Far from there, at the same time, the situation in Alfcity underwent a drastic change with the ongoing war between the supporters of the king and the supporters of Celine. Although there was still no evidence, as the scrolls were now in the hands of the heretics.

However, tangible evidence was right in front of them as the Celine's golem having managed to get out thanks to the white-haired foreign woman's help.

When the golem paid homage to Celine and uttered the words, "My princess," at that moment, the topic that had been discussed among the kingdom's inhabitants became a reality.

The disappearance of the king's daughter and her replacement with a fake doll were the two pieces of evidence they needed to rebel, to demand the king abdicate and give the throne to Princess Celine.

Ironically, the king himself, Celine's biological father, wanted to take such action but was held back by the nobles who now occupied the palace and closed off all the gates of the capital, preventing anyone from entering. They showed no concern for the people of Alfcity who were now outside, with only a few remaining trapped inside, unable to escape before the gates were tightly sealed.

Protective runes were activated, shielding the capital from its own citizens. If other races were to hear about this, the human race would surely become a subject of mockery.

At least, in this way, Celine was convinced that there was an insider among them facilitating the entry of the heretics into the kingdom, which had spread rapidly without anyone being aware.

The war had been raging for three days, with refugees being taken to neighboring cities to avoid the impact. Celine actually wanted to wait until all preparations were complete to prevent such a massive chaos from occurring.

However, reluctantly, she had to lead the troops as she normally would. The difference was that now she no longer acted as a knight's leader but as the leader of the human kingdom.

The burden she now carried would not stop Celine from pursuing the throne and rescuing her imprisoned parents held in the underground prison.

She only hoped that Zent wouldn't be gone for too long. Because, to be honest, she needed a place to lean on, and Princess Luna continued to appear sad, stubbornly refusing to leave Alfcity out of fear of not being able to meet Zent again.

.

.

Elecya, the elven kingdom, 10:21 PM...

"Hmm, so Zent will be the one infiltrating? Are you sure?" Euna asked, her face already flushed from several glasses of Silvermoon scattered on the table. "It's not that I doubt... But are you really willing to let this adorable face get hurt?? Right, Zent? You surely agree with me, don't you? Hehehe..."

Iona stood up from the sofa, helping Euna to rest in her room. "Come on, it's time for you to sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow."

"Hee... But I still want to spend time *hic* with Zent," she whined like a 5-year-old child pleading to be bought something. "Besides, I'm busy every day, let me have some fun tonight."

"No, no. Let's go to your room now," without responding to Euna's long complaints, she dragged her away. Ignoring her boss's loud pleas for more time as they reached the staff door, she bowed her head to bid us farewell and closed it.

Even from behind the closed door, we could still hear Euna's whining, asking me to at least accompany her to sleep, completely forgetting that I already have a partner.

Luckily, her best friend isn't here, or else Celine would go into a rampage.

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But speaking of her, I wonder what she's up to.

I hope she's doing well with the princess. I really miss both of them, especially the laughter of the princess that always brightened my days with her cheerfulness. It felt so warm and comforting.

"Alright, it's time for us to rest," Zhao said as he got up from the sofa.

"What about Glory?!" black hair quickly asked, confused about Zhao's behavior.

However, he finally realized when he saw Zhao Feng's strange way of walking.

It looked like a baby learning to walk, trying to balance his body to avoid falling, but within three seconds, he fell to the floor. "Ah, he's drunk. An alcohol liver, but unable to withstand its side effects," he said weakly.

He hurried to help his friend stand up again and get ready to walk towards the room. "But I guess it's fine, Zent. You need rest. There's no need to rush because it will only end badly. Zhao Feng and I will excuse ourselves first."

"Wait!" I called out, stopping their steps. "I still don't know your name."

"Oh? Wait, you still don't know?" he asked, puzzled as if it were something strange, then shook his head and gave me a friendly smile. "Just call me Wei."

After that, he continued walking, leaving me alone in the now empty room.

"Are you going to rest?" Z asked.

Certainly not.

We're going to infiltrate now, while everyone is swimming in the ocean of dreams.

Z smiled proudly upon hearing that.

I walked out of the bar, looking left and right to check the surroundings. And indeed, the streets appeared deserted without any signs of life. Empty, hollow, and even slightly eerie. Fortunately, the floating street lamps provided a sense of calm with their beautiful blue light.

I continued my footsteps, heading towards the nearest elevator to check the situation around the military area of Elecya, which was located far to the east, nearing the exit gate.

The storage warehouse was located there.

Later, I would have to thank Euna for unknowingly informing me about this. Zhao and Wei took the opportunity to obtain information from her for free. Which, I believed they would still pay for the next day, and it's only done to annoy her.

Through the elevated bridges, the journey became much faster and safer. No one noticed me wearing all black attire to blend in with the darkness of the night.

Shadows are now my companions.

Thanks to them, I was able to reach the Elecya military area and now I'm inspecting the surroundings while counting the number of patrol soldiers, which doesn't exceed ten.

I thought they would deploy more patrols after capturing GH. I guess the elves are too overconfident. I feel sorry for those who are on guard duty and will face a big problem the next day.

"Are you actually sympathizing with the enemy?" Z asked incredulously. The proud smile from earlier was now replaced with annoyance.

Do you really have to question it? Of course, I feel sad.

I am essentially going to ruin their lives and their families' lives. What if the soldiers in front of me get fired or experience something worse?

"But you don't feel sorry for the residents of Alfcity who lost their homes and their workplaces. Was it because it was a building so you didn't really sympathize, even though what you did before and now were the same?"

I-I...

Z let out a long sigh. "Listen, Zent, whatever you do, especially when it comes to powers like Glory, facing opponents and all, even if you don't want to, you will still draw innocent people into it. Those who are simply going about their day with smiles and laughter.

You cannot save the world without making sacrifices. There will always be sacrifices. Even for small actions. There are sacrifices, like time.

You're sacrificing time to hear me talk now.

So, steel your heart and go on. It doesn't matter if you uphold your ideals because that's who you truly are. But don't let yourself be chained by your own self and end up in torment. Because reality never goes according to demand."

My fists clenched tightly as I heard it.

I know what Z is saying is true, but on the other hand, I can't bear to see others suffer because of what I'm about to do.

Is it true that there is no other way?

"Well... There is. But I don't recommend it."

What is it?

"You simply have to render them all unconscious or injured, so their leaders understand that they are unable to face the opponent. That way, they won't be fired or punished." Z explained, folding his arms and leaning against a tree trunk.

However, in doing so, Zhao and Wei would become the main suspects. It would be impossible for fellow elves to do such a thing.

"Now you understand what I'm saying, right? Each choice comes with consequences, whether they are heavy or light. I won't force you, choose one."

However, before I could make a choice, a sudden explosion shattered the right side of the majestic white fortress in front of us. Flames erupted from within, with smoke billowing high into the air.

The soldiers rushed towards the source of the explosion, abandoning their posts and giving me an opportunity to sneak in.

"It seems like you're lucky, Zent. You can choose a path that is outside of the previous options. But be careful. Because if you don't choose to sacrifice others, life has its own way of choosing you as a sacrifice."

Can you stop making me feel anxious?

Z laughed, stretching his arms and replied, "I just want to remind you that...

There's nothing for free in life."