"Mera, I haven't been back in a long time."

"It's been a long time. It's been a very long time since we last met."

"Next to me right now is the White Deer King."

"I don't know if the things I did after your pa.s.sing consoled you, but I am doing what a King should do now. If I didn't meet you, I might still be hiding in my mom's arms right now… I've chosen to take the initiative to step up now, because of you, though."

"Mera, I'm sorry. I can't stay for long this time. I need to leave Duargana now. I've cleaned and tidied your house for you. Your scent in this house… has virtually completely disappeared now, but my memory of you will never fade. I came to mourn you, as I might not get a chance to again."

"If I survive, I'll come back. Oh, right, if you meet a girl called Luna, please tell her that I'm sorry for not having the time to visit her."

"Mera, I miss you… and if you're wondering… I really like you, too… I really do… like you very much."

The White Deer King is, indeed, truly very fast. I had to pay attention to the speed of my men behind me as we rode. We were truly marching swiftly this time. I brought the Earth Dragon Cavalry unit out this time to rush toward Troy City. I hoped that the anthropoids weren't rus.h.i.+ng to Troy City, but somewhere else. However, the only place that they can go to once leaving the elven lands is Troy City.

'Has Troy City become embroiled in a tough battle?'

Mommy Vyvyan had tears in her eyes when it was time for me to leave. I knew that she doesn't want me to go somewhere so dangerous. I could probably defeat all of the enemies at Troy City if I brought Mom along, but Mom had to repair the damaged forest. I could only hope that Mommy Vyvyan could provide me with reinforcements after she was done repairing it.

If the anthropoids have launched a full-scale attack, then I'm honestly not confident that I can defeat them, because their numbers are far too great. They're akin to ocean tides coming to Troy City. I only have my Earth Dragon Cavalry unit, plus my tiny militia. Tanya's companions are a group of less than one-hundred people. My guard unit appears to look as if it's a large unit, but in reality, there aren't even one thousand members. How am I going to defeat the ma.s.sive horde of anthropoids?

I don't know, but I do know that I must return.

My Mom and my wives are in the city. Troy City will definitely fall if we don't get reinforcements. I can only do my best to return to Troy City as soon as possible right now. Every second counts.

However, the Earth Dragon Cavalry unit behind me could barely keep up with my current speed. The cavalry, on the other hand, couldn't keep up. Despite being the best horses, they still couldn't keep up with the White Deer King.

"We won't move tonight. Prepare for a rest."

We got close to Troy City by night time. We stopped behind a small mountain slope. We could see Troy City down below from here. I rode up to the slope on the White Deer King. When I looked down, all of my blood froze.

Flames were burning all around Troy City below. Those were the flames in the camps of the anthropoids. They were spread around Troy City similarly to stars in the sky. They were situated so closely together that it resembled a river of flames. I didn't know how many anthropoids were down below, but the number of fires and closely gathered shadows told me that the anthropoids could create a hill to climb over Troy City's city walls with their sheer numbers alone.

"Ah!"

Ling Yue walked up to my side and exclaimed with surprise when she saw the scene below. She looked at the fires below with a stunned expression. Despair and helplessness surfaced in her blood-red eyes. She turned her head to look at me, "Give up… It's impossible now. This city will fall… There's just too many of them… Did you know that the anthropoids were actually made from mana using an express method? These sorts of lowly anthropoids have a nest. When the elves were exiled back then, they offered their mana. A female elf used her mana to create a seedbed. You just had to provide mana, and would be able to extract countless eggs of mana from it. The eggs would take shape in a matter of days. After ten or so days, they'd have grown up. That is how the anthropoids below were created. They don't have any brains, are very obedient and won't resist. They were born as suicide attackers and slaves. It was through their labour that we managed to maintain basic life in the North…"

"So, your tribe warmed up the land there, while the elves created these pieces of s.h.i.+t worker ants, right?"

"Worker ants?"

I looked at the elves below with a cold gaze and explained, "Worker ants are like them. They're the lowest life form. They're used as disposable goods. I know that there are lots of them, and I know how many men we have, but that's not a reason for me to retreat. Ling Yue, you have your reasons for insisting to return to the North. Likewise, I have my reasons for insisting on returning to Troy City. My mother and wives are inside Troy City. I have to die at my house if I must die. I'm not abandoning my family for my own hide."

"It's impossible!! It's impossible! We can't defeat these numbers! They don't know fear! They won't retreat unless their commander gives the order to! We can't kill so many anthropoids! It's absolutely impossible! You're just marching to your own death!"

Ling Yue looked at me. Her beautiful face was covered with anxiety. She looked at me while swinging her tail around with all her might. She anxiously said, "You're my only hope!! Can't we return to the elves?! Get the Queen to come. Get your mom to come. Your mom could easily obliterate the enemies here with her magic, right?! You just need to wait for a bit, and the problem will be solved, so why do you insist on marching to your own death?!"

"Because some things can't wait. I can wait, and I can flee, but my family can't wait or flee."

I turned around and descended the slope. From Behind, Ling Yue loudly shouted, "Don't go dying!! What am I going to do if you die?! It wasn't easy for me to meet you!! Who is going to help me get my revenge if you die?!"

"Go and find Vyvyan; go and see my moms. If I die, the two of them will scorch the entire North. They'll definitely be able to help you get your revenge.

I rubbed my nose. Without turning my head around, I said, "I'm going to attack them tomorrow. Stay here if you're afraid. I won't blame you, as our agreement was for me to help you get revenge, not for you to die with me. I don't care."

Ling Yue didn't respon, and I didn't look back. I continued to go toward Tanya, who was looking at me. She looked at me with a complex gaze in silence.

I scrubbed her head and met with her eyes, "Tanya, let me give you your second order. You can find the anthropoids' commander tomorrow, right? Don't kill him, just scare him off. You must make sure you scare him off. Then you can slay anthropoids to your heart's content. Also, don't worry about whether I'm alive or not. Your only mission is to scare off their commander."

Tanya looked at me very calmly, "Who shall I follow if you die, then?"

I scrubbed her head one last time then replied, "Follow whoever you like, whether it's Her Majesty or Her Highness. Choose whoever you like. We haven't been together for a long time, but, Tanya, you would probably be cuter if you smiled."

Troy City interior…

"Your Majesty…"

"Ah, Nier."

Elizabeth placed down her sword that she was wiping. She looked at Nier and asked, "What's wrong? Are you a little afraid?"

"No. It is just… I cannot do up my belt… It is the lolly pouch His Majesty tied on for me… but why can I not do up this belt now…?"

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