The war has ended, no more sword swings, no more raining arrows, no more explosions, no more screams, cries, and despair. Everything has come to an end, leaving behind a deep remorse. Only tears can be heard, filling hearts with sadness over a sacrifice.

They gathered there, facing forward, observing a statue created to commemorate three young elves who willingly gave their lives for a race that didn't even know they existed. Various questions emerged in their minds. But "why" was the foremost.

Why did they do it?

They indeed asked, but not to be answered. Instead, to find solace, knowing they were just saved by three young children. As adults, they couldn't accept it. Too cruel, too heartless. They understood why the Prince had to do it; they were grateful for that. But the price that had to be paid was too great to bear.

The entire population of Elecya gazed at the statue in front, a statue displaying three smiles from three young elves. Those smiles felt so warm, even coming from lifeless objects. It made them wonder, how would it feel to witness those smiles directly in front of them.

The Prince was dethroned upon the request of the people, which he accepted gracefully. He realized he had lost something essential for a leader, which is listening to the voices of his people rather than making decisions alone in the name of liberation.

If only he wanted to speak, they would certainly lend a helping hand instead of sitting and waiting. However, all of that has become a memory, a memory that will forever be remembered, carving a new history, a history that will make Elecya much stronger than before.

However, they still wonder. Until when will the white-haired youth sit and observe the statue? Is he not tired? Not hungry? Not cold every night?

Upon hearing his story from the soldiers, tears flowed uncontrollably. They understood why he continued to sit there, grieving the departure of the three young elves who were essentially a family. As a gesture of apology, they always visited him, placing various foods and drinks there, later given by Zent to the soldiers because it was impossible for him to consume everything alone.

The soldiers refused, saying that it was all made only for him. But they certainly couldn't say no for the second time to those empty eyes. Especially after what they had done. They finally accepted and consumed the food.

Two days had passed with Zent still spending time at the foot of the statue, hoping they would come back. He even used Glory to decorate the surrounding area with beautiful flowers, knowing that they would have loved it. The sound of their laughter still echoed in his mind, a sound that now brought a bittersweet smile, knowing he would never hear it again.

Zhao and Wei came in the evening, telling Zent that they needed to return to Alfcity, especially after hearing what the strange man had said. They were worried that something had indeed happened there, especially since they could sense an ominous atmosphere coming from the direction of Alfcity.

"Come on, Zent, it's time for you to go back. We can only accompany you there because it's likely that our world is also being attacked by the followers of the cult. We hope we're not too late, so we need to leave now," Zhao sighed, seeing that Zent hadn't moved from there. "Zent, you don't want the same thing to happen to Luna and Celine, do you?"

Wei nudged his body upon hearing his best friend say that, causing Zhao to wince in pain but not saying anything because he knew he had gone too far. But if Zent continued like this, the same thing would happen again. That's why he had to be firm with him. Otherwise, he would repeat the same mistakes that Zhao himself had made in the past, and he didn't want Zent to experience that.

"I'm sorry, I know I went too far. But they could be in great danger—"

"Forget it, let's go," he replied coldly.

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Zent stood up, leaving the place without looking back. Zhao and Wei just let out a long sigh, hoping that he would be okay in the future. They didn't want to see that innocent and naive-looking Zent turn into someone dark and emotionless.

Before following him, they observed the statue beside them, offering prayers according to their world's teachings and bidding farewell to the three elf siblings who were now happily in the other world. Tears fell as they recalled the memories they had, but they managed to restrain themselves from succumbing to sadness as they had experienced similar things while still fighting in their own world.

After bidding farewell to the Prince, who was currently training with Captain Varren, they began their journey back to Alfcity, which would likely take about a week.

However, due to the urgency of the situation, Zhao decided to lift Zent up, ignoring his protests and asking to be put down, and flew at high speed towards Alfcity. After protecting Zent's eyes, of course. As he was still a regular human unlike them, capable of extraordinary feats.

Thanks to this, they arrived much faster than before, not even taking an hour. However, to avoid drawing attention, Zhao landed Zent not far from there and instructed him to continue on foot.

"We can only bring you this far, after that, you have to fight on your own," Zhao approached, placing a hand on Zent's shoulder, giving him encouragement that Zhao hoped he could feel. "Stay strong, Zent. I know this is difficult, but you have to keep moving forward and fighting.

This may not be what you want to hear right now, but it's what you need. Once we're done, we'll come right away. I believe in you, Zent. I know you can get through this."

Next, Wei approached, placing his hands on Zent's shoulders and saying, "We're leaving now, Zent. Take care of yourself. We're sorry we can't help any further. But, as Zhao said, we'll return as soon as possible. Until that time comes, keep fighting." He patted him a few times before stepping back and stopping right next to Zhao.

Together, they took flight again, quickly disappearing and leaving Zent alone there, still silently watching them go. Tears started flowing once again, but he quickly wiped them away and turned to face Alfcity, not far ahead. His fists clenched tightly, his gaze sharpened, and his heart locked tight.

As Zhao and Wei had said, he had to keep fighting, had to keep moving forward. That's why he now walked with buried emotions, trying to forget the pain, trying to forget what had happened before, even though he knew it was impossible.

He didn't want Celine or little princess to see him like this. He had to be able to smile at them, even if that smile felt empty and hollow. He didn't want them to know that he was suffering, especially when both of them were also in trouble.

Judging from the amount of smoke ahead, Alfcity was not in a good state. He didn't know what had happened while he was away. But if what Ezreal had said was true, then he had to hurry there. That's why Zent now used his powers to reach the city even faster and immediately check on their condition.

If they both experienced the same fate as the three elf siblings, then Zent didn't know what else to do except to leave the world. He couldn't bear such a heavy burden.

No more.

Once was enough.

He didn't want those wounds to reopen and become wider and deeper than they already were.

However, his steps came to a halt when he reached the temporary evacuation area, where they had last spent time together. The fire was still burning brightly, consuming the remaining tents. Almost everything had turned into charcoal. Ashes flying in the air,, forcing Zent to cover his nose.

He walked slowly, trying to find signs of life. However, seeing the multitude of arrows, swords, and spears, he doubted that anyone was still alive here. It didn't take long for him to come across lifeless bodies and he was shocked to see the body of the chef he had seen together with little princess.

His heart felt gripped by fear. Those steps turned into a quick pace. He ran, searching for his tent not far from there, only to stop in his tracks when he saw that the tent had been completely burned down, leaving behind charred remains.

He could still feel the warmth of the wood, indicating that the fire had recently died. It was highly likely that the chaos had just occurred here, and perhaps the princess and Celine were in a different place.

I continued my journey, approaching the gate not far ahead, passing by scattered bodies on the road. A mixture of humans and goblins. It was impossible for us to have fought against them, especially after the handshake back then. It meant we were fighting against something else, but what?

As I entered the gate and came across numerous warrior corpses, it finally dawned on me. They weren't fighting against something else, but against each other.

Is it because Celine is the true princess?

Then an explosion occurred in front, quite far from where I was, and I could finally hear the sounds of battle coming from that direction. It sounded intense, with subsequent explosions following. Upon closer observation, I realized they were coming from the palace, being fired by something over there.

And for some reason, that something was now shooting towards my direction.