After several minutes, they finally reached the top.

"Huff! Finally... I was about to pass out…" Kaizoku flopped onto the bed, exhausted.

"Oi! Don't lie down there. We're guests here; show a little respect, even if the host is our enemy. But, whatever." Sylphy sighed, knowing she had no choice but to let Kaizoku rest for a moment.

With a heavy breath, Kaizoku muttered, "Hah... Why aren't you tired? It's so unfair."

Sylphy rolled her eyes, slightly irritated by his question. "Not tired? Hah! I trained long before you showed up… and, before the Ebonlight destroyed our peace."

She walked over to the window, gazing out at the night sky filled with bright, beautiful stars. "The Ebonlight… Reverend Taki leads that cult. They're cultist place near the demon lord's kingdom, in a place of the same name, dedicated to worshipping him."

"Whatever happened to Eve, I'm sure they've taken her to Ebonlight."

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Just as Sylphy finished speaking, someone entered the room unexpectedly. "Indeed! Your friend is currently in Ebonlight, undergoing a purification process…"

Kaizoku and Sylphy quickly readied themselves for a fight.

"Thomas…" Kaizoku said seriously.

"Aww... so rude. It's Mister Thomas, if you please. I think you two are too frightened to enjoy the party here," he sneered with a twisted smile.

Switching to a formal British tone, he continued, "But no worries, I welcome all guests here. For you two, though, we'll have a special reception out back."

In a flash, Thomas lunged forward, gripping Kaizoku and Sylphy by their throats before they had a chance to react, then hurled them through the window, sending them crashing outside.

Thomas drifted down gracefully, watching them from above. "It seems you both need a lesson in respect. Entering someone's room uninvited is rather… disrespectful."

Sylphy was the first to recover from the fall, helping Kaizoku as he winced in pain. "Agggh! Easy, Sylphy, my legs is still killing me."

"I must say, you're both quite brave to come here. I had plans to capture you tomorrow, but I suppose I was mistaken," Thomas jumped down, touching down on the grass below.

Dusting off his suit and fancy coat, he added, "Huff… I probably could've been gentler. By the way, I assume you're here looking for something. Otherwise, you'd have left the village by now."

Kaizoku, finally able to stand, took a fighting stance. "Alright, Mr. Pointy Mustache, I'm going to smash that smug face of yours to pieces."

Thomas chuckled dismissively at Kaizoku's threat. "Heh… You don't stand a chance; I can tell you're out of ammo."

"Ammo or not, my fists are ready to knock that mustache off your face! Hyaaah!" Kaizoku charged forward with a fierce battle cry.

The shout echoed down to Gabriel in the underground prison.

"Hmm… Sounds like they've been caught. Hurry up, Hizo—find anything useful. They're buying us time." Gabriel said while looking around more faster.

"What?! They've been caught already? That's faster than I expected." urged by the urgency, the two quickened their search around the prison cells.