Reborn as the Failed Lord with my Resource Gathering System.

"What brings an individual such as myself to your kingdom? No offense, Your Majesty, but you speak as though I was not born here. I have been in this kingdom all my life; I just chose to lay low for a while," Dorian uttered, his head tilted to the side, still wearing the smuggest expression ever.

Revina was silent for a while.

This man was annoying, truly annoying.

That said, if there was even a single hint that what he was saying was the truth, then things might have gone south very quickly.

Starting from the fact there was a humanoid dragon behind him—that alone already had her spooked as hell.

Dragons.

These creatures, or rather, lower gods, are not beings one could so easily dismiss with the wave of a hand.

It was slowly making sense why Dorian refused to bow his head to her messenger, and why even now, he doesn't have the least bit of fear for her.

If there was someone who had the ability to make a humanoid dragon bow to their will, then their authority and strength already far outranked that of a king.

Revina soon found herself sighing out loud. "So many questions…" she blurted out.

Dorian took notice of this and immediately wore a knowing smile.

It was working.

At that point, he was more than certain the King would follow any conversation he laid bare, since she herself didn't know where to begin.

So, Dorian took the initiative and leaned forward.

"I think we should first discuss the issue with the elves; that was the main reason you invited me here anyway. That blob man beside you agrees, don't you?" He pointed at Alexandra, who, in that moment, was still too shocked to even understand anything that was happening around him.

"Right, the elves. Sigh." Revina leaned back, her legs still crossed. "Please go into detail about what happened. The information I had on the event is quite flawed, you see."

"Of course, Your Majesty." With that, Dorian proceeded to tell the King everything that happened in the underground slave trade, and also how he had to kill most of the nobles while leaving some for interrogation.

As she listened to the story, a somewhat satisfied look played on her face as she figured Dorian was telling the truth since it correlated with what her intel told her.

She had assumed he was going to lie, but seeing as he spoke with such confidence, he must have known she was testing him. What a strange man.

"So you decided to kill the nobles, all of them?" asked Revina.

Dorian paused. "Is that a problem? I mean no insult when I say this, but handing such powerful nobles to the authorities would do more bad than good. You know this as well, don't you, Your Majesty?"

Revina furrowed her brows a bit. She too knew all too well how corrupt some nobles could be, but to have it slapped across her face by this man aggravated her. To calm herself, she quickly changed the topic.

"You have the main culprits with you. Normally, you would be thrown in jail as well as a suspect, but I don't see a reason for you to lie, so just hand them over and I will handle the rest. Oh, and also, as regards the elves you saved, the kingdom will take care of them. Hand them over and we will-"

"I am sorry, but that won't do. I am afraid the elves have chosen to remain by my side and nowhere else. Is that also a problem?"

Revina was taken aback by this.

It seemed like he was dropping a bombshell on her with every passing moment of their discussion.

Elves were known to be very self-aware; there is no way they would have chosen to live freely with a human.

"Is that so? You won't mind showing me their living condition after this, will you?" Revina's voice held a bit of doubt.

Upon hearing this, Dorian replied, "Why wait? I brought an elf with me for this exact reason. Would you like to speak to her?"

"An elf agreed to ride with you?"

"Yes."

The first thought that crossed her mind was whether or not Dorian was secretly using these elves as slaves and manipulating them.

But even though she thought about it, for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to think it could be true. For a man she had only just met, she had such high regard for him.

"Sure, I would like to see her."

"Very good." Dorian clapped his hands together with a smile. "Seraphina, darling, would you mind bringing our elf for Her Majesty here?"

Just by the fact Dorian called her darling made Seraphina's eyes pop out with joy. It was the first time he was calling her that, after all.

"Right away." Seraphina stood up from the chair with haste, bowed her head, and walked out of the room.

Revina watched the woman leave, her gaze lingering on the closed door for a moment before returning to Dorian.

She had to admit, the man was full of surprises.

An enslaved elf choosing to stay with a human, and now he had one with him in the palace? It was unheard of.

"You seem remarkably confident in this elf's loyalty," Revina observed, a hint of curiosity in her tone.

Dorian chuckled softly. "Loyalty is earned, Your Majesty, not demanded. I believe you'll find she has very good reasons to trust me." He leaned back in his chair, a relaxed posture that only further aggravated Revina, yet she couldn't deny his intriguing presence.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and Seraphina re-entered, this time accompanied by a slender elf woman with striking silver hair and eyes the color of emeralds.

The elf was dressed in simple, yet elegant, traveling clothes, and she carried herself with a quiet dignity. Her expression was calm, almost serene, as she entered the throne room.

Revina's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. This was no common enslaved elf.

Her bearing, her presence – it spoke of a life lived with a certain degree of freedom, or at least a deep inner strength.

The elf halted a few paces in front of Revina, and to the queen's surprise, she offered a graceful, unhurried bow.

"Your Majesty," the elf's voice was soft, melodic, yet carried a surprising resonance. "I am Lyra. It is an honor to meet you."

Revina studied Lyra for a long moment, a myriad of thoughts swirling in her mind. This was not what she had expected.

As an elf herself, she could tell when one of her own was living in bad condition, and while there were hints of it, it seemed like it was fading rather than growing.

"Lyra," Revina finally said, her voice steady despite her inner turmoil. "Dorian tells me you have chosen to remain with him. Is this true?"

Lyra's emerald eyes met Revina's. "Yes, Your Majesty. I have."

"And you do so of your own free will?" Revina pressed, her gaze searching for any hint of coercion or fear.

Lyra offered a small, serene smile. "Completely, Your Majesty. I believe King Dorian offers a path to true freedom, not just for myself, but for all my kin."

Revina leaned back in her chair, her earlier doubts beginning to crumble. This elf, Lyra, spoke with a conviction that could not be faked. If what she said was true, then Dorian was indeed far more than just a peculiar man. He was a force to be reckoned with.

....

[A/N]

Promised Extra chapter.