Chapter 915 Clingy Much?
Lux sat opposite Lady Augustina as she sipped her tea in silence.
After what happened in Aur's room, and her meeting with the Divine Army of Light, the Steward of the Crystal Palace felt like she needed a break, so she invited Lux to have an afternoon snack with her.
Naturally, the Half-Elf accepted her invitation even though he had just finished having tea with the Dragon Prince.
"Lux, you brought some interesting friends with you from the Abyss," Lady Augustina said after placing her teacup back on the table. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"
"Am I going to be punished?" Lux asked. "Is that why you have called me here, Your Excellency?"
"Punish you? No. But, I'd like to remind you that not everyone likes having Abyssal Creatures near their doorstep. Piccoro has already briefed me about your… unusual relationship with the Succubus Queen. Although I don't approve of it, I am willing to turn a blind eye. At least, for now."
Lux breathed a sigh of relief because he really thought that he had been summoned to the Crystal Palace to receive a punishment.
Seeing the relief on his face, Lady Augustina shook her head helplessly before lightly tapping the table with her finger.
"Listen closely, Lux," Lady Augustina stated. "I may approve of what you did, but others may not. Right now, the Elysians and the Abyssal Creatures are in a delicate balance. So, when you return, make sure to tell your Succubi and Satyrs to take human forms.
"Although High-Rankers, and above, will be able to identify them for what they truly are, the rest of the people don't need to know."
Lux nodded his head in understanding. "I understand, Your Excellency. I will tell them this when I return."
"Good. Now, let's talk about other topics. Do you know why the Divine Army of Light appeared here today?"
"Are they asking for help to close an Abyssal Gate?"
Lady Augustina arched an eyebrow. "Did Aur tell you?"
"Yes, Your Excellency," Lux replied.
Lady Augustina nodded. "Well, there is that too, but the real reason they came here was because of you. They want me to surrender you to them."
The Half-Elf didn't say anything and simply waited for the Steward's next words. He knew that Lady Augustina wouldn't surrender them to the Divine Army of Light because she had already agreed to grant them asylum in her territory.
"Naturally, I rejected their request," Lady Augustina stated. "But, I also promised them that I would not help you once you are outside of my borders. So, be extra careful when you go on your adventures.
"I'm fairly certain that they have already deployed their people outside of my domain. They are lying in wait for you to make a mistake, and fall into their hands."
"Thank you for the reminder, Your Excellency," Lux said gratefully. "I will be extra careful from now on."
"You do that." Lady Augustina smiled. "Now, tell me, did you and Aur get into an argument?"
"I don't think so?" Lux replied with uncertainty. "I was just telling him about what happened in the Abyss. Maybe my storytelling was too stimulating for him."
"Stimulating?" Lady Augustina blinked. "What did you tell him?"
"Well… things." Lux smiled. "But, it's a guy thing. I'm sorry, Your Excellency but I cannot share it with you."
Lady Augustina chuckled because she was amused when Lux said that his conversation with Aur was a "guy thing". But, since she didn't want to ruin the atmosphere, she decided to just set it aside for now, and just ask Aur about it when Lux returned to his Guild Headquarters.
An hour later, Lux left the Capital City of the Crystal Palace and returned to his Guild Headquarters.
The first thing he did was relay Lady Augustina's request to the Succubi and Satyrs, which they accepted.
For the most part, since the Satyrs were already Deimos-Ranked and above Monsters, they were able to take human forms if they wished.
The Succubi didn't need to change their appearance because they already looked like humans. All they needed to do was to remove their tails, wings, and horns, making them look like ordinary Human ladies.
But, when the Satyrs transformed themselves to handsome men, the Half-Elf wasn't able to stop himself from face palming because these dashing Casanovas could easily seduce girls with their good looks.
Fortunately, Lux had added a condition that they couldn't pursue any women for a year, with the exception of women belonging to the Divine Army of Light, and members of Twilight Rain.
Suddenly, the teleportation gate shone briefly and two people walked out of it.
One was the Dragon Born, Cethus, and the other was the Half-Elf, Gerhart.
"Lux! You're finally back!" Cethus grinned as soon as he saw the Half-Elf. "You won't believe how strong I've become. I'm already a D-Rank…"
The Dragon Born's eyes widened in shock after he subconsciously assessed Lux's rank.
He was in a hurry to return to their Guild Headquarters in order to boast about his achievements because he managed to become a D-Ranker before Gerhart.
But, after sensing Lux's current rank, the Dragon Born couldn't believe that the latter had increased his Rank again in just a short period of time.
Even Gerhart was surprised due to the Half-Elf's latest advancement, making him wonder what the latter did in Agartha.
"Y-You're now a C-Ranker?" Cethus stuttered. "Since when?"
"Since three days ago," Lux replied with a smug expression on his face. "Haiya~ if you only knew what I've been through. I fought against a Demigod, and almost died. But, the experience I got from fighting her allowed me to increase my Rank once again."
"… Sh*t," Cethus cursed. "I should have come along with you. Every time you go somewhere, you suddenly become strong. Just what kind of juice did you drink? Share them with me!"
Gerhart, who was listening from the side, was also interested in knowing this secret. If possible, he also wanted to drink the same juice that Lux was drinking, so that he could also become a D-Ranker, and leave Cethus in the dust.
Lux blinked a few times before averting his gaze. "Um, it's a bit complicated, so I can't tell you how I increased my rank. All I can say is that surpassing your limit will allow you to break through very fast. I'm telling you this from experience."
"Okay, I understand," Cethus nodded. "This time, you will bring me wherever you go. Be honored, Lowlander, this Cethus is willing to accompany your lowly self."
"What if I say no?" Lux replied.
"I will not take no for an answer," Cethus insisted. "Either you take me with you, or you take me with you."
Lux scratched his head helplessly. "… Wow. Clingy much?"
"I'd like to go with you as well," Gerhart commented. "I am about to make my own? breakthrough, and I believe that joining you on your adventure will allow me to grow faster."
Gerhart and Cethus had been the recipients of incredible growth after joining Lux on his adventures. This belief was cemented when they challenged the Sacred Dungeon inside the Domain of the Fallen, as well as their war against the Haca Dynasty in the past.
Lux pondered a bit before reluctantly nodding his head. Since he had the means to smuggle his friends to Agartha, he didn't mind taking them with him to the Pantheon of Exile.
After telling his friends that they would leave in two days, Lux went to a secluded area in the mountains surrounding his Guild Headquarters.
There was something that he had realized during his stay in the Abyss, and that was, having more powerful allies was better than having none.
Because of this, he finally decided to use the Dragon Corpse that he had acquired long ago, and merge it with the Calamity-Rank Beast Core that he was given to use after he became a High-Ranker.
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