Just as Alex heard the word "mission" from Alyssa's mouth, he groaned where he was seated.

"What? I'm already tired as it is. Now where do you want to send me this time—to die?"

Alyssa smiled. "Don't worry. You won't die. With your strength, you won't die."

Then, taking a deliberate pause, she added, "Probably."

Alex's mouth twitched. "That doesn't inspire any confidence."

Sighing, he said, "Okay, tell me what it is. I'll decide whether to accept it or not after hearing it out."

Alyssa smiled again. "Now that's like my good boy."

"Please don't say that," Alex muttered.

Her smile widened in response.

Then, her expression turned serious. "The thing is, the cult has started making really big moves. Just a few days ago, they destroyed a small kingdom—the core of the Small Kingdom Alliance."

Alex's eyes widened. He remained speechless for a few seconds. 'What the hell... This shouldn't be happening until Ethan and the others are in their second year at Zenith Academy. Things are really accelerating.'

"When did this happen?" he asked.

"Just a few days ago. The Kingdom of Etheria fell in a single day. Now, all that remains is ruins."

Alex taking a pause said "Let me guess—Marionettes."

Alyssa smiled. "Bingo. Their army of three hundred thousand fell in front of just—what we estimate—thirty thousand Marionettes."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "Well, it's not normal. Marionettes are strong, but not that intelligent in warfare.

Someone intelligent must be commanding them if they were able to successfully destroy all of Etheria's attack and defense formations."

Alyssa said "Again, correct. But we haven't been able to find out who it is—not even after sending multiple teams to investigate."

She took a breath. "The most serious thing is, after Etheria... they didn't stop. They continued attacking smaller kingdoms. Including Etheria, three of them have already fallen."

"So what do you want me to do?" Alex asked.

Alyssa smirked. "Well, recently we got intel. They've found the base where all the Marionettes are being kept and trained for war."

Alex clicked his tongue. "Tch. Don't like where this is going."

"King Edward Evans of Avaloria, after thorough investigation, discovered that the next attack is expected to come near a kingdom situated close to the Elven Empire."

"Elvenia," Alyssa added. "It's a kingdom ruled by elves."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "And if you're asking why the Elven Empire hasn't conquered it—"

Before she could continue, Alex said, "Because that kingdom is ruled by the Elven Queen's brother. And before marrying the Elven King, the Queen requested that her brother's kingdom remain independent and be solely ruled by him."

Alyssa whistled. "You really know your stuff, don't you? As expected from my son."

Saying that, she began patting Alex's head.

Blushing, Alex muttered, "Will you stop doing that, you old hag."

Just as Alyssa heard him call her old, instead of patting his head, she grabbed his hair and started pulling.

"You brat! How many times have I told you—call me Master! And I'm still not that old, do you understand?!"

In pain, Alex yelled, "Okay, okay! Now stop before you make me bald, you old—"

Before he could finish, he quickly corrected himself. "Master!"

Taking a breath and smiling, Alyssa finally released his hair and sat beside him.

Then she continued. "The king wants you to go and scout their base—to investigate and find everything you can. Because it could very well be a trap, and their next attack could come directly to the Human Empire itself."

She grew even more serious. "We've seen movement. Lots of refugees are now fleeing toward the Human Empire.

The attacks on them are becoming more frequent along with the attacks on the borders of the human empire. All the bigger countries are now on high alert—they sense that a war is coming soon."

Alyssa continued, her voice carrying that casual nonchalance that Alex had learned to dread. "King Edwards has already informed the elven king about your arrival, so there won't be any problems on their end… probably."

Alex mouth twitched as he said there are a lot of 'probably' in your sentences.

Alex, still chewing on his food, slowly lifted his gaze to her and continud. "Also you already know the problem isn't going there. The real problem is dealing with the attitude of those long-eared bastards. They think of themselves as superior and treat us humans like we're lesser beings."

Alyssa smirked faintly, swirling her wine cup as she replied, "Well, you're right about that." Then her lips curved into a mischievous smile. "That's why we've made a special arrangement."

Alex squinted, suspicion dawning. "What are you—" He stopped mid-sentence as realization struck. His fork clattered onto the plate. "No. No, no, no. It's not what I think it is, right?"

Alyssa leaned forward with a smile that screamed trouble. "Yeah, it's exactly what you think it is. For your convenience, the elven princess, Elaria Moonshade Lareth'Thalas, will also be accompanying you."

Alex's face went blank, as colour drained from his face. "Why? Why her of all people? That narcissistic bitch of a princess will be the first to humiliate me in front of her entire empire!"

Alyssa chuckled. "Its funny how you don't like people who are similar to you also It's for your own good. If you're seen with their princess, they won't dare take you lightly. They'll also think twice before picking a fight with you without reason."

Alex slammed his hand on the table. "I refuse! Find someone else!"

But Alyssa only crossed her arms, her smirk widening. "You've heard how troublesome this mission is. Now, listen to the rewards." Her words hooked his attention, and his ears instinctively perked up.

She leaned closer. "King Edward has promised you can request anything."

Alex scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Bleh. That guy's stingy as hell. When I asked him for the Awakening Nectar, he refused, saying it was only for royals. He offered me scraps from the treasury instead—and that was after I saved his daughter at the incident six months ago."

Alyssa's smirk didn't falter. "This time, he's promised to give you the Awakening Nectar."

Alex froze, eyes going wide. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Alyssa said calmly, like she was mentioning the weather.

At that moment, a voice echoed inside Alex's head. [ Host, this is a good opportunity. That nectar is very precious for us as we still haven't broken the other four curses. ]

Alex muttered inwardly, 'You're right about that.' Then he sighed, glaring at Alyssa. "Fine. I accept."

Alyssa laughed softly, like she had predicted this all along. "I knew you would."

Alex's brow furrowed. "Why me, though? Weren't there other powerful individuals who could've handled this?"

Alyssa's playful tone faded, replaced by something heavier. "Edward already tried that. None of them came back alive."

Her gaze softened slightly as she leaned back. "And you, my boy, you're different. You have the potential unlike anyone else. It's almost as if nothing is impossible for you."

Alex frowned at her serious expression, but she pressed on.

"You can't grow the normal way others do. To grow, you need situations like this. The more dire the situation, the stronger you'll become. I could teach you countless techniques—you'd master them, sure—but they'd become a burden. Instead, what I want for you now is to hone what you already have, sharpen it to perfection."

She reached out and patted his head again. This time, Alex only clicked his tongue but didn't push her hand away.

After a long silence, Alex locked eyes with her. "I know why you took Lily to Zenith Academy. But I'm telling you now—the answer is no."

Alyssa's lips twitched in annoyance. "Oh, come on. The girl has great potential."

Her tone shifted to something more serious. "And you can't protect her forever, Alex."

Alex clenched his fists. "She's just a child."

Alyssa shot back immediately, "So were you when your parents left. But look at you now. You grew splendidly despite the pain. She needs to face reality too—the dark side of the world. She needs to learn that not everything is as shiny as her mighty big brother has shown her."

Alex gritted his teeth, his voice trembling. "She's unawakened."

Alyssa tilted her head, smirking faintly. "Is that a problem for you?"

His frustration exploded. "I'm not a god you know! I'm not omnipotent or omniscient! I can't fix everything!"

Alyssa's gaze softened, though her words cut deep. "People once said the same about Abyssal Corruption—and now it's nothing before you. In my opinion, if you can't fix her core, no one in this world can."

She stood up, stretching her arms lazily. "Goodnight, Alex. Rest well—you look mentally exhausted. Think about what we discussed. The final decision will be yours."

Alex remained slouched at the table, muttering to himself. 'Damn it… what should I do? She's right. I can't protect Lily forever… but—'

He sighed and leaned back. "Whatever I'll think about it later."

Alyssa's voice echoed faintly as she left. "After you rest, we'll talk about what you discovered inside that Paraflux dungeon."

Alex dragged himself to his room, muttering curses. He took a bath and collapsed into his luxurious bed, sleeping for nearly 8 hours straight.

When his eyes finally cracked open, it wasn't because of peace. Loud noises echoed outside. Rubbing his eyes, he walked to the window. What he saw made him instantly baffled.

Alyssa stood in the courtyard, her aura flaring dangerously, just moments away from attacking someone.

----

A/N:

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