"What!?"

"How does he know the family is in danger? Did dad tell him?"

"Also, why is he telling me? Does he really expect a twelve-year-old kid like me to change the situation?"

"Plus, he was never mentioned in the original story; either he dies early, or something is missing here!"

Muttering inwardly, Damien looked at Garrick with suspicion.

Although he didn't know what it was, he always felt the intentions of this person, who claimed to be his father's friend, were impure.

Unfortunately, he neither had the strength nor the ability to find out what it was. The only thing he could do was try to get as much information from him and see what he wanted.

So, using his contract gem ability to whisper to Isabelle to stay still, he faced Garrick directly.

"Hey, Garrick," Damien said, dropping his guild head honorific. "I don't care about any adventurer party my old man was in, but what do you mean he's about to die?"

"And you said you wanted me to promise you one thing? What do you want?"

Staring into Garrick's eyes, Damien tried to see if he could see any emotion; perhaps that would allow him to guess his intentions.

Unfortunately, the only thing Damien saw was anger and madness.

"Kid, it seems that what I said made you angry, but it's the truth," Garrick said, the madness in his eyes calming down a bit as he focused on business.

"The empire seems to be making moves on all of us from that party, and that brings me to the favour I wanted to ask you about."

Garrick turned toward the shadows of his office.

"Lyra, come out here. Come meet this kid. He's the one who'll help you out next."

With that said, under the shocked eyes of Isabelle and Damien, an injured elf girl came from behind Garrick's shelf.

With shoulder-length blond hair, a set of leaf-green chainmail armor, blue eyes, sharp ears, and a bow strapped against her back.

She was injured, her waist and right arm wrapped in bandages, but her eyes held a fierce, cold resolve that felt familiar.

Damien froze.

Wait.

Blonde hair? Green chainmail? A ranger seeking help from the Human Empire?

Boom!

Like a lightning bolt, a memory from the novel struck him.

Lyra of a Thousand Miles!

The future leader of the Rebel Alliance. The first Dark Elf in history. The woman who would one day snipe a 7th-Order General from three kilometers away.

In the original story, she was a tragic hero who died alone because she had no one to trust. But here she was, standing in front of him, alive and uncorrupted.

Damien stared, temporarily lost in thought. He could barely believe his luck.

Ouch!

Feeling his thigh being pinched, Damien glared at the culprit. Isabelle was pouting, glaring at him with jealousy.

"Haha, quite the beauty, eh?" Garrick laughed, misunderstanding Damien's stare.

"Unfortunately, that's the problem. Lyra here came from the Elf Forest to request help from Theron."

"Apparently, it seems that the surrounding empires, including ours, are making their move on the Elven Forest to capture elves for slavery."

"Not only that," Garrick paused to smoke his cigar, the embers glowing like a warning. "But the slave traders who hit her squad weren't random bandits.

The Second Prince's faction funded them. They seem to be gathering sacrifices for something big."

Damien's eyes narrowed slightly.

The Second Prince?

The same bastard hunting my father?

Seeing Damien fall silent, lost in thought, Garrick nodded with subtle satisfaction. The smoke from his cigar curled around a smirk he tried to hide.

He thought the mention of the Prince scared the boy, or perhaps motivated him through fear.

In his eyes, Damien was walking right into his trap, a pawn being moved on a board he didn't understand.

But Damien caught that slight glance.

However, he didn't show fear. Instead, he snorted inwardly, a cold, mocking dissatisfaction rising in his chest.

'You foolish old man,' Damien thought, suppressing a greedy smile. 'You think you're using me? You think you're sending me to die against the Prince's dogs?'

'Although I don't know what you're planning or how my father is involved, you're out of luck!"

He glanced at Lyra again.

'You have no idea. Different from what you have in mind, you're handing me a secret weapon capable of killing Kings on a silver platter.'

Thinking of this, Damien's mind began to wander

If he saved her... if he earned her loyalty now... he wouldn't just be saving an elf.

He would be acquiring the future Lyra of a Thousand Miles. And he'd be destroying one of the Second Prince's supply lines in the process.

This wasn't a favour. It wasn't a trap. It was a robbery.

"As you can see, she barely made it out," Garrick continued, puffing smoke, oblivious to the fact that the predator in the room wasn't him.

"Her group was wiped out in Gravestone. I want you to go there, finish what she started, and rescue the rest."

"If you can do that, not only will I owe you a favour, but as a payment in advance, have this."

Garrick handed Damien and Isabelle two guild cards.

On these guild cards, there was no mention of Voss or anything, just Damien and Isabelle. They were essential for maintaining their hidden identities.

However, holding this card in his hand, Damien didn't look at Garrick. He looked at Lyra.

Unlike Garrick, he knew exactly what she was worth.

"Alright, Garrick, I'll accept," Damien said, hiding his excitement.

"However, when I come back, you have to tell me more about my parents and the Voss family's condition."

"Also, since you're part of, or were part of their party, aren't you also in danger?" Damien asked, a hidden inquiry in his eyes.

However, Garrick, hearing this, just smiled.

"Haha, I am in danger, but so what? I, the King of Fists!"

The same king who once fought the current King of the Empire for three days and three nights. Who dares attack me head-on?"

"Those rats are probably even too afraid of the Guild Leader to do anything, so don't worry about me."

"The only issue I have is that I can't move as freely as I did. Like rats, they'll most likely ambush me once I'm alone."

Gritting his teeth angrily, Damien could tell that Garrick was very frustrated by the current situation.

However, a voice at the back of his mind still told him to be wary of Garrick even if he saw him like this.

At least until he asked his father, Garrick was listed as a target of caution.

I'll play your game for now, old man. But when I come back, she'll belong to me.

Making up his mind, Damien prepared to leave.

After taking one more glance at the elf girl, his future General, he directly stood up.

"Isabelle, Lyra, let's go."

"Guild head, don't worry, we'll complete the mission and be right back."

As he said this, Damien left the room with both of them in tow, leaving only Garrick seated in the room with a smile on his face.

"Damien, huh? Smart kid. He seems to suspect something."

"However, even if you do, what can you change?"

"Theron! Elizabeth! Elinor! Durin! Are you ready? This era is about to reach its peak!"

"Hahaha!"

Laughing in silence, his whole being seemed to be consumed in madness as he looked forward to the future.

Unfortunately, Damien wasn't there to see this scene, as right now, he and Lyra were in the middle of a serious discussion.

"Hey, Lyra, is the Elf Queen a virgin?" asked Damien to the shocked eyes of the blushing Lyra and Isabelle.

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