Marshal Eros's high ponytail swayed slightly as he raised his spear and patted the elven princess's buttocks. His face was clearly pale and weak, but his expression was nonchalant and carefree, completely devoid of the noble elegance that elves pursued.

Her voice was hoarse from the severity of her injuries: "Your Highness, what do you think? Now that you know the truth, do you regret shattering the Holy Spirit Tower, or do you want to continue down this path? You are a princess of the Elf race."

After being bombarded with questions from Eros, Sophia's mind went blank, and she was speechless for a moment. Her dark green eyes fell on Marshal Eros, and memories of the past kept flooding back.

The joyful life she shared with her elven companions, filled with laughter and happiness—now, with the Tower of the Holy Spirit destroyed and the Elven Tree deprived of its energy source, the longevity of the elves and the eternity of the forest have become a joke, and the long-standing deception of the elves has come to light.

Her previously clear path ahead began to feel uncertain again.

"I...I don't know."

Both sides have their own stance.

As an elven princess, she had to consider the interests of her people, even if it meant being selfish.

However, by nature, she simply could not tolerate the fact that successive Elf Queens had placed those creatures who had done nothing wrong, yet whose races had been wiped out, into the life essence of the Holy Spirit Tower as functional machines, subjecting them to torment year after year.

She looked at Marshal Eros, unable to hide her pain: "I'm so confused."

However, Eros smiled and patted her on the shoulder, telling her, "You've always been kind and shy, even feeling sorry for stepping on an ant... I knew you would hesitate and struggle if you knew the truth one day, and I was right."

She made a lighthearted joke, but then, due to the chaotic energy within her body, she coughed up blood with a "poof".

The blood spilled on the ground and was quickly absorbed by the floor of the Tower of the Holy Spirit.

Her face looked even weaker, but she still maintained a carefree smile: "But this is something every queen must do. If you can't do it, it proves that you are not a qualified queen. Her Majesty Vivian has always understood this."

Hearing this, Sophia was in a state of extreme inner turmoil, staring at Eros with her fists clenched tightly.

However, Eros then said, "But the existence of rules is not to restrain the dead. We can always choose to break the rules and indulge ourselves in difficulties and hesitations. If there is a better way, why not try it? All the risks that the destruction of the Tower of the Holy Spirit and the decline of the Tree of Life will cause are all foreseeable but uncertain."

"Who can say for sure that without the Tree of Life, the Elven race will be in dire straits, and the Whispering Forest will be destroyed? There's always a way out, and things will work themselves out. Sophia, I am the Marshal of the Elven race, not the King Elf. I don't have the authority to do what I want."

“But you are different. Since you are a royal elf who was nurtured by the Tree of Life and carries Vivian’s power, you naturally have a reason for your existence. Your birth proves that your existence is inevitable, and your choice is also the choice of destiny.”

"Whichever path you choose, it's inevitable. I can't give you much advice, the only thing I can say is this."

"Follow your heart, do what you want to do, and don't let yourself regret it. All the shackles exist only because you are not strong enough."

After saying that, she poked Sophia's head with the edge of her spear, let out a soft, desolate laugh.

"Actually, you're not young anymore. You've lived for decades, enough to allow a human to grow from a fetus to old age, yet you seem to have changed no at all. Living too long isn't necessarily a good thing."

"I had almost forgotten the vow I made under the Tree of Life back then."

When she was still a child, she often practiced her marksmanship under the Tree of Life.

Although she is not a royal elf, her talent is among the best of the elves. She is favored by all the elf elders and is a warrior who can protect the elves and become the queen's first sharp blade.

Even at a young age, she had toiled and complained while practicing shooting.

She's always been a rebel, difficult to please, and a little princess.

However, she also had her own reasons for not being able to do so.

She was bound by an invisible shackle called mission, so no matter how much she disliked or was unwilling, she would practice shooting with all her might.

The only comfort she could give herself was her faith.

Whenever she felt she couldn't hold on any longer, she would lie down under the Tree of Life and declare her ambitions.

—One day, Eros will use her spear to protect the peace of the elves, so that all the races of the world will trust and depend on them.

This faith transformed her from a chubby little elf into the most valiant female marshal of the elven race.

Looking at the Holy Spirit Tower, which was in a ridiculous state of collapse, she could only smile silently and shake her head.

Unfortunately, her faith remained frozen at a certain moment.

That day, she learned the whole truth and selfishly returned the spear to the elves, becoming the guardian of the Holy Spirit Tower.

She was going to die; her wish would never be fulfilled.

Eros gave a wry smile, let out a breath, and finally patted Sophia on the shoulder.

"I have nothing to give you."

"Just do what you want to do."

“You are the King Spirit. Even if you are not the Queen, you can still make all the spirits who yearn for peace and respect life stand behind you.”

"I'm sorry to have troubled you."

...

Eros's body gradually turned into a golden-green light powder, which slowly dissipated from her arm.

She died with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

This life, filled with shackles, has finally come to a perfect end.

Sophia understood Eros's words and realized what she needed to do in the future.

He reached out and embraced Eros's head, his eyes filled with nothing but pity and pain.

May the gods be with you.

"I will bring about a complete transformation for the Elven race."

Eros had vanished, leaving only his eyes, which were moved and smiling.

She couldn't speak, but her eyes could express her emotions.

come on.

...

break--!

Eros's physical body completely dissipated, turning into countless golden-green light particles that scattered and flew towards the towering Tree of Life in the distance.

Sophia straightened up, watching Eros's spirit dissipate, a tear welling up in her eye.

She said, "The life and death of elves are predetermined from the beginning. The vast majority of us are children born from the Tree of Life. Some become royal elves, while most become ordinary elves, each with their own role."

"We are born for this purpose, and we will die like fallen petals."

"Fallen petals are not heartless things; they turn into spring mud to nourish the flowers."

"When each elf dies, all their power becomes nourishment for the Tree of Life, feeding back to the mother tree."