"Damn but that was close." Jack breathed out when caught up with us on the way from the temple.

Miriel nodded her head, "Yeah, I was scared too when they started to talk about killing."

"No that's..." Jack chuckled, and then quickly added, "I wasn't kidding when I said I need to piss..."

Miriel was lost for words, and everyone else burst into laughter. Phoenix tried to remain silent, but his trembling shoulders gave away his efforts to suppress the laughter. When I imagined a scene where Jack was standing in front of Goddess with a puddle at his feet, even I joined them.  

Adam was the first to stop laughing and gestured at me with Phoenix. "Hey, Michael, you still haven't told me how you met with them." 

"Ah, now that's a nice story..." the dwarf grinned and started to stroke his beard, "I remember it as it was just yesterday..."

Well, duh. It WAS yesterday...

"I was just minding my own business when suddenly an ominous portal appeared in front of me. Mind you, it wasn't some stone formation like what people here call a portal, it was a real thing, just like what you see in the movies. Red energy circling in the air and all that shit. When our little demon walked from another side I nearly... ouch!"

"How the hell our meeting has turned into 'this'?" I said while lifting my hand from his head and the dwarf started to rub where I hit him. "And shouldn't you be busy with the task I gave you instead of spouting fairytales?" 

"Hey, I was just trying to help you to create the right image. Besides, that thing with the workshop is almost done, I already found a nice place, just need to find something to bla... er, persuade the guy..."

He just wanted to say blackmail, didn't he? I looked at him while frowning. He wouldn't get us into trouble, right? I can do that on my own just fine.

*

When Michael finally left us to finish the task, Adam kept us a company for a bit longer... he and some templars. Many Champions had a few of them assigned as their guards... and now I had a few as well.

At first, I wanted to refuse, but when Phoenix mentioned our tail, I changed my mind.

Just as we were about enter through the gates leading outside the inner city, a group of people approached us. 

"Good day M'lady. Ms. Melissa, I believe? I am Ubor Zavier, a humble servant of Alosrin Elua Dawnlar, His Lordship, the Marquess of Ironwill." greeted me a dwarf leading the group, he was dressed like a Buttler and I could guess his purpose before he even started to speak, "My Master took a great interest in you and would like to meet with you personally..."

Of course, he would, I rolled my eyes. The people spying on me every day was just the first step and I knew it was only a matter of time before this happens, but I was hoping for a bit more time before nobles start pestering me. It seems that even my performance during that sacred battle earlier did nothing to discourage them.

What they wanted was easy to guess. The control over a dungeon has no precedent and just like Catherine, the wife of City Lord of Endorod has mentioned, everyone wants a piece of me.

Just as I was thinking how should I deal with this, I felt distant eyes directed at me. When I looked to the side I saw wolf beastkin leaning on the building. He was dressed in black coat and had long brown hair tied into a ponytail. He was looking directly at me and the moment our eyes have met, a smile appeared on his face.

At first, I thought he was just another spy that joined his friends in tailing me. But I soon discarded that notion. There was something dangerous about him and for some reason, he looked familiar, but I can swear I never saw him before...

Then it hit me.

His soul...

"Harbinger," I whispered.

When I ate Qin's soul, memories I have obtained were fragmented at best, but there was one part that helped me a lot now. A memory of their summoning. It was just a tiny fragment... but it was enough. At that time Qin and the rest were in the state of souls and his sight could be compared to my soul awakening. With this, I was able to recognize the Harbinger in front of me even with a new body...

Phoenix followed my gaze and looked at him too. Despite the distance, the man in question heard me and his eyes widened in surprise. He didn't expect to be recognized. Even Qin never saw him in his new body.

He turned to the side and started to walk away.

Phoenix gestured with his hands and all of us brushed past the dwarf in front of us while heading for the Harbinger.

"What is the meaning of this?!" the dwarf behind us shouted a bit angry, "Don't think that just because you are a bit famous you can do as you..." just one look from the templars stopped him from finishing the sentence.

The speed of Harbinger wasn't that fast and it was easy to follow him. But when he turned at the corner, he glanced at us for a moment and a barely noticeable grin rose on his face.

A trap?

I released metal particles from my clothes and even activated my Arcana Defense. Phoenix also summoned his guns and started to approach with more caution. When we reached the corner as well, Harbinger was nowhere to be found and people on this side of the street were slightly disturbed.

"Hey, isn't it forbidden to use teleportation within the city?" asked one of them.

Teleportation? I followed their gaze but the place was empty.

Wasn't Aurora, the only Harbinger with Space Time Magic? Or was this some other skill?

Either way, he was no longer there and even his scent has faded a bit further. Yet I had this nagging feeling that he shouldn't be far.

I quickly ran over the walls of a nearby building and looked at our surroundings from the roof. Nothing. Maybe he can change his form? I started to check the souls of people in the vicinity but the result was the same...

Great.

I jumped from the roof and looked at Miriel and the others while descending with wind manipulation. Phoenix and I should be able to deal with almost everything Harbingers can throw at us, but if they targeted our friends it would be a different matter.

Even our lodgings for the night are scattered all over the city... but it couldn't be helped, with the tournament around the corner, most of the Inn's were full to the brim.

I guess I really should accept her proposal...

*

The rest of the trip was uneventful. Adam has left to report about Harbinger and only templars assigned as my guards kept us a company. Well, there were also those spies on our tail, but that was nothing unusual. 

Despite the size of the city, I had no problems locating our friends and soon Tia and Elmor entered our sight... I even knew exactly where we should go to find Darson and the others...

That was... a woman's intuition.

I will never tell them I have left a few specks of metal on their clothes to track them...

"Hey, cousin! Don't tell me you were shopping all this time?" Jack shouted when saw them, "How you managed to persuade Elmor to keep you a company? I would have died from boredom long time ago..."

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"Ha," sighed minotaur and a large bag, the meat vendor handed over to him, vanished with his touch. Tia's arm-guard with a spatial dimension, was probably already full, "You would do the same if your choice was only to do as told, or sleep on the floor..."

"Hey, I don't see you complaining when it's time to eat," Tia looked at him with her hands on the hips.  

*

Once all members of our party were gathered, we bought various materials on the way back and I actually had to sell a few diamonds when the gold on our hands was no longer enough. But it was necessary. For the next few days, I planned to dedicate most of my time to arm our group.

When I was in the world of Ira... I usually used my transmutation to disintegrate rocks or soil to their core components so I can extract what I need. But not all elements could be obtained this way... For example, most of the metals within the soil were limited only to aluminum and iron... I can't turn one element into another with transmutation like Sei... not yet...

"So why are we heading for the temple?" asked Elmor when we once again approached the gates leading deeper into the city, "I thought you were done with that meeting."

"To check..." My voice trailed off when I saw a few griffons flying overhead.

Must be returning to the Hall of the Council. Those seven towers I saw earlier were not just for show and each housed a substantial number of griffons that elite troops of the council use as their mounts. The council usually sends them to patrol the surroundings or to pass a message when a seal of authority is needed. But their main purpose is to ensure Lodelia's superiority in the air.

When he saw that my attention was still on the griffons Phoenix continued in my stead, "Kitty has made an agreement with the Order and they will provide us with the lodging free of charge. We will also be able to use their yard for training or sparring. With permission to use their portal, even restrictions to teleport within the city will be less bothersome..."

"Train?" Elmor reacted immediately. "Hey, do you think it would be possible to spar with a templar? I always wanted to fight one..." 

"Templars?" I retracted my gaze from the mounts, "You probably have a chance to spar even with a Champion..."

Just as he heard that a wide smile appeared on his face.

"How nice of them." Darson joined with a voice full of sarcasm. "Free of charge... without any ulterior motives." 

"What can I say, I am a charming..." I started to speak, but Jack interrupted me before I could finish.

"It's hardly out of good will. Our little dragon has revealed her demonic origin so if possible the Order wants to keep her in their sight all the time. I am sure they just don't want her to cause any troubles. We are just an extra..."

"Hey..." I started to object but then realized that he was right.

*

"The rooms on this side can be used freely at your discretion." a priest gestured with his hand at the doors, "It will take some time to arrange the ritual to address the issue with spell restrictions..."

His face was bright red and the reason for that was the sounds coming from one of the rooms. One doesn't need to be genius to guess what was happening behind the doors.

When the voice of priest reached the couple inside the moans quickly stopped and for a while, only muffled arguing could be heard. Soon the doors to the room opened and a young woman entered our sight.

"Listen, I already told... you..." She stopped in mid-sentence and looked at us with a puzzled expression.

I knew it was Aurora even before she opened the door, so I wasn't surprised when I saw her. But I wasn't happy when she did so without even bothering to cover her body. She was completely naked and showed no signs of embarrassment despite our group.

"Shameless," Miriel hissed when saw her. "Couldn't you at least use the sheets of bedding to cover your body?"

"Why? Is there something wrong with my body?" Aurora glanced at herself and then shrugged, "I was sure no one will use these rooms, could you guys give me ten minutes..." she quickly looked to her room, "Hey, wait. Don't put on your clothes yet..."

But from the sounds, it was obvious that her partner wasn't listening.

"Jeez... and I was so close..." she sighed and then looked back at us. "Any chance I can persuade someone to continue where he left?"

I think I made a big mistake when agreed to live there. I should have guessed that she is here too. She is a dangerous woman... and in more ways than one.

*

"What was I supposed to do, look away from her?" groaned Elmor and barely managed to block another Tia's attack. " She was once an enemy, one should be careful..."

"Oh, I know it's dangerous to leave the sight of your enemy..." Tia used a leg sweep, but Elmor managed to avoid by lifting his leg. She attacked him a few more times and eventually landed a hit with a reverse kick, "...but that doesn't mean you have to stare at their chest!"

It was a strange sight for a huge man to be beaten by a girl, but Tia was faster, much faster, and Elmor was reluctant to attack her seriously.

"I guess we should go now," I said while retracting my gaze from the training yard and looked at Miriel, "If a dwarf comes looking for me, say I am in Endorod City, it shouldn't take more than a few hours."

"Sure thing," she answered with a smile and looked back at Darson.

I could see that she was proud of him and I have to admit that he was the only man that acted like a gentleman back then.

I sighed and looked at Phoenix.

He probably guessed what I was about to ask, and answered before I had the chance, "I swear, nothing happened between us when I escorted her to the capital."

"Then count yourself lucky. But that doesn't exempt you from punishment for ogling at her body." I leaned closer and with a flick of a finger hit him in the head. "I still have to think what it should be..." 

I was a bit worried to leave our friends with Aurora in the vicinity. But I confirmed with my own eyes that she has a seal placed on her soul, so I guess it should be fine.

I looked in the direction where our rooms were supposed to be and released a sigh... I can't believe Jack actually took her up on the offer.

*

With the portal of the temple, we were able to teleport straight to the temple of Endorod City and once there, restrictions to use our own SpaceTime Magic no longer applied. From there, together with the templars assigned as my guards, we transferred into the dungeon directly with mass teleportation.

With the contract I made with the City Lord and the Guild, I was obliged to provide a few rare monsters and this was exactly what we came for.

Just as we appeared inside the dungeon, a colossal amount of mana rushed to my body and once again incredible power was in my grasp.

It would be nice if I had this power all the time... no, maybe not. I am no longer the only dungeon lord in this world...

There are now two more, and they should have a similar power to me. If they could keep that power even a distance away from their dungeon... it would be terrible. I was able to kill that necromancer in one hit... along with half of the army... yeah, even I would die from an attack of this scale if caught off guard.

Actually, there was supposed to be one more dungeon, but it seems that the core is now in the hands of the Council. They hired many S-rank adventurers to keep an eye on the dungeons and one team managed to seize the core before the enemy had the chance to activate it.

I reached to the core through the bond and ordered the dungeon to create a few hellhounds and crystal guardians. Just when I was about to disconnect, I paused.

An image of griffon flying high in the sky surfaced in my mind.

Maybe it has something to do with his origin as a lion, a majestic form of a cat, but I found those creatures very fascinating. If only I could have one as a mount.

The type of monsters I can spawn was limited by the dungeon, but there was one exception...

Irregulars.

Once a week I could speed up their creation or even spawn one from the list that was created in the past... But now, that I was a master of the dungeon, maybe it's possible to create them by my own design...

I closed my eyes and strengthened my link with the dungeon. Vague images started to spin in my head, and I could feel that maybe I really could influence the process. The dungeon started to 'resist' me and the process put a heavy strain on my mind. But I had no plans to give up that easily. I gritted my teeth and activated my thought acceleration to the limits.

"Kitty?" I vaguely heard a voice of Phoenix.

I could tell he was worried, but I was in no position to answer now. All my attention was needed for the task. Just a bit more... My fight with the dungeon continued for a while and when suddenly all resistance has vanished I almost cried out in joy.

I started the process of creation, and an image of its skeleton started taking the shape in my mind.

Wings.

Tail.

But when the dungeon stopped to resist me, it wasn't the only change that happened. I was simply slow to notice. At first, it was just a barely noticeable touch, but when the pull on my soul through the link has increased, my joy has turned into a horror. I realized that the final destination of my soul was... the creature I tried to make.

My soul awakening should have been able to protect me, but the dungeon was now a part of my soul... or rather, my soul was a part of the dungeon. This dungeon was a creation of a god, a god whose power was second only to the system.

When I realized that there is nothing I can do to stop it, I activated blink and in the next moment appeared in the fields. It was the same place Phoenix used as our destination a day before, and I could see the walls of the capital at a distance.

The pull over my soul has vanished and I dropped on the ground while breathing out in relief. Just in a moment, I saw Phoenix materializing far away and when he saw me, with one more teleportation appeared right next to me.

"What happened?" he asked and lifted me off the ground.

I didn't answer and only hugged him in return. My body was trembling uncontrollably and all I could think was, that if I was just a moment slower, I would be a monster now...

Phoenix didn't pursue the matter and caressed my head with his hand. After a while, I have calmed down, but the very thought of returning, send shivers down my spine.

I was afraid, afraid of what might happen if I am once again withing the reach of the dungeon. A small part of my soul was missing and I could feel it inside the dungeon. Inside the monster.

In the end, I decided to return. At the very least I had to know if the dungeon was a threat to me now. I was very careful and Phoenix used mass teleportation to transfer us closer little by little. When he escorted Aurora to the capital, he did so on foot, and was now able to teleport to any location he visited on the way there.

*

Even when I was once again in front of the dungeon, my fears have not vanished. If anything, they have only increased. My thought acceleration was active all the time, and once I even teleported back near the capital when Phoenix slightly touched my shoulder.

After waiting for a half hour I finally made my mind and once again reached for the link with the dungeon. What I feared the most didn't happen and there was no pull over my soul. I sighed in relief and then decided to look at the griffon. The monster that now held a part of my soul.

This...

This isn't a griffon!