However, Caleb immediately dismissed that thought.

    Why?

    Because Lords were bound to their territories. Even if they tried to flee, their domains would remain behind.

    If their territory was destroyed, they would only become Free Lords, and their heroes would have a high chance of betraying them. Naturally, they would also lose their ability to summon monsters.

    Therefore, the likelihood of Raito and Hawke betraying him was nearly zero.

    Then why had Raito and Hawke disappeared? And was there a connection between the two?

    Caleb fell into deep thought. The others around him dared not speak, merely waiting in silence.

    After a while, Caleb finally spoke. "Who was the last person to see them?"

    Silence.

    Even the woman who had seen Hawke the previous day remained quiet.

    The whole situation was too strange. She had no idea what happened to Hawke and Raito, but she suspected they had betrayed Caleb.

    However, if she spoke up, she might also be labeled a traitor—and Caleb would undoubtedly punish her.

    That was why she chose to stay silent.

    Caleb scanned the room, his sharp gaze growing even more intense as he noticed no one intended to answer. His brow furrowed deeper.

    A timid voice suddenly called out as he was about to speak again.

    "Boss!"

    Caleb turned toward the speaker—a young woman who seemed slightly nervous. He didn''t know much about her, but she must have been part of the group if she was present here.

    "I... I saw Hawke."

    Hearing this, Caleb''s frown deepened. "Where did you see him?"

    "This morning," the girl stammered. "I was leading the second group of lords to harvest food supplies when I saw Hawke riding a rhino, heading deep into the forest."

    "I... I asked him where he was going, but he looked at me as if he wanted to kill me. That''s why I... I could only remain silent."

    Caleb frowned. Though the girl''s words were convincing, he wasn''t quick to trust her.

    It was clear—Caleb was highly intelligent and extremely cautious. Unlike Hawke and Raito, he wasn''t the type to act impulsively or make rash decisions.

    Perhaps that was why he had become the true leader of this group.

    "You said Hawke was riding a Rock Rhino and headed deep into the Dark Forest, correct?"

    Hearing Caleb''s question, the girl trembled slightly, then nodded. "Yes."

    "Was Raito with him?"

    She shook her head. "I... I didn''t see Raito."

    Caleb pondered over her words, his mind connecting the pieces. However, he remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

    "Do you understand what will happen if you lie to me?"

    The girl immediately fell to her knees, her body trembling. "Boss, I... I wouldn''t dare lie to you. I did see him go into the Dark Forest... I just... I just don''t know where he was headed."

    Caleb observed the fear in her expression, and his trust in her grew slightly.

    After all, a person might be able to control their facial expressions, but they could never completely hide the truth in their eyes.

    "Good. I''ll investigate this matter myself."

    However, even though he wasn''t particularly exhausted, he still lay lazily on the mattress, reluctant to get up.

    Krit! Krit!

    Suddenly, Zhisse crawled onto his chest, looking utterly pitiful. All eight of its legs clung tightly to him as if refusing to let go.

    Noan immediately recalled how Zhisse had been strung up on the ceiling by Vylyss the previous night, forced to witness their entire "joyous affair." A trace of embarrassment flickered across his mind.

    ''Wait!''

    A thought suddenly struck him.

    ''Zhisse is just a spider. It probably doesn''t even understand what happened between me and Vylyss.''

    ''Yes, that must be it. It''s probably just sulking because Vylyss left it hanging from the ceiling all night.''

    With that realization, Noan felt much more at ease, no longer embarrassed by the fact that Zhisse had been present for everything.

    Zhisse remained sprawled across his chest, nuzzling against him as if unwilling to move.

    Finding this behavior somewhat adorable, Noan simply hugged it, letting it rest however pleased.

    ''AAAH!! Get your filthy hands off me! You vile, depraved, disgusting human!''

    The second soul within Zhisse—the one Noan was unaware of—(from now on referred to as "Zhisse the Second") shrieked internally.

    She had witnessed, in excruciating detail, exactly what Noan''s hands had done to Vylyss the previous night. The mere thought of those same hands touching her now made her stomach churn with nausea.

    In her memories, Succubi were nothing more than vile, lowly creatures—mere tools for men''s carnal pleasure.

    And for that reason, Zhisse the Second believed that any man who willingly touched a Succubus was equally filthy and despicable.

    However, the most frustrating part was that Zhisse couldn''t resist.

    Even though she felt utterly nauseated and disgusted, this body was controlled by the other Zhisse.

    To make matters worse, that fool of a spider was deliberately acting spoiled, clinging even tighter to Noan—almost making Zhisse the Second die a second time from sheer fury.

    Meanwhile, Noan casually opened his system interface, and to his surprise, he noticed a new category labeled "Storage".

    Curious, he tapped on it. Immediately, a grid with nine separate slots appeared before him.

    He saw five Rank F Lord Crystals, one Rank E Crystal, and one Rank E+ Crystal.

    Noticing a "?" icon in the corner of the Storage menu, he clicked on it to read the description.

    [Storage: Can only store items related to Lords. To upgrade the Storage, you must use the talent ''Almighty Fusion'' and 10 Rank D Energy Crystals.]

    A satisfied smile spread across Noan''s face.

    When he saw the second line, he knew this was a unique ability only he possessed.

    Seeing Noan''s smug expression, Zhisse the Second seethed in silent rage.

    ''Eww!! So disgusting! I swear, I want to rip that smirk off his face!''

    Oblivious to her inner fury, Noan focused on analyzing this new ability, carefully considering its potential.

    He quickly realized this function could be the key to developing his territory.

    BAM! BAM!

    Suddenly, loud knocks echoed at the door.

    Noan frowned. He instantly recognized who it was.

    ''So... he''s arrived earlier than I expected.''