1. Destruction Overture

Add looked dissatisfied as he leaned on the hallways wall while touching the clothes he was wearing.

..Well its still better than you.

Chung was standing beside Add while blankly looking down at his own feet. His long golden hair fit

who knew the truth.

words of comfort to Chung.

too much attention.

Chung protested while pressing down on the hem of his skirt. But a guy that looks like a girl is more

well because he was sighing heavily while looking extremely depressed.

while.

Okay, were all ready.

Rena saw Chung then made a very joyful expression.

.I really didnt want to do this.

accepting this situation only because of this single reason. He wasnt enjoying this at all. Rena smiled

came out of the room as well.

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Were ready now.

door sill. Ara was about to fall with a surprised expression when Eve grabbed Aras waist to catch

Be careful, Ara.

Ara quickly thanked Eve while still in her arm. Add stole a quick glance at how Eve was nodding

This wasted too much time.

Rena whispered to Add as she walked up right beside him. Add ignored her while wondering what

It seems she really liked those clothes. Wouldnt she be glad if Add complimented her?

Rena didnt say anything more when Add continued walking as if he hadnt heard anything. Add

Add had been recently purposely avoiding talking to Eve.

But Add still felt uneasy about that incident and still couldnt get a gasp on how he should handle

He became uneasy whenever he saw Eve.

until he figured it out.

Add murmured to himself after hearing Eve offer words of comfort to dejected Chung. It was true

people changed.

19

20

appeared out of the corner.

Sorry about that.

Normally, this kind of collision would have been avoided because Dynamo should have noticed and

When Elsword let him go, Add wiped the dust off his clothes then asked for the important thing

So did you get the jobs?

Thats a generous offer.

public order but they also handed out uniforms and gave jobs to the citizens that needed money if

Since the citizens couldnt leave because of the spatial barrier, they had no choice but to gather at

The El Search Party were successful in mixing into these job seekers to infiltrate the outer castle.

It seems there havent been any problems even though they opened up the outer castle to the

no one would infiltrate since they cant leave once they enter.

Adds Dynamo, his dimension distortion mode could block things from coming in but couldnt stop

Although, now we cant leave either.

Add already confirmed that his quantum teleport can go through Aishas spatial barrier. This was

principles as Adds abilities.

Adds curiosity as a researcher peaked. He could probably figure out the exact mechanisms behind

Chung who had been listening asked very quietly.

I told them there were six of us then they told us to work in pairs of two. Theyll come to check on

storage and..

When they heard Big Sister Rena was an Elf, they told her to be Chloes bathing attendant.

Renas expression turned grim after hearing the name she heard during the strategy meeting again.

reaction they must not have a friendly relationship.

Outer castle was rather open to the citizens so the demons didnt say anything if citizens quit

Rena shook her head at Adds suggestion.

shell know about the inner castle well since shes a general. Ill figure it out from her carefully.

Chloe was a girl so bathing attendant that goes together with Rena must be a girl as well. Add

Rena, take Ara. Chloe might get suspicious if she figures out Elf and Nasod are traveling together.

Okay, got it. Ara, lets go together.

Then that leaves window and storage cleaning. Storage work should obviously go to those with good

Basically, Elsword and Chung. Although Chung was dressed as a girl, he had the strength to freely

22

Add didnt like this result from the elimination rule and was about to speak up. But Elsword spoke

Then Chung and I will go to the storage. Big Brother Add and Eve take care of the windows.

I dont do that anymore.

Rena, Ara, Elsword and Chung all parted and went to do their jobs. Add carefully looked at Eve

Rag was in her hand.

..Alright.

Window cleaning started.

difficult.

efforts by commanding his Dynamos.

So getting exhausted after only a third window was definitely not Adds fault. They were in disguise

Dynamos in order to hide everyones weapons and clothes with optical camouflage.

W, whos tired?!

every time he moved, a future where hell suffer from terrifying muscle pain tomorrow awaited him.

th window.

Rest for a bit if you are tired.

He didnt even have the strength to respond now. Eve looked at Add who was panting heavily with

His frustration was surging up but his body couldnt follow up.

Wait, lets rest for a bit together.

of these to get just 2,000ED? Just when Add was burning up with his hatred towards the

You

looked forwards again.

It has to be done in order to not look suspicious.

when she responded angrily to Adds light provocations.

to him this time.

Outer castles security, geography, situation inside the inner castle and whereabouts of Elesis. I

Other generals were problematic as well but Elesis was their biggest problem.

attention but the person that worried Add the most was Elesis.

We wont run into her if possible in this mission.

possible. He wanted to carry out this plan safely as possible.

Did you ask Ara about Memory of Time and Space?

It was the same for Eve, but Ara also didnt know how she had awakened her Memory of Time and

Eve and Ara awakened their Memory of Time and Space. Only ones remaining were Add and

Even if Elsword succeeds, he probably wont be able to explain it either.

That was obviously right. Add realized the situation after hearing what Eve said. This wasnt a

This was because people other than Add were not very knowledgeable about emotions or too

Only thing Add managed to find out from the success of two people was that emotion was a clue to

If Elesis, or an even more powerful enemy that surpasses her stands in our way, you and Elsword

I know already.

capabilities rose tremendously, this Velder royal castle was still filled with powerful enemies.

battle capabilities.

didnt get any results.

What?

Could it be that.Eve was trying to comfort him? Add got surprised and turned around towards

stretching up her arm to clean the top part of the window.

Doing that while wearing a maid uniform with such a short skirt looked very perilous to Add who

Uh.

at Add after getting her cleaning tool taken away. Then Add quietly started cleaning the upper

Ill clean the top.

picked up the other rag.

Kukukuk..

something like this but,

Those clothes..they look rather good on you.

.

When Add became red up to his ears while screaming and shouting internally, Eve spoke as she

Thank you.

Add desperately looked at the window and focused on cleaning with all his might. His arms were

Because pain helped to hide from Eve the tip of his mouth trying to dance on its own.

bathing.

Judging from the blindingly white tiles on the floor, this was a bath that normally only nobles staying

shoulders. She opened only one eye to look at Rena and Ara.

And Im surprised to meet a Dark Elf here.

Chloe frowned for a moment at Renas confident reply but nodded as if she wasnt going to care.

She was completely defenceless.

attacked her right now. Of course, Rena and Ara also didnt have their weapons at the moment..

Their goal right now wasnt to eliminate an enemy general. They had to act carefully while watching

Rena closed this line of thought then spoke to Chloe while smiling.

Not much, just massage my shoulders.

Ara who was looking around the bathroom in admiration quickly nodded then moved behind

her feet slipped and she fell forwards.

Of course like the trained martial artist she was, she broke the fall with her right hand to avoid being

Ouch!

Ara got surprised from Chloes scream and quickly withdrew her hand. Chloe looked back with tear

What? How can a human girl be so strong?

Ah, umm thats because.

She became like that because she went through a lot while traveling with me. Also, I think only one

What does that mean?

Ara got surprised by Renas bold words and tried to call out to her but stopped. Ara couldnt hide

Ara didnt know what Rena was thinking but she might have to take down Chloe if necessary.

I wanted to talk about why a Dark Elf sided with the demons and is invading Elrios. Wouldnt it be

Hmm

been looking nervously at Rena exited the bathroom with a worried expression.

Hahaha, I found it strange that an Elf came to the outer castle.. So you came to meet me after

Yes, thank you for calling me here, Chloe.

looking for work. Thats why she called Rena here. Rena also had something she wanted to find out

boldly to attract her curiosity.

Fine, Dark Elf and an Elf talking to each other is a rare event in history. Come in.

Rena carefully took off the towel and entered the bathtub. Water was warm with just the right

But Chloe across the bathtub looked at Renas chest area then frowned.

Youre just a mere Elf, how impudent..

Youre just a mere Elf, how impudent..

Chloe was muttering then got surprised when Rena nonchalantly changed her position. Rena now

Sitting like this is easier for talking right?

For a demon general to bathe shoulder to shoulder with an Elf woman she met just today. Chloe

Chloe felt like getting angry at this smiling face would only make her the small-minded person. If an

composedly as well?

should know that I can get rid of you easily if I wanted to.

outer castle, it didnt change the fact that they were the conquerors and that they were demons.

Thats something to think about after we finish our talk. Also, I wont go down so easily either.

world? Im telling you this now. I dont think theres a way for you to leave Velder now that youve

Yes, I came to meet you knowing that.

Chloe closed her mouth while frowning, Rena asked instead this time.

protect the Demon Realms sacred site and the Dark El?

How come? Did something happen in the Demon Realm?

The Dark Els energy is weakening.

What?

In the first place, the reason why Rena left the Forest of the Elves was because the Els energy was

Party. This was Renas journey so far.

..

was enjoying Renas shocked reaction but feeling sorrowful about this topic at the same time.

speak.

protected by the Dark El. But Dark Els energy is weakening. There were many different opinions

So is that why youre invading Elrios and trying to change the El into Dark El?

Chloe made a cruel smile. Rena didnt hide her pale expression as she protested.

Its better than Demon Realm becoming endangered.

Reason for the demon invasion hadnt been clearly known. But according to the story right now,

This is a fight for survival.

No, like I said before, there are differing opinions amongst demons as well. This is only from what

banished to Elrios and another aggressive faction of demons is plotting to resurrect the Demon God

I see..

Weakening of the Dark El. There must have been numerous opinions amongst the demons with this

reason why they invaded Elrios.

.I can understand why.

El blesses Elrios, then the Dark El protects the Demon Realm.

But why did you have to do something like this? You could have explained the situation to Elrios

Hmph, youre speaking like an Elf after all. Would your side even have listened to our request?

who had been through many life threatening battles. Chloes words made sense to her.

on the line.

What?!

she questioned Rena threateningly. She might have pointed her weapon at Rena if they werent

You better not be lying to me.

weakening.

Rena slowly shook her head. Chloe must have sensed that Rena was speaking the truth and stopped

turmoil and was breathing heavily.

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Then are you telling me to just watch as the Demon Realm is destroyed? What an Elf like thing to

Im saying lets join our forces now. If the El and Dark El are both losing their energies, then we

Rena requested desperately. Chloe shut her mouth and didnt say anything for a while.

.Stop it, Elf. We already pointed weapons at each other. Weve come too far to turn back.

The root of this problem wont be solved even if you turn all of the El into Dark El. Thats only

Well find the solution to that on our own.

Chloe closed her eyes when Rena called her name sadly.

stop trying to persuade me with these useless talks if you want to leave here alive.

Rena asked again because she wasnt scared of Chloes threat, but from pure regret.

happened?

The El and Dark El were like two opposite sides of a coin. They both had different properties but

researched more thoroughly, there might have been a different future where the demons didnt

together.

Chloe, please change your mind. If other demon generals find about this too..

Stop it. Theres no reason to stop when weve basically won this war. Other generals will mock me

D?

like Chloe wouldnt listen no matter what.

..I dont want to talk anymore. Go back.

Yes, alright. Then lets talk again tomorrow, Chloe.

Our story isnt over yet right? Its been a while since Elves have interacted with Dark Elves after

Rena left the bathtub and spoke while smiling. Chloe frowned then clicked her tongue.

Then see you tomorrow.

door for a while then shook her head.

This was the first time Chloe had heard that the Els energy was also weakening. Would other

Well, the warmongering faction could have known about it but kept silent because they wanted

But theres no way that D didnt know.

..Come to think of it. I never asked for her name.

No, theres no reason to know a mere Elfs name.

But if what that Elf told her as she left was true, theyll meet again tomorrow. Chloe got a feeling

Hmph..

tomorrow.

because they finished various jobs.

ended up all sleeping in the same room. Lights out bell was heard and everyone rolled out their

Soft moonlight came into the room as they all conversed naturally.

Youre right it reminds me of the time when we camped out.

You shouldnt light fire inside a building. Mr.Elsword.

It was a small room where everyone had to sleep head to head. It was a lodge without any proper

Add clicked his tongue as he changed the topic.

Chung and I talked with the other people while cleaning the storage. Everyone.praised Big Sister.

world?

They said the reason why there was no pillaging despite the demon takeover was because Ms.Elesis

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Ms.Elesis.

here.

Dont tell me that you are thinking Elesis purposely sided with the demons for the sake of Velders

..

much does this kid admire Elesis?

change.

Even though Elsword would worry about the fact that Elesis was his enemy, he wouldnt hesitate to

While Add was feeling satisfied, Ara butted in.

Ialso have to hear the answer from father. I wont hesitate to fight.

Why are there so many of us that have their family member on the enemys side?

Eve called Add out coldly at what he said without a thought. Add waved his hand while still lying

Im not blaming anyone. I just said it because Im curious.

Ara spoke hesitantly. Add focused his ears on what Ara was saying. Did she use the foresight ability

But that didnt seem to be the case as Ara carefully continued her words.

I dont understand it too well, but it feels like it wasnt a coincidence that I met and fought

I think so too Big Sister Ara.

Actually, I also think so..

Dont change the topic like this. I told you all to share the information you gathered. Why are you

I was able to grasp around half of the outer castles structure while cleaning today.

Window cleaning job was rigorous but it was useful. They could move about without attracting

So Rena, how did your meeting with Chloe go?

Rena seemed to hesitate for a moment then continued her words.

Everyone became dead silent and listened to Renas explanation. They had all fought back against

Dark.El?

dimension gates for this invasion? Why are they consuming Dark El when they came to secure

Add suspected if this was a misinformation but Rena shook her head.

Demons never used dimension gates however they wished. Damage done to other cities and

behind it.

unless its for something really important.

But that means..

again using dimension gates after Elder was understandable. They probably didnt want to use any

But he couldnt figure out why they went out of their way to expend even a little bit of Dark El to

all ambushes aimed at the El Search Party, not Eve alone.

I was just organizing my thoughts. Anyways.

Realm?

If thats what Big Sister wanted to do, she wouldnt have done it this way.

Rena brought was a lie either.

some other time.

You might get found out if you get too close to her. Give it up.

Rena probably means there was something she could gain from talking with Chloe despite the

quietly stood up as he put on his jacket.

Ill go scout out their night security.

and clothes.

You all go to sleep. Ill go quietly by myself.

Okay!

Eve answered while not even looking back at Adds dumbfounded gaze.

Just leave it to me, Mr.Add!

Its not that important of a task, Ill go by myself..

Contact us if youre in danger. Well come to help.

Just quietly bringing her along will probably waste less time.

Add carefully walked along the silent hallways. Even though the outer castle was using an

sternly to not walk around at night.

Add drew the royal castles internal structure he knew so far in his head and decided to take the long

That meant they had no choice but to make effective security lines.

now. Add went far around and tried to move up to the third floor. A worried voice came from

Uuuuuu, its scarier because its so quiet.

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nervously.

Those that are on night patrol are probably only small fries.

scouting but now he had an extra baggage because Ara followed unnecessarily.

No, I. I heard a ghost appears in the castle during the night.

Add criticised while frowning but worry didnt leave Aras voice.

leading to the 3rd floor as if he wasnt fazed.

there were no life signatures.

Im getting nothing. But we have to check thoroughly even if it will be dangerous. Theres two

overpass on the third floor.

will focus on them soon as they headed toward the inner castle. Demons will find out that they are

But they had to risk running into Elesis if they wanted to use the third floors overpass. Thats why

Strange.

..

Add didnt answer saying that was the reason why it was strange. Placing Elesis in the 3rd floor which

Add stopped walking and thought deeply. Then he asked Ara.

No, I became able to control Lord Euns powers.

Add havent talked to Eun after hearing that he failed for more than 20 million times until they

asked her about this.

Hamel.

If they could possibly use Aras foresight ability to find out if there was some kind of trap on the 3rd

Ara was looking at him seriously.

decision thanks to Mr.Add, Ms.Eve and everyone else. Thank you.

I wanted to thank you properly.

moonlight thanked him while smiling.

Add scanned carefully as possible to figure out where Elesis was but he couldnt catch anything even

I cant see that far out anymore. Lord Eun said I can only look at events short distances ahead.

Eun had nonchalantly hidden information from Add.. But her affection towards Ara must be

Although she has a cruel side..

Was Eun ignoring Aras suffering in Hamel in order to awaken her to Memory of Time and Space?

Then why had Eun hidden the fact that Adds memories were missing and why did she tell him now?

It wasnt the time to think too deeply about this. Add carefully headed to the overpass while being

He already knew there was nobody on the overpass because he scanned it. The inner castle across

Darkness..was waiting for them in there.

Add stopped right in front of the overpass after seeing the inner castle. Ara who had been following

more chaotic and let out a small cry in pain.

Uh, kugh.

Add tried to shake Aras hand off when she held him worriedly but he didnt have the strength to.

Just why did he lose his memories?

number. He wouldnt have any excuses if someone objectively called him insane.

Well, this wasnt something too unlikely. Humans werent very rational and reasonable

of their memories as infants?

In order to forget something so horrible, it wasnt impossible to rewrite ones memory of that time

Haah..

though he hadnt eaten.

properly from the dizziness. Her face looked like if she was about to cry at any moment. It was as if

Ill stay beside you.

Ara from before would have gotten flustered from not knowing what to do. She was acting rather

Im good, let me go.

To make you worry about me. How low Ive fallen.

could stand on his own two feet. Ara finally let go of Adds arm and stared worriedly. But Add

He still felt sick but didnt intend to cry about it.

No I just felt uncomfortable for a bit. Dont tell the others about this.

others for help so Add pressed her for an answer.

Okay.

Ara reluctantly nodded. Add collected his breath then turned around to go back the way they came.

his bodys condition.

Ending up like this just from trying to remember about 20 million failures Add felt dumbstruck

Kukukuk, I must really be crazy.

thoughts and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He could think about the failures he had no

Lets focus only on liberating Velder for now.

As his body floated up on its own, Add looked blankly at the floor for a moment then noticed that

Wow, shes really fast. He would have died instantly if this was an attack.

Shhh!

room while still carrying Add on her side. Ara dropped Add then looked around the room to find a

Hide, Mr.Add!

She probably has a good reason for this. Add didnt question her and entered the closet just like she

It was a large closet but it was still bit too small for two people to hide in. Their foreheads were

Creak.

Strange, I dont see anyone.

.

The whole infiltration and Velder liberation mission was all over if she saw them.

Karis seemed to be flying because they heard wings flapping instead of footsteps. They could sense

..This is the worst.

But he could think about the reason later. Add thought of a countermeasure when the sound of

Ambushing to get the upper hand should be their final measure. Optical camouflage was useful but

Add asked with an eye gesture to see if Ara had any plans since she had already looked ahead to see

clothes and pulled him close to her.

was just now.

After being saved from death by just 2 seconds, Add froze up and couldnt even move a finger.

Did I understand the order wrong?

Although Karis was a demon, she probably doesnt have a hobby of destroying perfectly good

She must have given up flying because footsteps were heard and sounds of Karis looking around

Did they run away already? Or.did they hide somewhere here?

fight.

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What are you doing here, demon?

It was Elesis voice. When Karis footsteps got further, Add examined the situation outside through

Elesis was standing in the hallway, and Karis was standing inside the room as they glared at each

I manage this place. You shouldnt be here.

Knight Captain?

Karis spoke in a sticky voice when Elesis expression turned intimidating.

Want to try it?

Elesis was going to fight if Karis said anything else, Karis winced for a moment but laughed

You dont have to be so serious. I just wanted to have a friendly chat with our new comrade. You

I dont have anything to talk about with you. Dont come here ever again.

Karis tilted her head and looked at Elesis.

you refuse to become a demon even after joining us.

Could it be that you have other thoughts? Maybe it looked like you betrayed Elrios but you are

Elesis closed her eyes then took her hand off her sword hilt.

Stop meddling, demon. I wont let you off if you do this again.

Elesis ignored Kariss words then turned around. Karis spoke again.

They should be arriving in Velder soon.

Generals could probably break through the barrier but it didnt look like they could go in and out as

Will you be able to fight properly when they come to attack us with your brother as their vanguard?

where Karis head had been just now. Elesis spoke shortly after swinging and withdrawing her sword

I wont miss next time.

Unlike what Karis said, her expression was stiff. Her neck would have really gotten chopped off if

It wasnt clear who was the strongest amongst the demon generals because they havent fought each

Still, Berthe was weak, Chloe was no match for Ran and Ran was very strong but still under Karis.

joined recently.

Karis risked her life and fought with everything she had. But Elesis was definitely not someone she

Then. lets talk under more leisurely circumstances next time.

Elesis put away her sword then entered the room when Karis flew away towards the inner castle.

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her nervousness and was grabbing her spear tightly. Ara was the one who sent Add an eye gesture

She was saying they should ambush her if it came down to it. But Add shook his head.

this situation. Ara wouldnt lose to Karis if it became a close quarter combat but he couldnt imagine

Of course, Ara had her foresight ability and defeated Ran with her immensely increased skills from

because she had help from Add and the other Search Party members.

Elesis closed the window Karis exited from then looked around the room. Her gaze remained on

Two inside the closet held their breaths.

Elesis spoke to herself then withdrew her gaze on the furniture as she left the room.

anymore, Add and Ara both let out a huge sigh.

That was dangerous.

relived from the fact that the danger was over. But his brain was working busily even now.

Could they use this information somehow to help with liberating Velder? But to use this information

find out.

..We can win.

Aras worries were obvious. Demon generals were individuals that the El Search Party had to focus

generals.

people carrying out the plan was lacking. Current El Search Party didnt have enough strength to

But Add spoke with certainty.

Ah, of course. Mr.Add and Mr.Elsword both received the El from Ms.Aisha.

moon hanging up in the night sky through a crack in the closed window then made his resolve.

He didnt know why he failed 20 million times.

But him from this time will win for sure