After the long court session finally ended, only two people remained inside the court.
Lila.
And Zora.
The court was completely silent.
Neither of them seemed to expect the other to speak first, yet both secretly hoped that they would. They stood in the same place for quite a while.
Finally, Zora broke the silence.
"How are you, Lila?"
Lila looked down. Her face showed a mixture of irritation and annoyance. She didn't respond for a while.
Then suddenly, she rushed toward Zora. Lila jumped onto him and hugged him tightly. Tears immediately filled her eyes.
Zora was shocked at first. For a few seconds, he simply stood there. Then he slowly wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.
Neither of them said anything. The silence that filled the court was no longer uncomfortable. It was peaceful.
After a while, as Lila's emotions began to settle, she finally spoke.
"I'm sorry..."
She sobbed.
"I'm so sorry."
"I just didn't know what to do..."
"What to say..."
"How to react..."
"I'm just so sorry."
Zora gently wiped the tears from her face.
He smiled.
"Don't cry. I know it was hard for you too."
Lila continued crying for a little while longer as Zora remained beside her.
For that moment, nothing else mattered.
Not the secrets.
Not the court.
Not the war.
Just the two of them.
After sharing that heartfelt moment, they eventually left the court.
Lila returned with The Rising Heroes, while Zora and his companions went to meet King Arthur for further discussion.
---
In the Depths of Darkness
Vorath stood in the darkness, looking pleased with himself.
"Did you see that? My experiment brought out Zortheus."
He grinned.
"Praise me as much as you can."
Zalthar stared at him for a moment.
Vorath's smile slowly faded.
"Come on... You're scary. I don't need your compliments anyway. Ugh."
Zalthar finally spoke.
"It was hardly your experiment, was it?"
Vorath immediately reacted.
"Haw! You want to take away my credit?"
"I am the one who was able to do it. I created it. So all the credit should go to me."
Zalthar looked at him.
"But without him... Would you have ever been able to do it?"
Vorath clicked his tongue.
"Tch.You're rude, you know. That's a bad habit."
Zalthar didn't reply.
Vorath waited for a moment before speaking again.
"So... What is the next step?"
Zalthar answered calmly.
"You already know. But I will say it again."
"I need you to make more Great Chimera."
Vorath sighed.
"Easy to say. Do you know how much trouble I went through just to make one?"
"And then it was killed as a sacrifice just to nullify King Arthur."
Zalthar replied without changing his expression.
"I will provide every material. You simply do your work."
Vorath looked at him.
"I know. You could have said that in a nicer way."
He then suddenly looked toward the darkness.
"But anyway... I'll continue my work."
"Oh, look who has arrived."
An unknown figure approached them.
"So it worked."
Vorath smiled.
"Oh yes. It surely did."
The unknown figure looked at Vorath.
"You sure are a terrifying person."
Vorath immediately waved his hand.
"Stop. Don't compliment me like that."
The figure remained silent.
"…"
Zalthar looked toward the figure.
"If you have come all the way here, then there must be something you need to say."
The unknown figure nodded.
"Yes."
Zalthar replied simply.
"Brilliant."
Vorath immediately looked annoyed.
"What?! What did he even do? Why did he get a 'brilliant' and not me?"
The unknown figure spoke.
"If you want, we can start now."
Zalthar looked toward him.
"We will. Soon."
"For now... Patience."
---
Kingdom of Cero
Zortheus and King Arthur continued their private discussion.
Zortheus spoke about a place where they might be able to find one of the jewels.
"We have found a place where we might find one of the jewels."
King Arthur listened carefully.
Then his expression changed.
"I am sorry. I actually hid something from everyone."
Zortheus looked toward him.
Arthur continued.
"The Crimson Jewel that was taken away from my daughter...was actually a replica."
The revelation surprised Zortheus.
"The jewel was enchanted with many spells, making it appear exactly like the original."
"The real Crimson Jewel... is safe with me."
The implications were immediately clear.
Zalthar had one less jewel than they had previously believed.
But that also meant something else.
Zalthar could target the Kingdom of Cero once again.
And this time, they needed to be prepared.
For the first time in history, a King would have companions who had once been part of one of the most feared dungeons in the world.
King Arthur, Zortheus, and their companions continued discussing their plans.
They needed to bring down Zalthar...
Before he could make his next move.