Chapter 232: Meeting The City Lord

After spending a few more minutes comforting Monica with gentle caresses and kisses, Elias finally left her room and made his way toward his own.

He stopped before his room and knocked lightly.

[Natasha...]

The moment he called her name, hurried footsteps sounded from within.

Elias smiled, but before he could say anything else, the door swung open. Natasha seized his hand, pulled him inside, and pressed him against the wall. Rising onto her tiptoes, she locked her lips with his.

He was caught off guard for only a moment before wrapping his arms around her. His hands roamed her back and waist before sliding down and grabbing her plump ass as he returned the kiss, drawing her closer until there was scarcely any space between them.

Natasha clung to him, her fingers gripping the fabric of his clothes as though she feared he might disappear again. The kiss lingered, carrying all the words she had been unable to say during the three days he had been gone.

After nearly a minute, she finally pulled back. Her cheeks were flushed, and she leaned her forehead against his chest while breathing heavily.

[I missed you,] she said softly.

Elias brushed her long black hair away from her face and mumbled, [Me too.]

He rested his cheek against the top of her head, holding her without saying anything more. Natasha nestled closer, and for several minutes, they remained together in the quiet room, letting the warmth of their reunion settle between them.

When she eventually lifted her head, her golden eyes searched his face.

[I made something for you.]

[Oh?] Elias tilted his head, curiosity appearing in his expression.

Natasha interlocked her fingers with his and gently tugged him toward the bed. A black cape lay spread across it, its fabric smooth and carefully arranged.

She stopped beside it and looked up at him.

[How is this?]

Elias’s gaze settled on the cape, and surprise crossed his face.

At its back was an insignia unlike any he had seen before. The design depicted the upper body of a black-armored knight holding a crimson sword. The knight stood within a circular silver border that resembled the sun, while blue waves filled the space inside the circle. Every detail had been sewn with colored threads, giving the image a vivid yet elegant appearance.

The crimson sword stood out against the black armor, while the silver circle and blue waves formed a striking contrast around it.

[Image]

Elias leaned closer, examining the stitching.

Natasha watched him with a bright smile, waiting for his reaction.

[How is it?]

[It is great. Awesome... but which family’s or organization’s insignia is it?]

Her smile widened. She stepped closer and crossed her arms around his neck.

[Our family.]

Elias blinked.

For a moment, he simply stared at her. Then his gaze returned to the cape, and the corner of his lips curled upward.

[It has the colors of all three great paths.]

[It does,] Natasha nodded.

The crimson sword represented the Path of the Sword, while the silver circle and blue waves carried the impression of the Path of Spirit and the Path of Magic.

Elias looked at the insignia again, then turned toward Natasha.

[You made this yourself?]

She nodded, her expression carrying a hint of pride.

[I wanted to give you something before you left. Something that belonged to us.]

He felt a warmth spread through his chest. The cape was not a powerful artifact or a weapon that could help him defeat an enemy, yet it meant more to him than either of those things.

He sat on the bed and pulled Natasha onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he snuggled his face into the crook of her neck.

Natasha closed her eyes, enjoying the quiet affection. She gently stroked his crimson hair while he held her, and neither of them seemed willing to break the moment.

After a few minutes, she reached for the cape.

[Let me put it on you.]

Elias straightened, allowing her to drape it over his shoulders. She adjusted the fabric carefully, fastened the clasp, and smoothed the cape until the insignia rested neatly across his back.

When she stepped away to look at him, Elias smiled.

[Everything will be better soon.]

Natasha nodded, her expression softening.

[Good luck.]

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead before turning toward the door. The cape shifted behind him as he walked, its insignia catching the light.

Elias left the room and began making his way toward the hideout’s entrance.

"My Lord!"

Benjamin and Sermus, who had been waiting nearby, hurried toward him and bowed.

Elias stopped and looked at the two men.

"Benjamin... It is good to see you again."

The old butler straightened, his face brightening with a warm smile.

"It is my pleasure that you feel that way."

His gaze then drifted to the insignia on Elias’s back. His brows furrowed as he studied the unfamiliar design.

"That insignia..."

"It is ours," Elias said with a smile.

Benjamin looked at him, then back at the cape.

"Is the Crimson Ducal Clan’s insignia not a roaring lion with a crimson mane?"

Elias’s smile faded slightly, and he frowned.

"That is theirs, and it is ours."

Benjamin’s eyes widened. He stared at Elias for a moment before lowering his voice.

"You do not mean..."

"Yes. I am no longer a part of the Crimsons."

The old butler’s face turned pale.

"B-But the clan would not allow that."

Elias chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"It would not have allowed me anything anyway."

Benjamin fell silent. He seemed to want to say more, but the words did not come. Elias understood his concern. The Crimson Ducal Clan was not a family that would accept someone walking away from its influence without consequences, especially when that someone was the son of Duke Aegon Crimson.

However, Elias had already made his decision.

He turned toward Sermus, who had remained quietly beside them.

"After all of this is finished, you will get your path back."

Sermus’s emerald eyes widened.

During the past three days, Monica had managed to create a prototype of the Manacle. It was still incomplete, and they needed a few more days to refine its formations and test whether it could help Sermus overcome the wall.

Even so, the prototype had given them a possibility where there had once been almost none.

Sermus bowed deeply.

"Thank you."

Elias nodded and continued toward the entrance. Benjamin remained behind, watching him walk away with a dark expression on his face.

Near the hideout’s entrance, Elias found Olide waiting beside the stairs.

"Is the carriage ready?" Elias asked.

Olide nodded.

"It is."

"Good."

Elias ascended the stairs and stepped outside. A large carriage waited near the entrance, its sides reinforced and its interior spacious enough to hold two human-sized wooden boxes.

He glanced at the boxes resting inside, then climbed aboard.

"Let’s go."

The carriage driver nodded and pulled the reins. The horses neighed as they began moving, their hooves striking the hard cobblestone road with a steady rhythm.

As the carriage traveled toward the city lord’s mansion, Elias looked through the window at the streets.

The city had grown increasingly stifling. Shops remained closed, and frightened residents hurried through the narrow roads with their heads lowered. Guards patrolled the streets, while the looming rift crisis had turned the city into a place where people lived in constant fear.

At this point, the people should have realized that Berlic was not the kind lord he had made himself appear to be.

Yet they still did not know the truth.

Berlic was a Lord. He possessed the strength and authority needed to close the rift, but he had allowed it to remain open while the city suffered. Once the people learned that he had the power to end their misery and had deliberately refused to do so, the image he had carefully created would collapse on its own.

’Let’s see how long you can keep pretending.’

The carriage continued through the streets until the grand mansion came into view.

As the carriage approached, the guards raised their weapons.

"Introduce yourself!" one of them insisted.

Elias stepped down from the carriage and brushed his crimson hair back.

"I am Elias, and I have come to meet the City Lord."

The guards’ expressions hardened at the sight of him.

Elias glanced toward the two wooden boxes inside the carriage and smiled.

"Can you help me with these boxes? They contain something the City Lord has been searching for quite some time."

The guards looked at the boxes. Their size, combined with Elias’s words, made their expressions change.

"I-It cannot be..." one of them muttered.

Elias said nothing, allowing their unease to grow.

The guards exchanged glances before one of them swallowed nervously.

"P-Pick them up."

Several men approached the carriage and lifted the boxes one by one. The guard who had given the order turned toward Elias.

"Follow me."

"That would be my pleasure."

Elias entered the mansion gates with a carefree smile, his hands folded behind his back and Lastbane resting at his hip. The guards carried the boxes behind him, their steps careful as they followed the escort through the grand corridors.

They soon reached Berlic’s main hall, where the escort stopped before the tall doors and knocked.

"My Lord, Lord Elias is here to meet you," the guard announced.

"Let him in," Berlic replied in a joyous tone.

The two knights stationed inside opened the doors, and Elias walked into the hall. The guards followed with the wooden boxes, setting them down on the floor before stepping aside.

Berlic sat on his throne, his white brows furrowing as his purple eyes narrowed at the unfamiliar objects.

"What are those?"

"Those are something you have been desperately searching for," Elias responded.

Berlic’s expression darkened. He rose from his seat and strode toward the boxes, his gaze fixed on them.

"Open them," he commanded.

The guards hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances before reluctantly crouching down and reaching for the boxes.