Five men instantly stepped forward who were at grandmaster realm. "Search every corner of the city. If you find anything suspicious or any object related to demons, report to me immediately."

After receiving their Vice Commander’s orders, the five men immediately vanished from their positions and headed into the city to search for anything suspicious.

Theodore looked at the two powerful men before speaking.

"Vice Commander Ragnar, Sir Enzo, why don’t we continue the rest of this discussion at my estate? You both must be tired after your long journey from the capital."

Both men nodded in agreement. Ragnar then turned toward the rest of the Royal Guards.

"Set up camp outside the city gates."

The soldiers immediately acknowledged the order and began carrying it out. William then looked at Theodore and shook his head.

"I won’t be joining you. I need to take care of my guild. Many of our strongest members lost their lives protecting the younger ones."

Maria also spoke.

"I have matters to attend to at the Light Temple. I’ll need to prepare a report and send it to the temple in the capital regarding everything that happened here."

Theodore nodded in understanding.

With that, everyone went their separate ways. William returned to his guild, Maria headed toward the Light Temple, while Theodore led Ragnar and Enzo toward the Duke’s estate.

...

Time passed, and evening soon arrived.

At the southern side of Frostholme, within the Beastfolk tribe, the atmosphere was still somewhat gloomy after the battle. They had lost five of their own that day. However, as the hours passed, the sadness gradually eased.

A warrior’s life was always filled with danger. Those five had died protecting the people they cherished, and everyone in the tribe understood that reality. In truth, they had expected far greater losses, but by some miracle, they had all survived.

At that moment, Rieka was with her grandfather. While Tharuk spoke with the members of the tribe about the aftermath of the battle, Rieka played with the younger children nearby.

Unlike the cold expression she usually wore around humans, she smiled warmly among her own people. That smile was reserved only for Nova and the Beastfolk she considered family, especially these innocent children.

Her long silver hair gently swayed in the cool evening breeze as the moon slowly rose into the sky. Her beautiful hybrid wolf and kitsune ears twitched happily while soft giggles escaped her lips as she played with the children.

Yet deep inside, her thoughts were elsewhere. Nova would be arriving soon. And once he spoke with her grandfather...no one would stand between their relationship anymore.

Suddenly, Rieka felt a familiar aura.

The moment she sensed it, she instantly knew who it belonged to.

She was sitting on the small fountain at the center of the Beastfolk tribe beneath the open evening sky, while a few meters away Tharuk was still talking with the other tribesmen. Turning toward the entrance, she saw Nova walking from the opposite direction.

His obsidian-black hair swayed gently in the cool evening breeze. For some reason, he looked even more handsome than before. Rieka couldn’t quite understand why, but there was an irresistible charm around him now. If any ordinary girl saw him at this moment, she would probably fall for him instantly.

What she didn’t know was that most of Nova’s changes were internal. The slight increase in his charm came from the demonic energy within him, giving him a devilishly handsome aura.

Whenever it came to Nova, Rieka always lost control of herself.

Without caring about anyone watching, she ran straight toward him and leaped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist while hugging him tightly.

Nova instinctively caught her.

He didn’t even notice that after the massive increase in his attributes, his physique had become even stronger. He now stood nearly 190 cm tall, while Rieka herself was around 178 or 179 cm.

Smiling softly, Nova hugged her back before gently kissing her forehead.

"You look beautiful."

"Hehe..."

Before Rieka could reply, the nearby Beastfolk children burst into laughter.

"Ehehe! Big Sister Rieka is acting like a little baby!"

"Look! She’s stuck to Big Brother and won’t let go!"

"I think they’re in love!"

"You dummy! Don’t interrupt them!"

The innocent children continued whispering and giggling among themselves. Watching their usually elegant and composed Big Sister Rieka cling so openly to Nova was a completely new sight for them.

Only then did Rieka realize what she had done.

Her face immediately turned bright red.

Feeling utterly embarrassed after hearing the children’s teasing, she quickly climbed down from Nova and took a small step back. She had completely forgotten they were surrounded by the tribe’s children.

Now...she knew they would definitely tease her about this for a very long time.

"Cough... cough..."

A dry cough came from behind Rieka.

She immediately turned around and saw her grandfather standing there, quietly staring at the two of them.

Her ears twitched nervously as she hurriedly stepped aside.

"G-Grandpa... this is Nova, the one I told you about yesterday," she said with an awkward smile.

Tharuk slowly walked forward and carefully looked Nova up and down, as though trying to judge his strength. To him, Nova was simply a young man with ordinary strength. He had no idea Nova was concealing both his true level and his real aura.

He was also trying to understand how a young man with such ordinary strength had managed to save his granddaughter’s life. While Nova appeared well-built and powerful, his physique was no different from his own or that of most beastfolk, making it difficult for Tharuk to believe he had accomplished such a feat.

"So..."

Tharuk finally spoke, his expression remaining cold.

"You’re the young man who has changed my granddaughter so much?"

Nova wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. He understood that the old man was merely testing him, so his expression remained calm and composed.

Beside him, however, Rieka’s face turned pale as she sensed the tense atmosphere. The nearby Beastfolk had also begun whispering among themselves. Humans rarely entered their tribe, and hearing that this young human was somehow connected to Rieka shocked many of them.

"I can’t say I’ve changed her," Nova replied with a faint smile. "But yes... I love her very much. I want to travel the world with her and grow stronger together."

As he spoke those words, Rieka quietly moved closer and tightly clutched the sleeve of his shirt.

"Is that so?" Tharuk said calmly. "Then tell me... why should I agree to your request and let my precious granddaughter leave with you?"

He looked directly into Nova’s eyes before continuing.

"She is the only family I have left. I understand that she loves you, and you love her in return. You two have already established the kind of relationship our tribe recognizes as marriage. As far as the Beastfolk are concerned... she is already your wife."

Tharuk’s voice then became heavier.

"Even so... how can I entrust her to you when I know how dangerous this world is? Especially for a Beastfolk like her living on the human continent."

Nova listened quietly without interrupting. He understood every word the old man said, everything Tharuk had spoken was logical.

If their positions were reversed, Nova himself wouldn’t willingly send his precious family away with someone who couldn’t even guarantee their safety.

"You’re right," Nova said calmly. "And right now, I can’t give you any proof or say anything that would truly assure you of Rieka’s safety."

He took a step forward, his expression becoming completely serious.

"So today, here before your entire tribe, and in the presence of whatever spirits or higher beings watch over the world of Astrae, I make this pledge."

Nova looked at Rieka before turning back to Tharuk.

"From this day onward, if I ever allow harm to come to Rieka because of my own failure... may my soul shatter into millions of pieces."

The entire tribe fell silent.

Nova continued without the slightest hesitation.

"And I make you one more promise."

"If Rieka’s father and mother are still alive somewhere in this world... then I will find them and bring your daughter back to you."

The moment those words left Nova’s mouth, Tharuk, Rieka, and every Beastfolk present fell silent for a brief moment, the entire tribe stood frozen in shock.

None of them had expected Nova to know about Rieka’s parents.

What stunned them even more was the conviction in his voice. Every word he spoke carried unwavering determination, making it feel as though he would fulfill those promises no matter what stood in his way.

Even Tharuk, who had lived for many years and met countless people, couldn’t help but look at Nova differently ,for the first time...He felt that this young man truly meant every word he had just spoken.

Thanks for reading....