"Are we going to lie to him?" Erend looked at Lt. Boartusk.

Lt. Boartusk returned Erend's gaze. "Elves are usually more anxious when it comes to the Fountain of Eternity. We can use that to get them to act faster."

Billy snorted. "So we planning to trick them?"

"I didn't say we were going to trick them," Lt. Boartusk pauses for a few seconds. "Well, yes, we'll trick them. But if it can bring their keys back sooner, wouldn't that be a good thing for them too?"

Billy nodded in agreement. "Of course, lieutenant. Even when you say we have to trick them. I won't mind. It's not like we're friends with the Elves, right?"

Erend nodded along with Billy's words. Among the three of them, no one felt that what they were doing was wrong. Because they did it to the Elves. The one who made their life difficult from the start.

After all, if the lie could get them to get the key back faster, of course, that would also benefit them.

"Are we going to forget our intention to take revenge on the Elves?" Erend asked.

Billy and Lt. Boartusk exhaled almost simultaneously.

"Revenge for who? For the country that betrayed us?" Billy said, rhetorically.

"We'd better forget about it because revenge against the Elves won't do any good. Our dead friends won't come alive anymore. And we'll only die silly if we try to mess with them here," Lt. Boartusk added.

Erend himself also felt the same way with the two of them. Especially when imagining the face of Aurdis who has often felt the difficulty of the things her big brother did.

Aurdis has also been through a lot lately. She struggles to keep the palace safe when her big brother goes to meet their father.

When remembering Aurdis, the desire to take revenge on the Elves that had been in Erend's heart for a long time vanished.

He wouldn't have the heart to hurt Aurdis who had troubled herself to help the three of them.

"Alright," Erend said. "Then we won't do that. I just want to make sure."

"We haven't seen Anna since a few days ago. How about we go see her now?" Billy suggested.

Erend and Lt. Boartusk immediately agreed and the two of them went to see Anna. Along the way, Billy asked a question in a whisper.

"Hey, don't you guys suspect that there is a traitor in this Elf palace?"

Erend and Lt. Boartusk exchanged glances.

"Everyone smart enough in this palace knows that there is a traitor in here," Lt. Boartusk said in a mumble-like tone. While still looking ahead.

"Oh, I thought I was the only one who thought that," Billy said.

"We'd better not worry about that and just play dumb," Lt. Boartusk said. "That matter is very sensitive for those Elves with sky-high pride. If they hear those words from our mouths. I don't know what they will do."

The three of them agreed not to bring it up again. Let the elves do their own thing. After all, they wouldn't be able to help anything by saying that they thought there was a traitor in the palace. It will only complicate their position.

The three of them finally arrived at the dungeon. They went straight to the cell where Anna was being held.

When they arrived at her cell, they saw Anna lying on a wooden cot and staring at the ceiling.

"Hi, how are you?" Lt. Boartusk asked.

"Oh, it turns out you're still alive." Anna got up to sit down and looked at the three of them. "You left me here to die when there was an attack and the castle's protective magic was broken, now you come to see me again as if nothing happened."

The faces of Erend, Billy, and Lt. Boartusk didn't look the least bit remorseful.

"We want to make sure if there's anything else you'd like to add to strengthen our testimony," Lt. Boartusk said.

Anna snorted, then shook her head. "Nothing. What I gave you on the phone is still not enough?"

"Then get ready. Soon it looks like we will be returning to the Republic of Ascaria."

"Oh, I see," Anna said in an even tone. "When was that exactly?"

"As fast as we can."

"I hope you guys move faster. I feel LTC. Ibis and LTC. Coil is also preparing something there."

"We already know what they are preparing," Lt. Boartusk said. "That's why we're trying to speed things up."

"Oh, so they're going to take advantage of your family?" Anna asked.

The three of them didn't answer. Anna shrugged her shoulders. "We already guessed that's what they would do. The two Lieutenant Colonels would do anything to get the magic water," Anna said. "You'll find out where the crystal key is if you catch them. Do you have any plans to catch them alive?"

Erend, Billy, and Lt. Boartusk exchanged glances.

"We can think of a way," Lt. Boartusk said. "We'll be leaving now. We just came to check on you and said to get ready."

"Sure."

The three of them left the dungeon to look for Saeldir's whereabouts.

"Even if those two bastard military officers captured our family, they wouldn't have any way of using it since Elis is with us, right?" Billy said.

"I hope so. Hopefully, they don't have a voice recording when Elis casts the spell to open the Portal," Erend replied.

~~~

LTC. Ibis was trying to calm himself from the stress when he found Elis missing with the important files.

In front of him was a large alcohol bottle that was one-quarter of it left.

LTC. Ibis poured the amber-colored alcohol into the glass for the umpteenth time. Then he gulped the intoxicating liquid back into his mouth.

The man pulled the crystal pigtail from his pocket and placed it on the table. Under the bright light of the room, the key seemed to gleam in its own light.

LTC. Ibis looked at the key with a look full of doubt. Is there any more meaning that the key is here?

Elis had disappeared with secret files containing detailed information about their operation from the beginning until now.

All the details about what they are planning as well as all the people involved in it. And of course, about the three soldiers, they framed as scapegoats.

LTC. Ibis didn't know where else Elis had gone other than to the world where the Elves were. And they must now be preparing a plan to reveal all that to the public.

With Elis not here, how could they open the Portal to use this key? Only the woman knew how to read that strange book.

Suddenly LTC. Coil came over to him. Her face doesn't look any different from LTC. Ibis.

"What are you doing? drink to death?" LTC. Coil said.

"Maybe," LTC. Ibis answered. "What do you want?"

"We can still get away with threatening the three soldiers with their families," LTC. Coil said. "We said that we would kill their families if they leaked everything."

"You think that can work?" LTC. Ibis asked.

"I don't know. But we have to try."

"You don't think they'll be helped by the Elves? do you think we can match them if that's the case?" LTC. Ibis asked.

LTC. Coil looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't know about that," LTC. Coil finally answered. "But we have to try to keep ourselves safe."

LTC. Ibis snorted. "In that case, we'd better run away."

"Then become a fugitive for life?"

"Not necessarily. At least we still carry this key," LTC. Ibis said while holding the crystal key. "If we still have this key, at least we can still find a way to use it later. Now, I don't think we can do anything if the three soldiers decide to reveal everything and take their revenge on us."

LTC. Coil took a deep breath. "I can't believe those three lowly soldiers would bring us this big of trouble."

LTC. Ibis snorted once again. "We really underestimated them. Do you remember what the leader of the raid team said back then?"

"About one of those three soldiers who can spit fire and withstand bullets?" LTC. Coil said.

"Yes," LTC. Ibis replied flatly. "I didn't believe it at first and didn't think it was important. But let's see. They could even run to the world of the Elves and hide there until now. And they could also take Elis there and convince her to bring all the important files. I think the three of them must have a special relationship with the Elves."

After hearing that explanation, LTC. Coil took a deep breath. "We should just use them back then."

"Yeah," LTC. Ibis downed his drink. "Now it's too late for that."

~~~

Saeldir was surprised when he saw Erend, Lt. Boartusk, and Billy come into the room.

His brow furrowed as he looked at the three of them who were walking closer to him.

"What do you want?"

~~~

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