Death Notice Book 8: Chapter 11: The Elf King’s Invitation

Release Date: 2026-05-27 14:22:55

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The Elf King’s gentle attitude made Qin Lun feel surprised inside. As a master of psychology, he could tell from the Elf King’s tone that it was real patience and modesty, not just fake politeness. Just as Iristin said, this King Testiel was a down-to-earth ruler.

Facing King Testiel’s questions, Qin Lun described the attack in the simplest words, where they pretended to be an Elf merchant caravan but were really an envoy group. Although he didn’t see the attack himself, the Apostles from the Fortress Team had lots of experience, so they guessed the whole story from battle marks at the scene and put it together.

In telling this, Qin Lun tried to copy the attack process fairly, without mixing in too much of his own opinions. He still didn’t know this Elf King well and didn’t want to seem suspicious. But at the end, Qin Lun still hinted that it was a planned attack by a human lord’s knight force, not just a rogue group that got greedy.

“Firal, why did you think this was surely done by a human knight force, not some rogue group?” Hearing Qin Lun’s words, King Testiel frowned and asked his question.

“They had good gear and many horses. If not, with the carriages’ defense setup, Lady Emma wouldn’t have been grabbed by surprise so easily.” Qin Lun’s face showed anger he couldn’t hide, and he said in a heavy voice. “The area near Elbad is a water-filled delta plain. A human lord couldn’t let such a big mounted outlaw group live nearby—it must be a real knight force in disguise.”

King Testiel nodded without saying yes or no, but a cold shine flickered in his eyes—he had to believe Qin Lun’s solid reasons. Also, as the Elf King, he naturally had many ways to check the truth. Recent strange troubles in Qiongdus Kingdom showed that Elbad’s human lord really might have attacked the Elf envoy group pretending to be merchants.

“Firal, do you think the rest of the mercenary group’s fighters can save Emma?” King Testiel asked quietly.

“There’s about a fifty percent chance! The Leader of the mercenary group told me, before he sent me back to tell you, that even if their strength isn’t enough to fight Elbad’s army, they can still use a decapitation plan. They could kidnap Elbad’s human lord to trade for Lady Emma.” Qin Lun’s face showed determination, and he spoke in a strong tone.

“Decapitation plan?” The Elf King’s eyes flashed with helplessness—kidnapping a human lord would surely make things worse. But not saving the envoy would let the humans push harder, leaving him stuck in a hard place.

Though the Qiongda’er Elves and Qiongdus Kingdom had over a thousand years of bad blood and were sworn enemies, they’d been at peace the last two hundred years. Also, the Magic Cup Court was in a tough spot right then. Even if Qiongdus Kingdom wasn’t strong enough to go deep into the forest, just trapping the Qiongda’er Elves at the edge would cause them big problems.

The lucky thing was, the Elven Royal Court had already thought this might happen. Disguising as merchants and hiring an outside mercenary group with both humans and Elves came from that idea.

The Elf King’s eyes sparked, and he soon made up his mind in his heart. When he looked back at the three people, his frown was gone, and he stopped worrying about the event. He just smiled at Qin Lun and said, “Even though you’re just a mercenary for now, you’re still part of Qiongda’er. Plus, you acted very bravely this time. Would you like to join the royal guard?”

Join the royal guard? Facing the Elf King’s offer, Qin Lun’s eyes widened, and his mind raced fast. He didn’t know what the royal guard really meant, but from the Elf King’s tone, it seemed like a reward.

Making a lowly Elf fighter into his own bodyguard was maybe the Elf King’s way to pull him closer on impulse, but Qin Lun felt it was off deep inside. After all, he wasn’t from the Elven Royal Court but a small tribe on the Qiongda’er Forest edge. Becoming a close servant who could be near the Elf King anytime—how could there be no difference between friends and strangers?

Elves were calm by nature, not chasing fame like humans, but that didn’t mean they had no classes. Actually, the proud Elven Race cared a lot about manners and ranks—classes didn’t come from money or power but from blood ties.

At that thought, Qin Lun flicked his eyes toward Prince Coris and Iristin beside him. With the Elf King’s idea, the Elf Prince looked confused and was lost in thought, but the Elven Druid had a small frown and her gaze at him held a hint of worry that was hard to notice.

What was she worried about? Could the Elf King inviting him be tied to Iristin too? Qin Lun’s mind flashed through every detail since they entered the Elven Royal Court up to the top meeting hall, plus all the talks.

Iristin’s status wasn’t simple—that was clear from the Elf Prince coming out to greet them.

Had King Testiel been watching her before? Were there spies among the Elf knights who followed them? Had they already told the Elf King their chats, even the part where Iristin tested his Moonlight Elf Bloodline?

Maybe King Testiel’s invite wasn’t out of the blue… Qin Lun felt a stir and slightly squinted his eyes.

Qin Lun’s thinking took just an instant; soon his face showed a shy, troubled look. He looked up with regret and replied, “Firal would be happy to work for the royal family, but I have a long contract with the mercenary group. It won’t end for several years, so I’m afraid I must turn down your kind offer.”

“Not at all—keeping promises is a good thing!” King Testiel’s face didn’t change, and he waved his hand with a smile. But his voice had a little disappointment, making Qin Lun look even more sorry.

After Qin Lun said no to the Elf King, he saw Iristin let out a soft breath next to him, which made him sure his guess was right.

Really, even without Iristin’s ties, Qin Lun couldn’t join the royal guard. Saying yes to King Testiel would get him big rewards fast, but the problem was, after becoming a royal guard, could he still join in the Fortress Team’s Main Plotline?

Maybe with the Elven Court’s current situation, Qin Lun would start some big Historical Plot with King Testiel, but because of the royal guard role, the Fortress Team couldn’t join that plot line. He’d have to leave the team and not help Stahl and the others anymore.

Right after finishing the Guidance Mission, ignoring team benefits and running off to another plot—even if he did well, the Fortress Team wouldn’t think highly of him. Plus, he needed to impress the Tianfu Team, so this was clearly not okay.

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“You turned down King Testiel? But being a royal guard member is the dream of many Elven Rangers—way better than being a wandering mercenary.” In a guest room lower in the Elf castle, Iristin watched Qin Lun closely, like she was hoping to find a flower on his face.

Qin Lun just smiled at the Elven Druid without speaking—this kind of testing felt too simple for him. Also, while he guessed some things, he didn’t know the full story yet. Saying more might give him away, so staying quiet was better.

King Testiel’s sudden invite made Qin Lun think of many possibilities—maybe the Elf King admired him, but more likely, it was to tie him in for a reason. And from Iristin’s nervousness, it was probably about her.

Based on that, Qin Lun easily figured the problem was his Moonlight Elf Bloodline. After they entered the castle, Iristin’s blood test must have caught some sneaky eyes—maybe a knight told King Testiel.

After testing his blood, Iristin hadn’t said much, but from then on, she’d answered all his questions kindly. Qin Lun didn’t feel odd before, but once the Elf King asked him to join the royal guard and Iristin got nervous, it hit him fast.

Iristin surely had some ties to him—probably blood ties—so she must be a pure-blood Moon Elf too. Plus, with Iristin’s big background, King Testiel’s point was clear: he was trying to pull in the Moon Elf Tribe.

An Elf King wasn’t like a human king—each one was a strong fighter or Mage and a wise old soul. No matter how friendly or easygoing he acted, he was a ruler with deep plans and skills no one should look down on.

But Qin Lun still wasn’t sure about one thing—that’s why he didn’t want to talk now.

Even if Iristin and he were both pure-blood Moon Elves, why care so much about him? The character Firal he was in had come from a tiny tribe and was lowly with no pull over other Elves.

“You’ve got it rough. Personally, I back King Testiel’s reforms, but it’s the Moon Elf Tribe council’s choice, and I can’t fight it.” Iristin looked worn out and sad, sitting on a chair in the living room.

Qin Lun’s eyes sparked—he suddenly felt he was near some secret in the Qiongda’er Elven kingdom and maybe could uncover a huge plot line. He blinked gently and softened his voice to comfort her. “Right now’s a crisis for the Elven Court, so we need to unite more. Can’t someone of your status shift the tribe elders’ thoughts?”

“How can I do that? If my mom were still here…” Iristin’s face suddenly went red, and she ducked her chin.

Qin Lun almost laughed—this was typical hiding her head in the sand from trouble. But thinking back on Iristin’s image along the trip, this Elven Druid with her face painted might just be a young elf girl, not ready for such heavy duties.

“Iristin, I’ve roamed away these years and don’t get all the kingdom’s changes. Can you fill me in?” Qin Lun’s eyes gleamed, and he smiled at Iristin.

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Volume 8 Chapter 12: Peril of Survival »