CHAPTER 185: THE OUTSIDERS

He even felt a bit of anticipation, though he couldn’t quite tell what he was hoping for.

Illiya raised his head and looked straight at the expectant Demon Realm steward.

He paused for a moment, then slowly responded with an exaggerated sing-song tone, "Yes, that’s right~" The final syllable clearly rose in pitch.

Sebastian: "..."

He didn’t even know what the hell he’d been expecting in the first place.

Forget it.

He felt mentally exhausted.

With a wave of his hand, he gestured farewell and said, "Well, I really do have to thank you, Illiya. But it seems like your time isn’t exactly free, so I can only offer my thanks verbally for now."

"Since you’ve got personal business to take care of, I won’t hold you up any longer. If someone with an overactive imagination saw us like this, they might even think I’m trying to do something inappropriate to you. Hahahahahahahaha..."

Sebastian tried hard to lighten the mood at the end of their parting, but unfortunately, the only person present, who was both the audience and the subject, didn’t appear to be cheered up in the slightest... Luckily, at least there were no other witnesses around to see him make a fool of himself.

Otherwise, where would he put his dignity as the Chief Steward?

Illiya’s expression didn’t change at all, as if he hadn’t heard Sebastian’s comment.

Whether or not he actually heard it didn’t matter, what mattered was that he could now finally leave.

"What a pity," Illiya said coolly, then turned the topic. "But... I didn’t come just to say that. I simply thought you had the right to know. Besides, this is a domestic affair of your demon realm, isn’t it?"

"Now that I’ve informed you of it, I’ve completed my task and can retreat with a clear conscience." With that, Illiya stood up and walked out of the study without looking back.

Judging by Sebastian’s estimate, the pace at which the blond elf left was noticeably faster than usual, and even his departing figure radiated a kind of "Finally, I can leave!" aura of freedom.

Tch, young elves these days were getting harder and harder to tease.

Sebastian sighed, his expression showing a hint of relief.

He picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The water inside had already gone cold, no longer hot enough to burn.

Just as he was starting to relax, a soft voice drifted in from not far away, and the meaning behind the words made him clench the handle of his cup in frustration, barely resisting the urge to smash something out of anger.

"Btw, has anyone ever told you that you’re really not suited for telling cold jokes? If no one has, then let me be the first today!"

The moment those words were spoken, Illiya—who had only paused briefly at the door—quickly fled the scene, as if terrified that the Chief Steward would be so humiliated he’d chase after him to kill the elf and silence him.

Even though he had clearly brought this on himself, the elf’s steps as he left were light and joyous, almost bouncing with glee.

The speaker walked away in high spirits, leaving behind a certain Chief Steward gnashing his teeth after being "politely advised."

Whether it was an adult elf or a young elf, they were equally annoying!!!

No exceptions!!!

Time flew by, and the war arrived in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Just on the demon side alone, the preparations had begun the day before.

They were already rehearsing how they would beat up those shameless mainlanders (specifically referring to the people of Yaguk Theocracy).

Every single demon was rolling up their sleeves, ready to show off their skills the next day and preferably do so in front of His Majesty the Demon King, so they could proudly display their valor in full.

This idea wasn’t just shared by one or two demons.

From the highest commanders to the lowest ranks, every demon thought the same way.

In a certain sense, the demon race was a harmonious and united species.

Illiya didn’t stay with the demons. Instead, he went to a location he had scouted long ago, on top of the tallest tree in the forest near the edge of the land boundary.

From here, one had a perfect view of the border and everything surrounding it.

Illiya chose the thickest branch to sit on and even patted the spot beside him, signaling to the dark elf below to climb up and join him.

Drow furrowed his brows tightly and staring up at the tree branch with a face full of worry.

Anyone who didn’t know better might’ve thought this elf was gazing at the tree and reminiscing about a lost lover.

"Illiya, is this tree really safe? Is this branch really sturdy? How about we change places? This spot looks kind of dangerous."

The reality was, this dark elf not only didn’t have such thoughts, but blindly believed that danger lurked around every corner of the world.

That single comment from Drow completely stumped Illiya.

Illiya suddenly choked up, unsure how to answer the question. It caught him completely off guard. As an elf, he had never once considered such a thing. Elves had always been nature’s favored children.

Besides, all things had spirits, he was merely sitting on a tree branch. Even if it suddenly snapped, he believed something would instinctively reach out and catch him.

...So how could Drow, who was also an elf, ask such a question?!

It truly sounded like something only a fake elf would say.

Drow’s face turned bright red, and the tips of his ears flushed pink. He silently pulled his hood back over his head and, with a quick tip-toed movement, swiftly climbed up to sit beside Illiya. He remained completely silent the entire time, clearly realizing that what he had just said was far from elf-like.

Illiya chuckled softly but refrained from teasing the shy dark elf. He worried that Drow might just perform a live disappearing act right then and there.