Dukare

Can you hear my heart?

"... not quite right."

Theresa spoke very frankly.

She was also somewhat surprised that Maria knew about her spying.

Since she couldn't hear Maria's thoughts, she assumed it was because she wasn't proficient in using her abilities.

But now it seems... Maria herself is somewhat special?

And Maria knew that too.

But at the same time, she realized that she had been secretly sensing Maria's emotions while under Maria's gaze.

Maria thoughtfully kept it to herself.

This made her feel even more shy.

"Um."

Maria was not surprised by the girl's answer.

She simply lowered her head slightly, looking down at the girl in front of her.

"If possible, you'd better not listen to my thoughts... some people might react in a rather extreme way because of it."

Maria's body was protected by multiple layers.

Besides her own strength, the Doll also works hard every day to try to build an indestructible fortress for Maria.

Many of these things are even trigger-based retaliations... If the girl were to extend her senses and touch upon these things, many unpleasant things could happen.

"Okay... okay."

Theresa's face was flushed, and her voice was a little shy.

And that was the end of that matter.

Maria didn't specifically ask whether the girl's abilities were innate or acquired through Originium Arts training, and the girl didn't seem inclined to explain.

After finding the cloth, the two left the room.

Theresa looked at her former little house and remained silent for a long time. In the end, she did not choose to close the door, but left it open to welcome the next resident.

She turned her head and looked at Maria.

"The item has been found. Where are you going next?"

"... Look at the people who have fled to this city."

Maria wanted to see how much strength the city still had, and whether it could withstand the upcoming war.

The best way to determine how much strength a city still has is to see how the other side deals with the displaced people.

How a region handles emergencies is always the best measure of its overall strength.

If the disaster victims are handled well, it means that Kazdel still has reserves of strength. While it cannot be said that it is evenly matched with the Allied Forces, it can certainly be said that it has the strength to fight.

But if it's not good...

That war may already be over.

Although Maria had always been pessimistic about whether the Sarkaz could win the war.

Maria for a moment, then followed Theresa toward the resettlement area for the disaster victims.

To Maria's surprise, when she followed Theresa to this area, many people stood up and stared at Theresa.

Although most of them were in a sorry state, they had no interest in Theresa, who was clean-cut. Instead, they looked at her with admiration and respect.

This proactive stance also took Maria somewhat by surprise.

But after a moment, she came to her senses.

"You're in charge of this area?"

"Yes."

Theresa didn't hide anything.

"I don't have my brother's ability to unite people, nor do I have the strength to lead them out of their suffering. All I can do is help these wanderers stop living such a difficult life."

The girl lowered her head and spoke softly.

When faced with those who are watching her, she will patiently smile and nod, striving to make herself a source of comfort for them.

The disaster has already caused unbearable pain; she hopes that those who survived can find peace.

The girl's appearance reminded Maria of the priest she had met not long ago.

The other person and the girl shared the same idea... he also hoped for peace to come.

However... fate dealt that idealist the most devastating blow, tearing apart the last thread of hope within him.

The piles of stone tombstones inside the church are the most painful scars.

At this very moment, another person with ideals appeared before Maria, which made Maria sigh involuntarily.

"War..."

"Um?"

"Nothing."

Maria didn't explain her sighing thoughts; she simply followed the girl through the crowd. Occasionally, Theresa would venture into the group of refugees, gently inquiring about their situation and sharing the few candies she had with the children.

To be honest, such actions are actually very dangerous... After all, the refugees have already reached this point, and the desperate environment can make people lose their sense of awe for many things.

But Theresa did it anyway, proving that her strong mental fortitude was not, as she herself described, useless.

Maria was deep in thought, her head slightly bowed.

Although the environment here is crowded, it has most of the basic necessities. Although everyone's pace of life is fast, overall, there have been no large-scale riots or chaos.

Everything remained in order.

This exceeded Maria's initial expectations for the city.

And it was while Maria was seriously considering whether this was Theresa's isolated case or a general situation in the entire city.

A stern shout came from not far away.

"This is our city! Get out!"

P. S. Oh no, something's happened.

I stayed up all night yesterday, and this morning after breakfast I went home to write something and go to sleep, but I suddenly vomited halfway through, and there was blood in my mouth. I was so scared that I went straight to the hospital to see a doctor.

Result...

My breakfast was too spicy, which irritated my stomach.

Tsk, everyone should really get some rest.

Chapter 272 Dukale.

The irritating voice carried a hint of drunkenness, and everyone knew almost instantly that another drunkard had come to cause trouble.

An outrage surged through the crowd, but because Theresa was there, they didn't act immediately, instead turning their attention to the girl.

"... Again?"

Theresa frowned, looking somewhat troubled.

This has happened time and time again ever since they led the refugees into Kazdel.

She was even getting a little annoyed by it... but she had no choice but to go.

After hesitating for a moment, she first nodded slightly to the crowd beside her, recruited some people on the spot, and then looked at Maria.

"Sorry, I might need to take care of something..."

"It's alright."

Maria didn't seem to care. On the contrary, she calmly followed the girl to see what was going on.

Before long, they found the place where the trouble was taking place.

It was located in a corner at the edge of the camp.

Several drunken Sarkaz, their faces flushed, were pointing at the crowd and cursing angrily.

Their sleek clothes left the refugees seething with anger but unable to speak out.

The Sarkaz had an ancient and corrupt aristocratic class.

The guards surrounding these old Sarkaz are the best proof of this.

By the time Theresa arrived at the scene, the two sides were already at loggerheads.

"I'm sorry, sir... you seem to be drunk."

Although she brought a much larger crowd to the scene, Theresa did not want to escalate the situation. She spoke very politely, trying to calm the other party down.

But clearly, such actions did not satisfy these arrogant old nobles.

The middle-aged man at the head of the group, dressed in bright clothes, glanced at Theresa a few times and then spoke with a sneer.

"A tailor like you has no right to speak to me!"

"... Perhaps, sir."

Faced with the other party's blatant sarcasm, Theresa showed no emotional fluctuation. She simply stood dignified in front of everyone, facing the other party without fear.

"But the Demon King is now dead. As a nobleman he promoted, you might become my colleague after the next Demon King ascends the throne..."

Theresa did not use a radical tone; she simply stated the facts in the most straightforward and calm voice.

But this fact deeply stung the man.

He was immediately annoyed!

"Presumptuous!"

With a low growl, he waved his hand, and the guards around him began to move.

As for the refugees... although they were far inferior to these guards in terms of equipment and ability, these people who had been rescued by Theresa were full of respect and gratitude towards them. Facing the guards, they did not hesitate to use their bodies to block the guards' spears, their faces fierce.

The Sarkaz are physically superior to other races... but for fellow Sarkaz refugees, the gap between them is not as large as one might imagine.

If a fight really breaks out, these guards might not be able to subdue these refugees.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like that?"

Seeing the increasingly tense atmosphere, the old nobleman was also furious. He glared at the gentle and beautiful Theresa in front of him, his cold voice making no attempt to hide his anger!

"I'm merely stating the facts, sir."

When facing the nobles, Theresa fulfilled the responsibilities of a competent leader.

He was neither arrogant nor humble, and his voice was calm.

She looked up at the other person with her pink eyes.

"If you come with good intentions, we welcome your visit, but... if you're just looking for a place to vent your fears, this might not be the right place..."

Theresa didn't beat around the bush; she almost directly stated the reason for the other party's current radicalism.

It's important to understand that even if these noble lords were drunk, they would almost never come to this slum... They pride themselves on their nobility, but they forget the reason why the Sarkaz have been able to survive countless sieges and raids to this day.

Now, the Allied Forces have demonstrated their terrifying fighting capabilities... All fronts have collapsed, and the fall of Kazdel is only a matter of time... In addition, with the death of the former Demon Lord, these nobles who are subservient to Yelesh will also lose their power.

They began to feel anxious and uneasy.

Theresa wanted to ease the other party's anger with a frank approach... The refugees were in a very bad situation; even though she had done her best, deaths still occurred here every day.

The only way for her to stabilize the situation here is to gain the help of the nobles who currently control a large amount of wealth in Kazdel.

Therefore, she didn't want to break off relations with the other party.

Unfortunately, she still didn't understand negotiation...