After fighting against the Kobold King, Silas and Draven contributed more, so they gained a vaster amount of experience than the others. Silas reached level 18, while Draven also attained level 50, the apex of the knight class.
After completing all the tasks inside the dungeon they left, Silas, Draven, Kael, Rhys, and Theron, along with Jacob, were all utterly exhausted. They decided to head back to their dorm rooms when, suddenly, a screech echoed above their heads.
A beautiful red bird circled above Silas, as if trying to land. Silas already had a smile on his face, his eyes lighting up.
Kael was confused to see the bird. This creature, known as a Flame Eagle, was a ferocious monster, incredibly difficult to tame. He wondered who could possibly have managed to tame such a beast when Silas suddenly put two fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly.
The bird screeched again, and to everyone's astonishment, it landed on Silas's outstretched hand. Draven immediately became alert. He couldn't discern the bird's level at all, indicating it was even higher-ranked than himself. He looked at Silas in horror, knowing his friend harbored a huge secret, but the power Silas displayed was always abnormal. The others thought the same, except for Rhys, who simply smiled, pleased that Silas was beginning to trust the group enough to reveal important aspects of himself.
Silas untied a small note bound to the bird's claw and let it fly free again. He didn't need to offer the bird any treats; as its owner, the Flame Eagle already followed his commands, and he had given it enough food for the day.
Silas opened the letter.
"Hey Silas!,
It's surprising to hear from you. The information you're asking for is a huge secret for my family, so why should I tell you?
…Wait, wait, wait, before you send someone to kill me in my sleep. Just hear me out. Phew… I was just joking, you know me well.
As for those filthy black-cloaked people, they are from some wealthy families; even a few dukes are involved in this matter. I'll prepare a complete report for you in a week. Give me that much time to get this 'gift' ready for my dear brother.
Ronald."
Silas read the letter and felt a headache coming on. He was seriously considering sending Aldric to kill Ronald. Ronald was another of his cousins, from the other Archduke family. His father's sister, Sisilia Valerius, was the future Archduchess of House [Insert House Name Here]. Ronald was his aunt's son. The letter sent by Ronald contained no family emblem or name, so that if it fell into enemy hands, they wouldn't find any useful information. The letter even contained a spell that would make it explode if found by anyone other than the intended recipient.
Draven looked at him and asked, "Silas, is everything okay?"
Silas frowned, deep in thought about the problem. He handed Draven the letter and said, "Just read it, you'll know!"
After reading the letter, Draven's frown deepened even more than Silas's. If the contents were true, then their enemies were even more powerful than they thought. High-ranking nobles were involved in this matter.
Noticing Draven's expression, Kael asked, "What happened, Draven?"
Draven didn't say anything; he just handed the letter to Kael. As Kael read it, his eyes widened. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could this be correct? This has to be a joke!"
Silas shook his head. "I trust the person who wrote that letter. If he said those words, then he's 150% sure about it. He just hasn't gotten the exact details to pinpoint the main culprits yet."
Kael looked at him in horror. Just who is this person? he wondered. Kael himself belonged to a ducal family, and even with the full power of their duchy, they couldn't obtain information with that level of certainty. Just what kind of identity did Silas have to be called 'brother' by someone with such influence?
Theron and Jacob also read the letter, and after learning its contents, their faces turned grim. They felt as if someone had punched them hard in the gut. As commoners, they had always respected the nobility, but if this letter was true, their entire worldview had just been shattered.
Rhys felt confused, seeing how everyone's mood had changed after reading the letter. He immediately took it from Jacob, and upon checking the sender's name, his blood ran cold. A chill shot down his spine, and his forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat.
He stammered, "Is this... the Ronald I know of?"
Silas nodded grimly. "Yes. He's from that family."
Rhys's hands clenched into tight fists. He felt an immense hatred toward those dukes who dared to defy humanity, accepting help from filthy demons to experiment on humans and dungeons.
Silas sighed. "Don't worry about it for now. I'll inform you when he sends me the list. For now, don't leak a word of this to anyone. We don't know what kind of monsters we're truly facing."
Everyone nodded in response.
Meanwhile, on the other side of things, Aleric woke up in his bed in the morning, still holding Torin in his arms. Torin, who hadn't gotten any sleep the whole night, had finally fallen into an exhausted sleep in Aleric's embrace.
Aleric's face turned red with shame when he realized Torin was still in his arms. He was well aware of his bad habit of hugging a pillow while he slept. But after a moment, he found himself watching Torin's sleeping face, and the gentle rhythm of his breath made Aleric's own heart thump loudly. As with any healthy male in the morning, his body was already excited, but seeing Torin this close made his memeber grow even harder, straining uncomfortably against his tight pants.
He found Torin's scent mesmerizing and gulped hard. Looking at him more intently, Aleric felt that Torin was becoming more and more beautiful in his eyes.
He asked himself, 'Do I like him? Is that why I felt so angry yesterday when I saw him living with the others? ' He placed a hand on his chest, feeling the raging, frantic thumping beneath.
At that moment, Torin suddenly moved. The uncomfortable position caused him to shift, and his eyes fluttered open, only to find Aleric already looking at him, his arms still wrapped around him.
Torin jolted upright and sat on the bed, immediately starting to explain. "I... I wasn't trying to be here! You... you hugged me yesterday, so tightly I couldn't get out of your grip..."
Before he could continue, Aleric chuckled. "Don't worry, Torin, I'm not going to blame you for anything. I know it's my bad habit of hugging a pillow. I should be the one to apologize. I'm sorry."
Torin just shook his head. "No, no! You don't need to apologize, it's okay..."
But then, his eyes fell on the very noticeable bulge in Aleric's pants. His face and ears turned crimson instantly, and his heart pounded so loudly he was sure Aleric could hear it.
Aleric followed Torin's gaze and immediately understood. He grabbed a pillow and pressed it hard against his crotch, saying with embarrassment, "I... It's the morning, so... you should understand..."
With just that, he scrambled out of the room in a hurry.
Torin wanted to say, "I didn't see anything..." but before he could get the words out, Aleric had already disappeared.
After freshening up, Aleric and Torin gathered the villagers to begin their journey toward Valerius Castle.
At that same moment, the Beast Empire forces that had been trailing the villagers finally approached the border village guarding the Valerius archduchy.
The captain of the beast empire guards sneered, his voice booming across the open ground. "You scoundrels! You dare to give shelter to villagers from my Beast Empire! Come out now, or we'll destroy this entire place!"
A voice of equal volume boomed from the top of the wall. "Heh! Do you really think we'd let you do that?" the captain of the Valerius guard responded.
The beast captain sneered again. "Release those villagers right now! The emperor has ordered me to take them back, or else..."
"Or else what?" the guard captain retorted. "Do you think your emperor wants to fight the Valerius archduchy? Does he have countless heads to spare?"
Hearing the name 'Valerius,' the beast captain reined in his temper. "Those villagers killed our patrolling team and burned their own village! We need to take them back."
But the captain on the wall just laughed. "There is no one from your Beast Empire in our territory. Go back now, or I'll order an attack on your entire squad."
The beast captain was agitated, but he was powerless against the Valerius guards. With the meager force he had brought, he couldn't possibly win a fight. He could sense several powerful individuals guarding this small village; if they fought, his squad would surely be lost.
Gritting his teeth, he snarled, "You'll see what happens next. I'll inform our emperor about this. He will definitely contact the royal family of Luminus, and then we'll see how you react!"
The Valerius captain merely shrugged. "It's not my place to worry about imperial problems. Our archduke will take care of it."
Fuming, the beast captain left with his squad.
Meanwhile, far away from the confrontation, Aleric, Torin, and the villagers were already well on their way toward the castle.
In a dark room within Theros Castle,
A shadowy figure was seated. This was the territory of Margrave Theros, and the man occupying the main seat was the margrave himself. As one of the few margraves serving under Archduke Valerius, his loyalty should have been absolute.
It was not.
As he finished the report in his hand, a furious rage consumed him. With a violent sweep of his arm, he sent everything on his table crashing to the floor. A porcelain vase, heavy inkstones, and even an expensive lens shattered on the stone ground.
The margrave roared, his voice booming through the chamber. "Again! My plan has failed again! How will I face the Master? Who? Who dares to disrupt my plans time and time again?"
Yes, he was the one who had orchestrated the plot to infect dungeons with forbidden techniques and dark elements, all to create chaos in the Valerius archduchy for his master. But this was the third time his plan had failed here, as if someone were deliberately targeting him.