"Ugh…" rlin groaned softly as he slowly opened his eyes.
He found himself in the underground room where he and Luna had discovered the Grail of Ti.
"Are we… finally back?" he muttered with a long sigh.
He hadn't expected the journey to the past to be so nerve-wracking. In fact, he felt what he and Luna had experienced was far more exciting—and far more dangerous—than what Abel and Luna went through in the novel.
"M-mmm…" ca a soft groan from beside him.
rlin turned and saw Luna, her eyes half-open, still dazed.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Luna blinked a few tis, then took a deep breath and regained her full awareness.
"I'm fine," she said, smiling weakly. "By the way… we're finally back, right? Do you know how long we were gone?"
The surroundings were a ss—the stairs to the upper floor were destroyed, and rocks were scattered around them.
Thankfully, rlin had saved her in ti; otherwise, she would have fallen victim to the trap chanism that had suddenly activated.
"Considering we were gone for nearly two months in that world, it should have been about one or two days here," rlin said nonchalantly.
The ti ratio between the real world and that era was 1:3—one day in the real world equaled three weeks in that other world.
"One or two days?" Luna's eyes widened. "I didn't expect it to be that long. Tina, Father, Mother, and Uncle Jas… they must be frantic, searching for us, rlin."
Her voice trembled with panic and worry.
Her father had only been gone a few days, and by her calculations, they should have returned the day after disappearing.
One could only imagine the chaos that would erupt when they discovered rlin and Luna were missing.
"You're right," rlin said, nodding. "Let's head back upstairs."
Suddenly, he rembered the Grail of Ti and noticed its golden glow had vanished, replaced by a milky white hue.
"This… what happened to the Grail?" rlin frowned.
Luna glanced at it and explained, "The Grail of Ti has limited power. Once activated, it loses its strength for the next hundred years. In other words, we can't use it during that ti."
"A hundred years?" rlin raised an eyebrow. "That's… a long ti."
Actually, that worked in his favor. With the Grail temporarily powerless, Abel wouldn't be able to use it anyti soon.
A hundred years was an eternity in terms of strategy. In the next ten years, rlin might even conquer this world with his heroines.
System: "[You're too confident, but I like that, Master!]"
"Well then, let's go."
rlin bent down as if to carry Luna princess-style but then rembered how much stronger she had beco.
An embarrassed expression crept onto his face, which Luna imdiately noticed.
"Why are you so quiet? Don't you want to carry ?" she teased playfully.
rlin felt the corners of his mouth twitch. This girl had grown more mature and cunning—just like the one in the novel.
But this ti, it wasn't Abel enjoying her spoiled nature—it was him.
Without overthinking it, rlin scooped her up and leapt out of the room.
***
"Still haven't found them?"
In the living room, Frederin glared at the fifteen guards, his face dark with worry.
Their leader shook his head and replied sheepishly, "Not yet, my lord. We still haven't found any trace of Young Lady Luna or Young Master rlin."
"Damn… where could they be?" Frederin ground his teeth in frustration.
It had been two days since they were reported missing.
Frederin had just returned from his trip yesterday and was imdiately inford of their disappearance by Tina.
Panic and fear gnawed at him. Luna was his only daughter, and he loved her dearly.
rlin, on the other hand, was his future son-in-law. His disappearance could instantly ruin the long-standing alliance between the Tharot and Clay families.
"Be patient, dear. Don't lose your temper. I'm sure they'll be found soon," Iris soothed, rubbing Frederin's broad back.
She was just as worried, but she managed to keep her emotions under control.
According to Tina, the two had vanished sowhere inside the mansion.
The guards had found no evidence of them escaping.
That ant they must still be sowhere within the estate.
Frederin took a deep breath to steady himself and ordered the guards to continue searching.
Then he turned to Jas, seated across from him.
"Jas… I'm sorry. I never ant for things to turn out this way," Frederin said apologetically.
Jas sipped his tea calmly and shook his head.
"It's alright, Duke Tharot. I don't bla you," he replied evenly. "I'm sure they'll co back."
Unlike Frederin, Jas showed no sign of worry.
Ever since rlin had demonstrated his abilities by saving Margaret, Jas had no doubts about him.
Moreover, rlin was a disciple of Linda Thalsis—the head of Saint Freya Academy and a formidable First Spirit Core.
There was no way Linda would leave her disciple without so lifesaving ans or protection.
Frederin let out a deep sigh at Jas's calm deanor. At least he wasn't being blad, and that was a relief.
Just then, Tina ca running toward them, her face glowing with excitent.
"Lord, Lady! Young Lady Luna and Young Master rlin have been found!"
***
"Oops! Looks like this really is a big problem, Luna."
"You're right, rlin. We're in trouble this ti."
In the library, rlin and Luna were surrounded by guards and maids, their faces a mix of relief, surprise, and irritation.
rlin couldn't help but notice just how chaotic things had beco after their disappearance.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed, and Frederin and Iris ca running toward them.
Frederin let out a sigh of relief when he saw them, opening his mouth to speak—but before he could say a word, his wife rushed forward and hugged them both tightly.
"You two naughty children! Where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried we were?" She sobbed, clutching them even closer.
Luna and rlin exchanged helpless glances.
"I'm sorry, Mother," Luna said, rubbing her back. "rlin and I didn't an to disappear. We… we had an accident—"
rlin pinched her waist, cutting her off.
'Reword that,' he whispered seriously.
Luna quickly nodded, correcting herself. "I an… We had an unexpected incident. So please, don't cry anymore, okay?"
But Iris didn't listen, continuing to sob as she held them tightly.
After a while, Iris finally cald down and released her embrace.
She wiped her tears, shot them an irritated look, and asked, "What exactly happened to you two? And what do you an by an incident?"
Frederin and Jas glanced sharply at them, clearly urging them to speak honestly.
"It's…" Luna hesitated under their piercing gazes, unsure where to begin.
At that mont, rlin stepped in and said, "It's a long story. How about we sit in the living room first?"
Frederin, Jas, and Iris agreed that it made sense.
Iris stood up and grabbed both of them by the arm.
"Don't you dare lie when you tell the story, understand? If you do, I'll spank both of your asses."
rlin and Luna: "…"
Reviews
All reviews (0)