Hmm... Raelis glanced around. This is definitely not how I imagined a peaceful envoy to look.
Auren had gathered all of his forces, every single one of them.
It seemed like he didn’t distribute them according to their talents like Raelis did.
Those who looked scrawny, and even those who were injured, no one was left behind.
Raelis asked Auren about it, and he was met with a pretty obvious answer.
"If you have 83 other people at your disposal, use them to the fullest."
In a way, it made sense. And it was something Raelis probably should have done as well.
But in the end, he sought fairness, and role distribution seemed just, even if slightly foolish.
Nevertheless, they made their way through the lands until, eventually, the Red team’s castle was off in the distance.
Cannons lined its walls, aimed right at them.
Yet they weren’t being fired, which meant that Clea must’ve succeeded.
Speaking of Clea, Raelis spotted a blue butterfly flying in from the distance.
Moments later, it landed on his shoulder, and to his surprise, it whispered.
"Don’t talk, just listen. It seems like they figured out the actual way teams are being distributed. Apparently, Sylis deduced it a while ago as well. That’s why he sent Zeri to deal with Blue team. Clearly, she disobeyed, and because of that, we’re all at a stalemate."
Raelis nodded, so she continued.
"The moment Auren enters that castle, he’s going to be ambushed. What do you want to do? Err... right, I told you not to talk. Okay... nod once if you want their altercation to play out. Nod twice if you want to work with me to eliminate both of the teams. Or... we could pick one of them to win, then eliminate—"
Raelis nodded twice without hesitation.
Sure, he could play the obvious route of letting their brawl play out, but that’d risk one side coming out on top.
And while I wouldn’t usually mind it... having Auren and Sylis in the academy is just a headache. From what I gathered, Auren clearly wouldn’t appreciate a 50/50 partnership with me.
So with that, he made up his mind.
Eliminate Auren and Sylis.
There was one issue, though.
Therin is on the Red team, and he was nice to me in the past... but I won’t make exceptions for something as feeble as a few nice words.
But if an opportunity were to arise in the future, Raelis would definitely extend a helping hand to Therin, that much was certain.
Still, Clea remained in her butterfly form on his shoulder as they finally arrived at the Red team’s base.
As expected, Sylis stepped forward.
He was someone who could see the future, so he most certainly foresaw this outcome.
There was also the possibility that he saw what came after, but Raelis couldn’t be too certain.
Auren took a deep breath and stepped forward, meeting Sylis halfway.
"Nice to see you again. Hope you’re doing well," Auren began with the small talk. "I have a feeling you already know why I’m here."
Sylis scoffed and scratched his head.
He looked as disheveled as usual, yet his deep eyes certainly saw more than what he let on.
"I am aware of the alliance, or rather, team transfer," Sylis replied plainly. "But before things escalate, I wish to put it out there that I don’t agree. It’s stupid and a waste of time for obvious reasons."
Auren tilted his head. "But you’re alone here. My army is surrounding you. We can change that outcome really quickly, you know?"
Sylis chuckled and raised a single hand.
Immediately, a cannon went off, thundering through the air and hitting the ground beside Auren.
It formed a small crater, clearly showcasing its destructive power.
"Am I alone?" Sylis asked. "Because it sure doesn’t seem that way. If you so much as get near me and try to take the ring off my finger, you will be turned to mush by my cannons."
At those words, Clea finally flew off Raelis’s shoulder, heading to the top of the wall.
She’s going to stir some chaos up there, eh? I guess I should do the same.
With a mischievous smirk, Raelis took a few steps back and sunk into the shadow of one of the nearby soldiers.
Since Auren and Sylis were engrossed in speaking with one another, no one noticed.
But the queen, on the other hand...
Before she could utter another word, Raelis jumped into her shadow, then, with surprising dexterity, took the "Q" engraved ring off her finger.
He slipped it into his pocket and proceeded to head toward the back lines.
And that was when he began his very own chaos.
"I didn’t push you—HEY! Who was that?!"
"You commoner bastard! Do you think just because we’re on the same team that we have the same status, huh!?"
A few subtle pushes were all it took to disorient their back line.
Yet that seemed to be enough to get Auren’s attention, as he turned around with a frown.
At the same time, he noticed the missing ring on Sophia’s finger, and then, he realized Raelis had vanished as well.
He opened his mouth, ready to issue an order, and that was when dozens of different cannons thundered all at once.
Immediately, cannonballs rained across the battlefield, some even managing to scrape a candidate or significantly injure them.
And it was all thanks to Clea, who was at the very top.
Or so he thought. Yet he noticed a butterfly right above the battlefield, and it seemed like it had something wrapped around its neck.
Upon closer look, Raelis realized it was a ring.
In the very next instant, the ring dropped, unnoticed by anyone but Raelis.
So with a determined look, Raelis hopped out of the shadows and used Basic Flame Step to launch into the air, grabbing the falling ring and finally falling to the ground, completely out of cover and visible for everyone to see.
He had gotten two rings, and he only needed two more to eliminate these two teams.
But despite his clear advantage...
Why do they seem so calm?