The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

"Did this help you?" Lisette's voice trembled with a hint of expectation.

"Ah, that's a great help."

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PS: 1. Thanks to Sakura no Dream, Mo Mo Shang, Qi Chong Yun Xiao, Sena Airi, Wu Yu Zao Chuan Shi Jie, Professional Work, Si 1580936, Inspiration Hunter, and Frost Song Zero for their monthly ticket support.

Chapter 684 A Minor Matter at the City Tower

With Felix and the others returning to provide support, the remaining demons were no longer able to cause any more trouble, and the battlefield gradually returned to calm.

Perez swung his sword and killed the last half-demon apostle, blood dripping down the blade.

This border general, who had immediately decided to assist the allied forces in wiping out the demons, was now lost in confusion.

As a soldier of the kingdom, he should have sworn to protect the capital with his life and be irreconcilably opposed to these outsiders.

Just moments ago, they were fighting side by side, resisting the invasion of the demons.

Now that the crisis has just passed, Perez would never do something as simple as turning against his enemies.

The gates of Gracia were wide open, and the allied forces could enter at any time if they intended to attack.

But they did not do that. Instead, they chose to stay outside the city, silently collecting the bodies of their fallen comrades and cleaning up the battlefield.

This scene made Perez feel even more conflicted.

He looked around and found that his subordinates were also looking at him, as if waiting for him to make a decision.

Perez took a deep breath, approached a group of paladins who were cleaning up the battlefield, and pleaded, "I wish to see Lady Tilisa."

"Lady Tissa?" The leading knight was slightly taken aback.

He wasn't entirely unaware of the name, but he never expected that esteemed person to appear on this battlefield.

"Have you seen Lady Tilissa?" he asked the team members beside him.

"No."

"did not see it."

“However, those knights who suddenly disappeared seem to be Lady Tilisa’s ability,” an older knight added.

The lead knight shook his head apologetically at Perez: "I'm sorry, I don't know where Lady Tissa is, so I can't inform her for you."

"And what about the hero?" Perez was still unwilling to give up.

"Hero, we also—"

Just as the knight was about to answer, a clear, cold voice interrupted.

"You guys go ahead and get busy, I'll take care of this." Jessica walked over slowly, a long, black sword slung across her waist.

Those who know her well know that Jessica doesn't have the habit of displaying weapons outside of combat.

However, if they were closer, they would recognize that the long sword she carried at her waist was none other than the one belonging to the Lady-in-Waiting.

Defeating the half-demon and summoning the Knights of Flame to support the allied forces has exhausted the magic energy that Tilisa had recently accumulated.

As a result, she could only revert to her original form and wait for her power to recover.

"Yes, Lady Jessica."

Seeing that someone had taken over, the knights left, leaving the area to the two of them.

“You must be General Perez, right? My teacher mentioned you to me.” Jessica stepped forward and gave a polite bow. Her tone was calm and composed, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

“Then you must be Jessica.” Perez nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on her for a moment. He had long heard that Tilissa had a remarkably talented disciple, but now, facing Jessica, he found himself completely unable to see through her true strength. This feeling made him secretly wary, while also generating a sense of respect.

“Then I don’t need to introduce myself anymore,” Jessica said, skipping the pleasantries and getting straight to the point. “My teacher is currently chasing the half-demon and won’t be back for a while. General Perez, if you need anything, you can just tell me.”

"A half-demon?"

This was the first time Perez had ever heard this title.

“It’s the name Labbel uses after transforming the Emblem Wielder into a demon using cursed equipment. You should have fought against them on the battlefield before,” Jessica explained.

“I see,” Perez murmured. “I would like to ask the Academy or the Hero, what are your plans for the kingdom now?”

He was far from the capital, but that did not mean he was ignorant of politics.

Whether it's the Empire or its allies, sending troops in such a complicated manner could never be for the purpose of helping the kingdom eliminate internal troubles.

Jessica did not answer immediately upon hearing this, but turned around and gestured, "If General is so curious, why not ask him in person?"

After a moment's thought, Perez nodded in agreement, then turned to his men and instructed them, "You rest here. Do not engage in any conflict with them until I return."

With that, he followed Jessica alone.

To avoid any misunderstanding, the entire allied army deliberately moved away from the capital, Gracia, creating a complete vacuum between the city walls and the army.

Jessica led Perez towards the very gates of Gracia.

"Didn't I say you could give me more opponents?"

Felix's voice suddenly came from behind. He quickly caught up with Jessica, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction.

“Yeah, even if we hand over the guy I’m dealing with to Felix, he should be able to handle him.” Chlorie appeared out of nowhere, as if she had been lying in wait.

"When I made the arrangements, I only considered eliminating the enemy as quickly as possible. Do you really think that even if Felix can handle three or four half-demons at the same time, he can stop them from escaping simultaneously?"

Jessica's words silenced both of them at the same time.

Perez stood aside, watching the scene unfold, his mind filled with doubt.

Although he lived in a remote area, he had seen portraits of Chlorie and Edelweiss, but he had never heard of this boy who looked as delicate as a porcelain doll.

Perez's curiosity was piqued when he heard Jessica mention that this person could deal with three or four half-demons at the same time.

"And who is this?" Perez finally couldn't help but ask, his gaze sweeping over Felix.

“He’s my junior apprentice, Felix,” Jessica introduced simply.

“No wonder,” Perez said, suddenly realizing.

The thought that the other party could be connected with the Silver Wolf Class suddenly made everything make sense.

After the two caught up, they showed no intention of leaving, but instead walked with Jessica toward the foot of Gracia's city.

When they arrived at the entrance of the city gate, they found a person pacing back and forth, seemingly struggling with something.

"Why aren't you going up there?" Felix, ever the outspoken one, blurted out the question.

"Shh!" Adele quickly made a shushing gesture.

Jessica could roughly guess what was going on just by looking at her. She couldn't help but shake her head and then took the lead in walking up the steps.

"While everyone else is fighting to the death down there, you know how to enjoy yourself."

Jessica joked as she climbed the stairs.

She assumed that because Adele was too embarrassed to go up, it must be because Venere was taking advantage of Lisette.

Unexpectedly, the situation was completely different from what he had anticipated.

As everyone climbed the city wall one after another, Lisette, who had been resting peacefully in Vina's arms, hurriedly sat up from his embrace, her little face flushed red.

"I--"

Lisette tried to get up to explain, but Venere pulled her back to the ground.

“You’ve come at just the right time,” Viner said with a smile, “Please make yourselves at home.”

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Chapter 685 A World Without Demons

Since Venere dared to invite them, the group sat down without any hesitation.

Felix plopped down on the other side of Venus first, while Jessica sat comfortably directly opposite him, and even Adele and Chlorie sat on the ground without any hesitation.

The empress, the leader of the alliance, and the representatives of the academy, who should have been discussing the future of the continent in the spacious hall, were instead gathered in a circle for convenience, disregarding their image.

Perez felt that something was off about what was happening, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. In order not to seem abrupt, he eventually sat down.

“Um…shouldn’t we ask the hero to come out?” Perez looked at Jessica, not forgetting his purpose.

“Arios has left this world,” Viner continued.

“The brave warrior who was confronting us just now—” Perez immediately turned his gaze to Vina.

“It was me in disguise,” Viner said directly, without any attempt to conceal it. “I could have kept it a secret, but by informing you of this, the general should be able to sense my sincerity.”

"Who is your Excellency?"

Perez could tell that Vina's status was special because he could get these distinguished figures to give him face with just a few words.

“Vina is a benefactor of the Aster Empire.”

“An important ally of the Tana Principality.”

"He's still my junior brother."

The three of them, including Edel, introduced Venus's identity, one by one.

"Leaving aside the first two, shouldn't you call me 'Uncle-Master'?" Vina couldn't help but complain.

“When the teacher isn’t around, you’re only fit to be my junior brother,” Jessica said, looking at her.

“Even if she is Lady Tilisa’s disciple, …” Perez hesitated before continuing.

"Vina is still my master!"

Seemingly sensing that Vena was being underestimated, Escudo transformed into human form and embraced Vena from behind.

“This is the Holy Sword, Escudo,” Listy said, noticing the confusion in Perez’s eyes.

"It's actually Lord Holy Sword!"

The holy aura emanating from Escudo left Perez with no doubt, and he quickly rose to pay his respects.

Although only the first hero has a record of using the Holy Sword, for nearly a thousand years, the Holy Sword has been basically synonymous with the hero.

“What’s the point of trying to please me if you don’t even respect Vena?” Escudo said, pursing his lips.

"I was rude to Lord Vena just now," Perez apologized.

“General, you are too kind,” Vena said, seemingly unconcerned. “Even if I don’t say it, you should know the impact the news of the hero’s passing will have, so I hope you can keep this a secret.”

"I see."

Perez's ability to defeat Labbel alone, coupled with the Holy Sword's recognition, has led him to regard Vina as a hero.

But since the other party did not want the frequent changes of heroes to cause trouble for the world, he naturally did not say anything more.

"It's been less than three years since the Demon God's resurgence, but both the Empire and the Kingdom have been heavily infiltrated by the Demon Race. If we don't stop it, we can't imagine what things will be like in three years."

“This year’s demon god resurgence is different from the past. The academy hopes that the three countries can take this opportunity to unite, put aside their prejudices, and create a world without demons for future generations,” Vena stated.

"A world without demons..."

Perez repeated it in a low voice, his tone tinged with a sense of dazedness and emotion.

Such a goal was something he could only dream of.

But hearing it from Viner's mouth made him feel excited.

If the three kingdoms could put aside their prejudices and concentrate all their efforts on fighting the common enemy of the demon race, then demon caves like the Ogara Wasteland could have been eradicated long ago.

With the help of the Holy Sword, it is not impossible to achieve the goals that predecessors have not yet accomplished.

However, ideals are beautiful.

"How difficult it is to achieve this goal."

Perez sighed deeply, his face filled with worry and helplessness.

“The Aster Empire can lift the border blockade and cooperate with the Academy’s actions at any time,” Edel offered.

"The same applies to the Allied powers," Chlorie added. "Take today's situation, for example. If either side were facing this alone, it wouldn't be easy to break the deadlock, would it?"