Chapter 257: Prince Elif's Benefactor

Grabbing Mother and Father's dimension ring from the tray, Illumia grabbed the lid and closed it before pushing it off the stage while I held the ring in my hand, scanning the insides with my divine sense; searching through the dimension ring, I quickly found what I was looking for, yet what I saw confused me more than astonished me. I was still very much astonished at what I saw, but I was far more confused as I couldn't believe I was actually seeing this.

Sitting within the vast empty whiteness of the dimension was a singular floating light blue ball of Qi that was radiating life; well, not entirely; there was a soul, but at the same time, it didn't exist; it was slightly hard to explain. However, I didn't need to fully understand since I knew exactly what I was looking at: a species that was thought to be extinct long ago because of everyone's greed.

'A Wisp.' Thought Elif in complete astonishment as he gazed at the small yet incredibly dense ball of floating Qi.

I could hardly believe my eyes that I was staring at a genuine Wisp, a race of supposedly extinct creatures, yet it was right there before my very eyes. Not only that, the Qi radiating off of it was far more potent than I've ever sensed before in my life; I didn't believe for a second it was stronger than the likes of Progenitor Lourdes, but it was emanating far more Qi that she's ever displayed before me. In fact, it was too much, as the way I am right now, I couldn't even properly use the Qi; this has more than enough Qi to get me to become a True God, and I won't even use the smallest fraction of Qi at its disposal.

The fact that a Wisp was living was more than enough of a shock, but adding on top of the sheer amount of Qi it has was mind-boggling since that means it's been alive for a long, long time, older than the current epoch, the Harmonious Epoch. However, despite how much of a treasure this Wisp was, I was on the fence about whether I should even use it; a wisp is believed to be extinct and hasn't appeared ever since the Chaotic Epoch, which was the previous epoch, and while that may not sound long, the current epoch, has been ongoing longer than every other epoch combined, multiplied by seven.

This Wisp could very well be the last one in all of reality, and if that's the case, I wouldn't wish to be the one to make an entire species go extinct; I may view everyone else as mere ants beneath my feet, but I rarely go out of my way to purposely kill them, of course, unless they anger me first which is a rarity in itself, though I digress.

Retracting my divine sense from the dimension ring, I looked up at Mother and Father, who were both intently looking at me, waiting for me to praise their gift, and I couldn't lie; this was an amazing gift, though I just didn't know if I wanted it.

"Mother, Father, this is a spectacular gift, but I don't quite know if it's right for me to take it." Said Elif lightly with a complicated expression, his words surprising everyone else while Maria and Marcus were slightly taken aback.

"Hmm, what do you mean, Son?" Asked Maria with furrowed brows as she ignored the murmurs while looking between Elif and the dimension ring.

"If this is truly the last one, Mother, I don't want to put the final nail in the coffin, so to speak." Replied Elif lightly as he looked at the dimension ring within his hand before shaking his head while speaking in a slightly cryptic tone, which Maria and Marcus understood.

"We understand what you mean, but keep it for now, Elif; we shall discuss later, as now isn't really the best time." Said Marcus as he rubbed his chin while nodding, prompting Elif to store the dimension ring within his own and also nod.

"Sorry about that, everyone; the present my parents gifted me was just that extraordinary, that's all. Anyhow, I'd like to graciously thank everyone once more for the splendid gifts; they were miraculous, and I truly appreciate them." Remarked Elif with a charming smile as he cleared his throat and looked at everyone, causing them to all nod, while Goliath down a barrel of alcohol before yelling.

"Speech! Give us a speech, Prince Elif!" Yelled Goliath loudly with a slightly drunken expression as he looked at Elif standing on stage while his parents nearly strangled him right then and there.

"Heh, wonderful idea, Goliath; Speech!" Remarked Birger with a faint smirk as he started yelling alongside Goliath, only for Hayat, heir to the Divine Phoenix clan, to join shortly after.

Seeing those three fools yelling, I was about to try and refuse them, but before I could, I saw Echo joining, followed by Mada, then Eyvor, Shelia, Sarah, and finally Suscila; however, that was merely the spark that started the storm as within a few moments nearly everyone within the dining room was yelling.

"SPEECH! SPEECH! SPEECH!" Yelled roughly everyone in the dining room as they looked up at Elif, who was sporting a troubled expression.

'Those two foolish servants; I'll punish them later.' Mused Elif with a twitching expression as he glanced at Marley and Idonea in the distance, yelling.

Sighing to myself at this inevitable speech, I raised my hand and spread my Qi as I lightly pressured everyone, just to the point where they started to quiet down.

"Since it's so heavily requested, this Prince shall be magnanimous and do a speech for you all." Said Elif with a narcissistic smirk as he flipped his small strand of hair before once more clearing his throat.

I didn't know exactly what to speak about, though after doing a quick look around the room, I decided it was best to be simple.

"Well, I've got nothing planned since this was suggested right now, but I think I should give recognition where it's due since, as annoying as it is, I wouldn't be this unparalleled Prince, you all know today, though I would still very much be just as gorgeous." Remarked Elif with a faint smirk and an annoyed expression before once again turning narcissistic while everyone intently paid attention.

"Before this very crowd, I'd like to personally thank the person who practically molded me into who I am today since, without her, I've got no doubt I'd be a lazy, arrogant, and lustful Prince who takes my talents for granted and constantly indulged in the pleasures of the flesh." Said Elif calmly yet seriously as his voice echoed through the dining room while Tiana, Maria, and Elaine were proudly smiling, thinking he was referring to them.

"She's been by my side for most of my life and has acted as my advisor on an uncountable number of occasions, giving me her insight into various matters, even when I never specifically ask for it. She reprimands, teaches, and will even sometimes punish me, as annoying as it is, but without all of that discipline, I wouldn't be nearly as magnificent as I am right now. She serves as my guide, and although not always directly, she keeps me from straying down the wrong path or making unwise decisions." Declared Elif lightly as he summoned his Quạt tay and fanned himself while Tiana, Maria, and Elaine slightly furrowed their brows, not giving up hope yet.

"She and I have a unique relationship; I wouldn't quite claim it, teacher and student, but I also wouldn't correct someone if they thought so. She holds a special place within my heart, and I'd be quite saddened to see her not by my side, even though for an hour or so every day, I wish never to see her face again. She enjoys teasing me and loves to have the most bland face I've ever seen; if it weren't for those two things, she'd be perfect; alas, that wasn't the case. Perfection can only be achieved by yours truly." Remarked Elif with furrowed brows before slightly shaking his head, only for an exasperated look to surface while Tiana, Maria, and Elaine all were sporting ugly expressions.

Taking a second to pause as I looked around at everyone, I glanced at Mother, Grandmother, and Elaine, and I couldn't help but wryly smile as I wasn't referring to them; looking away, I shifted my focus over to the woman who I was speaking about, and I knew she knew I was speaking about her, yet she still had that same stoic expression as usual, causing me to roll my eyes in slight annoyance.

"Do you have a soul or not? Staying expressionless even when your heavenly Prince is speaking greatly about you. Unbelievable. Get up here, woman; you won't ever get another chance." Remarked Elif in exasperation as he looked at the woman, who couldn't help but faintly smirk as she approached him before standing directly to his right.

"Illumia Mallimus, as annoying as you can be, I do appreciate you, and I'd want no one else as my personal attendant." Said Elif as he looked at Illumia, who, despite trying her best to remain stoic, was sporting a lovely smile while Tiana and Maria were irritated, and well, Elaine looked ready to lash out into a fiery rage.

"I-I've got no words, your Highness. I-I never knew you actually thought so highly of me." Said Illumia gently as she ignored the crowd and looked up into Elif's enchanting purple eyes, slight tears forming within her own.

"Hmph, well now you know; though don't expect me to ever say it again, this Prince doesn't give out compliments easily. Here's a little treat." Replied Elif with a huff as he gave Illumia a once over before leaning down and kissing her on the cheek, which would've been the lips if Elaine wasn't present; speaking of her, if it weren't for Maria pressuring her, she would've lunged at Illumia with Orcus in hand.