After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

The moment the word "traitor" appeared in the conversation, it was unlikely to be used to lower the price, but rather to clearly illustrate Aize's position.

It also meant that all of Bill's previous considerations were completely bankrupt in an instant.

But he didn't give up so easily.

After swallowing hard to calm himself, the merchant forced a smile and continued with forced composure:

"Lord Aize, please calm down. It's true that I have cooperated with the demons in the past two years, but I had no choice. Those orcs forced me to do it. If I didn't cooperate with them, they... they would kill me and my people!"

"Were they forcing you to do it? Were the orcs putting an axe to your neck and forcing you to accept your newly built mansion and the mountains of treasures?"

"This……"

Bill took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, while at the same time trying his best to suppress his trembling eyes.

Of course, no one would believe this. Its significance is to create a way out for himself. If Aize said something here without leaving any room for maneuver, it basically proves that the whole thing is hopeless.

Bill's anxiety was a little uncontrollable:

"Lord Aize, the most important task right now is to deal with the undead army outside the city, isn't it? I... I can provide the necessary supplies and personnel to assist in the battle..."

"Provide? Ha, I can actually go get it, so there's no need to trouble you."

"Supplies... supplies are fine, but what about manpower? If you kill me now, you won't have time to build a new management system from scratch. You won't even be able to mobilize the militia!"

"Can't do it? No, the truth is that the appeasement and mobilization of Lilbas had already begun before you came. Unfortunately, this is my strong point."

The mocking expression on Aize's face became more and more intense:

"Thanks to you and your orc masters, the city is in such a state that it's rotten, which means there's little resistance to reform—except you. In other words, as long as..."

"Report! Lord Aize, according to your..."

A guard with a panicked look on his face rushed into the tent, wanting to say something anxiously.

But the moment he saw Bill, an outsider, he swallowed his words and leaned close to Aize's ear and began to whisper softly.

Seeing Aize's expression twisted, Bill knew that something serious had happened. He held his breath and concentrated his attention, trying to hear what they were whispering about.

However, after all, he was a businessman, not a spy, so this effort was of no use.

I saw that Aize, who had been so relaxed just now, suddenly had a look of anger on his face and cursed:

"Those bastards are still doing this kind of thing after all this time. They're really causing trouble for me!"

"Lord Aize, what should we do?"

Facing the question, Aize glanced at Bill, tried hard to suppress his emotions, and then waved his hand:

"Go out first, we'll talk later."

"Yes!"

The messenger left, and the focus returned to the conversation between the two men.

At this point, Bill no longer cared about being polite. He forced out a final smile and said,

"Lord Aize, have you encountered any trouble? Tell me about it, maybe I can solve it. It's no exaggeration to say that there is no such thing in this city..."

"Shut up, you don't need it."

The young man didn't give him a chance to speak more.

"Get the facts straight, Mr. Traitor. The reason I'm still talking to you here, rather than just having you chopped into pieces and fed to the dogs, is because I want to save myself some effort. Hand over immediately all the inventory of supplies and personnel you have, as well as the complete accounts of smuggling and collaborating with the enemy over the past few years. If you do so, I can leave your body intact—or even spare your life, depending on the circumstances."

In reality, this was the most lenient punishment possible. Bill understood that if it weren't for the overwhelming pressure from the undead army outside, Aize wouldn't have given him this opportunity.

However, he was still not satisfied.

If he handed over everything here, all his savings over the years would be gone, and he would also lose the capital to negotiate with the demons if the city fell again.

It would be better to kill him.

The businessman shook his head:

"Lord Aize, is it necessary to push me to this extent? You've shown leniency to the orcs, why... why do you only leave me a way out? After all, I'm still a human being?"

Boom!!!

The former hero was so angry that he lost control and punched the table in front of him hard. The huge noise scared everyone and made the whole tent shake violently.

"Why? You actually have the nerve to ask?"

Aize's face looked extremely ugly.

"It's simple. To me, a person from another world, demons and humans are just opposing sides in a war. Their positions make it impossible to distinguish between good and evil. But traitors are different. Those who betray their position and stab their compatriots are a disaster worse than the enemy in any world."

"I……"

"I'm giving you one day to sort everything out and turn it in. If you take more than a minute, my people will come and take your life and these things back. Do you understand? If you understand, then get out! I have other things to deal with!"

After saying that, he snapped his fingers, and several tall guards immediately rushed into the tent, picked him up without saying a word, and threw him out.

"Tsk—traitor—"

One of them stepped on it and spat before leaving.

The tuxedo Bill was wearing when he came became extremely ugly and covered in dust after all this commotion, and his exquisite custom-made top hat also flew aside.

He covered his chest, which was almost suffocating from being kicked, and stumbled to his feet.

"You idiots! How dare you do this to me? When the undead army comes, I'll kill you all! All of you! Don't even think about surviving!"

——I could only curse in my heart and never say such harsh words out loud.

Even on the surface, he had to nod and bow to the guards who were leaving, thanking them for not beating him to death directly, and thanking Aize for not cutting him into pieces on the spot.

The question is, what next?

The so-called rationalist Aize is nothing but a young man from another world with a false reputation. He may be able to fight, but he can't see the situation clearly at all.

Otherwise, why would he reject my proposal?

It's really unreasonable.

But how to deal with him?

Bill has considerable influence and connections on both the human and demon sides, but those are too far away and have no effect in this besieged and isolated city.

There is no need to even think about direct confrontation.

Whether it is a head-on confrontation or assassination, it is absolutely impossible to do it under the nose of the Royal Guards.

Besides, even though Aize let him go back temporarily, it doesn't mean that Bill can be free.

Every move must be under Aize's surveillance, so it is impossible to make any big moves.

How to do?

On the way back in the carriage, Bill almost bit his teeth to pieces, but there was still nothing he could do.

You can't just admit defeat and give up everything you've worked hard for all these years, right?

No, absolutely not.

Bill would rather bet that he was just bluffing than be a fish on the chopping board.

"In that case, we have to do it properly... huh?"

The moment Bill came back to his senses from his painful thoughts, he found that the carriage had suddenly stopped, and judging from the time, it was undoubtedly not yet at its destination.

This made his already bad mood even more irritable, and he pulled open the curtains and stuck his head out:

"What's going on? What's going on? Why is the car... woo--"

Before he could react, he was pulled out of the car window. A black hood was put on his head, completely blocking his vision. He was hit hard on the cervical spine and lost most of his consciousness immediately.

In a daze, he only felt that he was being carried.

Was this kidnapped?

Considering the number of people he had offended over the years, it didn't surprise Bill at all that some would be looking for revenge now that the orcs had fallen from power.

Where will they be taken?

Buried alive? Drowned in a river? Thrown into a well?

If I had known this would happen, I would have agreed to Aize’s request directly. At least it wouldn’t be as embarrassing as it is now.

Then--

"……Um?"

A warm feeling suddenly spread throughout my body, and my blurred consciousness became clear again.

Bill opened his eyes and jumped up as if awakened, looking around in confusion and fear.

It was a simple, dimly lit room, devoid of any noteworthy features.

He was placed on a chair, and a woman sat not far away opposite him.

Pure white female.

White hair, white skin, white robes, with stunningly perfect facial features, and a smile so kind that it makes people subconsciously feel at ease.

Even Bill, who often hung out with succubi and thought he was almost immune to women's looks, was dazed for a moment.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Bill Trecker."

The woman held up the teacup, took a sip, and then greeted him kindly.

"My people used some rough tactics to get you here, so please bear with me. Please take a seat. There's no need to be so nervous. I just want to discuss some business."

"Uh, oh, nothing..."

The warm feeling just now seemed to be some kind of healing technique. Now Bill no longer felt any pain and nodded almost subconsciously.

"Excuse me, who are you..."

"Rosaline Meredith, have you heard of this name?"

Bill, who had just sat down, suddenly jumped up again:

"Rosaline? The brave Rosaline of the Pure White Saint... My Lady?"

"Haha, exactly."

Unlike the slaves who were imprisoned in Lierbas and forced to do hard labor day and night, Bill was more familiar with the situation on the human side because of his business.

As for Rosalind, I have naturally heard of her great name for a long time.

She was originally an ordinary hero with a few followers, but during the previous turmoil in the Holy City, she suddenly became the most powerful figure in the church.

Everything that happened during the riot was called a miracle because it could not be explained by conventional principles - even many people on the demon side believed so.

But Bill didn't believe it.

After all, if there really was a divine punishment from the goddess, theoretically the first person to die would be me, so how could it be the turn of those guys in the church?

So, Bill naturally thought that Rosaline must be a great conspirator - either she had connections and could collude with others in secret, or she had extremely sophisticated means and could deceive the church on her own.

Or even both.

There was indeed news before that she also participated in the Empire Strikes Back, but she had no presence in terms of military strength, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

I didn't expect that we would meet in this way.

Maybe it's a good opportunity?

Bill immediately perked up and asked cautiously:

"You just mentioned cooperation...what are you going to cooperate on?"

"Oh, cooperation? You're asking even though you already know the answer, Mr. Trecker."

Rosalyn smiled, and although there was a hint of sarcasm in her words, it was not at all unpleasant.

"That's what you wanted to discuss with Aize today. During the upcoming siege, you will assist me with all your might, and I... will use some means to help you return to human society."

"Is this...really?"

"Haha, of course it's true—provided you stop dwelling on those flippant thoughts. I don't really like disloyal believers."

"I...of course, of course!"

Bill nodded and bowed in ecstasy, but at the same time he was secretly sweating.

The fact that she went to see Aize and the entire process of the conversation were theoretically confidential, but she actually blurted it out right away.