[Marvel's Magic Master] Chapter 266: The Round Table Conference

George walked through the streets of the Elven city. Every elf he encountered would stop and bow to him out of respect.

The Light Elves of the city were either veterans of the Battle of the Canyon or the Siege of the Elven City. They had all personally witnessed George's contributions to the war and understood that without him, they might not be alive today.

Deep in their hearts, they were immensely grateful and respectful toward him.

George was the only human in this era who could command such respect from the elves upon meeting them.

Even among the elves, only a prince would receive such treatment.

After walking for a while, George arrived at the Great Hall of Council. While he was refining dragon crystals earlier, an elf had come to inform him that the three princes had invited him to a meeting.

"Apologies for being late."

As George stepped into the hall, he swept his gaze across the room. Aside from the three princes, there were also Bregralas, Barahir, and an elf he didn't recognize.

This elf was taller than the three princes, and George could sense that the energy within him might surpass the combined strength of all three.

"You're not late; we haven't started yet."

Prince Finrod introduced the unfamiliar elf to George.

"George, let me introduce you—this is my cousin, Fingon."

The brave Fingon, the next High King of the Elves.

George immediately recognized the elf before him. Fingon was a legendary figure in Elven history.

Back in the day, Fëanor's family had burned the ships, abandoning his two younger brothers and their people. They had led their kin in a quest for vengeance against Morgoth, only to be slaughtered. Fëanor's eldest son, Maedhros, then inherited the title of High King of the Noldor.

However, soon after, Maedhros was deceived by Morgoth under the pretense of exchanging a Silmaril and was captured. He was chained and suspended from a cliff on Thangorodrim, enduring thirty years of torment.

His six younger brothers, fearing Morgoth's power, dared not attempt a rescue.

Meanwhile, the factions of Fingolfin and Finrod, still bitter over Fëanor's betrayal, were unwilling to intervene.

But Fingon, the eldest son of Fingolfin, had always been close friends with Maedhros since their time in Valinor. So, he set out alone for Angband and rescued him.

To repay Fingon's life-saving act, Maedhros ignored his brothers' objections and ceded the High Kingship of the Noldor to Fingon's father, Fingolfin.

Later, after Fingolfin challenged Morgoth to single combat and was slain, Fingon inherited the title of High King.

As High King, he unified elves and men to repeatedly drive back Morgoth's armies. However, in the end, he was surrounded by the Balrog Lord and a host of Balrogs and Orcs. After an exhausting battle, he was slain.

After introducing Fingon, Finrod turned back to George, his voice full of gratitude.

"And this is Aivon George. If not for his help, our faction of elves might have only Galadriel left by now."

Fingon looked at George with admiration and deep appreciation.

"George, thank you for aiding the Noldor. We will forever remember this kindness."

Back when Fëanor burned the ships, Fingon's father, Fingolfin, led their people—including many of their cousins—through the deadly Helcaraxë in the northwest, braving extreme dangers to reach Middle-earth.

Because of that journey, these two branches of the Noldor shared an exceptionally close bond, akin to full-blooded siblings.

After all, they shared the same grandfather and grandmother, whereas Fëanor's side only shared the grandfather—his mother had been a different woman.

(Fëanor and his two brothers were half-siblings. His mother died shortly after his birth.)

To Fingon, George saving Finrod's faction was like saving his own younger brother. Furthermore, George had helped defend the central front, preventing Morgoth's army from launching a pincer attack on the western defenses.

This was an immense favor to the entire Elven race.

George, as always, responded with modesty, refraining from using his deeds to demand Elven magic or other benefits.

He already had a better plan in mind.

After exchanging formalities, the group sat around the round table and began discussing the future course of action.

George mostly listened, not engaging in military strategy discussions. He wasn't a tactician—his previous successes had only come from his knowledge of history, allowing him to help the elves gain an advantage in battle.

But now, with his interference, history had already been altered. His past knowledge was no longer entirely reliable.

After roughly two hours of discussion, they reached several key conclusions.

First, they would not deploy forces to reinforce the eastern front.

The eastern defenses had completely collapsed, and Morgoth's army had already pushed into central Beleriand. The six princes were retreating south, and the eldest prince had been forced to take refuge in a fortress. Sending reinforcements at this point would be futile.

Had the defenses held, they could have supported Fëanor's sons in repelling the enemy. But now, any troops sent there would only be caught in a two-front siege between Angband and the advancing dark armies from central Beleriand.

Moreover, if they diverted forces eastward, Morgoth could take advantage of their absence to launch another offensive against the western and central fronts, making the situation even worse.

Second, they decided to fortify the defenses of the central and western regions to prevent a second invasion from Morgoth.

Finrod would mobilize all elves under his command to reinforce his two younger brothers' cities. Bregralas and Barahir planned to gather scattered human tribes and relocate them to the Elven city.

At the dawn of the First Age, three human tribes had migrated westward into Beleriand. The House of Bëor was only one of them.

The other two were the House of Haladin and the House of Marach, both of which had far larger populations than the Bëorians.

Although these three clans were settled in different locations, they maintained strong ties.

With these reinforcements, the central region would have enough manpower to build a solid defense. Even if Morgoth gathered his forces from both the west and the center, the defenders could hold the line.

As for the canyon, Fingon planned to travel to the hidden kingdom of Gondolin, which his younger brother, Turgon, had built near the gorge. He would request that Gondolin send an army to guard the region.

Turgon had always been an avid traveler. During one of his journeys along the Sirion River, he had a vision from Ulmo, the Lord of Waters, instructing him to establish Gondolin in a concealed valley.

Whether due to divine favor or sheer fortune, Gondolin had flourished within a few centuries, growing to rival their father Fingolfin's former kingdom in population.

With Gondolin's military strength, securing the gorge would be no issue.

Meanwhile, the western front remained the most secure, guarded by the powerful forces of Fingolfin's descendants.

Finally, regarding the rampaging army of Balrogs led by the Balrog Lord deep in Middle-earth, Finrod stated that he would personally visit the Grey Elven kingdom to ask King Thingol for aid in eliminating them.

And why would Thingol agree to Finrod's request?

Because Finrod's branch of the Noldor was actually related to Thingol by blood.