[The Next Day]

"The time has come, my dear sisters."

Aurora stood in front of ten Elves, all of whom were on the zenith of what could be considered a hill.

It was a high ground, with a valley stretched bellow that led to the cluster of mountains that was their goal. They had made a cave within this hill as their abode, but now they were out in the open.

The ten Elves that stood in front of Aurora had gowns that were seemingly made from patches of plants and flowers.

Their colorful attires radiated warmth and beauty, and the looks on their faces greatly complemented what they wore.

Each Elf was astoundingly beautiful. Their hair color appeared tropical, and their fair skin oozed magnificence.

Of course, their pointy ears also added to this exotic beauty.

Out of all of them, however, Aurora stood at the very top of elegance.

Her greenish blue, coupled with silver hair, flowed with the cool wind while her emerald-like eyes gazed upon her brethren.

Wrapped around her was a cape of leafy green, and her outfit underneath was a mix of blue and white.

The very definition of pristine, according to Elven standards.

"As the plan entails, we will separate ourselves into two major groups."

The ten Elves nodded instantly.

"The first group will consist of those who will explore the Warehouse and search for our Items, and the second group will remain at the entrance to secure the building and fight back any adversary that may show up."

So far, everyone understood the plan. However, she was yet to assign roles to the Elves.

That was the goal of this briefing.

"Due to how big the entire structure is, and how many goods we ordered, a bulk of you will be going in. Ten, to be exact." Aurora began.

"You'll be led by Lila and Lali, who are currently on final patrol, and your mission is to scour every nook and cranny of the place to secure our goods."

As for the remaining two—who she would choose from the ten in front of her—they would be with her at the entrance.

"Should a Dragon or some unknown enemy surface, it would be preferable to have an elder stand guard. As a result, I will take that burden upon myself."

The eyes of the Elves glittered as tears fell from them and they looked at Aurora with such gratitude and awe.

It looked like they were children who were gazing upon their hero; or diehard fans who could finally meet their favorite celebrities.

Words like—

"Lady Aurora is so considerate."

"Lady Aurora… you're too kind!"

"I want to be like Lady Aurora when I grow older."

—Echoed within the open area that they occupied.

Despite her strategy being the obvious choice, and not really one of self-sacrifice, all the Elves considered it to be a selfless act of courage.

It was difficult to tell whether they were incredibly virtuous or just plain stupid.

"Let us depart now. We will rendezvous with Lila and Lali once we get to the entrance."

The Elves all responded affirmatively, and so they left their hilltop and moved towards their goal.

*********

It didn't take them too long to cover the distance between the hill and the cluster of mountains.

Once they arrived, Lila and Lali were already waiting for them there.

They had slightly troubled expressions on their faces, one which Aurora quickly picked up on and asked what the issue was.

"A small army of humans is on its way here."

"We reckon they'll be here before we are done with our mission."

Aurora narrowed her eyes the moment she heard the news.

'So… the KariBlanc Group decided to return with backup.'

It wasn't like she never considered this to be a possibility, but Aurora didn't want it to be the case.

After all, that would put the Elves in a problematic situation with the humans.

"Lady Aurora, what should we do now?"

As soon as she was asked this question, she snapped out of her thoughts and gave the only reasonable answer she could proffer at this point.

"We continue with the plan. The humans were given their chance, but they failed to meet up with their end of the bargain."

As far as the Elves were concerned, the deal was off.

"Understood."

All the Elves bowed their heads before her, and she nodded in response.

"Lali and Lila, you have the greatest sensory abilities of the group, so you will be leading the group inside."

The two Elves nodded eagerly.

"We won't disappoint you, Lady Aurora!"

"You can count on us, Lady Aurora!"

Like little children, excited when they were sent on errands, they displayed pure joy at the responsibility that was thrust on their shoulders.

"Yera and Yare, you will stay by my side as I 'welcome' the humans."

The two Elves whose name were called forth nodded and moved forward, also affirming their readiness for the role with their words.

With everything set and prepared, there was no need to waste any more time.

"My sisters… let us begin the task."

"YES, LADY AURORA!"

********

[Meanwhile]

The wind parted as an army of three hundred raced towards the Clustered Mountains.

Leading them was a man, as well as two others who stood by his side.

These were the Mercenary Gang, and their leader—Fenrir—was at the forefront of the horde.

Closest to him were his two lieutenants—the surviving members of the Deadly Three.

And then, behind them were the strongest men of the Mercenary Gang.

This was the elite squad; at least, a portion of it.

They couldn't mobilize everyone and everything at once, since this was an emergency. However, Fenrir felt like this many was more than enough.

"That spineless coward, Phobio…" Fenrir grunted under his breath as they all advanced with their mounts.

'In the end, he chose to stay back like an imbecile. I suppose the Dragon really dealt great fear to him.'

Fenrir wasn't afraid, though.

He was excited! If they were to meet the Dragon in their territory, he wanted to fight it.

'I'll show you what happens when you cross the Mercenary Gang!' His thoughts flowed as he grinned like a bloodthirsty animal.

This wasn't merely the thoughts of a conceited man.

After all, Fenrir was one who had slain a Dragon Commander all by himself.

… A true beast in the body of a man.

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Thanks for reading!

The conflict draws nearer and nearer.

Also… if you haven't done so already, please check out the Subreddit. It's in the book's synopsis.

Thank you all!