Taste of Magic: Ambassador's Voice

Although Melina would have loved to meet with the Architect straight away, she couldn't just drop everything and head on a journey. While meeting the Architect certainly wouldn't take as long as her previous plan about infiltrating the Church, she still had to prepare the bakery.

First off, she decided that her family would remain in the bakery. Sienna and Mango have become a crucial part of the cooking process and removing them would create too many extra tasks for Roxie and Izfried.

Melina also wanted Roxie to master the cloud muffin recipe and for Izfried to finally nail those macarons. Then they'd have enough magical pastries in their repertoire for Melina to leave safely for a week or two. She would also have to fulfill all of the shimmercake order before leaving and make extra batches of healing waffles for the Guild. There were plenty of tasks for her to do.

Alistair wouldn't be able to come with her either. While his workload had decreased after their engagement party, there was too much work ongoing in Sunglow at the moment. He rushed to get some crucial repairs done before the winter, mostly focusing on the port.

Old houses were also being fixed to attract new workforce. In fact, there were already two carpenters interested in working in Sunglow. Milo had cried tears of joy when he heard that. Poor man had been working for twelve hours a day with barely any rest with how much stuff was required.

A new blacksmith would also arrive soon. A much more humble man than Etan who would keep his focus on weapons and his pieces of art. This one was actually ready to make mundane stuff like tools, nails and other things necessary for building.

There were a hundred other new tiny things happening in Sunglow which required Alistair's supervision, hence why he couldn't leave. Although when he realized that, the man was incredibly frustrated, clinging to Melina the whole evening, not stepping away from her even for a moment.

He did calm down eventually, especially after Elowen assured Alistair that he wouldn't leave Melina's side and Melina reminded him that she was currently the strongest mage in Alemahria. He always seemed to forget that fact.

But after approximately a week since their decision to meet with the Architect, Alistair received a rather grim report from his father in the capital. Heiliger had disappeared. Nobody knew how or when, but one morning when the guard went to check on her and the other Church prisoners, she just wasn't there.

There were no signs of breaking out, no broken door or walls or hidden tunnels or anything. It was like she had never been there to begin with. This apparently had caused a big ruckus in the capital as the Royal Guard had rushed to find her but to no avail.

"We have no time to lose…" Melina muttered to Alistair when he told her that news. "If Heiliger is free to roam around as she pleases, we have to get those Sacred Treasures as quickly as possible."

"Take Sienna with you," Alistair urged. "I know it'll make things a bit more difficult for Roxie and Izfried in the bakery, but you'll be able to reach the Architect much faster with her. Not to mention that you'll be much safer with her."

Melina agreed. Previously she had been alright leaving Sienna behind because they didn't feel the need to rush. But with Heiliger free, the odds were not in their favor anymore. Most likely, the woman had gotten free thanks to one of the many System users in Church's employ.

There were classes associated with stealth so one of them must have helped her get free without leaving any evidence. Depending on how good the defenses in the Royal prison were, it might have been done with something as simple as teleportation.

This likely meant that the Church valued Heiliger enough to get her out. Melina worried about how much knowledge she had from the past life and how much she had told the current Archbishop. Did they really all agree with her crazy plan to separate the realms?

It seemed like absolute madness in Melina's mind. They had all witnessed the destruction it brought. But there must have been some reason why Heiliger was trying to reach the same outcome again. More than just "I'm a maniac who wants to watch the world burn."

But whatever it was, Melina didn't know and she didn't have time to care. After working like crazy for a week to prepare Roxie and the bakery, Melina, Sienna and Elowen set off on their journey.

Alistair and Mango said their farewells with tears in their eyes. Melina would have liked to say that Alistair was the only one desperately clinging to her but Mango was too.

"I'm going to return very soon," Melina said. "And create another new pastry to shock this whole kingdom."

"Just stay safe," Alistair pleaded, and Mango nodded at this, her ears flopping.

"I will. Remember that we're always next to each other," Melina said, pointing at the bracelet on her hand. The very same the Duchess had gifted to her.

"Remember that you can always seek help from my family if you must," Alistair reminded and planted a kiss on her lips as farewell.

She stepped onto the ship together with Sienna, and watched how the town of Sunglow slowly disappeared in the distance. It was a rather heavy feeling. This was the first time she had left Sunglow since coming to live here. It had been over half a year now, and the place definitely felt like home.

Melina would have much preferred if she didn't have to leave. But she couldn't just ignore the problem at large, especially with Heiliger likely back at the Church, plotting her next steps.

"We'll be back," Elowen said, somberly looking at the retreating port. Leliana was there, waving them a teary goodbye.

"Yes, we will," Melina agreed, then decided to switch the topic to take her mind off matters. "So you and Leliana huh?"

Elowen flushed red and looked awkwardly to the side. "Nothing has happened… yet. I merely moved to Leliana's home because she had spared rooms and needed some help around there on a regular basis. It's difficult for her family, having lost a father."

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"You moved in to live with Leliana?!" Melina gasped in shock. This was news to her.

"You didn't know? It was about two weeks ago, shortly after your engagement party," Elowen said.

"Nobody told me. I've been rather busy with the bakery and everything else going on," Melina said.

Admittedly, she had been spending almost all of her free time with Alistair. They had rarely seen each other during the engagement party preparations, so she wanted to make up for the lost time, so to speak. Not to mention, that they also had to prepare a stable for Knight at their house since he officially belonged to Alistair now.

"It is true that we haven't really told anyone yet…" Elowen admitted sheepishly.

Melina smirked. "You're moving rather quickly for an elf. I would have expected you to take more time before moving forward with a relationship. Especially with a human."

Elowen's blush disappeared and he gazed into the sea, as if recalling something. "It's not really quick. I've known Leliana for a long time. Almost since the point where realms were split apart to the point where you rewound time. I've recovered most of those memories by now, and realize that I don't wish to leave her side."

"In the last timeline… Leliana… She lost everything. Her father, her mothers, even her little sister. The whole of Sunglow. She had nothing left. Yet she kept fighting every day. She kept fighting for the world, trying to make it a better place. Trying to make humans and elves understand each other."

"Without her, I likely would have long since given up. Honestly, she's the ambassador between the races, not me. I'm more like a passenger sticking with her," Elowen said with a derisive snort.

Melina smiled. He really cared about Leliana a lot. To think they would have developed such a strong history together after the realms were split apart. She put her hand on the elf's shoulder to console him.

"You're not just a passenger. I think both of you are the ambassador's. By displaying unity between each other, you're showing to everyone that human and elves are not so different."

Elowen clenched his fist. "I'm afraid though… I agreed to live together with her at the spur of the moment, and I don't wish to leave her, but… I also know that she'll grow old before me. The thought of losing her one day…"

Melina nodded. That was the inevitable truth of the situation. Elves lived much longer than humans did, and Elowen was still young by elven standard. He would keep living long after Leliana, Melina and Alistair died, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

"But isn't it more meaningful to spend the limited time together with her rather than to stay away just because you're afraid of getting hurt one day. As they say, it's better to love and lose than to have never loved at all."

Elowen chuckled somberly. "That is the most human thing I've ever heard. But I like it. Frankly, I don't think I could stay away from her even if I tried."

"Frankly, I don't think Leliana is going to let you go," Melina laughed.

"No, likely not."

They both looked out into the sea in companionable silence.

Amaris couldn't believe the shame she had to live through. That accursed Archmage. She regretted the day that girl stepped her foot into the holy hallways of the Monastery. She should have forced her to become a fighter. A weakling like that would have undoubtedly remained mediocre at best.

But how could anyone have predicted that a single human being could be so ungrateful. So utterly corrupt from her being, only even thinking of her own selfish wishes.

Amaris took in the orphan girl, provided her with shelter, gave her the very best teachers so she could achieve what no other mage had ever done. Splitting apart the Human Realm from the corrupt Monster Realm.

At first, the girl worked effortlessly for the goal. There were a few hiccups, but she learned quickly where her place in the world was and obeyed Amaris. She listened to everything she said, helped to decipher the ritual and finally broke the realms apart. Everything was just as they had planned.

It was absolutely perfect. Well, for the most part. There was more damage done to the Human Realm that they had initially expected. The nasty energy from the Monster Realm had taken much deeper root in their world than Amaris had thought. But it didn't matter. All of the filth was purged, and those who relied on it were purged with it.

Amaris and all the other children of the System God were safe and rewarded for their hard work and efforts. They established a safe haven in the capital and let only those worthy of the System Gods light to enter it. They were thriving and the whole world was on their knees.

It didn't matter if it was Alemahria or Su Xien or some other kingdom. The whole world belonged to them. Belonged to Amaris.

But one day, Amaris woke up and found herself 20 years in the past. She didn't realize it right away. It took some time for her memories to recover enough for her to realize that all of her hard work had been for naught.

Then it struck her. This was another blessing from the System God. It had taken them so long to split the realms that rot had seeped into the most of the world. If they managed to do it earlier, then they could do it better. Amaris already knew what she needed this time—all she had to do was gather the pieces.

It was a bit of a shock when she remembered that the strange girl in Sunglow she met before regaining her memories was the Archmage. She had no clue why the girl was there at first, but then realized that it was likely due to her grandfather. A traitor.

Amaris thought that the Archmage was lost to her. Her grandfather must have filled her head with lies. But then it clicked. Why was she acting so differently? The girl remembered the past just like Amaris did. Amaris understood that the System God had given her this piece to more quickly achieve her goal.

But the girl was beyond saving. Her mind was corrupted with traitorous thoughts. Worst of all, the General was under her traitorous thumb, completely smitten by her appearance like some dog in heat. It was disgusting. Amaris decided she had to purge them both.

So she came up with a plan. She would pin them against their most hated enemy. The Monster Lord. This way Amaris would be able to remove those who resisted the System God's plan and enact it properly.

But the treacherous Archmage decided to throw her lot in with the monster. She betrayed her own kind. Amaris never expected her to stoop so low. It revulsed her and filled her rage. Worst of all, the General somehow talked his father into sending his forces to apprehend Amaris and her noble followers. They were put on trial before the king, accused of treachery.

For a while, Amaris waited, believing that her Church brethren would be able to find a way to overcome this tribulation. But she had underestimated the Duke's influence. The King listened to him closely and slowly even other nobles were starting to believe the drivel he was spouting.

No, Amaris couldn't let things proceed as they were. She would have to ignore everything and push for the separation of realms as soon as possible. So she broke out of prison, and was currently on her way back to the Church.

Frankly, she didn't want to resort to this plan. It was her last resort and she would have liked to do things more elegantly. But they had forced her hand. There was no more place for hesitation.

She already had the Chalice of the World with her. It had always been in her possession ever since she joined the Church. The Sacred Treasure was a gift bestowed upon her by the System God. All she needed now was to retrieve the Codex of Origin and the Stone of Sacrifice. With those two items, she would be able to split the realms apart once more and rid this world of the rot that had spread its roots.