Richard already had a plan, but he stepped forward first to see the situation.

In a short time, he finally saw the dragon head up close—merely a carving of wood, but now grown massive.

The light protecting its mouth was clearly visible and felt threatening to Richard.

He saw Gray and Laura standing together, seemingly in discussion, while Olivia was in another corner.

Even though she was now a fugitive of the Moonshadow Clan, at least in Apple Town, clearly no one could capture her—not even the city lord. Richard noticed people were more focused on the dragon's head.

"Ehh..." Richard was stunned by something unexpected.

The eyes of that dragon head actually came alive, moving as they stared directly at him.

'What the hell?' he thought.

Because of this, everyone turned their gaze toward him.

"Who is he?"

"Could he be a descendant of the Dragon Knight Clan?" they wondered.

"You are connected to a member of the Dragon Knight Clan. If you bring him here, you may also enter!" The voice from the dragon head echoed again, but now it was heard only by those around.

Of course, this was still a problem for Richard.

He thought, 'Couldn't you just speak through mental communication?'

Unfortunately, he couldn't protest to a dragon head carved from wood.

Without the magic formation left behind by the Dragon Knight, it should have been destroyed long ago.

"Friend, how about you show yourself?"

Richard hadn't even thought of escaping when he was already surrounded by the city lord and the others, including Gray and Olivia.

Each of them seemed ready to pounce on him if he moved.

But how could it be that easy to deal with him?

Buzz!

His body suddenly released a massive cloud of black mist.

Clouds—an element that might seem unthreatening. What Richard understood about this element was that the higher one's affinity with Clouds, the more clouds one could release with the same amount of Aether, even altering their color at will.

The amount he could summon could rival waves even at their thinnest state.

In an instant, the black mist he released blanketed a radius of one kilometer.

At the same time, his body sank quickly into the ground.

In the Aether Will Realm with 90% Affinity with the Earth Element, it was truly easy for him to enter the surrounding soil without leaving a trace, moving underground like a mole.

He could even move faster beneath the earth than on its surface.

"Damn it!" He heard Olivia's furious scream from above.

"Where is he?" The others were shocked afterward.

Apparently Olivia had just dispersed the mist around her, but Richard's figure had already disappeared.

"Did he fly?" Gray muttered, looking up, since even the skies were covered with clouds.

It was very rare for someone to possess the ability to enter the ground, so he never thought Richard had done so.

And Richard, moving further away, didn't slow down at all. He entered the Dark Forest underground, continued toward Apple Town, then emerged in a narrow alley, removing his cloak.

'I suppose they'll maintain constant surveillance,' he thought, trying to devise a strategy to enter the secret place while bringing Mr. Joe along without being seen.

He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he believed there was still a chance. At worst, he would have to move suddenly.

The Magi in Apple Town seemed to have already gone there, leaving only ordinary people in the city.

They were discussing the voice they had just heard, making it clear it had reached Apple Town.

It might have even spread farther than Apple Town.

Richard left Apple Town first to meet Athena.

However, he didn't choose to return home. He only ordered Athena to fetch Mr. Joe.

How she would do it wasn't something he cared about. After all, if she wanted, Athena could simply forcefully bring Mr. Joe.

After that, Richard returned to Apple Town.

'Lilith seems to have left. Good, it would have been more troublesome if she were here,' he thought.

"Richard!"

Suddenly, he heard a voice that made his back shiver.

He quickly turned, only to find a pink-haired woman in a white dress.

Who else but Olivia?

"What a coincidence to meet you here," she said with a charming smile and a playful laugh.

"Did you hear that voice earlier? I think I need to test it with you. I know you were the one who roared in the Dark Forest. Answer me honestly—are you a descendant of the Dragon Knight Clan?"

Richard: "..."

"Hehehe, I suppose you don't need to answer." The woman added, extending her hand to grasp his.

But how could Richard not resist?

He pulled his hand back, and at once the woman's body was dragged toward him, since she had only gripped lightly without bracing against a counterforce—thinking he couldn't possibly be that strong.

"Ahhh..." Olivia let out a startled cry, completely surprised.

In the end, her hand slipped from his grasp.

Of course, she quickly stabilized her body.

Her eyes couldn't help but reveal her astonishment.

"Your strength," she muttered.

"Kekeke, it seems you've grown stronger, but so what? I'm still a Magus in the Life Aether Realm."

She began releasing her living Aether—Aether that no longer needed conscious control, each wisp larger than that of Magi in the Aether Will Realm. Observed closely, they even resembled fetuses, as though preparing to form human shapes.

They immediately followed Olivia's will, pressing down on Richard.

The most shocking part for Richard was that her Aether was purple—Tier 3 Aether.

Richard couldn't resist the woman's power with his Aether alone.

However, he drew his sword, instantly unleashing flames and lightning in vast amounts, fusing them into the blade before slashing with great force, producing a massive strike of fire and lightning—so bright it lit up the surroundings until it seemed like day.

Whoosh!

The slash burned and shattered part of Olivia's Tier 3 Aether, then continued to incinerate and destroy the surrounding houses after breaking through her Aether.

In such a desperate situation, Richard had no hesitation in revealing his combat strength.

So what if it exposed his identity—a seven-year-old boy so powerful?

He had kept it hidden only to avoid troublesome situations, like being forcibly recruited by some faction.

But he had ancestors backing him.

Now, he was not so afraid of stronger people, including the Moonshadow Clan.

If his ancestor returned to that clan, he could easily suppress Rebecca's dominance.

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