"Excuse me! Do you know Lord Black Knight?!"
"We're not familiar with each other, could you please move aside?"
Gregor pushed through the growing crowd and finally understood why Mace had left so decisively.
With this level of popularity, is she some kind of household name celebrity?
Finally squeezing into the hotel, Gregor leaned against the door and breathed a sigh of relief before heading towards his room on the second floor.
Beep beep beep--
"... I'm back."
After a few seconds of silence, SilverAsh's voice came through.
"... The door wasn't locked."
Gregor paused, then used his energy vision to scan the room.
One, two, three, four, five...
There are two more people!
The air distorted slightly from the heat as Gregor gripped the handle.
Bang--!
Inside the doorway, on the sofa directly opposite the entrance, Saria raised her eyes and met Gregor's gaze directly.
Bang--!
Gregor slammed the door shut, and the whole corridor seemed to shake.
Standing outside the door, Gregor rubbed his helmet.
Gregor took a deep breath and gripped the handle again.
Saria remained seated, a very subtle change appearing in her expression. She spoke, "You..."
Bang--!!!
Gregor, with his back against the closed door, immediately opened the Group Chat.
[Gregor: @Everyone, the baby's mother is here to take custody!]
[Three people:???]
[Vane: Wait, boss, you've only been here a short time and you already have a child?]
[Gregor: It's Saria! She's here to see Ifrit!]
[Gorth: Boss, weren't you in Kazimierz? How did you find this?]
[Vera: Calm down, she can't beat you.]
[Gregor: Is that the point!?]
[Vane: Boss, just go for it... ugh! Go ahead and attack, we'll provide support!]
[Gorth: There's no need to worry, Ifrit is being taken good care of by us.]
[Vera: Show some manners as the head of the household, don't embarrass yourself.]
[Gregor:... Understood.]
The door opened again, and under the strange gazes of everyone, Gregor sat down opposite Saria.
Creak--
The sofa groaned under its own weight, and the two men stared at each other across the coffee table, the silence so oppressive it felt thick and heavy.
"Long time no see."
Saria spoke first, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Not long."
Gregor responded with an equally flat electronic voice.
Another brief silence followed.
At the same moment, the two spoke again:
"SilverAsh / Silence,"
"Take Ifrit out for a bit." / "Take Ifrit away temporarily."
SilverAsh nodded immediately, his tone calm:
"Don't worry, no one will disturb you."
Silence looked at Saria, her eyes filled with worry. Saria nodded, indicating that it was alright.
Ifrit walked towards the door, turning back several times, and just as she was about to step out:
"Boss..."
Gregor didn't turn around, but waved his hand gently:
"It's fine."
The electronic sound is smooth and consistent.
"Tonight... no one will get hurt."
The door closed gently, completely separating the interior from the exterior.
The atmosphere in the room did not ease; Saria's lips parted slightly, as if she was about to get down to business.
Gregor felt a sense of solemnity.
However, what Saria said surprised the entire group of four.
"Thank you for taking such good care of the child. Her condition... is much better than we expected."
Gregor: "..."
[Vane: Tsk, just like the opening remarks of the empress.]
[Gorth: They were the guardians to begin with...]
[Vera: Ask her directly why she came.]
"I will not hand Ifrit over to you."
Gregor made no threats, just a calm statement.
"But I think... your purpose in coming here is not just to say 'thank you'."
Saria nodded slightly, then posed a question that caught Gregor off guard:
"Will you destroy this city?"
[Ah?]
Seeing Gregor remain silent, Saria's expression gradually turned serious.
"Won't."
"Call..."
Saria breathed a sigh of relief, while Gregor asked in confusion:
"You don't seem to doubt my answer?"
In his view, the two sides had a history of conflict, and the foundation of trust was almost non-existent.
"I have no choice but to believe."
Gregor was momentarily speechless, Saria continued without pausing.
"We will not give up on finding Ifrit."
The temperature in the room seemed to rise slightly as she spoke, but Saria remained unfazed.
"--But that's after we're sure we have enough power to truly protect her."
Gregor realized the shift in her words:
"You mean..."
"We want to..." Saria paused slightly, carefully choosing her words.
"I request that you... continue to take care of Ifrit for the time being."
"You...
Undeterred by the other party's words, Gregor felt a surge of anger rising within him.
"You... want to push that child away again? Just like last time?"
"No." Saria straightened her back.
"If I possess the strength to defeat you and ensure Ifrit's absolute safety, I will bring her back without hesitation, without wasting a moment."
"But the reality is, I can't do it. Not only that, Rhine Lab can't stabilize Ifrit's complex physical condition as perfectly as you can."
Her frankness, bordering on cruel, effectively quelled Gregor's anger.
At least, the other party's actions were based on a clear understanding of Ifrit's current situation, rather than on shirking responsibility or cowardice.
"It seems you've given up." Gregor's tone softened slightly.
"No," Saria denied again.
"As I just said, this is only 'temporary'."
"When we are strong enough to defeat you, I will immediately bring Ifrit back."
"Give it a try!"
The two exchanged words, but the atmosphere was no longer as tense as it had been initially.
"Besides that, there's another matter," Saria moved on to the next topic.
"During my stay in Kazimierz, I hope Ifrit can be accompanied and cared for by Silence."
"That's impossible," Gregor refused without hesitation.
"I can trust you for now, but that doesn't mean I trust Rhine Lab."
"We understand your concerns." Saria seemed to have anticipated this.
"Therefore, no other personnel at Rhine Lab will know about or be involved in this matter; it is limited to Silence personally. And..."
She leaned forward slightly, speaking each word clearly and distinctly:
"I will stay by your side. If anything happens that you cannot accept, you can take my life at any time."
Silence fell over the room. The weight of the words carried far more than Gregor had anticipated.
[Vane: As expected of Saria.]
[Gorth:... She really values Ifrit.]
[Vera: Let Ifrit choose.]
"... Let Ifrit decide for herself. If she wants to travel with Silence, I won't stop her."
"... Very fair. Therefore, the purpose of this trip has been conveyed."
Saria stood up, her movements fluid, as if the discussion hadn't just involved risking lives.
"Tomorrow, Silence will take Ifrit to watch the Knights' Gauntlet. We've booked a private box; you can come with us."
"Of course, I will fulfill my 'guarantee' obligations."
I will go.
Gregor stood up as well, his gaze sweeping over her empty sleeves.
Saria noticed his gaze. She didn't look away, but calmly stated her position.
"The evolution of all things is an immutable law of nature. Rhine Lab's attempt to overturn this, even to dominate it, is a foolish scheme..."
She grasped the empty sleeve lightly:
"I witnessed Rhine Lab's growth step by step, yet I failed to fulfill my responsibility to restrain its ambitions... This price is one of the sins I should bear."
"I can cure it."
Seeing Saria's puzzled expression, Gregor glanced at Vane's message in the group chat and confirmed:
"We can cure it."
After a long silence, Gregor asked in confusion:
You don't believe me?
No, I just don't understand.
Saria stared silently at Gregor, as if trying to see into his very soul.
Where exactly does this kindness of yours come from?
"Are you going to treat me or not...?"
Saria fell silent, then finally nodded, confirming the time.
"When?"
"Now."
"???"
Gregor disappeared, and when he reappeared, there was a water dispenser next to him.
(The effect is to restore one point of health upon interaction; as for how it comes about, just assume it's from what the third brother carried away in the Dungeon.)
"Drink all the water inside, then stick this on your severed arm."
Gregor reached out, his palm revealing a writhing mass of flesh and blood. (Bloodline Heir)
Saria took two steps back, and Gregor grabbed her.
"Don't worry, it's just some magical Sarkaz sorcery."
---After the treatment and amidst the astonishment of onlookers, the two left---
Saria! Your hand!?
The two left the hotel and immediately went to the laboratory for testing, only to be caught red-handed by Justin.
"A little adventure."
"But..."
"Mr. Justin, could you please step out?"
Pushing aside his cumbersome colleague, Silence immediately began the testing.
How does it feel to the touch?
"Normal."
"Temperature sensing."
"Normal."
"Where is the power?"
Saria tried to move her arms, frowning slightly. Silence quickly asked her what was wrong.
"What's wrong? Is something unusual?!"
"Hmm... my strength seems to have increased."
"Phew... don't scare me."
Silence patted his chest, then took out the syringe, his expression serious.
Saria raised her hand to stop the other person, recalling the image of her arm regenerating.
Even though his arm had already started to grow back after he finished drinking the bucket of water, the other party insisted on reattaching the flesh.
[Someone asked me to pass on a message: Consider this our apology gift; you'll like this arm, but don't try to study it.]
[But research is fine too, as long as you have the heart to chop it off again.]
"Saria!"
Silence's voice pulled her back to reality. Looking at the other's stubborn gaze, Saria still reached out her hand.
However...
"Can't get it in? You secretly used Calcification!?"
"No..."
Saria frowned, picked up the scalpel, and applied it.
The sharp blade touched the surface, a faint crimson glint flashed, but nothing was harmed.
"How is that possible...?"
Silence observed incredulously, arms clasped in her hands, as Saria recalled Gregor's words once more.
"A gift...?"
Meanwhile, inside the hotel--
An excited Ifrit climbed all over Gregor, and Gregor, unable to bear the commotion, told him about Vane's help.
Ifrit was initially shocked that Vane had such a serious side, and then immediately returned to the hall to thank Vane.
At this moment, only Gregor, Kjerag, and their group of three remained in the hotel.
The group remained silent. Gregor sighed and was just about to speak.
"No need for further explanation, my friend."
SilverAsh spoke first, with a warm smile.
"I don't care what your status is. You are still SilverAsh's friend, and SilverAsh hopes you think so too."
"Certainly..."
The emotionless electronic voice rang out, yet it contained the burning passion of its owner.
"Wow, I was really startled when I thought about it."
The Courier scratched his head and laughed heartily.
"Mr. Gregor is actually the legendary Flame Demon! How can I possibly travel with such a powerful figure...?"
"Not a big shot," Gregor interrupted sternly.
"We're friends."
"Haha, sorry, sorry."
The Courier approached Gregor and put his arm around his shoulder.
Gregor returned the ride, and the atmosphere became even more lively.
"Boss, aren't you coming?"
"Hmph, trying to be the first one before your boss, looks like you're quite ambitious."
SilverAsh stepped forward with a smile, Courier waved awkwardly with a laugh.
"No, no, no, I have no ambition whatsoever."
The three of them laughed and joked, all turning their attention to the last person.
Gnosis took two steps back, adjusted his glasses, and looked visibly resistant.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't approve of such childish behavior...!"
Annoyed, Gnosis glared at SilverAsh, who had lured him there with his cane, and was forced to join in.
Laughter filled the room, and SilverAsh made no attempt to suppress the upward curve of his lips.
Our friendship will last forever!
Gregor nodded and affirmed:
Our friendship will last forever.