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"Obediently yours!"

The group responded in unison before turning and departing. The "Rebirth" operation plan had been rehearsed numerous times by everyone, taking into account all possible and impossible scenarios, along with countermeasures and contingency plans. There were naturally no more doubts.

After they left, I turned to the trio of beauties and spoke, "Rest assured, since I've promised you that I'll spare the life of that idiot Sword Master Lanster, I won't renege on my word. After all, I'm highly satisfied with your efforts during this past month, and the value of that item is enough to redeem that fool's life once again."

The promise to spare Lanster was made earlier to motivate them, for while I could use the power of the contract to force their obedience, their heartfelt dedication and mere perfunctory actions would yield vastly different results.

"Lord Xuanfeng, I thank you for remembering your vow. However, as a priestess serving under you, though Bai Lanling must adhere to your will, I still inquire—have you never felt a twinge of shame or guilt for waging wars in pursuit of your own interests, casting your companions and innocent lives towards death?"

Upon hearing my words, Bai Lanling suddenly stepped forward and asked. Normally, I wouldn't utilize the power of the contract to restrict them unless necessary, allowing them freedom to move about as they please. The contract would only activate automatically if they entertained thoughts of betraying me.

"Shame? Guilt? Bai Lanling, those aren't words one would expect from a priestess who has withstood the trials of war. My men fight not for me, but for their own future. As for innocence, I'm aware that at least seventy percent of the mercenaries in the Fallen City are fugitives, whether they're truly guilty or not. They're all individuals that the human world cannot rest easy without eliminating. If humans can be so ruthless to their own kind, why should they point fingers at us? If there's anyone who should feel ashamed, it's you, who led your comrades into the Beastman Alliance, only to see them butcher an entire village of elders and children, and then let them die due to your incompetence."

"Our initial objective was to prevent the Orcs from seizing control of the swamp passage and invading the human world. Ultimately, it was to avert war and save lives. Though our methods might have been misguided and the outcome imperfect, Bai Lanling can still hold her head high with a clear conscience."

"Bai Lanling, cease to insult the intelligence we share. Whether it be the Viking Straits or the Ares Corridor, which are the channels connecting the Alliance with the human world, aren't they all under constant human assault? If the Marsh Passage falls into human hands, how many people could resist the temptation to plunder the heart of the Alliance? Which nation would forgo the opportunity to expand its territory on the Snow Wolf Prairie? Has the Church already forgotten the glorious days of waging the Holy Light War? To prevent wars? To save lives? And still speak with a clear conscience, Bai Lanling, this joke is not amusing at all."

"Don't hide behind grand words, how much better are you? Aren't you also waging war for your selfish motives? Aren't you invading others' lands and plundering their wealth?" Seeing the Priestess fall silent, the half-elf, who already had a grudge against me, stepped in to help.

"Saying I'm an invader, huh? Haha. May I ask, Miss Avril, where is the Fallen City located? In Fontainebleau, which, in ancient Beastman language, means 'Beastman's Wild.' It was once the homeland where our ancestors lived for ten thousand years. Now, why is it a barren wasteland? Because the great Human Alliance, with their twelve mighty Sages, used a forbidden spell to destroy it. If I'm not mistaken, those twelve Sages were all half-elves, weren't they? And due to these atrocities, half-elves were forever stripped of the right to chant spells by the gods. You took away our home, destroyed our land, and have been eyeing our territory ever since. Yet when we attempt to reclaim our desecrated homeland, you call us invaders, Miss Half-Elf. Even if you're not blood-related to those historical perpetrators, please consider the feelings of their victims' descendants."

With that, I turned away from them and left. Honestly, when I initially kept them, my first motive was to lure Lanster, and secondly, I valued their magical abilities. Although there was a thought of having some pleasant company after seeing too many Beastmen faces, I didn't have any further intentions. After all, even now, I still couldn't forget my wife from my past life, perhaps influenced by my master. While I wouldn't sever my emotions in this life, unless I found someone who could resonate with me like my past love, I wouldn't be swayed. If one can't control their own desires, how can they be called a hero?

Watching my disappearing figure, the female mage Hai Ruo approached Bai Lanling and softly asked,

"Why did you make that pointless question?"

"I wanted to understand him, as he will be our companion from now on. If he were a typical Beastman, he would have roared and cursed, extolling courage and sacrifice, denouncing human baseness, and claiming that Beastmen should naturally rule the world, not using our human logic to refute me like he did, right?"

"So what?"

"Maybe I'm overthinking, but I feel like he's looking at things from a perspective that transcends both humans and Beastmen. A young werewolf, not a noble, without elite education, yet he possesses such insight. Don't you find that interesting? Coupled with his peculiar strength and strange charisma, in short, he is different."

Chapter 13: Eightfold Battle Formation of the Duke of Tuoze

In the Age of Light, Year 418, October 18th, it was a nightmarish day for those living in the "Fallen City," the half-Beastman wilderness.

Three days ago, Count Lanster of the Duchy of Langton mustered a formidable army to venture deep into the heart of the Beastman Alliance, all in a bid to rescue the Saintess he had long been pursuing. Among the two thousand five hundred soldiers who accompanied him, each had their own agenda – some sought to forge ties with the Langton hierarchy, others aimed to earn accolades, and there were those lured by the wealth of the Beastman Alliance. In short, nearly seventy percent of Fallen City's warriors left for this mission. However, there was little concern for the safety of Fallen City, as recent intelligence suggested that the Beastmen lacked the military might to mount a significant operation on the Snow Wolf Prairie. The mercenaries residing there had always primarily dealt with half-beastmen, magical beasts, and human bandits.