"Huff..." Elysia heaved a subtle sigh as she looked at Yuuki.
Yuuki gave the pouch to Elysia to give to her mother on her behalf because she knew that her mother might not accept it.
That pouch contained one of the most valuable items in Yuuki's possession and an old pendant of the past.
'She just wanted to return the favor for her mother's eleven years of care, and also to move on from the past. She returned the only memento of her mother to her mother...' Elena muttered from within the Soul Realm.
'Mm, she is a strong girl.' Elysia then looked at everyone. "Let's get out of here."
"Mm." Yuuki looked at the village chief's house one last time and flew away to follow the others.
"Hm, I can't say much because I don't have a mother. But, I just wanted you to know that you can confide in me if you want." Sylvia patted Yuuki's back.
"Thank you." Yuuki nodded slightly.
After that, Ella, Evelyn, and Vanessa took turns expressing their concern for Yuuki. Lynn was also not left behind because she sympathized with this poor snow fox. They then talked lightly about some fun things so Yuuki wouldn't feel sad.
'You're not joining them, Ely?' Elena asked in surprise.
'I didn't get the chance. I'll do that later.' Elysia gave a tender smile as Yuuki stole glances at her for some unknown reason.
'But, hehe, you look graceful and mature in that form even if it's just an illusion. I want to pat you very much.' Elena giggled with interest.
'...' Elysia didn't know what to say. She just looked at Luna and pointed at the tails.
"Hm? Please stay like that for an hour and my illusion will go away on its own. It's nice to see my daughter is an adorable nine-tailed fox." Luna put her hands together as if pleading.
"Just an hour, right? Okay then." Elysia didn't mind that.
After exiting the secret passage beneath the mountain, Luna took out her royal carriage. Everyone left from the northern snowy land.
"Nee~ Where are we going? I remember we're going to be making something like super duper hyper ultra ultimate weapons. Or, are we going to make some portable trap formations?" Sylvia suddenly asked as her conversation with the girls ended.
"Fufu, then, you are all very welcome to my humble palace. Allow me to help you with whatever I can do. I will also provide a special place for you to create or design whatever you wish to make." Luna offered that to the divines politely.
"Very well, we'll stop at your palace for a day." Rhea decided after discussing with Elysia via telepathy. She wanted to experiment to prove her theory as quickly as possible.
"Then it's decided~" Luna hummed happily with a faint smile on her face.
"..." Rhea chose to remain silent even though she realized what this Fox Empress might have in mind. She only told Elysia the possibility. 'Master Elysia, it seems that something is waiting for us on the Beastkin Continent because of this Fox Empress. Perhaps, she wants to unite all the power holders on her continent with our help?'
'Eh? Is it possible that the supreme leaders of the Beastkin Continent don't get along very well with each other?' Elysia blinked in surprise as she looked at Luna.
'If we look at the preparation of the Beastkin Race regarding the cursed after our detailed information is taken into account, then it's clear they don't quite get along.' Rhea concluded.
'I see... But, I think it's for the best.' Elysia only put it as mere information even though she was aware of Luna's intentions.
Thus, Rhea confirmed their destination to Nell, and they headed straight back to the Beastkin Continent's central region.
It was only a ten-minute journey before the royal carriage landed at the rear of Evroria Palace, as no one wanted to appear before the public eye.
"Ah, it's almost noon here. Please allow me to arrange a lunch for you." Luna looked up at the sky as soon as she got off the carriage.
"Hmm, there are no questions or objections. Let's have a feast." Oceanid's avatar gave two thumbs up. Since his breakfast was just instant food, he wanted something wow for lunch.
"Fufu, alright. Please enter my palace. Our presence may have been awaited by some parties." Luna covered her mouth as she guided everyone to enter her palace through the back door.
She led everyone to a large, luxurious hall in the center of the palace. Rows of dishes on a long table came to their view, and the servants looked so busy preparing for a feast.
"Wow, I'm surprised you prepared everything without needing to give any orders. Could it be that you already planned everything?" Sylvia was impressed.
"Take a guess." Luna smiled mysteriously in reply.
"It's nice to have the ability to see into the future or something..." Sylvia muttered under her breath.
"Well, what's holding you back? I invite you to enjoy a feast. I hope we won't disappoint you with anything." Luna stood aside and pointed her palm toward the long table.
"Then I won't hesitate." Oceanid gave a small nod and stepped into the hall with big strides.
"So am I." Oceanid's avatar followed closely behind.
They really were like a king and a little prince who treated this place as if it were their own home. Without feeling embarrassed or awkward, they took a few dishes. They carried their large plates to a nearby round table before eating their lunch.
After the girls entered the hall and enjoyed the feast, Luna glanced up slightly. "Ah, something happened and I need to go check it out for a moment. Allow me to excuse myself."
After saying that, she glanced at her daughter. "Lynn, please stay and accompany our distinguished guests."
Elysia, Rhea, and Nell only gave their approval with a small nod. Then Luna left the hall at a leisurely pace.
"What's wrong with her? She looks so relaxed, but I know something's going on out there." Nell muttered quietly.
"Some parties are already present in this palace for something. I don't know what might happen later, but I know they will be here in a few minutes." Elysia glanced up slightly. She could confirm her claim with her advanced perception.
"O-oh, so that's what she wanted to convvey just now. She did have it all planned a few days in advance." Nell scooped up her food and paid no more attention to the matter.
Sure enough, a few minutes passed, and several groups in luxurious robes entered the hall with Luna at the very front.
Their arrival was simply ignored by Elysia's group. Or rather, Elysia and the others pretended not to notice the newcomers.
Sylvia was busy choosing what food she would take next, but something suddenly tugged gently on her dress from below. "Hmm?"
There was an adorable, long white-haired little girl in a white-pink robe.
The pair of white horns on the little girl's head caught Sylvia's attention. Those big blue eyes seemed to be looking at Sylvia with some expectations.
Despite everything, Sylvia was completely oblivious to when this little girl approached her.
"Would you like some delicious food? Here, say aah~" Sylvia stabbed a meatball with a fork and brought it closer to the little girl's mouth.
"Nom." The little girl opened her mouth wide and devoured the meatball in one go. After chewing it, she nodded and looked back. "She is a good dragon."
"Oh my..." The graceful lady in a pink dress put her hand to her cheek as she smiled in amusement.
"H-hm, well... you don't see that white dragon with reddish black wings as a good dragon just because she feeds you, do you, my daughter yo?" The dashing man in a golden-red robe put his hand to his forehead with a sigh.
"She is a good dragon." The little girl pointed at Sylvia and repeated her statement.
"Yes, alright, she is a good dragon. We trust you." The graceful lady smiled gently with a small nod. She then beckoned her little girl to come back.
"I already told you, mama." The little girl ran back to her mama's side and closed her eyes as she received some head pats.
"..." Sylvia was at a loss for words. She looked at the group behind Luna, but she was more interested in looking at the little girl.
For some unknown reason, she could recognize this family of three were dragons in their human form.
Even so, Sylvia just shrugged her shoulders and returned to her group table.
"Alright, you can exchange words and greetings as you wish. However, please keep your manners in courtesy, okay? I can't help you if you offend any of them." Luna put her hands together and smiled faintly. She then simply left her royal guests and approached her daughters.
"I hope the dishes of my best royal chefs can satisfy your taste buds. However... Please forgive me, some guests beg to meet your noble presence. They are the power holders from the neighboring region who have been waiting for our arrival from a day or two ago." Luna expressed her apologies, but her expression looked excited.
"Hmm, do what you need to do." Rhea glanced at Luna.
With that being said, the guests from the neighboring kingdoms immediately approached with enthusiasm. It was a rare experience for them to appear before not just one divine being but three at once!
However, a question popped up in their minds again because Luna said it was three, not four, like the information they had previously received.