My Love Debts Are Everywhere!
Chapter 716 - 716: News From Elina - Part 1

"Something's not right..."

Perched on one of the branches of the World Tree, Astra frowned, her wary gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

She slowly closed her eyes, and a faint green glow began to radiate from her body.

Moments later, her eyes snapped open—her face had turned pale.

"My connection to the Fated One... it's gone!?"

Her heart pounded as she sprang to her feet.

Just moments ago, she had felt her bond with Leon begin to fade. At first, she thought it was just her imagination.

But after checking again, she realized the truth—it wasn't an illusion. The connection had truly vanished.

"Did something happen to the Fated One?" she whispered, a chill creeping up her spine.

The contract linking her to Leon was no ordinary pact. No matter how far apart they were, she could always sense his condition.

And yet, if he were in danger, she should have felt it. But now, the bond had vanished—without warning. That shouldn't be possible.

"I need to inform Malverna," she said quietly, her tone tense.

With a flick of her finger, her figure dissolved into a shard of light and faded from sight.

...

Inside her study, Zelda appeared to be working with utmost seriousness. Ever since her meeting with Athena and the proposed cooperation between the two races, her workload had increased drastically.

There was much to handle—from constructing a small town to help the elves adapt to the outside world to addressing other pressing matters.

After all, the Elven race had been absent for the past seven thousand years. It would take time, along with a careful process of adaptation, for humans, demons, and dragons to fully accept their return.

Given the complexity, it was clearly no simple task and could not be accomplished overnight.

Even so, progress had been steady. If things continued smoothly, the elves might be fully integrated into the outside world within the next six months.

Just as she was absorbed in her work, a voice echoed in her mind.

"Zelda, come to my place. I have important news for you."

Her hand froze mid-motion, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Ancestor? Was that her voice?" She looked around instinctively, glancing from side to side.

Her brows drew together in suspicion, but she said nothing and vanished from her place.

***

Inside the wooden house, Malverna sat with a grim expression, as if someone had just taken the life of the person she cherished most.

Astra sat beside her, wearing the same solemn look.

Not long after, the door creaked open, and Zelda's graceful figure appeared in the doorway.

She was about to greet Malverna but paused, startled by the elder's expression—and by Astra's unexpected presence.

"Ancestor? Did you call for me?" she asked cautiously, stepping inside.

Malverna gave a slight nod and replied flatly, "Yes, I did. Sit down."

Zelda immediately sensed something was wrong but chose not to question it. She walked over to the sofa across from them and sat down with quiet grace.

She waited in silence, allowing Malverna to speak first.

"Huff..." Malverna exhaled slowly, her gaze fixed on Zelda. "I have bad news. I hope you're prepared to hear it."

Zelda stiffened. A chill crept down her spine, though her expression remained composed.

"Don't worry, Ancestor. I'm ready to hear whatever you need to tell me."

Malverna didn't speak right away. She exchanged a glance with Astra, who returned the look with equal seriousness.

After a few heavy seconds, Malverna sat up straighter and said in a grave tone, "The Fated One has suffered a serious accident. His life... may be in danger."

The moment Malverna spoke, the room fell into a tense, frozen silence.

Zelda stared in disbelief, then abruptly rose and slammed both palms onto the table in front of her.

*Bang!*

A loud crash echoed through the room as anger rose sharply in Zelda's chest.

"Leon had an accident? And his life is in danger? That's impossible! Ancestor, you're lying… aren't you!?"

Her eyes reddened as she locked a sharp, accusing gaze on Malverna.

Leon was the Fated One—there was no way he could've had an accident, let alone be in danger.

He was incredibly strong. No one could possibly defeat him.

And yet… how could the Ancestor say his life was at risk?

"I know this is hard to accept, but please, hear me out first, Zelda," Malverna said gently.

Zelda calmed herself with a deep breath, then slowly sank back into her seat.

"I'm sorry, Ancestor, I—" she began, but Malverna gently raised a hand to stop her.

"It's alright. I understand," she said calmly.

With that, Malverna began to recount the information Astra had shared with her.

Zelda listened intently, and slowly, her expression grew grim.

Although her ancestor's explanation sounded reasonable, it was still hard for her to accept the reality.

"Ancestor, how about we contact Elina directly? I can reach her through our race's communication crystal," she suggested, her tone tinged with stubbornness.

The crystal she referred to was the same device she had used to contact Elina before—an advanced artifact powered by hundreds of high-level magic circles, allowing two identical crystals to link across vast distances.

That was why Zelda hadn't been too worried when she learned Elina had secretly followed Leon. Despite the distance, they could still communicate.

Malverna agreed without hesitation.

"Alright, I don't mind. It's a good idea—we can get the information straight from her."

Zelda nodded, then pulled a pentagon-shaped crystal from her pocket and began channeling mana into it.

About four days ago, she had tried to contact her sister, but the mischievous girl had ignored her.

Now, she could only hope Elina wouldn't do the same again.

"Sister!"

The crystal in her hand suddenly glowed bright green, and Elina's anxious face appeared within the light.

"Elina!" Zelda exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief. "I finally managed to reach you. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"I'm sorry, Sister... it was my fault," Elina replied, her face downcast and filled with guilt.

Zelda was taken aback by her reaction. The girl was usually stubborn—bold enough to argue without hesitation.

But now, she was admitting her mistake and offering a sincere apology.

"What happened to her? Has traveling with Leon really helped her grow up?" Zelda wondered.

Pushing her curiosity aside, she turned her attention back to the glowing crystal.

"By the way, Elina, where are you right now? And... is Leon with you? If he is, could you pass him the crystal? I need to speak with him—it's important."

Elina fell silent, biting her lower lip. After a few moments, she replied softly, "Sister... I'm currently with the dwarven race, helping them relocate from their old home. And... the Fated One isn't with me."

"He's not with you?" Zelda's heart skipped a beat. "Then... where is he?"

Elina swallowed hard before answering, "I don't know. But earlier… he went into the mountain crater to investigate something."

"Investigate what?" Zelda pressed.

Elina hesitated for a moment, then replied quietly, "An ancient monster."