Eren walked past Uriel and commanded the Royal Guards to take care of the aftermath and make sure that the injured people received proper treatment.
The people who heard his commands felt even more grateful. Even after so much had happened, the Holy Emperor was still kind enough to worry about their safety.
As soon as Eren finished his instructions, he turned to look at the citizens that were standing in the distance.
To his surprise, he saw the majority of them with their heads down, expressing their gratitude for protecting them.
"I am sorry." Instead of accepting their gratitude and being proud, Eren apologized to the citizens.
The citizens were stunned with his strange reaction. Why was he apologizing? What was there for him to be sorry about?
"Your Majesty, please don't apologise." Many people rose up in a singular voice.
"Long live His Majesty! Long live our savior!" There were even chants that grew louder with each passing second.
Eren raised his hand, making them stop their chants immediately.
Eren took a deep breath, not even trying to hide the sadness in his eyes. By now, he had gained a good amount of experience when it came to acting. He had become such a good actor that even those close to him thought that he wasn't acting.
"I am sorry that I was late. If I was able to arrive on time, I might have saved more lives. It is my fault that so many lives were lost. It is my responsibility and my failure, and for that, I am really sorry."
For the first time, citizens of the Holy Emperor saw the Holy Emperor lower his head, a tear trickled down his face. His tears fell on the ground, making the hearts of everyone who saw it tremble.
"Brother..." Uriel also felt his heart shatter.
....
"This is the last floor. We have checked the entire place but the so-called mysterious dragon is nowhere."
On the fifth floor of the Dungeon, the entire main force of the Holy Church had finished their search.
Even though there were many traces of the Dragon clan that appeared to be intentionally left behind on each floor, they had failed to find the target.
"Maybe he used some spatial treasure to escape?" The Cardinal who had escaped from Eren, asked.
"That's impossible. The space here is very chaotic. I can't open the space here. Opening portals inside his dungeon is impossible," the Holy Priestess was the one to answer, his tone being cold and distant.
Her eyes were full of disappointment as she looked at the Cardinal. "It seems that he has left from the main entrance."
"How is that possible? I was keeping an eye on the entrance all this time. It's impossible!" The Cardinal exclaimed, feeling his heart sink.
Was it really the case? Had he failed in his duty and even wasted the time of the Holy Priestess? If that was the case, then what was going to be his fate? He felt a fear rise in his heart.
"It is possible, because you were incompetent. And we don't need incompetent people." The Holy Priestess said, turning around.
She didn't say anything else. Despite that, the screams of the two Cardinals echoed in the empty hall.
Even though the Priestess didn't take action, the other Cardinals understood her intention. They killed the two Cardinals that allowed the dragons to escape without even noticing it.
The two Cardinals simply accepted their death, not even resisting as their bodies were destroyed.
The Holy Priestess started flying higher. The remaining Cardinals also followed her as it was time to leave and return home.