Arnaut quickly grabbed and wore his cloak while rushing down the stairs, with Evry following close behind him. On the way of course, they encountered the elf guarding the door. The elf narrowed his eyes curiously at the two rushing beastmen.

Arnaut sternly gazed at the elf as he noticed that he appeared to be thinking of blocking their way in an attempt to have his question answered.

“May I ask where you are going?”

“We need to meet with someone,” replied Arnaut. “Keep watch of the hideout.”

The elf mildly shook his head in puzzlement. “In a rush? Surely you can tell me what is going on.”

“I will tell you once I have learned more about the situation.”

“Arnaut, you are apparently agitated. Whatever for, hiding it from everyone wouldn’t do good for us all.”

Arnaut resisted the urge to click his tongue. Ever since the degradation of their situation here in the city, and their shrinking number, the elves have become more watchful and strict. Arnaut may be the leader, but elves were vain still. Could be in their nature, or maybe because their ambassador was directly coordinating and supervising the operation happening here in the realm of humans.

Or perhaps, they were just losing faith in him. They may follow his orders, but his control over them now had limits. The elves might do something to Allie that wouldn’t be in line with Arnaut’s interest.

“I will tell you later…”

“Take me with you. If it is something that even you intend to hide, then I would like to come with you. As a leader, we can’t let you go with only one guard. At least two will suffice.”

“We can’t leave the hideout without anyone to watch over it.”

Then came rhythmic knocking on the door.

“Hey, it’s me Yuro, I brought food for lunch.”

The elf grinned. “I have a substitute.”

The elf opened the door and the man entered inside. After the elf closed the door, the newly arrived man lowered his hood, revealing feline-like ears on top of his head. He curiously looked at everyone while carrying a basket in his hand.

“Boss? Going somewhere?”

Arnaut shifted his gaze from the elf to Yuro, and nodded. “Yes…” realizing that the elf was so adamant about coming along, he had no choice. “Stay here and watch the hideout.”

“What? Why so sudden…?”

“We’re going.”

“Ah—.”

Arnaut exited the building followed by Evry and the elf — everyone already had their hoods covering their heads. He stopped and turned to the elf. “Don’t do anything. Do not fight, do not kill. Do not do anything violent without my say-so.”

“... Very well…”

“Can I trust you on that?”

“If you are this stern about it, then I will comply with your order.”

Good. He should at least think before doing something dangerous.

Arnaut, all this time, has been exceedingly concerned about Allie. He completely had no idea what could have happened to her, and now she has shown herself. He wanted to know what happened to her, what she went through. Why was she showing herself now?

What could have happened?

He wanted information… and also, he wanted to check if she was alright.

Arnaut turned towards Evry. “Lead us there.”

He nodded. “Yes, but act casual. There are… enemies watching around her.”

With that, the three of them started moving. As they grew distant from their hideout, Arnaut began raising his senses to watch out for something out of the ordinary.

While doing so, he began to ponder how Allie was still alive, or allowed to make communications with them by letting her go outside. They expected she would be exposed the moment Oryn did. He was happy that Allie was still alive, but that didn’t mean he could set aside his curiosity, or perhaps confusion.

Although, it would be pointless to keep thinking about it when he would be asking Allie later on.

But could this perhaps mean that Oryn was still alive somewhere? Perhaps being kept as a prisoner? Arnaut was a bit conflicted on which one would be a better case. It would be upsetting to confirm he was dead, yes. However, wouldn’t it be better if he was dead? Since if he was being held captive, they could have extracted information from him.

Although, he was an elf.

He wouldn’t be an easy nut to crack. He was an elf willing to cut off his ears for the cause. A man like that wouldn’t break by tortures and such.

Hm, Evry spoke with Allie, maybe he knows…

He walked closer and quietly asked Evry. “Did you ask about what happened to Oryn?”

“Yes… and he’s dead.”

“... I see.”

He glanced at the elf beside him, and they nodded at each other. Every death was something to be sad about, and his sacrifice would not be forgotten. Once this was over, all the lives that were sacrificed here shall be known by the people back in their homeland.

“What will you say to her?” Evry asked.

Arnaut thought about it, however… “I need to understand the situation first.”

“Very well.”

They have walked some distance and they were getting closer as Evry said. Incidentally, the crowd felt like they were becoming dangerous where enemies could pop out at any moment. Arnaut couldn’t hear nor sense anything outright threatening though.

Evry warned them, so there should be enemies around here hiding. However, for some reason, they weren’t attacking.

What are they planning?

Or perhaps they have not realized it was them here. Men in cloaks or robes were not an uncommon sight in the city.

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A while later, Evry stopped. “Here, right down this alleyway.”

Arnaut took in a deep breath.

The elf on the other hand began speaking, warning them. “Seriously? Here? Arnaut, you don’t need to go in there. Let me.”

Arnaut instantly glared at the elf. “I’m already here, there’s no need for that.”

“This could be a trap. We can’t risk your life.”

“And what will you do to Allie, hm? I intend to speak with her.”

“She is of no consequence. You do not need to endanger your life for that human.”

“No, I will go see her.”

The elf sternly gazed at him as though looking at a fool. “This is unnecessary, your attachment to this human is clouding your rationality. This is dangerous.”

“That is why there are only three of us here. If something happens to me, another leader will take my place.”

“Tch. When it comes to it, then there’s no choice. Don’t be angry with me.”

The elf shook his head and placed a hand on his sword. What did he mean when there was no choice?

Could he have meant escaping without anyone else? Or did he intend to kill Allie after all?

Arnaut wanted to ask, but that was not important right now. They were right in the area where enemies could appear at any second, best to focus on the task at hand.

Arnaut shifted his eyes to face Evry and gave a nod. With that, they entered the alleyway following behind Evry. It was a small path, apparently barely used by humans to pass through. They only came across a couple of humans on the way.

Then, several seconds later, Arnaut saw a human, a young woman, sitting down on a stone. He took in a deep breath at the sight of her, he involuntarily remembered that time they had together.

His times with her, reminded him of home.

“Allie…” he muttered her name.

As though realizing their arrival, the young woman who was sitting down gloomily turned her head towards them, and her eyes widened. She abruptly stood up as the corners of her eyes dampened. She placed a hand on her chest as though feeling an intense emotion in her heart she was trying to suppress.

Arnaut unconsciously smiled, and there was this pleasant feeling in his heart, energizing his soul. All the worries, the fears, all alleviated the moment he laid eyes on her, alive and well. For months he have been agonizing at the thought of her.

She was still as adorable as ever.

He rushed his steps, but the moment he did so, the elf held his shoulder, holding him back.

“What are you—?”

“Arnaut, don’t. We still can’t be sure.”

It was uncertain whether it was safe or not to approach her, especially Arnaut being the leader. They couldn’t risk it.

It was hard, he wanted to take her into his arms, but he needed to bear it until the situation was clear.

When Arnaut returned his gaze to Allie, her once joyful gaze now had a hint of cautiousness in them.

“Arnaut… what’s wrong…?” she meekly asked.

It was the moment he realized that she seemed different. What happened to her? The demeanor was completely different than what he remembered.

“Hello, Allie… I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

“...”

“You want to talk to me?”

“... Why are you keeping your distance? W-Why?” she seemed confused and afraid.

For a mere moment, Arnaut bit his lip. “Let us talk for the moment. We thought you were dead.”

“...”

“And Oryn is dead. So Allie, what happened after his death?”

“I… I did as was asked… I poured poison on the princess’s food. But, she didn’t eat it.”

“Why? How did you fail?”

“They were already suspicious of me… After what happened to Oryn.”

“Huh… were your collaboration so obvious there? I thought you were instructed to keep it subtle.”

“That’s… They noticed…”

“How much did they notice that you were subsequently suspected?”

Allie placed a hand on her shoulder. “... I don’t know. Arnaut please, I need your help…”

“Wait, Allie. Let me ask you first… I can’t help you without clarifying some things first.”

“...But…” she lowered her head, sad.

“Allie, how did Oryn end up dying?”

“He… I heard he attacked the princess.”

He really did it, huh.

He tried to stop Oryn from doing so, but he was being pressured in there. Still, that was a bold and dangerous move. A shame that he failed. How could the princess have evaded him?

“Still, how exactly did the humans come to suspect you as well?”

“Maybe because… they discovered… or suspected that Oryn and I were…” she closed her eyes as if hesitating to continue.

“Allie? Continue…”

“Oryn and I… were… intimate.”

“Intimate…?” Arnaut echoed, baffled by the statement.

“Him? Intimate with you? A human? Don’t be absurd.” the elf shook his head and waved his hand, dismissing her words.

Indeed, it was hard to believe that Oryn as an elf would genuinely care for a human.

“Then… what happened after you failed to poison the princess?”

“T-They, they… they t-took me to a d-dungeon…” her lips shook, and tears began to come out of her eyes. “A-And then they…” the tears dropped to the floor. “They hurt me Arnaut… so much...” her body trembled. “They asked and asked, but I couldn’t give any answer… so they hurt me more.”

She cast her tear-filled gaze away.

Arnaut saw despair in her, utter despair. It was clear and certain. They tortured her. He curled his fist, his teeth grinding upon thinking how much the humans made her suffer. How could they do such a horrible thing to this girl?

She was not strong, she was soft and fragile, like any other human. The thought of her being tormented, it enraged him.

Arnaut stepped forward, he wanted to stop her weeping. However, the elf grabbed his hand.

“Stop, Arnaut. There’s still something we need to ask.”

“... What?” he wanted to punch the elf’s face, but he was right.

The elf used his free hand to hold the hilt of his sword. “You were their prisoner for months then. So, how come you are here in front of us now?”

Seeing the elf slowly drawing his sword, Arnaut grabbed the elf’s collar and pulled him close. “Don’t even try it. We have not yet gotten the answer.”

“It’s already obvious, and you know it. If you keep this up, I’ll ask the ambassador to remove you as the leader. Your judgment cannot be completely trusted anymore.”

“Be that as it may, I am still your current leader. Stand down.”

The elf glared at Arnaut, then returned his gaze to Allie. With a hesitating nod, he returned the blade to its sheathe, and Arnaut let him go.

“Allie,” Arnaut turned to face her. “Why are you free now?”

“I… I have no c-choice, Arnaut. They wanted me to help them… They know you are somewhere in this city. They would kill me if I do not follow their orders. They want to catch you, using me as bait.”

“Then this place here is a trap?” the three looked around the area, but they couldn’t sense anything. Still if this was a trap, where were the humans? “Why haven’t they attacked yet?”

“They’re not here, Arnaut.”

“What?”

“They want you to surrender. Surrender now, and there will be no bloodshed.”

“They should know that we wouldn’t do that.”

“Of course…” she lowered her head. “They won’t attack here. They want to catch most of you at least. With only the three of you h-here… it wouldn’t be enough.”

“So they were hoping to catch us if there are more of us that came for you?”

“Yes.”

“But, what then? With only the three of us here.”

“That is why you need to be careful on going back… They intend to follow you to where you’re hiding…”

“They did follow me earlier,” Evry added.

“But here you are, warning us… it would be bad if they realize this.”

“That… that is fine… if it’s for you… I will do it, even if it endangers me.”

“Allie… Is this what you want to talk about?”

“No… I want….” she looked him in the eyes, pleading. “...I want to ask you to help me, Arnaut.”

“...”

“I don’t want to go back there. You’re strong, aren’t you? You can take me away from them, here and now. P-Please, Arnaut…the pain…I can’t bear it anymore. I keep remembering all those times, what they did to me.” she covered her eyes with her hands, tears still falling down.

Then she continued with a faltering voice. “S-Save me, please…”

Arnaut’s heart sank. She was in agony, and he knew it. He wanted to save her. If she failed them, to be of use to the humans, who knows what they would do to her again.

Enemies were not in the area, he could take her easily to safety.

This was a chance to save her.

“A—” he was about to say that he would, however, the elf pulled his arm again.

“She is a liability. There is no need to take her.”

“You —”

“Even if we do try to take this human, you think they wouldn’t chase us? We’ll take this opportunity to get away from here while they think they can follow us. If we take her, they will attack.”

“We should be able to take her with us.”

“Don’t let your absurd emotion for this human blind you. There are only three of us here, and we don’t know how many humans are stationed all around the city for us.”

Arnaut turned to look at Evry, hoping for something to affirm his decision. However, Evry gave no response, he had nothing to give. Arnaut’s heart raced. What should be done here?

“Leave her, Arnaut.” the elf continued. “She is not worth your life. Our lives.”

Arnaut took in a shaking deep breath. He pondered and pondered as fast as he could.

Then his eyes caught Allie looking at him with begging eyes, waiting to be saved. His heart ached.

“Allie I… I’m sorry.”

Allie’s eyes widened, as if heartbroken.

“I can’t help you,” Arnaut continued. “Too much is at risk.”

“Y-You… you would abandon me? L-Leave me h-here?”

Forcing himself, Arnaut averted his eyes and turned his back to her. He began walking in the opposite direction, the elf following behind him. Evry paused for a moment and glanced at Allie before following the others.

“Please! Arnaut! Don’t leave me!”

Given his beastman ears, Arnaut could hear the desperation and pain in her voice so clearly. She sobbed, her tears audibly dropping to the floor. He could hear every detail of her cries.

With a thud on the floor, Allie collapsed to her knees. However, Arnaut didn’t look back.