The Mountain passage, to the North!

We are close, like, very close to the end of this volume!

If everything goes right, the next chapter is going to be the last one.

Let's see what is going to happen!

As always, join my Discord if you want to ask any questions, and my P@treon if you want to support me.

Images for this chapter will be sent after I finish some things, in any case, have a good Sunday!

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'Philip looked around and dusted his pants…'

'After he confirmed there was nothing in here anymore, he turned around and left.'

"OH! I almost forgot about that… This fight distracted me from the real important thing…" He said with a startled expression as he took out a red jar from his inventory

"I hope it still works… His body isn't so disfigured that this is going to fail right?" He said as the red jar started to glow

/Crunk…/

'With a strange sound, as if the iron was twisting, the body half-buried on the ground started to twist as it transformed into some sort of liquid…'

'All of the liquid was absorbed into the jar and it flashed once before it turned back into a normal red jar.'

"I guess it worked?"

[***** Has recovered an extremely small portion of its Core energy]

[***** Goes back into hibernation]

"It worked." He said with a happy smile

Time to go finish this and rush to the academy…

…

/Back in the camp…/

"Huff… Huff…"

'The Elf knight breathed in and out as he sat on the ground, trying to recover his strength.'

'His expression was solemn, but it trembled from time to time, what he was feeling was his own…'

'But he was certainly feeling a lot of pain...'

'Around the camp, slaves moved in and out of the houses to save their fellow compatriots, the remaining guards all either surrendered or died.'

'Some might've fled, but to where? The cold and harsh mountains? With the main passages blocked, the chance of a guard surviving is very low.'

'There were several interesting slaves, such as a tall girl with muscular arms and a dwarf with some very expensive clothes… Although they were dirty.'

'Next to him was the dark-haired princess, she held into her dress as she thought deeply.'

/BOOOOOOM!/

"?!"

'Suddenly, they heard the sound of thunder as the mountain near them trembled.'

'The Elf knight looked in that direction and closed his eyes as he went back to meditation.'

"..."

What is going on over there?

'The princess kept silent as she started to go over her options.'

/BOOOOOM!/

'Yet another explosion! It seemed the fight was tense!'

"..."

Will it be alright?...

'The princess had a worried look on her face as she gazed at the mountain…'

'When everything seemed to calm down…'

/BANG!/

'Purple light flashed in the mountain!'

"It's tense." Said the Princess as she grabbed her clothes tightly

"... No." Said the Knight

"What do you mean?" Asked the Princess

"Yer-Al never had a chance, that isn't your ordinary warrior, it's most likely an elite stationed near the area… That is, if he is with the Humans." He said with a serious look

I hope I am overthinking…

"Get ready to leave at any moment, we can't confirm if he is friendly or not. And in case he is not…" Said the knight in a solemn tone

'He looked to the side to see the faint white knight waiting…'

…

'Soon enough, the faint figure of Philip could be seen walking slowly from the mountain.'

'His sword was chained again and now strapped to his back.'

"He's here." Said the Elven knight

"Stay over here… For your safety your highness."

"I know… Be careful Jiu." She said

'He smiled and left.'

/Step step step…/

'None of the slaves moved, this was the moment that would define their fate.'

'Would they survive? Or would they die fighting?'

'All of them looked at the two warriors as they approached each other…'

"..."

"..."

'Philip and Jiu were now standing in front of each other…'

'The white knight also moved as it slowly fainted until it disappeared.'

'Philip moved his hand to his back and grabbed his sword…'

"!"

'Jiu also picked his sword and got ready.'

/Pierce!/

'Philip put his sword on the ground and raised his hands.'

"Can we talk?" He said

'His expression was difficult to discern due to the mask.'

'But the elven knight did not move.'

"Yes, we can… Allow me to make the first question if you don't mind." Said the Elf

"I am all ears." Said Philip as he looked at the knight

"Are you Human?"

"Yes I am, nor do I plan to have that change anytime soon." He said with a small chuckle

"... Then what are you? Not that… Who are you?" He asked

"My name and identity need to remain 'hidden' for now, I hope you understand that. However, I can confirm that I am an agent working under the crown. Call me Hunter." He said

Improvise, adapt, overcome...

"The crown? Did they move to stop this? Can you prove you are from the crown?" He asked

"Yes, I can prove it, however, I will say that I cannot represent the Crown in this particular situation, as currently, I am working out of my own volition." Said Philip as he took out a small object from his inventory

'It was a small circular plate with a series of inscribings in it.'

"A Golden seal?... I guess that's going to be enough…" Said the Elven knight in minor disappointment

That doesn't say much… But a Golden seal can only be handed out by the King himself…

"But that didn't answer my question, why are you here?" Asked the Elf a``s he sheathed his sword

"As I said, I am working out of my own volition… I was investigating this area due to a certain circumstance and information I acquired."

"My main objective was to investigate the information I acquired."

"Information?" Asked the Elf Knight

Did someone find out about our capture and sent information to the Crown?

Hum… He said he isn't representing the Crown, and if the Crown had been warned about this, he wouldn't be the only one here right now.

The way he moves and his gear is also quite Unique, very different from the usual techniques seen in warriors from the Crown.

He is considerably versed in etiquette however, he isn't really doing much effort in keeping it… Thankfully… It would be terrible if I had to keep etiquette in my condition.

All of this points towards a few possibilities, the biggest of which being…

He must be part of an independent secret force of the Kingdom! Just like the Raptors of our Elven Empire...

"Yes, information that this time, the traitors were planning something really bold behind the scenes… So I had to move." Said Philip as the Knight put down his sword

"That's… Good." Said the Knight

"Can I make my own questions now?" Asked Philip

"Of course." He said

"First, can you tell me your name?"

"..."

'But he didn't say anything.'

"You can be assured that I don't have anything against you and the Princess… Knight Jiu-Al." Said Philip

"So you already know who I am?" He said in minor suspicion

"It's not that difficult really, Dark hair, purple eyes, those ornaments…" He said as he looked at the princess

"And most importantly, the symbol on the hilt of your sword." He said as he turned his head back to Jiu

"In the end, it becomes obvious who you are." Replied Philip with a shrug

"... I didn't expect you to know those details…" He said in surprise

Normally, only scholars or those of high etiquette training would spot those.

It would require quite a bit of information on Elven etiquette.

"I know quite a lot." Said Philip

'He stayed silent before he opened his mouth to speak:'

"... Then you must know that the Parad Academy has opened its gates for a new batch of students." Said Jiu

"Due to some… Complications, our Elven race decided to send one of their Princesses to attend it."

"This isn't really uncommon as in this generation, we already had two Royals go there."

"However… Even though I was extremely cautious, one of my direct subordinates poisoned my food with an unknown substance and now… I can barely even walk."

I recovered a little but I am forcing my body too much… This will only aggravate my injuries and it might create unseen wounds in my body.

"And that moment of carelessness caused all of this to happen." He said in a low tone

"I see." Said Philip as he took out something from his inventory

"As I made my way here, I found out that someone was smuggling high amounts of tribal Orcs into our territory." Said Philip as he gave the Elf a map

"My theory is that those Orcs would be used as a smokescreen for what is happening here."

"And I also got this diary from the body of the Knight… Sorry for that."

With this, they will realize who is behind this... Not like it was that hard for them to figure out from the beginning.

"... It's okay, the moment he betrayed us was the moment he stopped being a Royal Knight."

"Even if you capture him alive, I doubt I would've been able to bring him with me back to the Capital, and even then…" He said as he shook his head

'He wasn't dumb, he knew how to connect the dots, that was one of the reasons why he left the capital with the Princess, it was to scape the fight for the throne.'

'But it isn't so easy to escape it, as this is the fate of a direct bloodline Royal…'

"After hearing your story and investigating, I think its pretty obvious what is going on here." Said Philip as he pointed towards the princess

"..."

'The knight remained silent as he bit his lips.'

"However, I can't really blame you all for this, the most I can do in this situation is help you… Sorry for not being able to do much more." Said, Philip

From the Human's perspective, if they help the princess right now, even if she was used as a tool to wage war, the other elven factions might see this as the King taking sides.

And more problems would rise from this, they might even cause the princess of being a traitor and find another reason to wage war.

"I thank you for the offer, and I fully understand your point." Said the Elf

"Now that I am free, it's only a matter of time before I recover…"

'But Philip interrupted him:'

"I may be able to help you with your problem if you allow me to inspect you." He said as approached the Elf

"I know you don't trust me yet, and being honest, I don't trust you either."

"We just met each other and we probably will never meet each other again."

"However, it's not like you are in a condition to proceed further, much less protect someone else, so I might have a solution for the poison in your body, if you allow me to inspect you that is." Said Philip

"It may sound rude, but instead of protecting, you will end up acting as a burden for these people, and currently, it would do no one any good if something was to happen to your guys as you all go back home."

I am sure you are in no condition to fight me either, but… I can't underestimate him just because of that.

"..."

'The Elf was conflicted, he turned around to look at his Princess and she nodded.'

"Alright, I will trust you this time, and if you can help me, I will be forever in your debt."

"I will remember that." Said Philip as he sat on the ground near the Elf

'The two sat on the ground and Philip gazed at the arm, chest, neck, and eyes of the Elf.'

'As he looked at the green and purple veins and the sickly skin he remembered what Dae told him right before he left:

—-------------------------------

…

"The reason why I can't give you a cure is because it isn't really poison." Said Dae

"What do you mean?" Asked Philip

"The Elf Knight was, mostly liked, INFECTED with a parasite."

"To be precise, it's the larval stage of a certain insect not native to this continent."

"Let's jump the details and go straight to how to remove it."

"To cure him of it, we need to figure out what stage of its life it is in since each stage has a specific way we need to use to remove it." Said Dae as he drew some things on the ground

"The moment he started to develop symptoms was the moment the parasite reached stage 1."

"There are 2 more stages in its life cycle before it reaches maturity. If the parasite did reach maturity, then you need to be really careful."

"Where do you find a parasite that can put such a powerhouse to shame?" Asked Philip

"There are many, many sorts of parasites… And many ways to use them."

"But let's leave that for later…"

"This type of parasite disrupts the energy channels inside a being by lodging inside them, it is greatly used by terrorist groups in the North of the continent for interrogation." Said Dae

"It can stop someone from utilizing their energy or at the very least, make it very hard."

"The parasite is a very elusive creature and the method of fighting it is not well known. And for those that know, they make sure it remains a well kept secret."

"I mean, for someone as strong as the Elven Knight you will be saving, he can definitely expel the creature from his body if given enough time… And that's the problem."

"For most people, not being able to use their energy cripples most of their fighting power." Said Dae

"And that's why such a parasite is kept a secret… Being able to cripple such a powerhouse this easily shouldn't be allowed to exist… At least, not in the hands of your enemies…" He said as he patted Phillip's shoulder

…

—-------------------------------

"Do you feel pain if I do this?" Said Philip as he pressed a point below the Elf's heart

"I don't." He replied

"Alright…" Said Philip as he continued to look around

'Funny enough, he actually took out a stethoscope to better hear his blood pumping and soon…'

'The Elf on the other hand, immediately noticed him removing something from thin air, but he wasn't surprised. And that was because he was very much used to dimensional tools and magic… He had his own tool as well.'

"I found the problem." He said as he stored his stethoscope

"Really?!"

"There is a parasite in your body… And it's rather big."

"What?!" Said the Elf as he used he searched for it, but couldn't find it

"It's right here, but don't force it out else you may suffer irrecoverable damage… This is a very important area…" Said Philip as he pointed at an area right below his heart

"Shit… What do I do?"

I never felt it before… Even when I tried to heal my body while I was in prison…

There are many exotic creatures in the Elven forests but I don't remember such a parasite being even mentioned.

Perhaps it's not a native creature. But if that's the case, where is it from?

"I can remove it if I can find out what species it is…" Said Philip as he had an idea

'Philip already knew what the parasite was, he was simply roleplaying so the Elf wouldn't suspect more than necessary.'

"Alright… Drink this for me please." Said Philip as he gave him a bottle with some blue liquid inside

'It was very viscous and the contents looked heavy…'

'But the Elf drank it.'

"?"

'Soon, his body started to turn translucent…'

'Philip took out a strange object and put it on his chest.'

/SHINE!/

'A powerful light hit his chest, showing even a faint outline of his bones.'

'Bellow his heart, the outline of a strange creature appeared…'

"Ha… I think I know what this is." Said Philip

This size… Definitely stage 3… One step away from maturity.

'The insect couldn't be seen very well, its body was rolled up, and if it was fully spread it would be the size of an adult's hand…'

"By the…" Said the Elf, shocked

"This is slightly more troublesome but the solution for it is rather simple." Said Philip as he took out two flasks, one with a purple liquid and the other with a white substance

"You drink this and this, the rest is on me." He said

"What is this for?" Asked the Elf as he grabbed the bottles

"One is a solution that is going to be absorbed by your body and weaken the parasite, the other is an anesthesia." Said Philip

"... And why do we need that?" He asked with a grim expression

"..."

'Philip didn't say anything, instead, he looked at the Elf…'

"... I won't take the anesthesia, I can't allow myself to get numb in this situation." Said the Elf seriously

"In that case, you can just spread it on your chest, it isn't going to fully numb you, but it will certainly decrease the pain." Said Philip as he gave the potions to Jiu

/GULP!... Gulp…/

'The Elf laid down on the ground after gulping the potion and spreading the other one on his chest down and waited…'

"Just count some sheep, this will be quick." Said Philip in a serious tone

"What are you going to do?…" Asked the Elf as he gazed at the clouds in the sky

/SPLURGE!/

/CRACK!/

"ARG?!" Screamed the Elf in pain as he felt Philip's hand stabbing his chest!

'Philip grasped the Parasite and pulled! And with a small 'pop' the already weakened parasite was removed out of the Elf's body!'

'Together with a lot of blood and even some white fragments and pus…'

'It was way too sudden! When the Elf, who was already tired and weak, felt the pain, the parasite was already out of his body!'

'It was a strange red creature that looked like an oversized maggot, but if you looked closely, you would be able to see several legs that were growing inside of its translucent skin.'

"HUFFF… HUFF…" Exhaled the Elf as he tried to calm down

'He felt weak in the legs, the pain was excruciating…'

"Here you go, man." Said Philip as he gave the Elf a potion Dae had prepared beforehand

/GULP!/

'It didn't take long for the Elf to recover his bearings and focus, he drank the potion and immediately focused on recovering, all the while hearing Philip's explanation:'

"See these small legs? It was almost on its adult stage, a few more days and you would have died due it bursting your heart." Said Philip as he pointed to the maggot

'The Elf had a twisted expression as he opened his eyes to look at the creature, it was unknown if it was due to the pain or due to his anger.'

"What happened?" Said one of the slaves with a tense expression

"I hope nothing bad happens…" Said a Dwarf slave as he watched the situation unfold

'Due to the distance and angle, most of the people couldn't see what was happening.'

"..."

What happened there?

By the looks of it, it doesn't seem to be anything too serious…

'Out of all of the slaves, the Princess was the most worried about the situation.'

'She was conflicted in between approaching and leaving…'

If something really happened, Jiu would have already acted, and even if something did happen, approaching him isn't going to change anything.

A few meters of distance isn't going to allow me to escape that warrior…

'The princess grabbed her dress and started to run towards the two…'

…

'The princess approached the two, and that was obviously noticed by the two.'

"Pr-p-sh-s…" Said the Elf with difficulty

/Tap…/

'Philip tapped the Elf's shoulder and said:'

"Focus on healing man, I explain what happened to her." Said Philip as he turned to the princess

"Nice to meet you, Princess Larin. I am truly sorry for what has happened to you and the others." Said Philip as he did the Elven bow, shocking the princess

'This refined display of elven etiquette stunned her, she didn't expect to see a Human performing such things.'

'Although she would most likely fall flat on the ground if she knew Philip received a 2-minute lesson one day ago...'

'Bowing and speaking formally were the only things he knew.'

'She quickly dismissed her unnecessary thoughts and said:'

"It's not the Humans fault warrior… I am ashamed to affirm that this is all due to our great Elven Empire politics…" Said the princess as she made her own courteous bow

"I am sorry for my… Lack of manners, I would like to accompany you all for a bit longer but… I am currently working on a timer." Said Philip

"I understand, I won't take any more of your time, but is it possible for you to share with me your name?" Asked the Princess in a gentle tone

"... My Family name is Vinten, but my first name shall remain a secret, and I hope your highness can keep this name a secret as well." Said Philip as he chuckled

It's not like it will make that much of a difference if I share my name, however, my identity as a Hero needs to be kept a secret for now.

If they know my name it would be a rather simple process to track me down and find out that I am one of the summoned Heroes.

When the time comes, the Heroes will become famous and people will surely try to learn more about them, until then, I will keep myself hidden to make my work easier.

After all, even though several nations have their own Heroes, their identities are all, well-kept secrets.

'Jiu and the Princess opened their eyes wide at this, but before the Elf and the Princess could say anything more, he said:'

"I already discussed everything with your Knight, I also already treated him from his affliction. From here on, he will be able to fully heal in a matter of a few weeks." He said as he looked to the Elf on the ground

"I am… More than glad to hear that…" Said the Princess as a small tear dropped from her eye

"..."

That is fucking dramatic alright…

'Philip knew she was being honest and not faking, but still…'

"You two will be going to the Parad academy right?" Asked Philip as he looked at the Princess

"That's… Due to the current circumstances, I am forced to say that yes… We will be going to the Parad academy." Said the Princess as she nodded dejectedly

"That!... That won't remain for long…" Said the Knight with difficulty

"Jiu! Don't speak!" Said the Princess as she looked at him with a bit of anger

"..."

'The Knight shut up, closing his eyes as he focused on healing.'

'Philip turned to the Princess and nodded.'

"I wish you safe travels Princess…" Said Philip

"I can say the same… And I hope that by the next time we meet, we can share some tea together." Said the Princess as she smiled

'Philip nodded and turned to the side, slowly going on his way towards the mountain passage.'

'And after a few steps, Philip turned into mist as he dashed forward, disappearing from their eyes…'

'The Knight sneakily opened his left eye and gazed in the direction Philip disappeared.'

Looks like something is going to happen in the North…

I need to recover soon…

After securing her highness's safety, we will need to search for allies…

They already attacked us once, even when she retreated from the fight for the throne, if they did it once, they will surely try again.

It's time to contact our allies…

'And with that, he closed his eyes as he fully focused on circulating his internal energy.'

'The Princess stayed there, looking at the horizon with a serious expression before a thin smile appeared on her face, she turned around to face the other slaves and slowly made her way to them…'

…

/A few hours later…/

/Steeep… Steeeep…/

"This place is so fucking eerie man… All of this darkness and the fucking echo…" Said Philip as he looked around him

'The tunnel was relatively wide, wide enough for 3-4 wagons to pass side by side.'

'The ceiling was rather high, standing at 5M tall.'

'It was clear this place was rather old, the architecture on the ground, walls, and ceilings were rather smooth, but it was clear it was very well made.'

'After all, how old was this passage again?... Dwarf craftsmanship is nothing to scoff at.'

...

'It had been some time since Philip entered the secret mountain passage.'

'To not get lost in the complex system of tunnels, Philip investigated the entrance in search of a map and he easily found one.'

'With all of the guards gathering in the main part of the camp, and with their subsequent defeat, moving around the place couldn't be easier for him.'

'Although, a map wasn't really that necessary since the path was relatively marked every so often… Philip still felt better knowing he had a map in hands.'

'He already had his fair share of getting lost in underground dark passages…'

"Let's see… If I follow this map, it should take me around 2 days on foot to reach the other side, then 4-5 days for me to reach the bottom of the mountain." Said Philip as he illuminated the map with a lantern

"I should be able to do it within 2 days if I keep running non stop…"

It may seem too much if you think I will be reaching my destination a few days early, but if we count the time I would have to take after descending the mountains…

I might be able to get over a week of extra time.

And in my current situation, every second counts.

I have a 5-month deadline after all.

…

/A few minutes later…/

[You summoned creature has returned to the imaginary plane]

"Oh?" Said Philip in surprise as he ran inside the dark tunnel

If it left… It means…

"So you killed everything huh? Good job." He said with a small smile as he looked forward

Although it pains me to leave all of that loot behind.

"How many echoes do I have?"

I am rather curious, do I have enough to max my stats?

[...

Blood echoes: 66754888 (898615 for next Level)

…]

"Quite a good amount… For this amount… Each Orc would have to give me around 6K Echoes… A little bit off, it seems the snake killed some extra monsters on the way…"

Or the Orcs were more valuable than I calculated.

"Let me end this real quick…" Said Philip as he snapped his fingers

'The same process happened as the ground trembled and a fountain appeared.'

'Philip did some small talk with the strange creatures and spent his points to Level up…'

'But he quickly stopped.'

"What is this?... New items in the shop?... Great forest Bow? What the… Where did you guys get this?" Asked Philip as he looked at the bath messengers

'But the creatures just looked at him… Or it seemed as if they were doing so, they don't really have a defined face…'

"... What could be the reason?... This?" Said Philip as he inspected his new items

[Broken Elven Crest]

Is this it?

"I see…"

Just like in the game, where collecting these crests would expand the shop, if I get similar items from this world, will these guys also expand their shop choices?

"... But there doesn't seem to be anything interesting in here…" He said as he browsed the shop as he looked for any new item

A few new weapons, consumables…

Sigh, not like I need anything right now, I will take a better look later.

'Without hesitation, Philip expended all of his Echoes to strengthen himself.'

[

Name: Philip Vinten

Class: Old Hunter

Subclass: Military veteran

Insight: 26

Blood echoes: 224728 (1407552 for next Level)

Level 363

Vitality: 99

Endurance: 99

Strength: 99

Skill: 99

Bloodtinge: 99

Arcane: 60

…]

"So close… Yet so far…"

39 more Levels, but I can only gasp at the insane amount of Echoes that would require…

That would require a place with a lot of monsters to kill...

I know the perfect place, and it's easily accessible.

Looks like I will be obliged to explore some of these Dungeons later…

"It's all thanks to Big Snek." Said Philip with a small chuckle

'After checking a few more things and tightening his pants, Philip once again dashed towards his future…'

…

/Let's roll back to a few hours ago…/

'While Philip ran in the underground passage and the Swamp snake destroyed the remaining Orc camps, a mysterious figure could be seen overlooking the slaves.'

'His clothes were rather run-down, but he didn't look like a beggar… His clothes were just rather old and worn down. There was still some confidence hidden behind the man's eyes.'

'Although... With his unkempt shallow beard, he looked like an overworked uncle.'

'He stayed there, silently watching. After a few minutes, he got up and left, not before letting out a long sigh.'

'When he moved, the Elf Knight quickly opened his eyes and turned to the mountain the mysterious man had just left.'

"..."

It's time to leave…

…

'A few minutes later, the same man could be seen leaving the shadows from behind the Heroes dormitory, the Adrius Palace.'

"I knew you would be here." He said as he stared at the girl in front of him

"..."

'The Blue-haired maid didn't say anything as she stared at him.'

"Are you going to keep silent this time? Look at all the trouble you caused this time…" He said as he scratched his head

"Hum? What are you talking about?" She said as she moved her hand to her mouth, although it was hard to say due to the veil that was covering her face

"Don't try to faint ignorance this time, as if any of the heroes in here could escape your senses… And I already scouted everyone that is still in this garden." He said as he looked directly at the maid

"I don't know why you decided to overlook that guy…"

"..."

'But she didn't say anything… But the man had a strange feeling, he felt as if she was smiling, even though her face was hidden by a veil.'

"Sigh, look, there is no need for you to be like this, I am not stupid, nor am I that petty, we've known each other for a long time, I wouldn't ditch on you for something like this."

"I don't really care about the things you do in here, you know how I am…" He said as he sat on a bench

"Yes, you are very lazy." She said in a straight tone

"Come on…" He said as his head fell dropped

'But he soon lifted it up and said:'

"This time, I can't overlook this, it's serious business…" He said as he picked a rock on the ground

"Also... Old man, how about you stop being a pervert and come talk with us?" Said the man as he lightly threw the rock on a nearby tree

"Watch your words young man." Said the butler as he walked from behind the tree

"... By looking at you I imagine you also know about our recent escapee right?" Asked the Mysterious man

"Not really, I wasn't here when it happened." He said as he turned his head to the blue-haired girl

"Sigh… In that case, get us a communicator, I need to contact his Highness."

'The Butler and maid frowned.'

"Is it that serious?" Asked the maid

"Heh… Now you are interested in what I have to say?" He said sarcastically

"..."

'The maid just remained in place, the guy felt as if an invisible pressure was pressing him down…'

"Come on! Don't be like that… Just come with me and you will understand…" He said as he got up

'The maid started to go after him without any hesitation, and the butler signed and followed.'

…

/One hour later…/

'In the vast white room, the same room where the heroes were summoned…'

'6 people could be seen in this very room.'

'In the throne, it was the red-haired King.'

'On his right, the Red Knight.'

'On his left, Head noble Skypos Lupio Hyl.'

'And below him, were none other than the Head Butler of the Adrius Palace, Alfus.'

'Head maid of the Adrius Palace, Lingy.'

'And the mysterious man in run-down clothes.'

'They were all in silence as they waited for the King to make his decision.'

'And he didn't seem pleased at all… His face showed his anger and his brows were furrowed.'

"You called me out of nowhere and presented me a situation so important that I was forced to come back..." Said the King as he frowned

"Let me see if I understood this." Said the king in a heavy tone

"In the morning, one of our Heroes decided to sneak out, somehow avoiding all of our eyes, going deep into the forest and beyond it."

"On his way, he coincidentally found out about the small army stationed in the garden and killed around 10000 Orc warriors in the matter of a day."

"And these Orcs have been hiding under plain sight for the past few years but they weren't reported due to the fact that all of that guards were either bought out or switched for the ones loyal to the ones responsible for this."

"The Hero didn't stop there as he also went to the Slave transport point and saved the slaves in there…"

"But it so happened that in this batch of slaves, not only were there normal slaves from the North but also nobility and important merchants, including figures such as… Duke Werevigs oldest daughter, Elder Uj son from the Pilon Dwarf Clan, and… Princess Larin from the Elven Empire." Said the King with an incredibly solemn tone

"Yes…" Said the mysterious man

At least, that's what I think happened…

'The King stayed there looking at the three people under him and let out a sigh.'

"What great news! Hahaha!" He said as he laughed

'But everyone reacted as if this was nothing surprising.'

"I was getting numb from all of those boring papers and Nobles from the capital… Looking back at it, they were probably trying to divert my attention." Said the King

/BANG!/

'In a display of immense might, the King slammed his fist into the thrones arm, the wind pressure of this move was so great that some of the purple knights on the side were almost sent flying.'

"HOW DARE THEY TRY TO DO SUCH A THING?!" He said in a very angry tone

'But he soon calmed down.'

"At this moment… They are probably thinking that they will soon have their opportunity…" Said the king in a much lower tone

"We can use this change to root them all out." Said Lupio as he adjusted his glasses

"That's what I am thinking…" Said the King

'He turned his gaze to the man in run-down clothes.'

"Erenias, go back to the mountain range and protect them on their way back, if possible, try to make contact with the Princess and see if you can convince her to accept our escort." Said the King

"Yes, your highness." Replied Erenias

"Lingy and Alfus, although this event allowed us to avoid a disaster, could one of you explain to me why you allowed him to leave?" Asked the King

"It's not like I could keep track of him. I mean, the Heroes were free to do what they wanted from the beginning and as long as he didn't leave the garden it was fine."

"How could I know he was going to leave?" Said the maid as she crossed her arms and turned to the side

"..."

'The King face-palmed, but he only smiled.'

"Alright, I understand." He said as he smiled

'But he soon thought:'

I wonder what he had that attracted her attention.

Tsk… I should've stayed for a little longer that day…

"In any case, we need to deal with him now..." Said the King

'But before he said anything, the Red Knight spoke for the first time!'

"I think we should leave him alone for now." He said

'The King and the others were rather surprised.'

"Can you tell me why Igrus?" Asked the King

"For someone who managed to accomplish all of this in the matter of a month, I believe it might be more worthwhile to observe him and slowly approach him rather than immediate suppression." Said the Knight

'The King smiled.'

"That's right, if I start to suppress and eliminate those that performed great deeds to our Kingdom, how can I call myself a King…" He said with a smile

"However, his case is special as he is a summoned Hero. And in this case, we need to proceed with caution." Said the King as he looked towards his left

"I will assign an agent to observe him from a distance and provide support if necessary, your highness." Said Lupio as he bowed

"Good. We can discuss the details later." He said as he got up

"Also, I would like to receive a report next time you all decide to… 'Liberate' one of the Heroes." Said the King as he looked at the three below him

"Igrus, come with me, we need to determine a course of action to eliminate these pesky traitors… I have tolerated them for long enough." Said the King as he flashed in a ray of white light

'The red knight soon followed after him, and soon did Lupio after he bowed and waved to the trio below the throne.'

"... Phew… It's over." Said Erenias as he stretched his body

"Well then everyone, I have work to do." He said as he also disappeared into a small spec of dark mist that dissipated into the air

'Now, in the vast room, only the old Butler and the cute Maid were left.'

"... I am too old for this." Said the butler as he chuckled

"It's ok to have a bit of fun little girl, as that is the point of living... But I hope you made the right choice in this." He said as he turned around and slowly left the room

"..."

'But the Blue haired girl did not reply.'

'In the grand white hall, the lone blue-haired maid seemed almost divine…'

…

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Notes

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