The game has become a real alternate world

"It's over... we're finished."

An officer slumped in his seat, his expression filled with despair.

"Damn it, we should retreat now, we should leave here, otherwise we'll be surrounded!" another officer, seemingly already terrified, exclaimed in panic.

"Do you want to be a deserter?! We have no retreat. Once Gray Rock Fortress falls, those monsters will devour at least half of the territory.

Several territories will be swallowed up, and by then we'll all be sinners!" yet another officer shouted, slamming the table fiercely.

The meeting in the tent had descended into chaos.

"Silence!"

A sudden shout rang out.

Everyone looked at Prince Anistar seated at the head of the table, frowning at the moment.

"All of you sit down. You are officers; if you panic, it truly is over.

Calm down and think carefully about the current situation."

With his words, the officers who had been quarreling silently returned to their seats.

Anistar glanced at the Bishop beside him and the Saintess next to him, representing the Holy Light Church.

"It may sound despicable, but shouldn't this matter be handed over to your Church?

You've heard the information they brought; it was a group of cultists who took the city. Dealing with cultists shouldn't violate any rules, right?"

Anistar said quietly, acknowledging they really didn't have much available military force to retake Vitra City now.

The Bishop looked at him and nodded silently.

"We will deploy the Church's knights to eliminate those cultists."

At this moment, the Saintess spoke up.

"How about I lead a team to resolve this matter? The Bishop can assist the Prince here. I think it might be best to gradually evacuate the civilians and refugees from this rear area."

Her words were very straightforward, almost plainly indicating to them that the fortress was nearly unsustainable.

It's better to take the opportunity to evacuate some civilians first.

"Impossible," said one officer directly.

"You should know that not only the residents of the Prince's Territory are gathered here, but also those refugees who fled from the Safro Kingdom.

If we let these refugees flood into the cities behind us, it will be a disaster."

It wouldn't be so bad to retreat their own country's citizens, but letting those refugees follow suit would result in a massive influx of refugees, placing a heavy burden on the country.

Moreover, with cultists wreaking havoc, a large number of homeless refugees would lead to the emergence of a significant number of cultists, which would be like numerous ticking bombs.

"What do you mean? Do you want them to become cannon fodder?" Anita, who had been standing behind the Saintess, immediately frowned and questioned this statement.

"I never said that, but they cannot be allowed to continue moving back.

The Prince's Territory itself doesn't have many residents; letting them stay here temporarily is already a last resort.

If we let them roam within the country, with those monsters continuously attacking from the front, the Cohen Kingdom will really be in danger of collapsing."

As heartless as this officer's words were, they were also quite correct.

The refugees from the Safro Kingdom were indeed an unstable factor.

If safeguarding their own country's safety was paramount, blocking or even expelling these refugees would be the best approach.

As for now, it was better to let them fend for themselves.

Let them fall with the fortress and the surrounding Prince's Territory.

The officers, including Prince Anistar seated in the main seat, were silent in the face of his words.

It was clear this had been their intention from the beginning.

The Bishop remained silent, having anticipated these developments from the start.

Refugees.

No matter where, people with this status often cannot live with dignity.

Moreover, in a sense, they were refugees from an enemy nation.

While it might have been a stretch to say so, for those whose relatives were killed and who had lost countless comrades in battle against the enemy, such a connection was enough to vent their anger on these weaker individuals.

The Saintess looked grim, but she knew they could not prevent this matter.

Only Anita and the Holy Knights gritted their teeth.

Ichard kept his head down, brooding about these discussions about the refugees, these abandoned people.

They were once citizens of their country.

And those who betrayed the country... were the middle and upper class nobility, even the royal family.

The Count's brows knitted tightly together, but he couldn't utter anything irrational.

Because he had no solution at the moment, yet he hoped there might be some way to stop this.

"If we let these refugees and these residents remain here and sacrifice themselves, they will later become a dagger pointed at the Cohen Kingdom."

Bobo suddenly spoke up.

With a clear yet slightly sharp voice, making everyone turn to her.

"Our leader is Kana, the Fourth Prince of the Safro Kingdom. Some of you might know, some might not.

Regarding the Blood Race, he knows more than anyone."

She raised a finger, emphasizing: "A year ago, we were still in the Count's territory within the Safro Border.

Kana and the Count shared the belief that civilians should be removed from the battlefield as much as possible. Even then, the Count was organizing troops to get refugees transported to safety."