Alister proceeded to finally make his way out, the metal door hissing as it closed behind him. Yuuto’s gaze lingered on the door as he said, “Forgive me, Alister, but this is all I can do for now… But I swear by my lady’s name… When the time comes, I’ll gladly serve the best I can.”
“But as of now…” He turned his gaze to the massive view of the city from the enormous window behind his seat and continued, “I have to play silent guardian a little longer.”
…
As Alister made his way down the hall, his thoughts raced, ‘Lesser time? But the quest countdown duration hasn’t suddenly halved or anything. What was he trying to say?’ Alister’s eyes were fixed on the system window displaying the quest details.
[Quest: The Word of an Overlord]
The word of an overlord is worth its weight in gold, for more often than not, their promises shape or destroy destinies!
As the overlord of all dragons, you have made a promise!
You will find a cure!
Quest Completion Requirement: Craft the Omnipotent Elixir and give it to your sister (0/1).
Reward: A piece of the Overlord’s broken Crown (?? – Rank).
Time left until quest failure: (10 days).
‘Or could the system be wrong? Has it ever been? Technically not, but it has malfunctioned before, like that time with Kealan where sometimes I took over his body… Or the error message when Kealan prevented me from leaving.’
‘But aside from that, I don’t think there’s anything else… There was also that other time during my second awakening…’
‘But the timer has never been flawed… But… What if this is one of those cases? Could the timer be an error? And I won’t know until the system confirms it.’
‘Then Miyu could already be dead?’
The thought sent a chill down his spine. He gritted his teeth, his anger and frustration rising. ‘Just when I thought things were going well, he throws this at me? How is he even so sure? Damn it.’
‘What am I supposed to do now? How am I supposed to make this faster? Scour the wastelands for an entire day? I could just ask for leave. No, better… I don’t have to. I do have permission to disobey orders… That shoid include not raiding dungeons daily.’
He gritted his teeth, his thoughts racing even further, suddenly he realizes something. ‘Wait a moment… The guildmaster said I should check the wastelands… How does he even know I go out to the wastelands?’
‘Damn it, that doesn’t matter now. If he knows or not doesn’t matter. He said to look for dragon-like creatures. I’m sure he was referring to dragon kin.’
‘I’m not gonna bother wondering how he knows they exist, I’d just be wasting my time.’
He paused for a moment, then thought further. ‘I can’t risk wasting any more time. I have to go on a search right now. Where did we leave off again—’
Suddenly, Alister felt someone hug him from behind, their delicate arms curling around him in a warm embrace.
He instantly knew who it was, but before he could call out her name, she spoke softly, trying her best to calm him.
“Calm down, my lord… Alister. I know you are under a lot of pressure, but worrying yourself too much about it isn’t going to bring you a solution.”
It was Cinder. She could feel her lord’s frustration simmering through their bond, his anger rising, tinged with self-doubt. The emotions made her uneasy; she wasn’t used to sensing such turmoil from someone so composed.
“My father used to hold me like this… It always helped me feel better.” She added. frёewebnoѵēl.com
They lingered there for a moment, Alister feeling the warmth of her body pressing against him. For some reason, it eased his tension slightly, causing him to let out a sigh.
“F-forgive me if I’m overstepping my boundaries, my lord,” Cinder stuttered. It was a rare occurrence; it was clear she wasn’t accustomed to such gestures, but she did it anyway to comfort him.
“No… It’s fine,” Alister said softly, redirecting his gaze upwards. He paused for a moment longer, then added, “Thank you, Cinder… I needed that.”
Cinder slowly pulled away, speaking softly, “I’m glad I could help, my lord.” Her cheeks were slightly tinted red with a blush.
Alister noticed, causing him to blush slightly as well. He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
The atmosphere between them suddenly felt tense. Just as Alister planned a way to return things to normal, he felt a vibration in his chest pocket.
Someone was contacting him.
Alister pulled a small black cube from his chest pocket, tapping it slightly to reveal his phone. The screen displayed a number he didn’t recognize, as it wasn’t saved.
‘There’s only one person it could be,’ Alister thought, and with that realization, his heart eased slightly.
He answered the call, placing the phone to his ear. Saying nothing, he waited for the other
person to speak.
“Master Spade. I have what you requested.”
Alister instantly recognized the voice. It was Lian Zhang.
Deepening his voice, Alister responded, “So, where are we going to meet?” His gaze
narrowed.
Lian gave the address. “Sector III’s fourth ring, fourteenth street, the twentieth building on the left. I’m waiting in the alleyway.”
The call came at the right moment, and the news suddenly eased Alister’s worries.
He smiled, responding with a mild touch of excitement, “I’ll be there soon.”
Alister turned back to Cinder, a smirk on his face. “It seems all my troubles are finally coming
to an end.”
Quickening his steps, he added, “Come now, Cinder.”
“But my lord…” Cinder called out suddenly, reaching for his wrist and stopping him in his
tracks.
“Am I to step out with you looking like this? You adjusted the tone of your voice while talking to that person just now. I got the feeling you don’t want them to know who you really are…”
She paused, her eyes narrowing as she added, “If I were to follow you out looking like this, wouldn’t they find out who you are?”
Alister’s eyes widened slightly. Then he smiled. “You have a point… Seems we’ll have to do a
little equipment shopping.”
“You’ll need a mask as well.”