Since it was already late at night and they were exhausted, the elves led them to the elven city, which was not far from where they were. At first, the heroes refused, especially since they had almost taken each other's lives just moments ago. But the long-haired elf assured them it was fine—besides, she believed it was safer there than discussing this matter in the middle of the forest.
The Demon King's resurrection was still uncertain, but that didn't mean his subordinates were inactive.
It was possible they had already begun moving, and she certainly didn't want to face them in a dark forest.
Meanwhile, the long-haired elf handed him a cloak to wear, as his constantly glitching body would attract too much attention. The council might even misunderstand and assume he was one of the Demon King's subordinates.
This made him wonder—why did the long-haired elf trust him so much?
The long-haired elf simply said no.
She trusted her eyes.
Her eyes never made mistakes.
A special pair of eyes, appearing only once every thousand years in an elf, and one of the reasons she was chosen as the leader of their special forces. Her instincts also told him that this man was not evil.
He could only remain silent at those words, trying to suppress the smile creeping onto his lips. Not because he was happy, but because of how utterly wrong that belief was.
It was true he wouldn't commit evil like a stereotypical villain. But that didn't mean he was good like a hero either. He would sacrifice an entire village, a city, even a kingdom, just to protect a single person who truly mattered.
Of course, he hoped such a thing would never be necessary.
Upon arriving, he was amazed by the beauty of the city, which seemed to blend perfectly with nature. There was a massive outer wall—strong and seamlessly fused with the surrounding trees, making it not only beautiful but also formidable.
Then there were the buildings.
Elegant, stunning, and completely distinct from human architecture.
Made of a beautiful light green material, accented with shining white and delicate golden patterns symbolizing the elves' nobility.
Yet, what captivated him the most were not the buildings, but the elves themselves.
He had expected them to be beautiful and handsome.
But what he saw made his eyes widen.
They weren't just beautiful and handsome. They looked unreal. Too perfect. Like beings straight out of a masterpiece painting. It wasn't just their appearance—the way they carried themselves, the way they walked, spoke—everything about them radiated the word enchanting.
The heroes, too, were briefly distracted before refocusing on their goal, trying to ignore the curious gazes of the elves who wondered why their captain had brought humans into a city that should have been far beyond their reach.
Even though relations between humans and elves weren't outright hostile, they weren't exactly friendly either.
Humans, though they made efforts to preserve nature, never hesitated to exploit it for their needs. Meanwhile, elves were nature's protectors, the guardians of the forest.
It was only natural that these two races could never truly unite.
Upon reaching the grandest building at the center—where the council resided—he slipped away unnoticed. Taking advantage of the tense atmosphere, he used his glitching ability to teleport around, exploring the vast city further. He soon discovered that the elves had increased their security, with guards posted at every wall and every gate tightly sealed with magic.
He also spotted elven troops assembling in front of the very building they had just entered, as if preparing for something.
What were they planning?
Why were they acting like this?
Did they have ill intentions?
Hadn't the issue already been resolved?
Wait—the long-haired elf had mentioned her eyes could detect dark auras. Could she have seen a dark aura on one of the heroes?
He teleported to the rooftop of a three-story building, sitting there while observing the growing ranks of elven soldiers—spears in hand, bows slung over their backs, fully prepared to strike at a moment's notice.
At that moment, the long-haired elf stepped outside, glancing left and right as if searching for something before calling over a soldier, who quickly approached and listened attentively.
He couldn't hear their conversation, but he could guess from the long-haired elf's displeased expression and the soldier's constant nodding. The soldier then returned to the ranks and issued orders to a few others, who immediately began moving.
Judging by how they spread out, their intent was obvious.
"They're looking for me, huh?"
He stood up, stretched, and continued watching the long-haired elf, who was still anxiously scanning her surroundings—until her gaze landed on an unusual shadow atop the three-story building.
The shadow of someone standing there.
The moment she looked up, her heart skipped a beat.
He was right there, staring down at her, causing her body to freeze—shock and fear mixing together. Meanwhile, the elven soldiers, alerted by the sound of glitching, turned to see their captain standing motionless.
"What are you planning to do with this army?" he asked, a grin forming on his face.
A grin that seemed to say I don't care—I'm just curious.
The long-haired elf clenched her fists, mustering her courage. "I had no choice."
"You said the same thing before. What excuse do you have this time, hmm?"
An arrow was loosed—faster than a regular arrow thanks to elven magic.
The soldiers, expecting the shot to take his life, were stunned as he caught the arrow mid-air without breaking eye contact with their captain, who also gasped in shock.
"So, you pretended to trust us. You lured us here just to trap us in your home? Or is there another reason, like…" He glanced around, smirking. "Like activating magic that only works in this place?"
At that moment, the captain leaped back as quickly as possible, sensing imminent danger.
"Wait! You have to believe me! I'm doing this for their own good! The army is only here as a precaution in case things don't go as planned. I have no intention of harming them or endangering the heroes' lives!"
"Are you sure?" he asked, causing the captain to falter. "Because it looks like they've already figured out what you're trying to do." He nodded forward.
The captain turned around—only to see the five heroes, who should have been detained by the council, now standing at the entrance.
Their bodies were cloaked in a dark aura, their eyes glowing deep purple—the unmistakable mark of those under the Demon King's influence.
"Prepare the defenses!"