When Alz entered the building, he felt like the pressure that was building up within him solidified as his eyes met with the twelve pairs of piercing eyes from his front. The room was spacious, but the air was extremely still which added to the heaviness he felt in his heart.

Polon on the other hand, simply walked in nonchalantly, remaining indifferent to the gazes that were directed towards them by the council members.

Alz eyes started to wander around as he began to observe the room. A large, round, wooden table sat at the center of the room with a semi-circular opening and an elevated step on the side which faced the entrance.

The twelve council members were sitting around the table with spacious gaps between each of them. Both, male and female elves were seen but only one of them looked young while the rest had long since left their prime years behind.

They were also slightly taken aback when they saw Alz suddenly enter, as they didn't recall sending Alz over to the fourth village. In particular, one of the older elves' eyes instantly widened when he caught sight of Alz, observing him closely with surprise, joy, and hints of grief.

Alz's lost himself in thought when his gaze met with that elf. His gaze turning frigid as he stared back, looking away only after several moments. A distant memory floated into his mind as his eyes wandered around the room, something he heard from Tia.

He had recognised that elf, he was a council member who came to visit him several times when he was still in the care center. Although, each time he came he just directed a displeased expression at Alz and leave shortly afterwards without saying anything.

He used to visit him more in the earlier years, but these visits gradually declined and eventually, he stopped visiting him altogether. Alz had always been puzzled about his behaviour then, only managing to piece the puzzle together from facts he later learnt in the fourth village.

This elf was his grandfather, Tia's father to be exact. Even though his emerald eyes shone in the same shade as that pair of eyes in his memories, Alz still found it hard to feel any closeness due to their interactions in the past.

He did not know why his grandfather had treated him so coldly in the past, rather, he didn't want to think about it, to justify his actions in his own mind. Since he didn't mention anything about their ties then, he no longer had a right to mention it now.

"We were sent back from the fourth village to report." Alz subconsciously lowered his head and began to speak respectfully. The words got through properly, but his voice shook slightly, and he could feel sweat forming on his palms, reflecting the nervousness he felt.

"Young one, I do not recall your face from those sent to the village?" the elf who was seated directly of where Alz stood asked him in a puzzled voice, voicing the thoughts of most of the council members who sat in the room.

"I am Alz, I managed to escape from the village during the attacks thanks to my parents' sacrifice." Alz answered while continuing to speak in a respectful tone, but his eyes were directed not towards the elf who posed the question, but towards his grandfather instead.

Such an act did not escape the watchful eyes of the council members. Their eyes naturally followed Alz's gaze and looked towards his grandfather, catching sight of his darkening expression as Alz mentioned his parents' death.

"This child is the son of my late daughter, Tia." Alz's grandfather heaved a sigh and spoke while looking towards Alz with a distant look in his eyes.

"The child of Tia!" one of the female council members gasped in surprise, causing several other members to turn towards her with quizzical expressions, however her face revealed nothing as she rapidly reined in her emotions.

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These members also quickly lost interest in her and turned to observe Alz instead, trying to figure out the reason behind her reaction. Alz had caught their eye when he entered the room partly due to his unique getup and unfamiliar face.

The elf he entered with was also Polon, which didn't help much in drawing away their attention. Polon was indisputably the thirteenth most regular visitor to this building, right behind the twelve of them. The council members could feel their heads aching the moment they saw him, causing them to look away swiftly.

Alz felt uncomfortable being stared by the highest authority in the tribe and started breathing more heavily while his legs felt like they were turning into jelly.

Polon noticed Alz's abnormal state and hit him on the back lightly while moving up to speak, "We met up with Alz when we arrived at the village."

Alz managed to regain his bearings thanks to this and shot a grateful look at Polon. Yet, Polon only managed a forced smile in response. He knew exactly why Alz was feeling nervous which made him reluctant to help, but he still decided to help him in the end.

Luckily, Alz didn't notice Polon's expression as he had closed his eyes and started to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Alz's grandfather and the female council member who reacted earlier wrinkled their eyebrows at this, with a strong disappointment written over their faces.

The rest of the council was also taken aback by this and lowered their evaluations of Alz. They held high expectations towards him when they found out that he had managed to live all these years without the support of the village, but this performance had slightly dampened their expectations.

Alz gripped the two amulets he wore around his neck, tightly in his right palm, hoping for them to grant him the courage he needed. When he opened his eyes again, the nervousness and weakness he had displayed earlier was no longer seen, replaced with a resolve that burned strongly in his eyes.

"There was a pack of seven wolves left but we already finished them off. Blain decided to send the both of use back while they continued to secure the area." Alz continued to report the information at the village but with a much firmer tone than before.

The sudden change in his attitude sparked the council's interest towards him anew. Despite this, handling the situation at the fourth village naturally took precedence now and they would only address their personal interests after the urgent matters were settled.

"Gruff, notify the second wave to move out for the fourth village immediately after this." the same elf who had questioned Alz earlier turned and spoke to one of the other male council members who nodded in affirmation to his statement.

After this, he held his hand to his chin as he looked at Alz in thought, thinking of how to handle his return. He didn't know much about Alz, but it was clear as day to anyone in the room that he was close to Polon.

Previously, although he didn't show it, he was actually very surprised by the help Polon gave to Alz. After all, that was the first time Polon had spoken in their presence since his return.

Polon was the problem child of the council, but this didn't mean that they found him to be a nuisance. Rather, this was a right he had earned by proving his worth time and again.

The council held high hopes for Polon's future, which was the reason why they willingly agonised themselves over his issues and the problems he caused.

Yet, they also knew that their measures were unable to solve the root of the problem, which was why they made the decision to send him to the fourth village. However, looking at the two elves before him, he had a feeling that a large part of the reason behind his change was Alz.

From his perspective, Alz's return was just a lucky occurrence which didn't hold much meaning alone, but if he was the one who brought about the change in Polon, things would become very different. His eyes shone with deep wisdom as he turned to look at Alz.

"Young one, since you were training as a warrior in the fourth village before the incident, would you like to return to the village as a warrior once again?" he showed a warm, elderly smile at Alz and asked.

Hearing this, Alz's grandfather immediately furrowed his eyebrows in displeasure. He hadn't expected the tribal chieftain to decide on Alz's arrangements without first discussing within the council. Just as he was about to voice his displeasure, a voice suddenly spread across the room.

"Apart from the report, I have also come forth with an announcement to the council. I have decided to leave the tribe." Alz showed signs of an internal struggle after he heard these words, but quickly resolved himself and announced his will to the council.

As he said this, he felt a weight leave his chest and the nervousness that gripped him earlier finally disappeared entirely, relieving the pressure he felt had been feeling since he entered the room.