The situation is somewhat like this. Zacques like Ramona. Ramona likes Sora. Zacques tries to kill Sora. Ramona intervenes. Oh and Sora is using Ramona. Lastly Ramona has no clue that she has been intoxicated by pheromones. When Sora released his pheromones Ramona got the entire doze of it since she stood so close to Sora.

Zacques trembled in anger, had he used even a bit more force Ramona would have been the one he would have slain.

“STEP BACK…” Zacques shouted at her.

“NOOO! I LOVE HIM!” Ramona replied back as she covered Sora.

The soldier’s maintaining the perimeter heard it all. Their eyebrow was raised and mouth formed an O shape. Her declaration shocked them.

“STEP BACK RAMONA!!” Zacques implored her as he pulled away his sword.

“NEVERR!!!” Ramona shot back.

Sora lay on the ground watching everything. He didn’t understand them but the emotion intensity was so high that he understood what they were talking about.

This was turning into TV drama….or even a modern version of the Shakespeare drama Romeo and Juliet.

Before Zacques could say anything more, Vanessa beckoned him to step back.

“TWENTY FEET BACK!” Vanessa cried out to her subordinates. “CALL FOR THE CARDINAL!”

The matter was no longer simple and had escalated to the point where Vanessa knew that they could not carry on without further losses. If Ramona had sided with the Adventurer things were going to turn quite bloody. Ramona was the Vice Commander of the Erito forces, in terms of raw power no one could match her in the entire Erito forces.

Vanessa knew that even if they tried to subdue Ramona, blood would be spilt. Add to that it is unlikely Sora would still and let them do as they please.

Vanessa could have called on more soldiers to help but she admitted defeated. Seeing her friend succumb to the spell cast by Sora, Vanessa knew she had been outclassed at every step of this duel.

Vanessa also came to accept the fact that Sora was indeed weaker than them physically when stat data was compared but he had enough deadly tricks up his sleeves. Vanessa learnt an important lesson that day, never underestimate an adventurer.

Sliver and others wanted to continue attacking Sorachan but Vanessa didn’t permit them. Vanessa felt that she would playing right into Sorachan’s plans if everything continued like this. Vanessa truly believed that Sora had planned everything from the surrendering, to getting zapped by the lightening bolt to making Ramona fall under his spell….Sora was some kind of twisted genius whose elaborate plans spanned out like a spiders web. Vannesa felt she was like the fly in that web. The more she struggled against the deadly spider the more entangled she would become. No matter how much the Erito forces tried they would only find themselves trapped.

Sora looked around, those who were attacking him had now retreated. They shot of an angry glare at him. According to them, he was mocking them. He was looking down at them, scorning them while pretending to be weak. Sora didn’t know what they thought but knew he had just bought enough time to think of his next move. As long as Ramona was by his side, he knew the soldiers wouldn’t attack….it wasn’t a guess but a logical conclusion…they would have already attacked him if they were serious about taking his life regardless the cost. Clearly, they cared about not injuring their comrade….the question was how long would they care?

“Sora…” Ramona began as she clung on to Sora.

“Yes…” Sora was slightly uncomfortable having an enemy cling on to him. What if they were suddenly attacked? Would he be able to dodge them then? What if she recovered her senses and lopped off his head? He had never tried his pheromones before, so he didn’t know how long the effect lasted. He really wasn’t sure if having her cling on to him was such a good idea. On the other hand, would any man turn down a voluptuous woman’s embrace? Hence, Sora was only slightly uncomfortable.

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“Do you love me?” Ramona asked as she looked up at Sora while clinging on to his neck.

“Of…course…” Sora replied. He was slightly hesitant where this was going.

Ramona hugged Sora even more tightly, as a child hugs their teddy bear.

*GASP* TOO TIGHT!! Sora squealed in his mind.

Imagine the scene, Erito’s forces only non-commander babe embracing the enemy. It pained and angered the male soldiers. If it hadn’t been for Vanessa’s command, they would have tore through the empty streets and chased Sora to the netherworlds. Sora could tell, he felt the rising killing intent.

“Ramona….why are they not attacking us?” Sora whispered in Ramona’s ear.

“They are waiting for the Cardinal…” Ramona replied as she played ran her finger playfully across Sora’s chest while hugging him.

Sora was in contempt of the situation. He was in contempt because he knew he was in danger and could not enjoy the moment. He was also in contempt for not having tried this move earlier on Maylon.

“Who is the Cardinal?” Sora asked in a tender tone.

“He is a drunk bast*rd.” Ramona truthfully replied back as she hugged Sora tightly.

To everyone, it seemed Sora was whispering sweet words of love into Ramona’s ears.

Vanessa knew better, she was worried Ramona might tell him about the Cardinal. If she did, Sora might try to escape….unless he was confident that he could take on the Cardinal.

“Is he a strong man?” Sora asked as the panic levels in his body rose. He expected that the reason the soldiers stopped attacking him was probably because they had requested for reinforcements….but Sora had a terrible history when it came to drunk men. Even in Royal Road….the ones to crash his good run were drunk men….

“Let us talk about us….and forget him…” Ramona was beginning to get frisky….and Sora was feeling uncomfortable. He was now in technically unchartered territory.

“Ramona…” Sora began speaking while trying his best not to be distracted with Ramona’s hands going all over…. “Do you love me?”

Ramona turned red. Sora was so bold.

“Yes” She came back her shy answer.

“And it would hurt you greatly if anything happened to me right?”

“Yes…” Ramona replied uncertain with where this conversation was going.

“Then we must fight our way…away from here…”

“Ramona doesn’t want to fight her friends…” Ramona replied with a hint of anger in her tone.

Sora had already figured out that Ramona was not under his control….just attracted to him. She would fundamentally never go against her true nature if he tried to force her directly.

I have to be more subtle .

“Ramona…” Sora hugged Ramona. This was Sora's first time hugging a woman...they were so soft and cuddly (Forgive me Maylon). “We must escape now….or else the Cardinal will separate us forever…let us run away and leave this terrifying world behind us…”

Ramona bought it.

Vanessa looked on at the couple while her anger reached new heights; was Sora intentionally holding a helpless woman so intimately to provoke them? Zacques had already turned away since he could see no more; to him this was more torturous than his hell training at the Academy.

As they watched, a thought occurred to Vanessa; is he trying to escape? Sora looked fidgety. He seemed restless, like he needed to run away….

Unfortunately, Vanessa caught on too late.

Ramona launched an attack at her fellow comrades.

A blue silvery gas exploded around the soldiers.

Those who were fast enough cast dispel. However for others it was too late. Nearly half the soldiers fell asleep. They would have never fallen for such a trap but with emotions damaging their sense of security, the soldiers had unconsciously lowered their guards. The perimeter stood destroyed. Half the Erito soldiers lay on the ground snoring.