“Allie’s alive?”

One of the beastman asked in reflex after Arnaut explained to them the events earlier. It was the early night, and the team in the city had all returned to the hideout. At the moment, they assembled in the lobby.

Usually, a team or two would be allowed to stay out in the city to keep watch. However, after all that had transpired that resulted in their numbers to dwindle, Arnaut had to prohibit it and had everyone return to the hideout at the first sign of darkness.

This was no longer an issue, of course. The plan now was for them to stay low and wait for the other team in the empire to be ready.

“And you left her…” another beastman grabbed a chair and slowly sat down, his hand on the side of his face.

“Leaving her behind, it’s um… hard to take in.” another one muttered.

“.... Damn, would have been better if she’s already dead…” perhaps that way they didn’t have to feel conflicted about this.

“That’s a sensible decision. I may have done the same if I were in his position.” another beastman said with his arms crossed.

“Seriously, man? Who knows what they’ll do to her now?”

“...Yes, they might do something very terrible. Even so, I think that was the best option. Although… hm…” he lowered his head. “No, I won’t speak further…”

A beastman shifted his gaze towards the one that had been quiet all this time, the one who met Allie first.

“Evry, don’t you have any opinion about this?”

Evry directed his gaze at everyone, hesitating to answer. “... No… I’ll follow what the boss decided. There’s no need for me to express my opinion.”

For Arnaut, it was clear what Evry wanted. Evry was the one who went out on his way to tell Arnaut about her, even avoiding telling the elves. That alone made it obvious what he wanted in his heart. But Arnaut made a decision that conflicted with him. Even so, he had no choice but to follow.

It was hard, Arnaut knew — as it was incredibly hard for him as well — the moment he rejected her call for help, the words of rejection he had to say felt like something he had to force himself to choke out.

“There’s no need to discuss this,” an elf chimed in. “What he did was only appropriate. There’s no need to be upset or disappointed. Leave it as it is.”

It did not surprise the beastmen at all that the elves wholeheartedly agreed with Arnaut’s choice. Some could only shake their heads, while a few remained still and static. Arnaut stood up from his chair after a sigh.

“Time to rest… I’ll retire to my room.”

He made his way up to his room, ignoring the concerned gaze from his fellow beastmen. There was a heavy weight on his chest, and hard it was for him to admit it, he didn’t want to talk with anyone for the time being.

He arrived in his room, and the moment the door closed, the cold and the silence weighed heavily on his body. The windows were shut, the room dark, no source of light whatsoever. But the dark was no issue for him here. Well, besides that, this darkness only made the atmosphere more gloomy.

He sighed and slowly made his way to his bed. After lying down, he covered his closed eyes with his arm. He should have turned up a light to remove this heavy air, but he wanted to feel it. For atonement perhaps, to feel this guilt that was looming inside.

Indeed, guilt.

His choice was cruel.

He didn’t want it.

But it was something that must be done.

However, that choice was gnawing at him.

Was it right? Truly right?

The young Allie he met in the past appeared in his mind. Her presence was a joyful one, always. Despite her being human.

Arnaut, deeply inside, never saw humans in a terrible light. He could not understand the intense hate others had for them. Humans were weak, but still normal beings. They can smile, laugh, be sad, and be happy. They were fundamentally no different from the mystic race.

He truly could not understand. Where did this hate truly root from? Was it because it was the humans that drove the mystic race out of the world above? A world that was supposed to be there’s? Or was it because of humanity’s nature? Whatever that would be…

He could not see the reason to keep this hate this long…. Even some beastmen had little resentment towards humans, they just saw them as another common species. Although some saw them as inferior.

But why does inferiority have to equate with hate and oppression?

The world truly was terrible in some aspects.

Either way, he had to be indifferent to the humans, at least act like it. That was why he wasn’t ostracized or isolated in their society. Nor did it bother him so much to act. All that mattered was for him to give importance to his own people. The humans altogether didn’t compare.

Then as fate had it, he met Allie, a young small human girl, distressed. Alone.

Arnaut had a daughter, and she and Allie had a striking resemblance. It was almost disturbing. No, not exactly the face that was similar. It was more like their size, appearance, or trait. Maybe because Allie was a child that was almost similar to the daughter he left behind, it reminded him of his own daughter, and home.

Indeed, at that time, how much he missed his home and family already. Perhaps he took Allie to cope with that longing.

And perhaps add to it the pity.

In time, Allie grew more important. How she wanted someone beside her when she went to sleep. How she talks joyfully, sharing what happened in her day. The way she tries to learn new things. The way she tried to cook for him, and everyone else in the group. The moments with her were all pleasant, as pleasant as the time he had with his daughter.

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Perhaps he had seen Allie as his own daughter at some point.

Indeed, perhaps that was why he was so hurt by his own decision. How it hurt him so much to hear Allie cry and see her in pain. He didn’t want that. Human as she may be, he did not care. In the end, he took great care of her, she was valuable to him.

And to see, to imagine, to think of her being abandoned, to cry, it pained him as how would a parent feel for their child.

He regretted it. Thinking now with a peace of mind, he truly regretted it. If only there was another choice he could take…

Both guilt and regret clouded both his mind and heart. All rooted from emotion, from love.

He thought of what could have been. A route to something happy. Something good.

He took in a shaking, deep breath. His mind could not rest, filled with all kinds of things.

I’m sorry…

That sorry echoed and echoed in his mind. His heart pumped hard and raced intensely. He could not remove Allie from his thoughts, no matter how hard he tried. He wanted to sleep, but he truly could not.

This mission is starting to take a toll on me…

He wanted to come back home. To his family.

***

Arnaut opened his eyes, still feeling drowsy. Judging from the light peeking through the window, it was still very early in the morning. Since it was difficult, he fell asleep too late in the night, he had hoped that he would wake a little later than this.

He slowly got up, the weight he carried yesterday still remained. The moment his mind cleared a little from the sleep, his regret immediately returned to flood his thoughts. He heaved a long sigh. He fixed his shirt and began making his way down to the lobby.

It would appear that everyone was still here, except for one. However, later on, perhaps after breakfast, some would leave and go outside to wherever they wished. Arnaut would accept it if everyone just stayed here, but doing nothing gnawed everyone’s nerves. Thus, he allowed them to go out for the benefit of their mission. Just perhaps noting down the weak spots of the cities or memorizing the layout.

Although, given they have been here for years, they should have done that a long time ago. Therefore, there was truly nothing left to do anything important. In short, the team here in Wisteria was now only idling, the only thing they could do.

That was because they had to wait.

As for the one that had already left, it was Evry. That person always goes out early in the morning. However, he was earlier today than usual. What happened yesterday must have bothered him, and thus decided to take a walk early to clear his mind.

“Hey leader, want some tea? Coffee?” a beastman asked.

“Coffee…”

Arnaut didn’t like tea, it didn’t have that good taste. Generally, beastmen had no need for coffees, it was not a usual thing to take every morning back in their homeland. They would go directly for something like soup or meat. Rarely does a beastman household have any coffee.

Although elves do take them frequently.

In any case, coffee didn’t kick a beastman’s head very much. So the effects on them would be mild to none, unless twice the amount of caffeine than a human’s drink was blended into the cup. That was precisely what Arnaut received.

He took a small sip. The pleasant warmth went down his throat.

He resisted the urge to groan.

While trying to get a peace of mind, he took a deep breath.

“Leader, you doing alright?”

“Hm? Yes, yes I’m alright.”

“Very well… Um, leader, do you know when we’re gonna be done with this?”

“You mean?”

“You know, here, being here.”

“Ah, I don’t know. It’s all up to the team in the Empire, and they haven’t told me when precisely they’ll begin.”

The beastman that asked, mildly nodded. Arnaut had noticed this for some while, this one wanted to return to the homeland. Even soldiers would miss their home and their family. Although this was for the survival of their race, they still won’t stop wishing to come back home safe.

Sometimes, you just can't avoid wishing to rest and be with the ones you love. But, in this case here, home was far, and they could not just casually come back and return here. All they could do was suppress that desire as much and as long as possible.

“I see…”

“We’ll come back home, don’t worry. Just need to hang on and wait for a little while longer. We are almost there.” Arnaut smiled softly. “Have faith.”

“Yes, sir.”

Suddenly came the rhythmic knockings on the door — rather than normal knocking, however, it was more like pounding. The elf standing by the door, Elivar, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“It’s me, Evry. Hurry and open this door.”

Elivar lowered his guard and promptly opened the door. Once it was open, Evry aggressively rushed inside and removed his hood. He moved towards Arnaut.

“Shit, you need to see this.”

Evry threw a sheet of brown paper on the desk in front of him. Arnaut realized Evry seemed quite tense. Whatever it was, it must be of great matter.

However, Evry continued. “I didn’t want to show you this, but you have to, for your sake. Make a choice you won’t regret.”

With furrowed brows, Arnaut picked up the paper and read its contents. His breath got stuck in his throat and his eyes widened.

The paper was a public notice. An announcement of a public execution, death by beheading. It was to be expected that the criminals that committed unforgivable crimes like murder, or heinous crimes like fraud to have a death sentence, and to be held in public where everyone can see. But that was not what Arnaut was surprised about.

Among the several names written on the notice, there was one in particular that stood out.

“Allie…”

The name Allie Jelimis was among the names on the list. Arnaut resisted the trembling of his hand as he read her name there over and over. Of course, how could he have not thought of this outcome? No, this prospect had indeed come to the corner of his mind, he only rejected this possibility. He didn’t want something like this to happen to her.

Written next to her name was her crime.

Treason. Attempted assassination of a royal.

Now that Allie failed to take Arnaut and his group in, her fate was to die. And in public where she’ll be used as an example. Her face would be shown to all as the face that attempted to kill a royal. Her sin was one of the highest transgressions in this kingdom.

But Allie was clueless about the true situation of why she was tasked with doing it. She was merely doing what she was told. Was leaving her to her fate truly just?

Written along the paper was when the execution would occur. It was morning.

“W-When… when exactly is the execution?” he asked for the specific time.

Evry then replied. “From the verbal announcement, in an hour.”

Arnaut abruptly stood up from his seat in utter shock. “This hour…?”

“Yes.”

“That’s…”

It was hard to believe. Executions were a rare occurrence here in Wisteria, even more so public ones. But for it to happen way early in the morning, no one would expect it.

Why?

He couldn’t think straight anymore, his mind was rushing. What should he do? He couldn’t let this happen. No. No way. An hour is too small of a time to deliberate.

It was as if he was on purpose given less time to think about his actions.

The image of Allie’s face flashed through his mind.

“Boss?”

He gulped and closed his eyes.

He had made his choice.

“I can’t abandon her, after all.”

“What?”

“Stay here. I’ll retrieve her myself.”

“Hey hey, Arnaut, don’t be impulsive!” the elf Elivar aggressively rushed towards him.

“If something happens, at least it will only be me. If I don’t come back in a few hours, leave me behind.”

Elivar froze.

Then Arnaut continued. “A new leader will then be appointed. Even if I do return, I relinquish my place as the leader. It is up to you who you’ll appoint as my successor.”

“Are you serious?” Elivar asked with a glare.

“Yes, so do not intervene. I suggest preparing to move out though, still I don’t intend to come back until I am certain it’s safe. You’re free to move to our other hideout anytime while I’m out.”

Arnaut grabbed a nearby cloak and wrapped it around himself. Meanwhile, Evry came and stood in front of him.

“Boss, let me come with you.”

“No. The less the casualty, the better.”

“But—”

“I’ll be fine. Besides, I can outrun any humans that will come my way.”

“...” Evry fixed him with a stare of concern.

“Don’t look at me like that. It will be fine.”

“You might die.”

“It won’t be that easy… Either way, I’ll save Allie… So, where exactly is the execution taking place?”

After getting the answer, Arnaut drew his hood over his head and went out of the door.