CHAPTER 186: UNSPOKEN TRUTHS

Once no one spoke again, the area grew noticeably quiet, but Illiya found himself rather nostalgic for this kind of atmosphere. Back before he left the Elven Forest, he often sat alone like this. The only difference now was that a dark elf was seated beside him.

Life was unpredictable.

That tranquil atmosphere didn’t last long, however, because there was movement at the border.

The previously transparent boundary began to emit a white glow, becoming brighter and more dazzling by the second. In the blink of an eye, the light vanished, and on the ground appeared a massive, surging crowd of people.

Illiya, with sharp eyes, immediately spotted his two companions among the throng, Eoryun and Darius.

The two were far too conspicuous. In a sea of solemn faces, they alone still wore cheerful smiles, as if they were simply out on a countryside outing in the Demon Realm.

To be honest, that wasn’t too far from the truth.

They were here for a kind of outing, only, midway through their trip, they had been urgently called back to handle some business.

Now they were simply returning to where they left off.

Once this matter was handled, the two could resume their previous activities.

Though many people had been teleported in, they were easy to distinguish.

Every country’s contingent wore different clothing, and each style and detail reflected the distinct characteristics of their respective nations.

But what Illiya cared most about was the group from the Yaguk Theocracy.

He still remembered the last time they encountered the Yaguk Theocracy Royal Knights on the western border of the Nubilian Union. Back then, the knights had worn elegant and intricate white uniforms, with every detail reflecting the clear distinction between royal knights and ordinary ones, especially the striking emblem on their chests.

But now, things were different. The uniforms worn by the Yaguk Theocracy army looked no different from those of neighboring countries. Gone were the ornate decorations and refined embellishments.

Although they still wore the emblem representing Yaguk Theocracy on their chests, it no longer bore the same refinement or uniqueness.

Even if you’ve changed your clothes, your faces haven’t changed, have they?

Illiya was speechless.

These knights were clearly the same people he’d seen in the Nubilian Union. He remembered their faces very well.

However...

Illiya silently counted the number of knights from Yaguk Theocracy and realized the count didn’t add up.

From his high vantage point, he could clearly see that there were fewer people from Yaguk Theocracy compared to the other nations.

(Note: According to the terms of the continental pact, each country was supposed to send the same number of representatives in the war.)

Tsk tsk tsk, so this is the Yaguk Theocracy? Love it, love it.

Illiya also noticed something rather amusing, the positioning of the Yaguk Theocracy army was quite interesting. They were placed at the very edge of the formation.

Inconsistent numbers, plus placement on the outskirts = the army who secretly crossed over would quietly slip in and "fill the gaps."

Sure enough, Illiya’s eyes curved in amusement, and he couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.

Drow who is not understanding, followed his gaze—and then: "..." speechless.

Just as Illiya had predicted, Yaguk Theocracy’s "vanguard" knights were now stealthily shifting from unknown corners toward the main group, "silently and unnoticed" blending in.

The people from the other countries clearly saw this happening, yet stared straight ahead, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary.

And that was what made it so entertaining.

Illiya turned his gaze toward his two companions and suddenly understood something.

It seemed the country in the main continent side had reached some kind of mutual agreement, one that was unspoken yet clearly understood by all, except the Yaguk Theocracy, who had been completely excluded.

Suddenly, things had become far more interesting.

...

Seoryun and Darius exchanged a glance, then, almost in sync, they looked away. As expected, their suspicions had been correct.

Seoryun glanced toward the army of Yaguk Theocracy and let out a silent sigh. He truly hadn’t anticipated things would spiral off into such a bizarre direction.

At the same time, he couldn’t quite understand the mindset of the people of Yaguk Theocracy, how could they carry out such actions so self-righteously, without even the slightest sense of guilt?

He honestly didn’t know where they got the nerve.

It looked like, once this round of the war was over, the power structure across the main continent would be broken and reshuffled.

...And things weren’t supposed to end up like this.

Seoryun’s thoughts drifted back to a few days prior.

He and Darius had returned to the main continent not long before the start of the war.

Together with representatives from other nations, they participated in discussions regarding this war.

Everything had gone smoothly, and no one had shown any signs of suspicion.

However, as someone who had already secretly defected long ago, Seoryun had no particular fondness for this so-called "if you don’t join, you’re not a true mainlander" affair.

However, in order to maintain that thin veneer of surface-level peace, he had no choice but to pinch his nose and attend the meeting anyway.

On the surface, this conference to discuss the war appeared to be for the main continent side to negotiate and fight for its interests.

In reality, it was nothing more than a pre-arranged distribution of benefits.

He had originally thought this time would be no different. But unexpectedly, something threw it off course, Yaguk Theocracy jumped the gun due to their impatience.

Moreover, at this conference, Yaguk Theocracy completely changed its tone.

Previously, they had always been the type to secretly claw away benefits for themselves in private. But now, they were brazen and unabashed, showing their greedy face openly, so self-entitled it was nauseating.

"Tch, is there really even a need for discussion anymore? Isn’t this supposed to be common sense for everyone? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re all up to—you just want to get benefits without lifting a finger. What a joke. Year after year during the war, none of you have done anything meaningful."