After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

"Haven't you been working for that duke? Are you in cahoots with her?"

"Get out!"

"No, hand her over too!"

Last night, the negative emotions that were suppressed by the children's innocence burst out at this moment.

The moment she stood up, Alicia was ready to stand with Aize and be scolded together.

But I didn't expect it to be in this form.

Thinking that her identity had been accepted, she immediately froze in place, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar "compatriots" in front of her, tears gradually welled up in her eyes.

Aize shook his head.

I knew things would turn out like this, so I didn't let Alicia speak, but what was coming couldn't be avoided.

Things are going as expected, which can be annoying at times.

He sighed, walked forward and put Alicia behind him, and was about to say something under the girl's surprised gaze.

however--

"What are you arguing about! Shut up!!!"

At the critical moment, the tall orc, Groot, finally appeared.

The deafening roar drowned out all the noise from everyone else, even making many people's ears buzz, creating a hardcore silence.

Then he walked in front of Aize and Alicia.

As always, he forced out a somewhat scary smile, scratched his head, and said:

"Mr. Ain, Alicia, please don't worry. This village is the last refuge for them and me, so they are... too excited."

Aize shook his head:

"It's okay, I understand."

Until this incident, the village had been peaceful, harmonious, and most importantly, safe.

For the devastated half-bloods, this has reached the level of paradise.

Therefore, it is natural to have such a strong reaction.

But the problem is that Alicia is now...

Grote then continued:

"I know the Duke's army is powerful, and everyone knows it too. But I still can't leave here. I have nowhere else to go. So, since we're all going to die anyway, I'm going to stay and take a few people with me!"

"Many of my compatriots share my views. For those who are willing to leave, I ask Mr. Ain and Alicia to continue to help them. As for the rest, you don't have to worry about them. Leave quickly, otherwise it will be too late!"

Such a narration instantly silenced the noisy crowd.

Putting aside the part about asking Aize to leave quickly, the point that "there is nowhere to go if we leave here" seems to really represent the inner thoughts of many people.

"Don't say such things."

Aize shook his head.

"There's a saying in my hometown: 'Even if people lose their land, both the people and the land still exist.' As long as people are alive, there's always a way out. But if you die, there's really nothing left."

The orc was stunned and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Sheen seized the opportunity and stood up from his chair shakily.

After exchanging glances with Aize, he came to the front of everyone:

"Good afternoon, everyone. Nice to meet you. I am the Lord of Tafia, Viscount Sheen Edgar."

"I implore you all to obey the instructions and seek refuge immediately. Once this is over, I swear in the name of my family that I will rebuild the village for you. I will never break my promise!"

His appearance and remarks triggered a new round of riots.

Many people seemed satisfied with this solution, and some even turned back to pack their bags.

But some people were even more emotional.

He despises and hates the aristocracy, and therefore feels that Sheen is not trustworthy at all.

Some people even shouted to hand him over.

Despite all these things, Sheen did not seem angry at all. He even smiled and talked to and comforted them one by one.

He also took the time to turn around and say to Aize:

"Brother, leave this to me. I'll make sure they're all taken away without missing a single one. Go and deal with the Anlin Plains quickly. They should have started moving there as well."

With Groot here, there's no need to worry about any major chaos. It should be no problem to leave it to Sheen.

One is a mixed-race person, the other is a local boss, so it’s easier for them to talk.

"Thank you."

Aize didn't hesitate and nodded before running towards his house.

Villian was waiting for him there, ready to take the next step of the plan.

Alicia, who had stopped talking midway through her speech, followed Aize silently.

After turning around a building and arriving at a location where the villagers wouldn't see him, Aize suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked the girl behind him:

"Are you okay with what happened just now?"

The pink-haired girl didn't say anything, but threw herself into Aize's arms, hugged his waist tightly, and buried her face in his chest.

Soft sobbing could be heard.

The blow that had just caused her to be called a monster by the villagers had caused her more damage than expected.

Aize sighed softly and said nothing. He let the other person lean on him and slowly calmed down.

A few minutes passed like this.

"They call me a monster. My people, they call me a monster..."

The pink-haired girl said this in a weak voice, followed by a wry smile:

"Haha, that's really weird... I was mentally prepared, and I knew I was a monster, but when I was actually called that... I almost wanted to run away."

"Then why didn't you run away?"

"Because... because Aize is here."

Alicia raised her head slightly, and her gaze overlapped with Aize's as he lowered his head.

"Didn't Aize say last night that he would never abandon me no matter what, so I... I held back! Besides, under that situation, I couldn't let Aize stay there alone..."

At the time, Grote's attitude was unclear.

If he didn't help Aize and Alicia ran away by herself, Aize would be in real danger.

When she thought of this, Alicia couldn't move her steps.

As she spoke, a sad smile appeared on her face:

"Aize, tell me, am I really a monster?"

"I've said this before. It's up to you to define yourself. If you don't want to be a monster, then no one can treat you as a monster. Does it really matter what those people say?"

Denying one's identity will only lead to confusion in self-perception. The key is to face one's identity squarely.

This is easier said than done, and Aize could have given Alicia a simpler answer.

But alas, no.

Some questions are destined to be answered by her herself.

But after thinking about it, Aize added:

"Well, even if you really think of yourself as a monster, you don't have to worry about me abandoning you. After all, we made a promise."

Looking at Aize's smiling face, Alicia's emotions slowly stabilized.

He also let go of Aize.

"Haha, yeah, we clearly agreed to trust Aize, but I'm still repeating the same old tune..."

The pink-haired girl wiped her eyes, looked at the other person, and said with a smile:

"What should I do? I suddenly want to look like Aize. How about I modify your appearance and create a female version of Aize as my basic look from now on?"

These words gave Aize goosebumps.

“…Please, don’t do that!”

Someone who looks like a female version of you follows you around all day long. What kind of horror game is this?

It’s scary just thinking about it.

As expected of an unknown creature, its thinking circuits are different from those of ordinary people. In terms of playing, I really can't compare with it.

Alicia sighed with regret and looked away:

"What? That's so stingy—"

Aize quickly shook his head:

"This has nothing to do with being stingy. Anyone would do something like this... Wait, you haven't really done this before, have you?"

If that's the case, then it would be strange if people didn't scare him.

Alicia shook her head.

"How could that be? You're the first person who makes me feel this way... Uh, come to think of it, what is this feeling? I don't quite understand..."

Then she raised her head again and said with a smile:

"Forget it, isn't your plan the most important thing right now? Let's go, I'll help you too, don't hesitate to use me!"

Chapter 135 Play the long game and catch big fish

Time passed quickly and the sun set again.

Darkness and silence once again occupied the endless central mountain area.

In the deep blue night, a large shadow, darker than the night itself, was moving through the dense forest, completely surrounding the equally dark village like a flood.

Brian's army.

Osmond is the commander of this army. As Brian's chief general, he is fully responsible for this combat operation on behalf of his master.

The messenger came over and reported:

"General! All troops are in place, and the encirclement of the target is complete!"

Osmond nodded:

"Stay alert! We're facing a whole team of brave warriors, each one a monster. Don't let your guard down just because you have fewer men! The lesson of the vanguard being wiped out is still there!"

"Yes!"

The messenger turned and left, and Osmond turned his attention to the figure beside him:

"Are you sure it's here!?"

"Yes General, absolutely sure!"

The person being questioned was the so-called "guard" who had escaped back to report the news.

He patted his chest and assured:

"I ran away from here last night. I'll never forget it! On the way here, couldn't I still see traces of the explosion?"

"Ah."

Osmond nodded and said nothing more.

Soon, the scouts who had set out to explore the way ahead came back in a hurry:

"Report to the General! We have already entered the village and conducted a thorough investigation, but there is no one there!"

"Tsk, did you run away?"

Osmond curled his lips in dissatisfaction.