After receiving a p from Luna and watching her retreat to her room, Eli was led to another room by Mariel, who had arrived after Luna left.


    The room was adorned with ornaments and filled with pictures, featuring a central table where four individuals were seated.


    Eli''s curiosity was piqued as he looked at one particr figure, reminiscent of the blurred silhouettes he encountered during the Dungeon Walker incident...known as ''Sentinels''.


    Internally, Eli couldn''t contain his happiness; meeting a Sentinel so soon was beyond his expectations. He harboured a plethora of questions and, more importantly, felt a surge of gratitude towards Mariel for providing this unique opportunity.


    Mariel sensed the strange mix of emotions on Eli''s face, unsure of his thoughts, but secretly weing the prospect of another shower of affection.


    Rose, who concealed her face behind a white mask, avoided making eye contact with Eli. Every attempt to nce at him brought back memories of his shocked expression, prompting her to turn away each time.


    "Your name is Asher Eli, right?" a voice emanated from the blurred figure.


    "Yes. And whom might you be?" Eli responded.


    "Hmm... You don''t need to know my name" The figure replied sternly.


    "..." Eli, who was initially overwhelmed with happiness, suddenly halted upon hearing the solemn tone, realizing that acquiring information wouldn''t be straightforward and might be impossible ''Damn!''


    "What''s your rtionship with the fallen continent?" The figure inquired.


    "Hmm... You don''t need to know" Eli retorted firmly, causing both Rose and Mariel to flinch.


    "E-Eli, she is--" Mariel attempted to exin, but the figure raised a hand to silence her.


    "Just like her... arrogant" the figure remarked, leading Eli to furrow his brows as he suspected that this figure was acquainted with Lilith.


    Mariel and Rose exchanged puzzled frowns, unable toprehend the words exchanged. Before they could seek rification, a sharp snap echoed in the air,


    ''Snap''


    Causing both Mariel and Rose to freeze mid-motion.


    "Hmm.." Eli turned his attention to the person responsible for this interruption.


    "I don''t understand why Mariel was so stubborn to leave us alone, and the same can be said for Rose..." the figure muttered, casting an evaluating gaze on both Mariel and Rose. Initially, it had desired a private conversation with Eli, but Mariel''s insistence on not wanting to leave Eli alone and Rose''s ongoing feud with Mariel wanted to fight her...had disrupted The figure''s ns.


    "Whatever, here..." The figure shrugged took a basketball-sized white sphere and put it on the round table.


    Eli observed the pure white sphere, resembling small soul crystals. Intrigued, he inquired,


    "What''s this?"


    ".....It''s something that tells you whether you are worthy to hear my name. Touch it" the figure instructed after a brief pause.


    Eli hesitated for a moment, his lips twitching with uncertainty, before finally reaching out to touch the white crystal.The atmosphere held its breath as minutes ticked by,


    After a few minutes,


    "...."


    "...."


    Yet, no visible changes manifested in the white crystal.


    ''I guess, I am not worth it then'' Eli concluded as he withdrew his hand. However, when he shifted his gaze to the figure, he realized it had vanished into thin air.


    "....It left?" Eli raised his eyebrows, surprised by the figure''s sudden disappearance.


    But not without a cryptic parting warning,


    "I don''t care what rtion you have with her but do.not.bring.any.destruction.to.my.kingdom?"


    Eli absorbed those parting words, his contemtive silence speaking volumes.


    "..." Eli remained in a contemtive stare at the white crystal.


    "Eli, what happened?" Mariel, having returned to her normal state, inquired with a furrowed brow, puzzled by the figure''s absence.


    "..." Rose initially frowned, but after a few seconds, understanding dawned on her.


    "Do you know what this is?" Eli asked about the White Crystal.


    "That? Well, it''s the same crystal used to awaken someone" Mariel answered,prehension colouring her words andshe also understood what happened.


    "I see... let''s leave" Eli said, rising to his feet, his gaze briefly lingering on the woman who still avoided him.


    It''s not like he was the one who barged in...Yet, Not wanting to make her ufortable, Eli initiated a polite conversation.


    "Ms. Rose, How are you?"


    "H-Huh?..." Rose, taken aback, sensed Eli''s attempt to ease any difort and followed suit,


    "W-Well, I am fine" she replied, standing and joining them.


    Suddenly,


    "You seduced her with your food, right?" Mariel asked with nk eyes, recalling Eli''s im that Rose wanted to marry him.


    "...." Eli internally cringed, silently pleading for Mariel not to say anything to make it worse.


    "Y-Yes, that''s right. What are you saying? When did I even propose to you?" Rose, who had momentarily forgotten about the incident, remembered due to Mariel''s words.


    "Hahah...hahah...I was just teasing Luna" Eli said with an awkward face. As he opened the door, he caught sight of someone leaning in, eavesdropping on their conversation.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Eli, Rose, and Mariel froze upon the unexpected appearance of a golden-haired man, wearing jewelled ornaments around his body, his shirtless form showcasing an impressive eight-pack.


    "Lucian?" Mariel called, her annoyance evident, ''Tsk, I was hoping to avoid him'' she clicked inwardly.


    "Cough-cough... I heard there was an important meeting going on here, so I came to see if I could help you with anything. Do you need something, Rose?Mariel?" Lucian inquired with a confident smile.


    "...."


    "...."


    "...."


    No one responded to his question.


    Lucian''s lips twitched, but he managed topose himself. He noticed the auburn-haired man and asked, "Whom might you be, Mr..."


    "Asher Eli"


    "Mr. Asher Eli...Hmm?" Lucian pondered for a moment before recognizing him, "Oh, I know who you are... You are the infamous ''Asher Eli''....The Fallen Royalty and Master of Mythical Beast, right?"


    "....Yes" Eli shrugged nonchntly, ncing at the two women who had their guard up.


    "I see....." Lucian''s expression turned indifferent, "So, you are the one who asked for my daughter''s virginity?"


    "Your daughter?" Eli frowned, ''Is he talking about Lu--"


    "Luna Dawn, my youngest daughter" Lucian rified, taking a step forward.


    "Father, she is the one who bet her innocence--"


    However, Rose attempted to exin further, but Lucian raised his hand to stop her.


    "I know that, Rose. But..." Lucian stood before Eli and continued, "Amoner dared to ask something of royalty" releasing his killing intent.


    Mariel was about to intervene when,


    "You are a king?" Eli scoffed at the pressure from Lucian, thinking, ''Compared to a dungeon walker, he''s not much of a threat''


    "..." Lucian frowned, wondering how amoner dared to withstand his pressure. Then, an idea struck him, and he immediately smiled, saying,


    "I am sorry, Asher Eli... I thought everyone knew about me.


    Well, My name is Lucian Dawn, the King of the Dawn Kingdom" He introduced himself, taking a step back, leaving Mariel and Rose even more perplexed.


    Both Mariel and Rose hadn''t anticipated Lucian backing down. It heightened their wariness, as they were well aware of the kind of man he was.


    "My name is Asher Eli, and I''m not very fond of men, so I tend to forget them immediately, whether they are a king or amoner" Eli replied with a smile.


    "....Hmm" Lucian''s eyes twitched.


    "I''d like to discuss something with you. Why don''t we speak over a meal? I''m hungry, you see" Lucian suggested, half-smiling as he casually rubbed his abs, in an attempt to regain control of the situation.


    "Well..." Eli nced at Mariel; she was the one who brought him here.


    "He is busy, Lucian" Mariel responded, her tonecking any hint of respect for the king.


    "Mariel,e on. It''s not like I am going to hurt him or anything" Lucian said with a gentle smile, making Mariel show a disgusted face.


    "Eli, we are leaving!" Mariel dered, about to leave when,


    "Oh, it seems Asher Eli is just a boy toy to everyone, can''t even decide for himself" Lucian said with an amusing smile, looking at both Mariel and Rose, hinting at something else. He was trying to provoke a reaction.


    Mariel turned furious, disliking the way Lucian spoke about Eli. Before she could utter any words,


    "Boy toy... ah. I kinda like that word" Eli nced at Mariel, winking at her, momentarily stunning her, gently wrapping his hand around her waist. The yful gesture was meant to diffuse tension, and Eli was clearly enjoying the act.


    Not only her, Eli also winked at Rose and wrapped his arm around her waist, startling her. The unexpected move left Rose flustered and unsure how to react.


    Lucian was immediately taken aback by this. He hadn''t expected such audacity. When he saw Eli''s hand on Mariel''s waist, an uncontroble anger red up in his heart.


    ''Take your hand, you fucker.....That''s my bitch!!!'' He internally screamed. However, as a king, he knew how to control his emotions.


    Mariel nced at Lucian, who was struggling to control his rage. A subtle smile leaked from her mouth. She knew Lucian was targeting her after ''someone''s death.''


    Seeing that subtle smile, Lucian was even more enraged, gritting his teeth, ''Just you wait, bitch. I will make sure to treat you just like your friend!!''


    Rose simply stayed silent, unsure of how to react to Eli''s antics, but she was sure he didn''t mean anything harmful...he simply did not want to cause any problem, right?


    Eli walked out with two beauties in his hands, leaving behind a fuming man.


    Lucian really didn''t like the way Eli acted. First, his bet with Luna, then the ''Sentinel'' spoke with him personally, and now Eli was taking something that belonged to him.


    Just about to do something when,


    "You bitch, you finally showed up!!!"


    Lucian''s eyes widened in surprise as a voice shouted, and a cunning smile appeared on his face.