In the evening, Noan was sitting inside the house when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

    He frowned, thinking, "Could it be that those lords have decided to come here to ask for food and medicine?"

    He was certain that after what he had said, those people wouldn''t dare come looking for him anytime soon.

    On the contrary, he wasn''t worried about any lord attacking him, not even Hawke.

    At the moment, he still has the system''s protection. If they wanted to fight him, that was possible, but killing him was impossible.

    Previously, he endured and let Hawke beat him because he wanted peace to develop in silence.

    But if he were ever pushed to the brink, he would retaliate.

    Krit! Krit!

    Suddenly, Zhisse appeared, chirping twice. It repeatedly waved its front legs as if trying to say something.

    Seeing its expression, Noan frowned, nodded, and said, "I understand."

    After speaking, he stood up and walked toward the door.

    He saw a tall, burly man standing before him when he opened it.

    "Hahaha... greetings!" Raito held a torch in his hand, laughing as he spoke. Behind him stood an Orc that Noan had seen earlier that morning.

    "You came to get more food and medicine?" Noan frowned as he asked.

    "Ah! You''ve got it wrong. That''s not my intention." Raito quickly said, "Do you think I''m the greedy type?"

    Noan crossed his arms. "Then what do you want?"

    Raito chuckled, "Hahaha... this morning, you also heard about the lords who fled, right?"

    Noan nodded.

    Seeing Noan remain silent and expressionless, Raito felt a little awkward.

    "Well..."

    "You want my help in finding them?" Noan immediately stated Raito''s intention, making him flinch.

    "Ah! That''s right, hahahaha... That forest is quite dangerous, but there are also many things inside that would surprise you."

    "Hm?!" Noan frowned. "Are you saying... there''s a treasure inside?"

    "Exactly." Raito nodded. "Well, not exactly a treasure, but the truth is, the forest holds several valuable things, including food. That''s why the other lords all want to venture in."

    "However, there are also zombies inside. That''s why I think we could work together."

    "Give me a reason," Noan said. "Collaboration is possible, but I need a reasonable justification."

    Raito stared at Noan, feeling increasingly irritated. This brat was becoming more difficult to deal with, completely different from this morning.

    ''You bastard! Just wait until you enter the Gloomy Forest—let''s see if you can still keep that arrogant attitude then,'' Raito cursed inwardly.

    However, his expression remained unchanged as he quickly said, "Although the forest is dangerous, it also contains many treasures. If we work together, we won''t have to worry about the zombies anymore."

    "You help me find the other lords, and I''ll help you find the treasure. If we succeed, we split it evenly—half for you, half for me."

    "Besides, I can show you a secret area where you can gather food."

    Noan shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it any longer. He spoke to Zhisse in a soft voice, "Tomorrow, I''ll have another gift for you. After that, I need you to watch Hawke and Raito for me, alright?"

    Krit! Krit!

    Zhisse immediately raised its front legs as if assuring him that it would complete the mission without fail.

    Noan smirked in amusement. But just as he stepped into his room, a hand reached out from the shadows and grabbed his shoulder.

    Startled, he barely had time to react before he was pulled backward.

    Soft, warm cushions pressed against his head, carrying a seductive and intoxicating scent.

    Noan instantly realized who was embracing him. "Vylyss, when did you get back?"

    Vylyss pouted, a hint of sulking in her expression. "Master, did you forget about me?"

    "That''s... of course, I didn''t forget you. I''m just slightly surprised you came here to see me."

    "Huh!" Vylyss huffed. "If I hadn''t come, you wouldn''t have remembered me, would you?"

    "No, what are you even talking about?" Noan sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

    Vylyss had been getting more and more clingy lately. Sometimes, even if they were apart for just a few hours, she would act like they hadn''t seen each other in months.

    Krit! Krit! Krit!

    Suddenly, a strange sound echoed. Zhisse had climbed onto Noan''s head, its expression furious as it waved its front legs frantically.

    Vylyss found this odd.

    Zhisse was just a spider monster, so why did it give off such an unusual presence?

    Normally, low-rank monsters that weren''t humanoid had very basic intelligence. There was no way they should be capable of such complex expressions.

    However, Vylyss didn''t think too much about it. After all, the time she could spend "enjoying" herself with her master was limited, so she had no interest in dwelling on unsolvable matters.

    "Get lost!" Vylyss swung her hand, and four chains instantly shattered the space around them, hurtling toward Zhisse.

    However, Zhisse was incredibly quick. It shot silk to the ceiling and swung itself up, vanishing into the darkness.

    Holding Noan tightly in her embrace, Vylyss frowned and said, "You think you can use the darkness against me? Even in ten thousand years, you''ll never defeat me."

    As soon as she finished speaking, she pointed her finger toward the dark corner of the room.

    The chains began to move, slithering like serpents toward the direction she had indicated.

    Clang! Clang!

    The metal clashing echoed through the air, followed by a strange cry.

    Krit!!!

    Zhisse let out a furious screech as it was ensnared by Vylyss''s four chains, suspended mid-air like a cocoon, with only its head exposed.

    Vylyss licked her lips and smiled. "Let me show you how humans ''enjoy'' themselves."

    With those words, she conjured a layer of darkness beneath them, then pushed Noan down.

    Seeing what was unfolding before its eyes, Zhisse uttered another furious cry.

    Krit!!!