You May Be Our Hope. (Continued)

Theresa turned her head and asked the big green cat beside her.

Of all those present, she was perhaps the most sensitive to these matters, and she was the first to realize that this was unusual, prompting Theresa to seal off Kazdel to prevent the disaster from spreading.

But it turns out that the other party doesn't seem to care about this at all; it seems that the other party is deliberately making things difficult for them. Even without closing the city, it wouldn't leave, nor would it let them leave.

The one who truly contends with Him is not here...

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I..."

Upon hearing Theresa's question, Kal'tsit's expression became even more guilty.

When Theresa gave her this task, she immediately began her research, but... regrettably, even today, she hasn't been able to figure it out.

Forget about the formation and avoidance of monsters, she didn't even have a single idea of how the group was supposed to survive.

The enemy was on a completely different level from her!

"I understand... Don't feel guilty, Kal'tsit, just do your best."

Theresa's voice was soft and gentle, making the other person feel completely at ease.

But it was precisely this considerate gentleness that made Kal'tsit feel even more guilty.

At this point, the meeting consisted of nothing but raising questions... They had absolutely no clue how to solve the problems.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose outside the conference room, attracting the attention of the people inside.

They exchanged a glance, then frowned and stood up.

Arriving at the door, I pushed open the wooden door...

"What happened?"

Kal'tsit was the first to ask a question, her sharp eyes fixed on the refugees gathered there.

The Banshees guards beside her remained as serene as ever, bowing slightly to Theresa and their lord, who was half a step behind.

"Your Highness..."

The refugees gritted their teeth and spoke in low voices.

Most of them were pale and emaciated, and a strong sense of unease enveloped them all, which compelled them to come and ask Theresa.

"When will we be rescued? Why haven't our families in other shelters responded? When will the supplies arrive?"

The leader spoke first, posing three questions that left Theresa speechless for a long time.

Seeing this, Kal'tsit frowned and immediately spoke up.

"These are not things you should be worrying about... Instead of spending your time questioning His Highness, why don't you do something you can do yourself?"

"But..."

The refugees gritted their teeth.

They knew, of course, that these matters were none of their business, and they also knew that, given their limited abilities, they would likely get little result even if they inquired. But the problem was that they had no choice but to come out and ask.

This past week, far too many people have left them, perhaps from illness, or perhaps from serious injuries...

The sheer number of deaths was so concentrated that even they, the Sarkaz, were somewhat at a loss as to how to cope.

Their questioning now is less about getting an answer from Theresa and more about hoping that Theresa can give them a guarantee.

At least, let's not let them continue to be confused and uncertain about this situation...

But this guarantee is undoubtedly unfair to Theresa.

After all, she is the Demon King. Once she makes a promise, she is guaranteeing it with her status as the Demon King. If she breaks her promise, it will be a severe blow to her authority as the Demon King.

But if they say nothing, it only makes people more suspicious.

In other words, it seems that all Theresa can do is give an answer that satisfies everyone.

However, Theresa did not have the ability to make it happen.

This prevented Theresa from responding for a long time.

This silence, however, only intensified the sense of despair among ordinary people.

After a moment, as if he had made a decision, the leader slowly stepped forward and knelt on one knee before Theresa.

"Your Highness... if you truly have no other choice... please allow us to leave."

The shelter was established because Tricia forced everyone to stay there... According to Kal'tsit, the enemies this time are the same type as those summoned before, and they are all highly infectious.

Ordinary people facing these monsters would have little fighting power, and even if they won, they would be corrupted to some extent and could become the next monster at any time.

Theresa forced them to stay here, not only to protect them, but also to prevent the monsters in Kazdel from continuing to increase.

But... this is a question that ordinary people don't understand.

To avoid causing unnecessary panic, Theresa deliberately put these issues on hold for the time being and did not make any announcements.

But to others, this concealment was seen as a deliberate arrangement by Theresa to prevent them from leaving.

Even those who trust her implicitly will still have uncontrollable doubts when faced with a life-or-death situation.

This problem existed before, but it has truly erupted at this moment.

This group of people who were loyal to Theresa did not directly embarrass Theresa, but made their choice in an extremely tactful way.

They chose to leave voluntarily, and whether they live or die afterward is their own choice, and has nothing to do with Theresa.

Given the current situation, this is the best response they can give.

They didn't ask for much, they just hoped Theresa could run.

Kal'tsit, noticing this, gritted her teeth and turned to look at Theresa.

She opened her mouth slightly, trying to persuade Theresa not to allow it.

After all, in her view, even if everyone starved or died of disease here, it would be better than going out and increasing the number of those monsters.

But...

She's looking at it from a holistic perspective.

However, not everyone in this world can view problems from a holistic perspective.

Theresa hesitated, her pink pupils trembling uncontrollably.

She wanted to give everyone an answer, but... she couldn't do anything about it.

"Your Highness..."

Seeing this, Kal'tsit's lips, which were about to say something, slowly fell silent.

After a moment, she lowered her head and remained silent.

Everyone has the right to pursue survival... She could certainly use force to stop him, but... she couldn't make him stay and believe it was his own choice.

At this moment, she cannot make the choice for anyone else.

"Your Highness..."

Just as Theresa was struggling in pain, another voice came from the crowd nearby.

People didn't say much, they just silently watched the person in front of them, and slowly, knelt down on one knee.

They didn't need any guarantees, they just hoped that Theresa would let them leave.

Let them find their own way out and find their families.

They had no other thoughts.

Theresa also pursed her lips.

Reason and emotion swirled in her mind at the same time; she felt she should agree to the other party's request, yet she also felt she shouldn't.

Intense thoughts overwhelmed her, rendering her unable to think of anything at that moment.

In her confusion, she looked up at the many people who trusted her, at their hopeful yet sorrowful eyes, and murmured something.

"I..."

"Clatter..."

Just as Theresa was about to speak, the sound of light footsteps approached.

The footsteps weren't loud, but in such a quiet environment, they sounded particularly jarring.

Beyond that sound, even faster, came a series of orderly footsteps.

Listen for any sounds...

"Is it the army?"

Kal'tsit and the others were stunned, finding it hard to believe what they had just heard.

But soon, the synchronized sounds continued to come.

One step, then a pause.

The metal armor clashed against each other, and the synchronized footsteps made only one sound as they moved.

"Clatter..."

"Is it... is it the army?"

The refugees heard the noise and, confused, turned their heads to look at the doorway.

That swaying figure, calmly, walked step by step as the Banshees's guards bowed.

Lamaline's eyes lit up almost instantly, while Theresa, standing beside her, had a complicated expression but still managed a relieved smile.

Nearby, a large green cat also looked on with interest.

And under such scrutiny, the figure slowly stepped forward.

"What... happened here?"

She spoke slowly...

The news of Maria's return swept through the entire shelter like a storm.

To be fair, Maria had a high reputation in addition to her fame.

After she appeared, the previously wavering hearts suddenly calmed down.

The arrival of the army gave them much more confidence for what was to come.

Of course, these are the reactions of ordinary people.

At this very moment, Maria is attending a meeting with her old acquaintances, a meeting she hasn't had in a long time.

Theresis and Theresa sat facing each other, while the pairing of the Doctor and Kal'tsit corresponded to Maria and Lamaline.

After exchanging glances, the group briefly and quickly exchanged information before Theresa summarized and spoke.

"So... the enemy that led to Kazdel's current predicament is the same enemy that was summoned in the first place?"

"It's almost certain they're the same..."

Maria nodded slightly.

But Theresa became puzzled again.

"But... according to you, the summoning ritual requires a lot of energy... but we don't have any before..."

Theresa's words sounded somewhat confused.

But Maria shook her head slightly.

"Power is not only manifested in quantity... sufficient quality can also forcefully summon."

"Perhaps it's residue from when I didn't burn it all away, or perhaps they used some method to extract something... but the final result is what we see now. We need to find a way to solve this problem... but the first step is for you to get the ordinary people off this battlefield."

Maria could say with certainty that Gordan's actions were designed to lure her here... She didn't know if Gordan was preparing for a final battle or what, but she was certain that once the battle started, no one here would leave alive!

She needed to find a way to get the others out... and most importantly, to ensure the safe evacuation of Lamaline and the others.

"We've tried to leave, but... it's not a problem with the iron gate or any kind of defense. Every time we lead a team out, we inexplicably encounter a fog. No matter if we stand still, move forward or backward, we always end up some distance back to the entrance... We can't get out."

Theresa's words were filled with helplessness. They had tried to take people away, but in the end, they all failed.

Even the Doctor and Kal'tsit couldn't understand this.