Elion woke up early the next morning, just before sunrise, feeling unusually refreshed. The side of his cheek was resting on something incredibly smooth and soft.

He didn’t open his eyes immediately.

Instead, he shifted slightly, rubbing his cheek against the plush surface beneath him, even tilting his head to sink the bridge of his nose into the gentle curve it offered.

For a few quiet moments, he simply enjoyed it; only after indulging in that comfort did he finally open his eyes and sit up.

His gaze dropped to the sleeping beastgirl.

Her cloak had slipped off his body during the night, and he picked it up with a faint smile before gently draping it over her to keep her warm, if only a little.

She stirred slightly, nuzzling into the fabric as she leaned more comfortably against the tree behind her. Elion watched her for a moment.

"What a beautiful sight to wake up to..." he murmured lightly.

She looked peaceful like this.

Her long purple lashes fluttered faintly in her sleep, and her soft, feline ears drooped slightly, giving her a far more docile appearance than usual.

There was even a small trail of drool running down her chin.

Elion let out a quiet chuckle.

He watched her for a few moments longer before finally turning away and heading toward the central camp.

He wanted to check on Yakuza and Tristan, though he expected Tristan to be handling things far better than the former.

After all, he was the commander and far more experienced.

On the way, Elion used his water magic to clean himself up. The blood and grime had already dried onto his skin and clothes, but it wasn’t an issue.

A quick wash, and he was back to normal.

Around him, the camp was only just beginning to stir.

Soldiers were waking, some stretching, others moving sluggishly as they prepared for another day of bloody war.

Elion walked through it all, his mind wandering. He couldn’t help but wonder why neither side fought at night. It was strange.

In all the time he had been here, he had never once seen a battle continue after dark. Not even a small skirmish.

It almost felt like there was an unspoken rule between both sides. A silent agreement to stop the fighting just before complete darkness covered the skies.

And for a war of this scale, that was... odd.

’Maybe it has something to do with me...’

Elion thought about it as he walked.

After all, whenever he showed up on the battlefield, the demons tended to retreat sooner rather than later.

But that didn’t explain everything. What was stopping them from sending out small squads at night?

Or infiltration teams and sabotage units, exactly like what he had been doing over the past few days after leaving Zenith.

It should have been the most obvious tactic. Low risk, high reward, and yet, both sides did not seem to be applying pressure after sundown. It didn’t add up.

Elion’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’Either they’re holding back, or there’s a reason they can’t move at night.’

He doubted it was something that simple. It made him think that maybe his actions had some kind of consequences he didn’t know of. But if Tristan didn’t say anything about it, then maybe not.

He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he approached the central command tent. Strangely enough, there were two guards stationed at the entrance, dressed in silver-plated armour.

’Did Tristan get guards?’ Elion wondered as he stopped before them.

The sigil of a phoenix was etched into the chest of their armour, something that immediately reminded him of the academy. Their faces were barely visible beneath their helmets. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

As soon as he approached, they rested their hands on their weapons as a silent warning.

Elion raised a brow.

"I’m here to see Commander Tristan," he said calmly.

The two guards exchanged a glance.

"He’s busy right now. Come back later."

Elion frowned slightly.

’So busy that he’d turn me away?’

He doubted it.

"Oh, right..." He began to say as a matter of fact, "I’m one of the summoned heroes," he added. "I’d like to know if he has any specific instructions for us today."

A flicker of shock passed across their barely visible expressions, and their demeanour shifted instantly. Both of them bowed their heads.

"Forgive our ignorance, ser," one of them said quickly, stepping aside and lifting the tent flap open for him. "You may enter."

Elion didn’t press the matter; he simply nodded and stepped inside. As he entered, the conversation within paused.

All eyes turned toward him. There were two people inside.

The first was to be expected, Tristan. He was already fully armoured, standing at the table, looking every bit the commander that he was, up so early before most of his men.

The second was a new face to Elion. A handsome young man, probably a few years younger than Elion. Elion had yet to see any man as good-looking as he was, but this guy was close enough.

He was dressed immaculately in silver armour, similar to the guards outside, but visibly more refined and crafted for an influential and wealthy person.

Instead of one like the guards outside, three phoenix sigils were embedded into his armour. One large phoenix on his chest and two smaller ones on his shoulders.

His blonde hair was neatly styled by some sleek holding gel, and his posture was straight, composed, and absolutely refined.

He quite easily gave off the air of a noble.

’So he’s the reason for the guards outside...’ Elion thought.

Despite looking like he was still in his late teens, the young man was well-built, and his presence wasn’t weak either.

He looked like a decent talent in Elion’s opinion. He was an adept mage already, despite his young appearance, which was already extremely praiseworthy, and enough to put him among the very best talents back in the academy.

Elion stepped forward and stopped before the table.

"Commander Tristan," he greeted calmly, giving a light nod, before shifting his gaze to the young noble, waiting for an introduction.

The young man frowned slightly.

"I thought I asked my guards not to let anyone in," he said in a calm tone, but edged with displeasure.

"Ah..." Tristan let out a small breath.

"You’ll have to forgive them, Prince Alexander. This is the new summoned hero I told you about, Elion. I don’t believe you’ve met."

’Alexander?’

Elion paused. The name rang a bell somewhere in the back of his mind.

It took him a second, but it clicked.

’Wait...’

His eyes narrowed slightly.

’This can’t be the same King Alexander from the present...’

He had never seen the king in person before, so he couldn’t be certain, but the name and title, at least at this time, matched.

He was currently only a prince. Across from him, Alexander’s eyes sharpened as understanding dawned.

He cleared his throat lightly.

"Oh. I thought they had let a random person in," he said calmly. "Forgive my rudeness."

He extended his hand.

"It’s always a pleasure to have another hero on our side in this war," he added succinctly. Elion smiled faintly and took the offered hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied. "You must be the esteemed First Prince, Alexander."

It was phrased politely, but it was also a test to confirm his suspicions. Alexander raised a brow slightly.

"I’m surprised that you know my name."

Elion chuckled lightly as he withdrew his hand.

"Well, it’s only natural that I familiarise myself with the names of the nobility I’ll be serving under."

Alexander nodded in agreement.

"That is understandable. It’s always good to see someone put in the effort to know such things."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"And I’ve already heard of your deeds on the battlefield, in service of our coalition."

Elion smiled faintly.

"Only doing what’s expected of me," he replied lightly.

"I also hear yjay you’re a very powerful warrior," Alexander added.

Elion shrugged lightly, "So they say. I just try my best."

"An informed, powerful, and humble warrior..."

The prince nodded with a small smile.

"It seems we’ve gained quite an honourable ally."

"You flatter me," Elion said flatly.

"Ahem." Tristan cleared his throat, stepping in. "Forgive the interruption, Your Highness, but I believe we still have matters to attend to."

Alexander blinked, then straightened slightly.

"Oh... right."

He quickly composed himself, the brief moment of admiration for Elion fading as his attention returned to the task at hand.

After the brief distraction, the conversation resumed. Elion quickly realised what they had been discussing before he entered... The loss of the six captains.

To his surprise, he watched as Tristan was reprimanded by Alexander, someone who was less than half his own age.

Despite his age, the prince spoke with the authority of someone representing far more than himself. It became clear that he wasn’t acting on personal opinion, but as an envoy of the coalition’s leadership, the rulers of the five major races.

The way he spoke made it sound like the words had come directly from them, and Alexander’s manner of speaking had Elion already imagining the kind of charisma this young man possessed.

It was like he was born and raised to be a ruler.

Once he was done speaking, Elion had understood how these so-called leaders and rulers handled things. Basically, it sounded like they were very displeased.