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nWhen they arrived at the location of the hidden cave, Henrietta saw Xander, as well as Lux’s summons, guarding the entrance of the cave.

nThe Half-Elf gave Xander a brief nod before entering the cave, with Henrietta following close behind him. ᴡ ᴏᴠʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀs ᴀʀ ᴘᴜʙʟsʜᴅ ᴏ Novlꜰre.nt

nThere, Henrietta saw Cai lying down on a makeshift bed, covered with a blanket.

nLux knelt beside the young lady and placed his palm over her forehead to check her temperature.

nHe was worried that Cai would get a fever, but fortunately, her temperature was normal. After getting half a day’s rest, her complexion had turned for the better, but there were still no signs of her waking up.

n“Do you have any spare clothes with you?” Lux asked Henrietta after checking up on the beautiful young lady, who was sleeping with steady breaths.

n“I do,” Henrietta replied.

nShe understood what Lux was trying to say, so she took out a plain looking dress from her storage ring and moved towards Cai.

nThe Half-Elf then left the cave to allow Henrietta to take care of the Rowan Tribe’s High Priestess, while he talked to Xander about the events that had happened while he was standing vigil outside the cave.

n“I see,” Xander commented after Lux finished his explanation, but his expression didn’t change even after knowing that one of the Yelan Bases had fallen.

nThe Half-Elf could tell Xander placed more importance in Cai’s well being than the outcome of the war. He didn’t find fault in this because he knew how loyal the young man was to their High Priestess.

nHe simply sat beside him in order to organize his own thoughts.

n“Xander, can you answer my question honestly?”

n“Okay.”

nLux smiled bitterly before asking the young man the question that he had been thinking about for most of the night.

n“If Cai doesn’t wake up, do you think that Sir Maximilian would kill me?” Lux asked.

nAfter hearing Lux’s question, Xander turned his head to look at the Half-Elf and chuckled. However, although the young man was laughing, his eyes weren’t smiling.

n“You don’t have to worry about the Chief wanting to kill you first,” Xander replied. “If our High Priestess doesn’t wake up, the entire Rowan Tribe will have hunted you down before the Saint can even grab hold of you.”

nThe young man then rested his hand on Lux’s shoulders and held it in a firm grip.

n“I will be the first to hunt you down if that happens,” Xander said in a teasing tone, but the Half-Elf knew that he wasn’t really teasing him.

nXander was merely stating a fact, which made Lux nod his head in understanding.

n“Thank you,” Lux commented as he pried Xander’s hand over his shoulder. “You’re a real bro.”

nXander only smirked before closing his eyes to rest for a bit. He hadn’t rested since he started to guard the entrance of the cave because he was afraid that someone might find their hiding place and attack Cai in her sleep.

nNow that the Half-Elf had returned, he could finally take some rest.

nXander knew that as long as Lux was around, he wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt the unconscious beauty, who had jumped into the fray to save his life.

n———-

nGreat Plains Ammarian Main Camp…

n“You did well, Nero,” Great General Gideon said with a smile. “With this, we have been able to reverse our previous losses in this war. Although it is quite unfortunate that General Phobus and General Revon have lost their lives, the defeat in the Mountain Area finally allowed us to put an end to this war.”

nNero returned Great General Gideon’s smile with a smile of his own and briefly nodded his head in acknowledgement of the praise given to him.

n“It is only natural to help my ally,” Nero replied. “As long as you keep your promise, I will continue helping you.”

nNero had already returned to his human form as he casually chatted with the Great General of the Ammarian Army, who had personally invited him to have dinner in his tent.

n“It is only a small thing,” Great General Gideon stated. “Still, for you to ask us to not interfere in your fight against your former Mercenary Leader… you must really hate him so.”

nNero smirked after hearing the Great General’s words. He did hate the Half-Elf, and he would not be able to rest easy until he personally crushed his head with his own hands.

nFor that, he accepted the silver-haired man’s offer and gained the power to temporarily become a Ranker for the duration of his mission inside the Sacred Dungeon.

nAlthough he took a shortcut to achieve it, his hatred for the Half-Elf knew no bounds. As long as he would be able to end the latter’s life, the demon that had grown inside his heart would finally disappear, allowing him to fully master the power that had been bestowed upon him.

nNero didn’t know who the silver-haired man was, or what the man wanted to achieve by helping him.

nHowever, he didn’t mind being used as a pawn just this once, as long as he would be able to see the desperation on the Half-Elf’s face, and make him understand that going against him was the worst mistake he had made in his life.

n‘This war is just the beginning,’ Nero thought. ‘After I return to Solais, my conquest will finally begin.’

nFrom somewhere inside the Sacred Dungeon, the silver-haired man chuckled after hearing Nero’s thoughts.

nSince he had found a very willing pawn to help him escape the prison he was in, he would gladly offer him his assistance until he broke free from the chains that bound him.

nAfter that, he would return to Elysium and take revenge against the descendants of those that had imprisoned him inside the Domain of the Fallen.

nFor that to happen, he needed to let Nero get his revenge first, so he could further corrupt his heart and soul until he could bend to his will.

n“Ah… the passion of youth,” the silver-haired man muttered as he glanced to the East and focused his attention on the red-headed teenager, whom Nero wanted to defeat no matter what. “Such raw feelings of hatred is the perfect nourishment for my soul.”

nThe silver-haired man chuckled as he watched the armies of the two Kingdoms gather at the main battlefield for one last battle that would decide the outcome of the war.

nFor him, the outcome of the war wasn’t important.

nIn his eyes, people killing each other was just a form of entertainment.

nThe only battle he wanted to see was the fight between Nero and the foul-smelling Necromancer that had already conquered two of the gates of the Sacred Dungeon.

nOnce the Four Gates of the Apocalypse had been conquered, the Fifth Gate would open, and they would finally enter the world where he resided.

nHe had been waiting for that moment for hundreds of years, but he didn’t want Lux to be the one to break his seal.

nNo.

nHe wanted someone he could manipulate and control, and the person he chose was none other than Nero.

n“Little children, do beware,” the silver-haired said with a devilish smile on his face as he imagined the faces of Nero’s acquaintances when they met the young man again at the Great Plains.

n“All of you are in for a scare.”

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