-1504- All for one

Actually, everyone had more or less noticed the strangeness around them by now.

Walking through the streets, although the area was filled with buildings, for some reason, there were surprisingly few pedestrians. The air felt heavy and stifling, as if shrouded in some kind of horror. It was nothing like the center of human civilization that Vebel was reputed to be.

Rozen even had the feeling of being back in the Fourth Singularity when he had ventured through it.

Back then, the entirety of London in the Fourth Singularity was engulfed in thick fog. Humans who stayed in the fog would be dissolved on the spot, turning London into a wasteland.

Now, Vebel gave Rozen the same feeling, causing him to squint his eyes slightly.

As for the others, they exchanged glances with each other.

"Why are there so few people around here?" Yuri raised a question.

"This shouldn't be like Mistgun, where because it's indoor class time, the streets are nearly empty, right?" Mena furrowed her brows.

"Unlike Mistgun, which is a floating academy city, most of the people here in Vebel are ordinary folks. There's no reason it should be so desolate," Chloe shook her head.

If this were like Mistgun, where more than ninety percent of the population were students, then when indoor classes were in session, it made sense for the streets to be deserted, with almost no pedestrians.

However, the floating city of Vebel wasn't a floating academy city. Its population far exceeded that of Mistgun, and most of them were ordinary people. Those who lived here were either family members of renowned wizards, high-ranking members of the Floating City Alliance, or descendants of those who had made great contributions to humanity. Although they weren't necessarily all affluent or powerful, the city should be full of life. How could it be this quiet?

Could it be...

"This is about the humanoid—" Mena began to say something, but Rozen stopped her.

"This is the enemy's base. There may be spies around, keeping an eye on us. To avoid eavesdropping, don't bring up certain things," Rozen signaled to Mena.

Mena's face tightened, and she nodded seriously, no longer speaking.

Rozen then spoke again. "Regardless, we're here now. The enemy surely knows we've arrived. Anything could happen next. So, everyone, stay alert. If anything strange happens, report it immediately. Also, apart from me, no one should act alone. You must form pairs at the very least. Understand?"

Rozen gave his orders.

"Yes!" Kanata, Chloe, Mena, and Yuri responded immediately.

"Then, let's move."

"Alright."

With that, the group continued on their way to the inn.

However, during the journey, Rozen glanced in a particular direction before continuing forward.

Before long, in the direction Rozen had glanced, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows of a corner.

It was a young man with silky, glossy blond hair and clear, stream-like brown eyes. He wore the uniform of Vebel's advanced school.

Sweat trickled down the boy's forehead.

There was nothing he could do.

Just now, the boy had almost thought he would be killed.

When Rozen's gaze swept in his direction, every hair on the boy's body stood on end, and an overwhelming sense of danger surged through him.

Because of this, the boy had reason to believe that had Rozen not realized he wasn't an enemy, the boy might very well be dead right now.

"That... that was Rorelai Arneet?" the boy wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"He's far more terrifying than I imagined."

No wonder he was the last hope of humanity, hailed as the Hero of Humanity and the Mage King. A mere glance almost killed the boy—he was even more dangerous than the humanoid Armored Beetles.

However...

"If it's him, perhaps he truly can fight against Zeth."

The boy exhaled, his expression becoming more spirited.

"I have to go back and report to Father."

The arrival of such a figure was no less than the descent of a savior for humanity.

If that weren't the case, the boy wouldn't have been sent here to confirm Rozen's arrival with his own eyes.

Thus, the boy blended back into the darkness and disappeared.

Silence returned to the surroundings.

At the same time, Elis and Cris, who had vanished after disembarking from the airship, were making their way back to the Wiegert residence almost without rest.

No, to be more precise, only Elis had returned.

Cris had parted ways with Elis along the way.

"I'll head home for now. The rest is up to you," Cris had said before disappearing, leaving Elis alone to return to the mansion and meet Zeth.

"I'm glad you returned safely, my dear sister," Zeth greeted Elis in the study, flashing a gentle smile.

"Onii-sama..."

Seeing Zeth's warm expression, Elis no longer felt the overwhelming joy and honor she once had. Instead, a slight chill crept into her heart.

Even though Zeth had tampered with her and used her as a pawn in his battle against Rozen, he was still able to greet her with such a gentle smile, as if nothing had happened. This left Elis feeling cold.

Even so, Elis had returned.

Because, compared to Zeth, Rozen frightened her even more.

"...I'm sorry, Onii-sama. I couldn't complete the mission. Please punish me," Elis bit her lip, her face pale as she lowered her head.

To this, Zeth remained unmoved.

"I gave you the task of making contact with Rorelai Arneet and gathering enough information from him. In terms of the mission, you've already done an excellent job, allowing us to learn about foreign mana and glimpse that human's power. There's no greater gain than this."

Zeth spoke gently to Elis.

"On the contrary, you've surely suffered greatly. The fact that you survived and made it back is no small feat."

As he said this, the smile on Zeth's face gradually faded.

"But I wonder, since you returned unscathed, did that man perhaps do something to you?"

Hearing this, Elis trembled all over.

"Onii-sama, I...!"

At that moment, Elis wanted to say something.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

"Thud!"

With a sharp sound, Elis was struck on the back of her neck.

"Ugh..."

She let out a muffled groan and collapsed.

Behind her, Kirsty's figure appeared.

"What should we do next, Lord Zeth?" Kirsty asked emotionlessly, as if she had completed a task.

Zeth didn't spare a glance at the fallen Elis.

"Take her away and imprison her. Thoroughly inspect her body and see if there's anything suspicious."

Zeth gave his instructions indifferently.

"Understood."

Kirsty immediately lifted Elis and carried her away.

"Well then, it's time for me to make my move."

Zeth stood up.

"It's about time we meet, hero of humanity."

On this day, various factions began to make their moves.

All for the sake of one person.