Before any of them could respond, Calen looked like he wanted to argue. However, Roxanna spoke before he had the chance.
"You’re still recovering," she said gently. "And I need you here to protect Azura."
The frown on Calen’s face grew even deeper. "Roxanna..." he said quietly. "I couldn’t even make sure that Azul would come back with me, and yet you still trust me to protect your daughter?" He let out a bitter laugh. "Don’t you think you’ve chosen the wrong person?"
"My daughter?" Roxanna repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Calen, Azura is our daughter. And why are you blaming yourself for what happened to Azul? He chose to let himself be captured so you could bring the medicinal herbs back to save Azura."
She met his eyes, her voice calm but firm. "He did that because he wanted to protect our daughter. He made that choice because he’s her father... and so are you." She gave him a small smile. "If I have to choose who should stay behind to protect Azura, I will always choose her fathers."
Calen lowered his head, his fingers slowly tightening into fists.
For a long moment, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything because no one had ever trusted him like this before.
He had spent so much of his life believing that strength was measured by how many enemies he could defeat. But now, Roxanna was trusting him with something far more precious than a battle.
She was trusting him with their daughter.
"I..." Calen’s voice caught in his throat. "I won’t fail you."
Roxanna smiled softly. "I know."
The plan had been decided, so Roxanna bought two more Camouflage Nets.
[Purchased 2x Camouflage nets: 20,000 SP]
[Remaining Spirit Points (SP): 448,950]
A few moments later, the system chimed again.
[Ding! Ding!]
[Side Mission Activated: Save the Prince of Aquillian!]
[Goals:
- Rescue Azul from the palace prison.
- Ensure that Azul escapes alive.
[Rewards:
- 1× Advanced Regeneration Injection
- 41,500 Spirit Points (SP)]
[Bonus Reward:
- If no ally dies during the rescue, you will receive the title: Guardian of Aquillian.
- Title Effect: All allies within a 30-meter radius gain a 15% increase in Defense and Healing received.]
Roxanna stared at the transparent screen for a few long seconds before letting out a slow breath.
The Advanced Regeneration Injection was exactly what Azul might need. If the Devourers had been torturing him, there was a good chance he had already suffered serious injuries.
Sybill might be his sister, but Roxanna couldn’t fool herself into believing that blood always meant kindness.
Sometimes, the people who hurt you the most were your own family.
Moments later, Roxanna looked around at everyone before giving a small nod. "I think we’re ready."
She handed the other two Camouflage Nets to Calen and the others while keeping one for herself.
In the end, the one chosen to accompany her and Zeir was Caspian.
To be honest, Roxanna still didn’t know how strong Zeir really was against the Devourers. She wasn’t even sure if he was the best person to bring on such a dangerous mission.
But every time she looked at him, he showed no fear or hesitation. His calm confidence made it easier for her to trust him.
But, there was still one question that had never been answered. How had someone as capable as Zeir ended up in the hands of the evil Roxanna in the first place?
The more she thought about it, the more it felt like there was a story he had yet to tell.
Zeir turned to the others with a serious look. "I’ll give you a signal if something truly goes wrong," he said. "The moment you see that signal, you must run."
Calen frowned. "What? Isn’t that signal supposed to tell us to come and rescue you?"
Zeir shook his head. "If Azul and I can’t handle whatever we’re facing, then I don’t think the rest of you can either." Realizing how arrogant that sounded, he let out a small cough. "What I mean is... if you rush in to help us, you’ll only put yourselves in more danger."
"Besides," he added, "we’ll do everything we can to escape on our own."
No one argued after that because they all understood what Zeir was trying to say. After all, if the worst happened, they couldn’t afford to lose everyone.
Not long afterward, the group finally left the buried village behind.
Maristella had already finished preparing the medicine Azura needed. All that remained was making sure the little girl took it at the right time.
As they slowly approached the Aquillian Kingdom, Roxanna stopped for a moment and looked Maristella in the eyes.
"Please," she said softly. "I’m entrusting my daughter’s future to you, Your Majesty."
Maristella held her gaze for a few seconds before giving a gentle nod. "You have taken care of one of my children," she said with a soft smile. "Now it’s my turn to do the same for yours."
With those words, Roxanna finally felt at ease leaving Azura behind.
She took one last look at her daughter, who was sleeping peacefully in Maristella’s arms, before turning away. This wasn’t the time to hesitate because Azul was still waiting for them.
As they drew closer to the palace, the three of them unfolded the Camouflage Net and covered themselves beneath the enchanted fabric.
Although many parts of the kingdom had been damaged during Mr. Kraken’s attack, the palace itself still stood proudly in the middle of the city.
Roxanna reached for Zeir’s hand, and he gave it a gentle squeeze in return.
Without exchanging another word, the three of them quietly slipped into the palace grounds, making sure not to create even the slightest sound.
To hide their scent as much as possible, they had also rubbed crushed seaweed all over their skin before leaving.
The smell was unpleasant, but according to Orion, it was one of the strongest scents in the ocean and could help cover their natural smell for a while.
Even so, none of them lowered their guard.
"What’s so special about that Prince actually?" one of the Devourers said as they swam around the hallway.