Whether it was Layla, Bear, or even the red-haired prince, all of them were clearly delighted by his words.

"Richard, when will you act?" Layla asked.

"I know you need information, so we have prepared everything."

She then took out a small crystal shaped like a finger.

"Here it is. All the latest information about Holy Light City is inside."

Layla handed the crystal to Richard.

It was a type that could store information, absorbable just like Aether.

Richard took it and immediately absorbed the contents.

It wasn't a massive amount of information. His mind read through all of it in an instant.

"I'll take action, but not right now. I'm certain the Holy Light Kingdom won't recover easily," Richard replied.

Of course, recovery was impossible for them in the short term. Powerful Magi were the true foundation of a kingdom, and even they were severely injured.

Without certain treasures, their recovery would take a very long time.

Layla nodded, not the slightest bit disappointed.

The fact that he agreed to help already made her incredibly relieved.

"You may return for now," Richard added.

"Thank you!"

"Thank you!"

Both Layla and Bear expressed their gratitude as they stood.

The Empress's return was something they deeply longed for. Without her, their clan—one of the royal family's branch lineages—would be the weakest for the time being.

Although they could rely on Prince Alex, he was still far too young to become a clan's foundation.

When Prince Alex finally stood, he nodded to Richard. He looked like he wanted to speak, but in the end he remained silent.

His mental state seemed extremely fragile.

Richard couldn't help but compare him to the cowardly young men on Earth who didn't even dare step outside their homes.

'At least his magical talent is very high,' Richard thought.

Because of that alone, no one would worry about his long-term prospects.

Richard waited until the trio left, then he also departed, continuing toward Grace's castle.

It was located outside the city walls, yet still within the protected zone of the city's Defense Formation.

The area was filled with small snowy mountains, with farmland at their bases, and atop some of the mountains stood old castles—not large, but impressive.

Each mountain was easy to climb thanks to staircase-like pathways.

Arthur pointed to one mountain, telling Richard that the castle atop it was Grace's residence.

They ascended the mountain easily on their horses.

The castle, it turned out, was even surrounded by walls with a tightly closed gate.

But as soon as they arrived, the gate opened, revealing a young maid about Richard's age with short green hair.

For the first time, Richard found himself shocked at the sight of a maid—not because of her beauty, but because of her pointed ears.

An Elf. She was unmistakably an Elf.

Richard knew this world had Elves. They were fewer in number than humans and a few major races.

They lived on the Elf Island, the largest island in this world.

Their abilities lay in controlling nature itself, making them notoriously difficult opponents.

Additionally, they were unmatched in healing arts.

Richard found it difficult to believe he was seeing an Elf here.

And on top of that—she was working as a maid.

"Welcome, City Lord. My Lady has been expecting you. You may enter. There is no need to dismount—please enter with your horse," the Elf said to Richard.

She seemed to completely ignore Arthur, despite his status as a commander.

"Thank you." Richard was not surprised Grace already knew of his arrival.

They were long-time acquaintances, after all.

Richard just didn't know whether Grace was aware he was Rebecca's biological son.

Although the Elf allowed him to enter on horseback, he still dismounted and stored Athena into the Dragon Hall, choosing to enter on foot.

Now that he was an adult, he knew he had to behave properly.

He needed to appear more refined and well-mannered.

Following the Elf's lead, Richard entered the castle courtyard, seeing it more clearly.

Uniquely, the courtyard was filled with grapevines despite the falling snow.

Each vine bore clusters of pure white grapes—something Richard had never seen before.

He had also never heard of snow-grapes.

Richard continued walking until they reached the doors of the castle, which were slightly ajar.

But before the Elf pushed them open, they were pulled from the inside by a slender white hand, its skin like pure snow, with a crimson moon marking on the upper part of the palm.

When the door opened, Richard immediately saw the figure of a woman with straight black hair and blunt bangs, eyes glowing red like a blood-full moon—beautiful and mesmerizing, yet carrying a deadly aura.

She wore a red dress the same shade as her eyes, tight and perfectly complementing her tall, slender, and curved figure.

Her face was unmistakably Grace's—now fully grown. Beautiful, with an inverted-diamond face shape, high nose bridge, rosy lips, and slim cheeks with dimples.

She was stunning, her pale neck adorned with a crescent-moon diamond necklace that glowed as white as the snow.

"Hello, Grace," Richard greeted with a faint smile.

Back when they were children, Richard had avoided her, even though it was obvious she had been interested in him.

But what could he do? He had no interest in little girls—physically or mentally.

Naturally, everything was different now that she was an adult.

Her body and mind were no longer the same.

Grace did not immediately return Richard's greeting. She was observing him longer than he observed her.

Her eyes scanned him from head to toe, down to his shoes.

Only after that did she finally respond.

"Richard, long time no see… I thought you had vanished from this world."

Richard: "…"

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at hearing that from her.

"So you also believed the rumors that I died?" he asked.

"It was hard not to, considering you disappeared for so long while still being so young," Grace replied casually, making Richard roll his eyes.

"Please, come in."

After that, Grace invited Richard into her castle.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.