace to spy on Queen Alfreda in the throne chamber and found nothing.
'Whatever, as long as Lady Yggdrasil has my back, she can't harm me.' Felix shrugged his shoulders and stopped wasting his concentration on this matter.
If his reputation within the royal family was ruined, then f*ck it...He only needed Selphie and Lady Yggdrasil in his side.
For now, it was time to push at 25% in his integration training!