Sin and Virtue System



89. Unexpected Situation [2]

There were about 20 elves present. Fourteen elves stood by the queen's side, while five escorted Logan and guarded the place.

"This place is called the Elven council. Her Majesty sitting over there is the Queen of our lands, Danika," Louise concluded the introductions and moved closer to Logan.

Clank! He had to kneel in the court to greet the queen. 'For some reason, this feeling of humiliation is familiar,' Logan concluded to bear the humiliation for the time being. He did not wish to enrage the elves.

"Know your place," Louise glared at Logan and harrumphed.

"What might be the reason for your arrival in the Elven council, esteemed guest?" Danika asked.

'I see. Not a great way to welcome. Is this a tradition here?' Logan shook his head and complained under his breath.

"Once we know your purpose, we can determine your fate," the queen said, ignoring Logan's mumbling.

"I am an adventurer. We were attacked and thrown here by a beast of unknown origin with spatial magic," Logan answered curtly.

"That is a plausible lie. Now, tell us the truth," the smile on the queen's face did not reach her eyes.

"I am not lying," Logan rebutted.

"Not telling the truth either," sparks flew between the both.

Logan finally sighed and said, "We were teleported into this forest randomly. That's the truth." Danika's eyes twitched. She looked at the timid elf near Sylvia. 'He is telling the truth.' Her face hardened.

"Also, I am gravely injured. I need at least a high priest to heal me," Logan said dejectedly.

The queen looked at the particular elf who nodded again.

"Were you looking for the healer in the forest then?"

"Yes."

"What will you do after getting healed?" Logan paused for a while. He looked at every elf in the council and said out loud.

"Return for revenge." Logan's response caught everyone off guard, including Danika.

'Is this human out of his mind? How can he say that in front of the queen?' Sylvia's jaw dropped to the ground. Due to their prideful nature, seeking revenge was considered a petty move among the Elves. They believed that losing once due to weakness and then seeking revenge after getting stronger was an act of using the opponent's mercy and compromising their own pride.

"Revenge, huh?" A complicated smile appeared when the elves heard this word. Some hatefully glared at Logan, while some thought seriously about his words.

'Truth,' the queen maintained her stoic expression.

"What does the revenge mean to you?" Her interest in Logan's words increased.

"The pursuit of revenge is merely the satisfaction of my own petty pride," Logan said with a proud smile. "At that time, I was caught off guard by the enemy. I lost almost everything I had created and achieved due to that enemy. He must pay for it." Everyone's eyes widened at Logan's declaration.

An elf standing next to Danika asked, "Can't you forgive your enemy?"

"No. Why should I? He must know what I've been through. I am not a good person with high morals to forgive anyone who takes my possession," his answer was followed by another elf's question. "What if their descendants come to seek revenge?"

Logan smirked. "Why should I fear his descendants? I won't let him alive, let alone his descendants."

Another council member spoke: "Are you that cruel?"

"Everyone is. I am just accepting it openly. Because I fear no one."

"Isn't that against human nature?" the elves spontaneously asked questions.

"Survival is inherent to humans since the beginning, and I am no exception to it."

All the questions stopped when Danika asked, "What about God's will?"

"God? I don't care for a hypocrite's will."

Danika grabbed the armrest of her throne and asked hesitantly, "Aren't you afraid?"

Logan took his time to answer this. "I was afraid of many things. But after losing everything multiple times? I am not."

The council turned silent.

Louise broke the ice with one last question, "Not even of death?"

"No."

"You are lying," Sylvia commented.

"Not particularly. When you've stared death in the eye time and time again, fear becomes nothing but a nuisance."

Pin-drop silence.

Sylvia trembled when she gazed into Logan's blazingly serious and hellish blue eyes.

Sweat trickled down Danika's forehead. It felt like she was gazing into the eyes of the devil incarnate from the depths of hell.

The council was adjourned for that day.

...

The questioning continued for several days, during which Queen Danika was constantly surprised by Logan's unexpected answers. Not only she, but every member of the council was interested in Logan.

During this time, Logan's popularity reached every living Elf. Logan apologized to the queen for intruding into the forest, but that was it. It was unintentional. He never knew the possibility of someone watching him having sex with his wives.

...

[The Great Tree.]

At the queen's house, all Elves from the council sat around a round table.

"He is the complete opposite!" Queen Danika cried inside her mind. The chosen one from the prophecy was supposed to be a virtuous man! But this!

"He was having intercourse inside the sacred forest!" Finally, Queen Danika lost her temper. "That is a practice ground for young elves, and he was doing indecent things inside it!"

Everyone was flustered when they heard Danika's rant. Queen Danika was so used to Logan's arrogance now that she heard his response in her mind: "So what? I am sorry, but what can I do? My wives were so pretty that I couldn't hold it in."

...

"That arrogant bastard! How dare he say something like that in front of the queen!" Louise was another Elf affected by Logan's attitude. She still remembered Logan's words: "Only if you knew the pleasure," and that smirk at the end.

...

The council had two problems. First, they were still unsure of Logan's purpose. And secondly, they can't kill him. The reason?

"Your Majesty! I request you to execute that man as soon as possible!" Louise proposed her opinion.

Queen Danika took her place as the head of the round table, with the remaining fourteen Elves seating according to their designated positions. "I disagree with Louise," an Elf with an annoyed expression said.

"W-why? Sana?" Louise was flabbergasted.

"Because we need him," Sana said with her head down.

"Are you seriously thinking that man can save our race? Are you insane?" Louise got angry. The persona of a calm and mature woman died.

"But isn't that what the prophecy said?" Another Elf supported Sana.

"Yes. According to what our ancestors told us, the first man to enter is the man who'll save us from our downfall."

"Ridiculous! You are-"

The sophisticated council turned into a war as everyone started shouting. While some Elves supported Louise, others supported Sana. The majority was confused as both of them were partially correct.

Queen Danika, however, had different thoughts. She watched all of them fight.

"Looks like you've all become so lenient that you are fighting in front of your queen," until they all heard an old voice. The Elf that entered had such a demeanor and charisma that everyone stopped in their tracks.

"Aunt…" Queen Danika's eyes sparkled when she heard her aunt's voice. She looked in that direction, but soon her face returned to an aloof expression.

"Why the sad face, my child?" Her aunt asked.

Time had stopped moving.

"I never thought we would meet again," Queen Danika said while putting the cup of tea down from Louise's hand.

"Neither did I. But it was all because of fate," her aunt said while munching on a fruit.

Everything inside the council room had stopped moving, except for Queen Danika and her aunt. Everywhere her aunt moved, snowflakes appeared. The unique thing about her aunt was that she had no shadow.

"Fate? Just like a few hundred years ago?" Danika followed her aunt.

"You see, fate is not yieldable. It does not work on desires," her aunt continued walking. She never stopped. Her slow yet steady steps guided Danika.

"However, there are beings who are unpredictable. They defy logic and keep pursuing their desires even when they face failures continuously." Unlike Danika, her aunt's flawless white skin was accompanied by snow-white hair, and her smooth blue gown flowed down to her toes. As she climbed up, her thin waist moved hypnotically, and her slender arms touched the walls. However, as she continued to walk, her skin paled.

"You must understand what you should choose. Your choices are limited."

"I don't understand what you are saying," Danika's answer had a tinge of coldness.

"You do. Just not accepting it openly," but her aunt just smiled and continued her walk. There were many steps to reach the highest floor of the Great Tree.

"Then, should I test him?" Danika asked defeatedly.

"Your choice. But remember,"

"My choices are limited."

"Indeed."

Her aunt never looked back at Danika who was following her. However, the moment she reached the edge of the Great Tree, she turned.

"I need you, Aunt, but you never stay," Danika said while pouting.

Her aunt's body turned into a husk. Completely dried. But her smile remained as beautiful and radiant as ever.

"Time waits for no one, after all." Her body turned into particles before disappearing completely.

…

"Stop," Danika said authoritatively.

"I need to make a few things clear before you all start again." Danika's ice-cold glare scared Louise.

"Firstly, about the prophecy.

"While it's true that we need a man to save our race, we cannot just take anyone's help.

In the past, when our ancestors tried the same, they were met with heaven's wrath." A smile appeared on Louise's face.

"However, we can't deny the possibility that this man Logan is the only one who was able to pass through the spatial magic test." The slight smile on Louise's face disappeared.

"We need that man to fulfill the remaining conditions. Only then can we consider him to be the chosen one of the Prophecy." Sana's grin struck like a dagger to Louise's heart.

"Since the said man has knowingly or unknowingly completed the first trial of the prophecy, we must treat him better and give him the chance to participate in the remaining trials." Sky's words crashed onto Louise when she heard her queen's decree. Her body trembled before she asked:

…

"What are the conditions of this trial?" Logan asked while Sylvia removed his mana-binding chains.

"I don't know," Sylvia answered.

Like Louise, Sylvia was upset with this judgment. She was unhappy.

However, she had to follow the queen's orders.

Logan had realized that Sylvia was an honest Elf. She spoke openly without holding anything back. Though she hated Logan for something, she did treat him better than before.

Though Logan received clothes, all of his spatial rings were still confiscated. It was partially his fault for talking about revenge and all.

His cell had changed, and now he was put into a room with a bed.

"What about my wives?" Logan asked, but he didn't need to wait for too long.

"Master!" "Logan!"

His three wives arrived.

"Y-you all?!" Logan's eyes widened when he saw them in Elven costumes.

"We were freed from the first day." Lara said while hugging Logan tightly.

"Though they took our spatial rings too, they didn't treat us badly." Lisa and Anna also embraced Logan.

"Then why me?" Logan had a complicated smile on his face.

The trio looked at each other before saying in unison.

"Because you are a man!"

…

(A/N: I tried to add a pun at the end. Hope you all liked this chapter. I am not rushing, but I want to move the main events faster. My hiatus is over. Also, Logan refers to the trio as his wives to avoid saying "subordinates" in front of the Elves.)