Seiden glanced at Macron, who was flattering them with a courteous tone. The man’s face, seemingly around fifty years old, was deeply scarred.

“Oh, you’re too kind. Thanks to you, we can have the saintess in such a comfortable place, so we are more grateful.”

As Geril boasted, Macron grinned and sat back down.

“As long as you are in my castle, there’s no need to worry about food, eat to your heart’s content.”

Just as Macron said, the food on the table was splendid. The delicious aroma made their mouths water, but Bellota ignored it and asked Seiden.

“How was the situation in the village?”

At that, Geril’s hand, which was about to pick up a fork and knife, paused. Seiden, who had not touched the food like Bellota, answered immediately.

“We met the residents of Torcana. Unlike Vergio, many adult men remained, and they had formed their own militia to stand guard, so the situation was relatively better. But as you know, such measures are useless once the monsters start attacking. Torcana is also mostly destroyed by the attacks.”

Bellota held her breath and focused entirely on Seiden’s indifferent voice.

“I also heard about the appearance of the monsters in this area. They are quadrupedal monsters, different from the bipedal ones in Vergio, but they have sharp spikes on their tails, and those hit by the tails all died after suffering from severe thirst.”

Thirst? Geril’s brow furrowed slightly at the unfamiliar word. However, Bellota immediately understood what Seiden meant. It confirmed her suspicion that the monsters here could also be eliminated using the holy water from Mount Feiren.

“We didn’t have time to check Rivierto, but we heard from the residents of Torcana. They said the monster first attacked Rivierto, causing severe damage to most areas except the southern part. Rivierto’s situation is probably not much different from Vergio.”

Bellota sighed softly in pity at those words. Seeing Bellota engrossed in Seiden’s words, Geril hurriedly intervened.

“So, what does the commander plan to do next?”

Seiden continued without looking at Geril.

“The residents of Torcana know how to lure the monster. So, starting tomorrow, we will stay in Torcana, lure the monster, and deal with it.”

“How can you lure it?”

Bellota asked in surprise, and Seiden sighed faintly and shook his head decisively.

“They haven’t shared that with us yet. The residents of Torcana want to retrieve the monster’s corpse.”

Bellota understood. They were worried that if they shared the method, the Holy Knight Order would take the monster’s corpse. It was regrettable that they were being greedy in such a life-and-death situation, but considering that it might be the only way to rebuild their devastated village, she couldn’t blame them easily.

“Ha, how impudent. They should be grateful for the empire’s support. But the monster’s corpse belongs to the imperial palace. That should be made clear.”

Geril sneered coldly, unable to hold back, but Seiden did not respond to his words. Bellota, with a troubled face, thought for a moment and then hinted to Seiden.

“I will go with you tomorrow.”

Hearing those words, Geril’s expression stiffened in surprise. But Seiden seemed to have expected Bellota’s reaction. Without changing his expression, Seiden responded immediately.

“No. The saintess should stay here.”

Bellota’s face twisted slightly.

“I will not. I came here to help Selento as well.”

“Your efforts in Vergio were more than enough. From now on, I will handle it. That was the condition.”

Condition? Geril frowned, not understanding their conversation. On the other hand, Felton vaguely understood Seiden’s meaning and glanced at Bellota and Seiden’s faces. The two were staring at each other with tense eyes.

Originally, this subjugation was initiated by Bellota, and the commander of the Holy Knight Order had no choice but to follow the saintess. So, it seemed that Seiden was talking about the condition for not returning immediately and completing the rest of the subjugation. Bellota seemed to understand this as well, as her expression hardened in frustration.

“It seems we won’t need the Duke’s support either.”

Seiden added, looking at Geril, who raised his eyebrows slightly. He was displeased by Seiden’s audacity but also intrigued by the excuse to stay in the castle with Bellota and avoid the dreadful field.

“…Won’t it be tough with just the Holy Knight Order?”

Geril probed cautiously, and Seiden answered calmly.

“It’s what we always do.”

It was a neat answer. After all, that’s their job. There’s no need for me to rush out and suffer together with them. Besides, I also faced the monsters in Vergio, so even if I return now, it wouldn’t be without merit. Most importantly, it was a perfect opportunity to stay with Bellota without that annoyingly bothersome knight.

Having finished his calculations, Geril smiled brightly.

“Alright then. I should stay here and protect the castle and the saintess.”

Felton almost snorted in disbelief but managed to bury his face in his bowl to hide his expression. The castle’s walls were as high and sturdy as an iron fortress, making the idea of needing protection laughable. It would be more fitting to call it seclusion or hiding.

Hearing Felton’s strange noise, Geril remembered his presence and added,

“If you are worried, how about having the priests accompany you instead of the saintess? That should be sufficient.”

Felton sighed and raised his head again.

“I would like to, but I must stay by the saintess’s side.”

“Haha, don’t worry about the saintess. With me here, what is there to fear?”

“Yes, but it’s the principle.”

Felton and Geril exchanged subtle smiles, engaging in a delicate battle of wills.

Meanwhile, Bellota looked at Seiden with eyes full of resentment, feeling hurt and humiliated that he intended to exclude her even after coming all this way. But Seiden merely met Bellota’s gaze without adding any further words. In the end, it was silently agreed that Bellota would not participate in the upcoming subjugation.

In the odd atmosphere, the meal finally began. A heavy, suffocating air hung over the dining table. Seiden and Bellota ate silently without speaking. For some reason, Geril also seemed lost in thought, not adding to the conversation. Amidst the quiet, the only sounds were the clinking of tableware until Macron broke the strange silence with a tremendous topic.

“Is the food to your liking, Saintess, Duke?”

At Macron’s courteous question, both Geril and Bellota turned their gaze to him.

“Yes, it’s more than enough.”

Bellota answered politely, and Geril nodded arrogantly.

“I didn’t expect to have such a meal in a place like this. How did you manage to procure these ingredients?”

“There are ways. One must know such things to survive in a harsh place like this.”

Macron chuckled, glancing at Bellota.

“I never thought I would have the honor of dining with the Saintess in my lifetime. It is truly an honor for my family.”

This time, Bellota gave a faint, formal smile without answering. Emboldened by her polite response, Macron began to speak excitedly.

“Seeing the Saintess in person, I can’t help but wonder about something.”

“What is it?”

Geril interjected suddenly, and Macron replied with a sly smile.

“Why has no one ventured to the forbidden land yet? That’s what I wonder.”

Hearing his presumptuous words, the already quiet dining table fell into a chilling silence. Bellota and Seiden’s mechanical movements with their utensils stopped simultaneously. Felton frowned and looked at Macron.

However, Geril seemed intrigued by Macron’s opinion, raising his eyebrows and responding.

“Are you talking about the Rockdragon prophecy?”

Excited by Geril’s reaction, Macron continued, oblivious to the other three’s reactions.

“Yes. As someone who wants to subdue all the monsters on earth, it is a monster I desperately want to see with my own eyes.”

Glancing at Bellota, Macron quickly waved his hand.

“Oh, of course, I mean no disrespect. It’s just pure curiosity. The Rockdragon is said to be made of the hardest rock created by the demons, an impenetrable stone.”

Macron’s eyes gleamed with intense desire at the mere thought of possessing the Rockdragon.

As he said, the Rockdragon was a mysterious and dangerous monster that no living person had ever seen. Moreover, there was another decisive reason why no one in the empire was unaware of the Rockdragon.

“Yes, and its heart is said to contain the power of the great demon god.”

Geril murmured leisurely, glancing at Bellota.

Bellota, seemingly uninterested in the conversation, resumed cutting her soft bread into small pieces, while Seiden had completely stopped eating and was watching Bellota.

“Yes. I am really curious about how much power it holds. Since no one has confirmed it, there are only speculations. Some say its heart is made of a rare magic stone. Others, ironically, claim its heart is a holy relic. Personally, I lean towards the latter.”

Seiden’s cold gaze slowly shifted from Bellota to Macron. His murderous, heavy eyes silently observed the man who was babbling excitedly.

“Anyway, what I mean is, if I could propose to the beautiful Saintess, I would do it a hundred times…”

When Macron finally crossed the line, Felton, who had been silent, couldn’t hold back anymore.

“I think it’s best to stop this conversation. That is a forbidden prophecy.”

Felton said sharply, which made Geril glance at him. He spoke in a slow voice.

“To be precise, it’s an unfulfilled prophecy.”

At Geril’s kind correction, Felton was at a loss for words and looked at Geril’s slick face. But Geril soon turned his gaze from Felton to Bellota.

“What does the Saintess think?”

With those words, Bellota’s effort to stay out of the conversation was in vain. Seiden’s cold gaze, which had been fixed since earlier, now turned to Geril. Unperturbed, Geril smiled softly.