It didn't take long for Rollyet, Arix, and Melissa to spot Nova lying on the ground after entering the cave.

Seeing the young man truly unconscious, Arix smiled and said, "Go check his condition."

Without needing to be told who, Melissa said, "Yes, Sir."

Smirking, she stepped forward, crouched down, and began assessing Nova's state for any kind of injury, both internal and external, without forgetting his mind. The more she checked, the less she smirked. In fact, by the time she confirmed there was nothing wrong with his body, her lips trembled.

"What's got you so panicked? Is that how a genius mage of our kingdom should react?" Arix chastised. It wasn't clear what might've happened if she weren't the genius she was or perhaps it was because she was a genius that the old mage kept making snide remarks towards her.

Rollyet approached Melissa from the side and, after casting a glance at Nova's disheveled appearance, asked, "How is he?"

Melissa calmed herself as best she could and said, "I-I don't know how, but his body is perfectly fine, both inside and out. His mind seems to be weak at the moment, but it shouldn't be anything serious or he'd be dead by now."

Although she was a Rank 7 mage, she wasn't skilled in the field of the mind. Nor were Rollyet or Arix, for that matter or they would've seen the true mess Nova was in. They could only tell whether someone was alive or dead, and Nova was still breathing.

"Does that mean he's just sleeping?" Arix said disdainfully. "Only a lowly, clueless rat would sleep on the ground and not wake up with so many people nearby."

Rollyet frowned at Arix's words. It hadn't even been a full day since they started traveling together, but every word out of the old mage's mouth was either condescending or insulting. Unable to stay silent any longer, he looked at Arix and said, "Enough with the nonsense. We're here to carry out a mission from His Majesty not to play around and mock others. Understood?"

Feeling the air become heavier, Melissa made herself as unnoticeable as possible, even her breathing slowed to a crawl.

Arix gave the First Knight a long, hard look before saying, "We've retrieved the object. In my opinion, the mission is already a success. What's wrong with exchanging opinions? But, out of respect for His Majesty, I won't pursue the issue."

Meanwhile, in his head, Arix thought: A dog who only follows orders without a hint of pride. Maybe I expected too much from the so-called First Knight. After all, he's just a talentless poor knight who couldn't become a mage.

Arix's words made Rollyet's brows furrow, but he let the old mage off with a warning glance. This isn't the time to break all pretenses with him but I'll have to report to His Majesty.

"Since he's not hurt and just sleeping, that saves us the headache of sealing him. Let's go. I'll personally carry him back to the royal palace," Rollyet said, wrapping an arm around Nova's waist and lifting him effortlessly.

The three soon left the cave, not having noticed the large patch of dried blood that, by now, was no different from the rest of the ground. If they had seen it, they wouldn't have been as nonchalant as they were now. How could someone who had lost so much blood be perfectly fine?

Letto saw the group emerging from the cave with the unconscious Nova in tow and finally raised an eyebrow. Did the demon truly injure himself? For the first time in over two weeks, he considered running, running as far away as possible. But a thought kept him rooted in place. No, the demon can't be defeated by humans. I need to follow him.

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Casually glancing toward Letto, Arix noticed the ex-bandit's shifting expression and said gleefully, "Look at your friend, this is all he amounts to. Sleeping while being carried to his death." He chuckled.

Arix hadn't even finished chuckling when Letto stepped forward and said, "Take me with you."

"Hey! We're not going on some fun trip," Melissa chimed in, thinking Letto, crazy as he was, believed they were off on some grand adventure. "You'd best go home now that this guy's done for."

But Letto shook his head firmly. "Please, bring me with you. I might be of help, too."

Before Melissa could respond, Rollyet interjected, "Bring him. Since he followed this guy, he might be useful to us."

With a stomp of his foot, he rushed forward, followed by Arix, who seemed to float effortlessly behind him.

Still standing in the same place, Melissa sighed and said, "You! Do you even understand the danger you're in now? I won't be able to save you if something happens."

"Don't worry, I'm not the one who needs saving. I want to keep an eye on him," Letto replied. His eyes didn't betray a single hint of uncertainty, they had only an unwavering resolve.

He's crazy, Melissa thought, but now that Sir Rollyet and Sir Arix know about him, I can't just let him go free either.

She lightly shook her head, then waved her hand, lifting Letto slightly off the ground before dashing forward.

/////

It took less than an hour for the now five of them to arrive at the royal palace and stand before King Avaro, who sat calmly on his throne. His eyes swept over Letto and Nova as he listened to Rollyet's report.

Once the knight finished speaking, Avaro muttered, "You found him in the same place and unconscious, at that… Is it luck? Or did he want to be found? Is he planning something? Maybe I'm reading too much into it, I shouldn't jump to conclusion before gathering more information."

Shaking his head, he waved a hand and ordered, "Guards, put them both in a cell. I want two men stationed outside, and they are to report to me the moment the young man wakes up."

Immediately, three guards stepped forward and escorted Nova and Letto away.

Avaro then looked at Arix and Melissa and said, "Good work. You're dismissed."

Melissa gave a slight bow, but Arix, as a Rank 8 mage, merely offered a nod before turning to leave.

With only Rollyet remaining, Avaro's eyes narrowed as he said, "Report everything once more."

The First Knight nodded. This time, he didn't limit his report to Nova's condition. He recounted everything that had occurred, including Arix's remarks towards both himself and Melissa. By the end, he added, "Your Majesty, I believe Arix is on the verge of becoming a liability rather than an asset to the kingdom. His nature isn't suited for following orders, his temper is too volatile and it's too dangerous for the level of power he wields."

Avaro tapped his fingers against the throne's armrest for several long moments before reaching a decision.

"If he's no longer useful to us, let's send him on one, final mission."

//////

One of the guards opened the cell, looked at Letto, and indifferently said, "Go in."

Letto didn't say anything and calmly stepped inside the small space. No more than a moment later, the guard holding Nova unceremoniously threw him in. With a bang, the cell door closed, and one of the guards left, leaving the other two standing watch.

Looking at the guards, and then at Nova, who seemed to be peacefully sleeping, he thought, Is there something wrong with him? He's been tossed around since we left the cave, but he's still sleeping. But since he's breathing, that means he should wake up soon…

He didn't know that, even after three days, Nova would still be unconscious with no sign of waking up.

In his study, Avaro's patience was wearing thin. He wanted to know who Nova was and, more importantly, who had ordered him to attack the kingdom, and why.

The day before he had even ordered the guards to beat up Letto, breaking a few of his bones, in hopes of extracting some information, enough to prepare for any sudden movements that might occur, but they'd gotten nothing useful.

Contrary to what one might expect, that didn't make the King angry. As a ruler, he understood perfectly that subordinates weren't always privy to their leader's every move. But he'd still wanted to try, maybe it was different between those two. Except, it wasn't.

I've waited long enough. Avaro looked at Rollyet, who respectfully stood in front of him, and said, "Go grab that kid and wake him up. I don't care how you do it, just get it done."

The First Knight bowed and said "Yes, Your Majesty."

He turned and left the study, heading toward the cells.

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