Chapter 739: The First Meeting, and Also the Last Meeting

"I’m going to the front lines! I must help the Holy Alliance resist the demon race!"

Tina Leinster Newmoon stood up with a huff, slamming the table before turning away from the Moon Elf priest sanctuary.

Her young mind brimmed with confusion—why wouldn’t her parents or even Sister Froer let her join the battle?

So many of their Elven kin had already gone!

But it didn’t matter… She was two hundred years old now, no longer some inexperienced elf.

Even if her mother forbade it, she’d simply sneak to the front lines.

At this thought, a triumphant smile spread across Tina’s face.

As an Epic Superoperator and Moon Elf princess, slipping past her preoccupied parents would be effortless… Who could possibly stop her?

Especially when they were buried in endless duties—once the long-lived Elven race immersed themselves in affairs, they remained busy for years!

By the time she returned gloriously as a Holy Alliance leader years later, even her parents couldn’t scold her!

Still, despite the ease of escape… A meticulous route was essential.

If some guard suddenly decided to tattle, disaster would follow.

The entire Elven Empire’s borders teemed with monitoring magic circles and sentries.

Tina’s eyes lit up as she recalled the perfect loophole—the Moon Elf tribe’s border celestial observation point, where surveillance magic grew weakest.

"Decided!"

She hurried to the tribe’s long-distance Teleportation Magic Circle.

Being both princess and priest, she required no permissions. The elf guarding the entrance merely lounged lazily, offering no questions.

As spatial magic engulfed her, Tina found herself transported to the Moon Elf territory’s edge.

Emerging from the Teleportation Magic Circle node, she noted the absent guards.

"Security’s shockingly lax!"

Delight danced in her eyes—half her plan already succeeded!

But stepping beyond the magic circle, reality diverged sharply from expectations.

What she’d assumed were derelict guards instead lay scattered near the entrance.

A young Moon Elf clutching a magic wand sprawled unconscious nearby… alive but senseless.

Tina’s thoughts stuttered.

Huh?

Her gaze lifted to reveal more elves collapsed across the terrain—weapons in hand, bodies frozen mid-charge.

These fallen kin formed a silent trail of breadcrumbs, all pointing toward a single convergence in the distance.

There stood a seemingly ordinary black-haired girl who, upon closer inspection, possessed a subtle charm. She wore loose garments of dark fabric with peculiar designs – an unusual ensemble of top and trousers that hung comfortably about her frame. Her face carried an air of weary nonchalance.

"Oh, Miss Tina… Should I say ‘pleased to make your acquaintance’ properly this time?"

The stranger smiled with disarming familiarity as she offered this casual greeting.

Wait… what’s happening?

Tina’s thoughts swirled in confusion. Though unremarkable at first glance, the magical fluctuations and distinct pointed horns revealed the visitor’s true nature – an Abyssal Demon. That striking appearance likely marked her as a succubus. Should I attack? But her power level remains unclear… More importantly, how did a demon breach Moon Elf territory? And why does she act like we’ve met?

"Demon race…"

Tina gritted her teeth, withdrawing her wand from the sleeve. But in the span of a heartbeat-

The stranger materialized before her.

"Sweet dreams, Tina… Our final encounter, I’m afraid."

The girl’s fingertip grazed Tina’s forehead. Immediately, an unnatural heaviness seeped through the elf’s body and soul. Yet amidst the confusion and fear, overwhelming sorrow surged from her core, threatening to drown all conscious thought.

"Don’t you dare sleep here!"

Some distant, timeless voice screamed in warning. Falling now would bring catastrophic consequences beyond imagining. But before Tina could grasp the nature of this danger, darkness claimed her. Her body crumpled soundlessly to the earth.

Lolth gazed at the fallen elf, exhaling softly. She knelt to gather Tina in her arms, spatial magic already rippling around them. "Forgive me," she whispered to the unconscious form, "This is the only way."

The succubus emerged before the Moon Elf priest’s sanctuary cradling their princess. Tina lay serenely in her arms, breathing deep and regular – that familiar peaceful expression Lolth had witnessed countless nights. This younger version lacked the edge of the Tina she’d come to know, yet shared the same essence.

As expected, Moon Elf sentries reacted instantly to the demon holding their noble. "Enemy attack!" Arcane energies and drawn bows focused on the intruder, though her protective hold on Tina stayed their hands.

From the sanctuary’s depths came a mellifluous voice steeped in dignity: "State your business, honored guest."

"Simply returning your wayward daughter. Keep better watch – no more midnight wanderings." Lolth lowered Tina onto the soft turf with ritual care.

After weighted silence, the voice resonated again: "You alter her ordained path."

Lolth inclined her head. "For her protection." She straightened, challenge in her stance. "Would you have it otherwise?"

The sanctuary remained quiet for several heartbeats before responding: "Our gratitude."

"Merely my duty. I couldn’t let her walk into peril."

The voice interrupted gently: "We thank you not just for Tina’s return… but for all you’ve done for this world."

Lolth blinked in surprise, then chuckled low in her throat. "That too was never optional." With these parting words, she vanished, leaving only the dreaming elf beneath the moon’s watchful gaze.