With his new missions accepted and after receiving the blessing of the Scarlet Monarch, Dabrio and the four wooden boxes disappeared from the cave: their destination, the remains of the branch in his care.
Being back alone, Adryan was in no hurry to point out the pink elephant. He casually walked to the entrance and looked up into the storm.
Kraboom!
The roar of thunder could finally be heard. The commands and space sealing that had affected this area no longer active.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly. Looking into the air but at the same time at nothing, he spoke.
"I hope you enjoyed the show."
The strong wind blew his hair. It was humid, and the smell of wet earth filled his nose. It was a refreshing smell that made the smile on his face grow a little bigger.
"I'm going to fix what I did if that's what you're worried about. Have a good night."
Whether they had heard him or not, he didn't care. With nothing more to say, he returned inside the cavern.
Focusing on the gothic duo, he asked, "Have you decided what your loot will be?"
Sharron gave a slight nod. "The Sailor artifact they were bringing and 2 'Voice of Law' charms."
Adryan chuckled a little, and his gaze shifted to the zombie. " It looks like someone liked being the voice of reason, eh?"
The pent-up malice in the pale man's eyes danced a little, but aside from a twitch of the brow, Maric showed no other reaction.
Closing his eyes, he nodded.
"All right." He lifted his bag a little and reached into the darkness generated by it. The next moment, he pulled out something.
It was a hat with wide brims bent upward, forming three peaks. A large feather, one of a soft aquamarine color, adorned the top of the hat- one worthy of being worn by a ship's captain.
"Once we return to the Artelia District, I will ask Charlotte to prepare the charms."
Sharron nodded, taking the outstretched hat. She pulled a silver coin from her pocket and placed it at her side.
The next moment, her figure disappeared from where she was sitting. About three seconds later, she reappeared in the same form as she left, but this time, the hat was no longer in her hands.
Being a Wraith capable of moving between reflections and the mirror world, she could use a reflection as storage for a while. As long as she didn't lose the coin, she could use it as a small trunk.
Sharron grabbed the coin and put it away again. After all that was done, she returned to the same position, her hands on her lap, and her eyes closed, in apparent deep sleep.
'If she would wear any color other than black with her dresses and get her to wear a little red, Miss Casper would be the twin sister of The Doll...' Adryan scratched his head, somewhat curious.
The resemblance between the two was undeniable. And now that she had a hat, he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious to see how it would look on her.
'A Pirate Doll... Hehe...' Such an image brought a chuckle out of him.
While the hat was a powerful artifact that he bet was made with Ocean Songster characteristics, it wasn't one he needed, and its negative effect didn't go with him at all.
Adryan knew himself well. He often made decisions that put his life at significant risk. Something that with the Burnt Band made his decisions practically suicidal more often than not.
If he were to combine that little appreciation for his life with the reduced rationality that the artifact brought, he would end up killing himself or getting a member of his team killed.
Let Sharron take it was the right thing to do. Not only was she a Wraith, making the negative effect of accelerating the heart useless on her, and due to her practice of Temperance, reduced rationality would be no problem for her.
On Xio's side, she got the characteristics from Sequence 7 to Sequence 4 of her pathway, so the payment for her help today was already completed. Adryan had grabbed the Grade 1 artifact.
Later, he would discuss with Flora, but by how quiet the woman was, he knew she had an idea of what she earned today.
Snapping his fingers, the campfire flames took on a crimson hue, and their heat intensified considerably.
"We'll leave for the town in 15 minutes. Get as warm as you can."
Xio didn't even turn to look at him; she just nodded and moved a little closer to the fire.
With that settled, the redhead walked over to the log where Flora was sitting, who just looked at him calmly.
Without saying anything, Adryan stood next to the woman. Casually, he sat down, lifted his legs, and leaned back mid-air.
Invisible threads extended from his body and connected to the walls and ceilings of the cave, creating a perfect hammock.
'Mmm. It's more comfortable than I imagined.' Adryan thought curiously.
At that moment, he felt like someone was trying to pull him into a dream. Raising an eyebrow, he looked out of the corner of his eye as his companion's eyes were closed.
'Well, the lady is calling.' No longer trying to resist him, the dream world would catch him in its gentle clutches...
Opening his eyes again, Adryan noticed they were still in the cave, with the campfire burning silently crimson, but with no one to enjoy the warmth it offered.
Everything looked as if he was seeing it through blurry glasses. It was clear enough to know what it was, but not clear enough to define the finer details.
Beside him and with gray eyes, his beloved worm looked deeply at him.
Smiling, he spoke first, "Looks like you got a little more of your strength back. Dream Stealer, if I'm not mistaken?"
When he advanced to Reaper, he didn't feel anything separate from him, so he was a little worried that he had made a mistake when he told the woman that she would regain her characteristics as he moved up the sequences.
But once he saw his worm with his spirit vision, he noticed her aura was much stronger. Those worries died. Dabrio also unwittingly reconfirmed it, seeing his confusion as soon as he focused his eyes on her.
Flora was now Sequence 5.
With her actual appearance in the dream, the Jacob nodded subtly.
After another few seconds in silence, she asked with a slight frown.
"What do you mean I'm a person of interest to the Scarlet Monarch?"
"Exactly as it sounds," Adryan replied calmly.
With a gentle smile, he added, "Congratulations, Flora, you have earned my Lord's attention."
That was an answer she had expected, but she still failed to contain the shiver that ran up her spine and into her spirit. The sensation made her want to hold her stomach, but she controlled herself.
The attention of a god? No matter that the Scarlet Monarch is a benign existence, having the attention of a God never brings good things!'
Flora didn't have to know other people who had attracted the Gods' attention to know that. She had the best example of what bad things happen if you get Their attention standing in front of her!
While she hid it well, Adryan already knew his beloved worm well enough to know when she was losing her mind.
So, with a slight chuckle, he added a little more context.
"Don't worry, this is something that has been dragging on for almost two months now."
Those words quickened Flora's mind, and the cryptologist quickly searched through the information she had to locate the moment that could have caused that. Knowing her princess and his personality was only a matter of subtracting the days.
"The Moonless Night?" Flora said, somewhat confused.
"You were never rewarded for that, remember?" laughing a little more at the stunned look on his worm's face, the redhead tilted his head to the left.
"Haven't you noticed something strange I've been doing lately?" He murmured mischievously.
The woman's stunned expression was immediately replaced by a flat one.
"Everything you do is strange, Princess. That's like asking me if I notice the sun during the day or if the moon is red. You'll have to be more specific."
Not at all annoyed, Adryan added, "So when I was at my strangest. Wasn't there a moment when you were a little confused by something I said?"
Her mind wandered a bit, but quickly, a memory came up. It was in the tower's bounty room after they completed the second floor!
'Why didn't you take the opportunity to escape?'
She thought it was just the princess being himself and saying stupid things, so she didn't pay too much attention to it at the time. But it turns out there was more to it than she thought?
After a few moments of deep thought, her mouth opened, but no words came out, and she suddenly found it difficult to speak. Flora swallowed some saliva to wet her throat, and after taking a few breaths, she spoke slowly.
"So... That means... My sentence is over?"
"That's right." Adryan nodded slightly, "Other than waiting for me to advance to Sequence 4 to get your strength back. You're free."
Flora pursed her lips slightly and lowered her head slightly, her chest feeling tight.
At that moment, two fingers grabbed her chin. Such sudden contact froze her for an instant, but she didn't pull away; she let them lift her head. Her gray eyes met scarlet eyes full of amusement.
Smiling gently, and before Flora could stop him, he pressed his forehead to hers.
"Why the long face? While you're free now, I don't plan to let you go, my dear worm~" He whispered mischievously.
The closeness stunned the woman a little, but recovering, she snorted and smiled back.
Not one to be left behind, she placed a hand on the taller man's cheek and laughed softly. Her eyes sharpened.
"Oh? Why do you think you can suddenly let go of me? You're my property, Princess Tomato. Don't forget that."
Those words drew a chuckle from the man, his hand moving from her chin to her cheek and brushing a few stray hairs with his finger.
"That's my worm."
Rolling her eyes and ignoring the heat on the tips of her ears, Flora patted his cheek a couple of times. Stepping back, she looked at him curiously.
"So, how am I supposed to dethrone Fiorella? She's been the head of the Jacobs for over 70 years, even with the discreet support of the Tamara family, it will be complicated to take her place."
"You're hungry for power, it shows. But there's no need to rush." Adryan chuckled.
"You're the direct descendant of Jacob, aren't you? A little more pride."
"Being one hasn't given me as many advantages as you think it has, you know? I even got picked on for it growing up." Flora sighed and shook her head.
"Mmm. That may be, but white hair isn't what I'm referring to." Adryan hummed a little. "That broad has no desire to grow up or take risks. Look at her, 10 years without seeing her, and she hasn't moved a single step from her place or done anything.
"Compared to you, who not only found the family treasure but is willing to take it regardless of the risks, Fiorella is just as lazy as our Miss Writer."
"Snort. When we were still kids, she used to get in trouble for oversleeping in class and not turning in homework." Flora couldn't help but laugh softly.
Oh, how many times she had seen her cousin walk around limping from her parents' punishment! Glorious!
"That absence of ambition we can take advantage of." Adryan smiled and then crossed his arms. "But we'll do this calmly; there is no need to rush. While we are ambitious, unnecessary risks are not worth it."
"You don't need to say it. I'm older than you remember?" Flora reminded with a raised eyebrow.
"I know and I love it." Adryan winked coquettishly.
"..." Pressing two fingers against her forehead, Flora sighed exasperatedly.
That one was her fault.
Knowing that the conversation would go nowhere, she just threw up her hands and clapped her hands.
Clap! Clap! Crack!
By the second clap, the dream was broken, bringing her back to the real world...
Knowing she was already back in her body, Flora did not open her eyes. She knew that if she did the first thing, she would see the smiling face of the princess.
'I am free...' Those words repeated in her mind like a hymn, an invisible weight lifting from her shoulders.
It was much faster than she thought, but at the same time, it was the hardest thing she had ever done. Not even when she stole her Parasite potion did she have to exert so much effort.
Now, all she had to do was wait for her princess to ascend to Sequence 4, and all the chains binding her would be gone.
A gray eye opened, focusing on the floating man beside her. The man had his eyes closed and a small smile on his face.
'No chains...' Flora hummed in her heart, somewhat conflicted internally.
She knew that her relationship with the man had long ago ceased to be one of jailer and prisoner, as well as mere friends. There was something impossible to ignore, even though she had tried.
Regardless, no matter how much her relationship with the man grew, it would always be in the back of her mind that they were jailer and prisoner at the end of the day, so she refused to go any further, no matter how tempting.
She had a code and pride; she would not betray herself just to reduce her sentence.
'But I'm free now... So I can do whatever I want, right?' With thoughts whipping through her mind, Flora closed her eyes again.
She had to think about this...
Adryan felt his beloved worm's gaze on him, but didn't open his eyes. After a few moments, the feeling of being watched went away.
'I'm sorry, my dear, but you will have to talk to yourself about what you want this time.' He sighed internally.
There was no longer any reason for Flora to continue to believe that she was being 'punished'. Ever since the Moonless Night, her sentence had been lifted in his eyes, but knowing he had to act like a god, he kept his mouth shut and waited a little longer.
This hunt was the perfect opportunity to truly free Flora. Something that, in a way, somewhat influenced his decision to take her.
Now that his beloved worm was free and he had real space to think about what he wanted, whatever came next would not be accompanied by resentment and would be true.
That last thought caused the smile on his face to grow a little. In the end, after so much joking about it, it did happen.
He had actually fallen for a woman who tried to kill him.