Ten minutes later.

Aron slowly regained his consciousness. Growling, he flexed his stiff neck, feeling a slight pain from Thyra's blow still lingering.

"Father…Good?"

The little Dhampir was sitting on his lap, her concern evident in her wide eyes as she gently grasped his cheeks with her tiny hands. Aurora was worried about her Father, particularly after witnessing the intense energy he unleashed and the sight of that Scary Lady struck her father.

'Lady…Bad...Hate'

Aron managed a smile and drew the little girl into a comforting hug. "Don't worry Aurora, I'm fine, sorry if I scared you" His voice was gentle, meant to soothe her fears.

"Hehehe~..." Aurora giggled softly, snuggling closer against his chest.

Being in her father's embrace always brought her a sense of security and warmth. Feeling his love enveloping her, she knew that no matter what challenges they faced, her father would always be there to protect her.

"Awakened? Good!" Thyra, positioned on the rooftop ledge, overseeing the teams below, Turned when she heard Aron's voice.

Mia emerged from behind the throne, worried about her Master's well-being. "Mister Aron, are you alright? Is there anything you require?"

"I'm fine, just a little shaken," Aron reassured her, appreciating the concern

He rose, carrying Aurora in his arms, and approached Thyra. "I apologize for my outburst"

Thyra smiled placing a hand on his shoulder "Don't worry about it, glad you're okay," Cracking her knuckles she said with a wicked grin "Besides I'll always be here to knock you out"

Aron arched his eyebrows, taken aback by her words. She didn't realize what she just said, and Aron, as a good disciple, decided to tease her a little.

"OH! Always? So that means you're going to stay by my side forever?"

"What? Of cour—"

Thyra halted, as realization dawned on her. She blushed slightly and took a step back.

"No..No…I won't fall for this trap again"

Aron pretended to be hurt by her words. "Too bad. I would love to have you by my side, Mentor. I like you."

"!!!" Thyra's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red at Aron's playful confession, or at least that's how it seemed to her. Caught off guard, she didn't know how to respond, her mind completely shut down. After all, Thyra had zero experience in matters of love.

'YES! I DID IT!' Aron exulted inwardly, observing Thyra's flustered state. 'After three months of trial and error, I finally achieved it. I succeeded in making Thyra blush.'

Aurora narrowed her eyes as she observed the interaction between her father and the scary lady. She didn't understand much of what they were saying, but she didn't like it at all.

'Father…Mine!'

…

"!!!" Victoria, who was helping the girls organize the captives and the confiscated Falcon riches, suddenly felt a shiver down her spine. She glanced back, but there was nothing.

'Stranger, why do I have the feeling that I missed witnessing something rare?' she pondered. 'It's probably nothing,' she dismissed the feeling and resumed her duties.

…

"Aurora, remain here with Mia; I'll return swiftly, alright?"

Nodding, the little Dhampir leaped into Mia's arms. The maid had earned her trust through kindness.

Aron chuckled inwardly, seeing Thyra avoiding his gaze and turning her back. He didn't want to push his teasing further, or he would suffer at her hands, like that time in their training sessions.

FUSHH!

From Fire and Shadow, two massive black wings manifested behind his back.

…

"Hurry up people we wasted too much time" Freya bellowed, directing her team.

The skirmish concluded the moment Kasumi emerged, bearing the head of the Falcon's leader. The remaining Falcons promptly dropped their weapons and surrendered.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Freya and what remained of her team unharmed, arranged the captives, dividing them into two groups.

Those with pink skin—Aria's Venmo still taking an effect— and those without.

Uncertain of what to do since the Falcons had surrendered, Freya hesitated to execute them.

"Freya-dono, we've retrieved everything," Kasumi appeared from the upper floor with her team, each carrying a large leather bag.

"Good. placed them there" Freya pointed to a spot where they assembled all items of value. Despite this being a trial and retribution for those children, accruing more wealth was always welcome.

Victoria surveyed the surroundings and noticed the girls waiting there. Turning to her sister and Freya, she began, "We should depart; our lady indicated—"

"I don't take orders from you or your lady" Freya interjected firmly. Kasumi didn't say anything but she shared the same opinion as Freya.

Only Aron had the authority to order them and no one else. He had emphasized that many times, and as his faithful servants, they would adhere strictly to his commands.

"From Beta to Apex are there any new orders" communicating with Scarlett through Raum's link.

"Negative Beta, maintain your position; the dragon is approaching."

Almost immediately after the communication ceased, Aron entered through the shattered gate.

"BOSS/MASTER!" the girls exclaimed joyfully upon seeing him. The injured ones attempted to rise, but Aron raised his hand, preventing them from doing so.

Approaching the trio in the center of the hall—Freya, Kasumi, and Victoria—he said loudly for all to hear,

"Well done, you did a fantastic job, better than I expected"

A sense of pride swelled within the girls. All of their hard work, training, blood, and tears were all for this acknowledgment from him.

"Thank you, Master," Kasumi responded with a respectful bow, followed by Freya, their eyes gleaming with gratitude.

Aron was about to speak further when a voice from the sidelines interjected.

"Hey!...I know you"

He turned to the source and saw the two Falcon captives eyeing him.

"Hmm? Yeah… he was present at the guild," another affirmed. They recognized him from the incident at the guild.

"What's this?" Aron inquired, regarding the two groups.

Freya stepped forward to provide an explanation. "Since they surrendered, Boss, we were uncertain of how to proceed."

Aron gazed for a moment coldly at Freya and Kasumi, making both tremble. He walked past them, heading for the leather bags.

Then he stopped midway "My decree was absolute, eliminate those responsible for the kidnapping"

Aron's words echoed through the hall, sending a shiver down the spines of those present. The seriousness in his tone left no room for doubt

Freya and Kasumi exchanged a look of understanding, realizing the gravity of their mistake. They had failed to follow Aron's orders precisely

Without hesitation, they bowed deeply to Aron, their expressions filled with determination to rectify their error.

"Understood" they echoed in unison, their voices resolute.

Kasumi signaled to her team, and the girls wasted no time in drawing their weapons and advancing toward the pink-skinned Falcons.

"Hey…what are you doing…AHHHH!"

SLICE!

"NOO! Mercy, I beg!"

THUD!

"PLEASE!"

SLICE!

Though they pleaded for clemency, their cries fell on deaf ears.

With swift movement, Kasumi and her team ensured that they could no longer pose a threat to anyone and forever. Each strike was executed with precision and ruthlessness, leaving no room for mistakes.

The remaining captives cowered, burying their heads between their legs in terror, and covering their ears, unwilling to hear the cries of their guildmates. Their hearts raced with fear, wondering if the slaughter would extend to them.

"Is this necessary? We could have turned them over to the guild," Victoria interjected suddenly, disapproving of the turn of events. The Falcons had surrendered; there was no need for bloodshed.

Aron's expression remained resolute. He understood her concerns, but he was unwavering in his decision.

"I leave no loose ends," Aron stated firmly, leaving no room for debate.

Standing beside the leather bags, Aron activated his newfound skill.

[Inventory]

During his training, the system had reactivated, and as Aron suspected, the forced transformation and temporary breach of the final seal had backfired. This compelled the system to lock itself to prevent the corrupted data from affecting it.

It took some time for things to return to normal within Aron, and when the system reemerged, Aron consumed Xenodrake's core, unlocking one of the system's functions: the inventory.

A pocket dimension of sorts that he could utilize to store nearly anything, with the exception of living beings.

The space was smaller than he had hoped, approximately 15 m^2, but understandable since the inventory was at level one, with more space to be unlocked later.

'Though the space is limited, I can accommodate these bags,'

With that thought, a ring of crimson flames enveloped the bags, promptly transporting them into his inventory.

The girls made no comment about the abrupt disappearance of the bags. They trusted their master and were prepared to accept anything from him.

Observing the puzzled expressions on their faces, Aron explained, "I have them don't worry"

"Alright, everyone, time to go home" He ordered, and the girls began aiding the injured members of their group, guiding them out of the hall.

Kasumi approached, indicating the remaining captives. "Master, what shall we do with them?"

"I'll handle them; wait for me outside."

With a nod, she followed the girls out of the hall. Aron turned his attention to the remaining captives, his gaze sweeping over them.

Drawing a deep breath, he spoke in Draconic.

"Forget all that transpired here."

The captives' eyes momentarily glowed crimson before they slumped unconscious

Cough.

"I reached my limits," He said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

The Ancient Draconic possessed immense power; with it, Aron could alter and shape reality as he desired. However, such power was too much for his human form.

The first time he had discovered this, the limit was one word per day, and if he pushed himself and assumed the Draconic form, he could utter two words. When Aron attempted a third word, his throat had exploded.

He had been fortunate that Thyra had been present, swiftly healing him and saving his life. Following that incident, he had trained to use the words of power, pushing his limits to three words a day.

Yet, despite the tremendous power of the Draconic words, Aron had been unable to recover his memory. He had attempted to use them on himself to no avail.

'Sol, the aspect of the sun, why does this sound so familiar?' he pondered, attempting to suppress the rage boiling within him at the mention of that name.

Clutching his fist, he declared, "I believe it's time to seek out that memory witch."