Second World

Jack was blank for a while because the request had been so sudden and unexpected.

"I…," When he was just about to answer, Peniel beat him to it.

She pressed the top of Jack's head, forcing him to nod, and said, "He accepts! Of course, he accepts."

Pallas was unsure if he should treat that as a formal confirmation. He looked between Jack and Peniel back and forth.

Jack gave Peniel a peeved stare. He would have accepted even if Peniel didn't force him. Earning a favor from a divine faction was undoubtedly a favorable thing.

"I have no objection, Sir Pallas. You are welcome to settle inside Themisphere," Jack said. "Do you have a site where you want to rebuild your faction? Anything I can do to help you rebuild it?"

"Yes. If you can help us build our new base, it will be most appreciated," Pallas said.

Peniel again replied before Jack did, "Don't worry, your base will be up and running in no time."

This time, Pallas just treated Peniel's words as if they were from Jack's mouth. "In that case, I represent my faction to thank Your Majesty for your generosity."

"I'm glad I can be of help. I promise I will do anything to help you and Paytowin rebuild your faction," Jack said. "By the way, I didn't see Odvah and your faction guardian among your rank. Are they still missing?"

Odvah was the eternal-grade ancestor who blocked the Cult of Phobos from entering the Council of Virtus' main temple when the cult invaded Daminos Square Garden. As for the faction guardian, it was the titanic crimson lion with bat-like wings who had battled Fear's Primordial Hydra during the same incident.

Pallas' face became sad upon the mention. "Unfortunately, our divine ancestor fell during our faction's destruction. He just couldn't bear the assaults from so many foes. As for our faction guardian, the Forctis Lion, it was wounded and retreated when the battle was lost. We haven't found nor heard of its whereabouts since."

"I am very sorry to hear that," Jack expressed his condolences.

"As do I," Pallas said. "I will take my leave now. My brethren and I will follow your army for the moment. In the meantime, I will send a call to any of our still-missing comrades to come to Themisphere."

Jack nodded. He watched the divine champion leave to speak with the other council's warriors about their base relocation. He turned to Peniel then, "Hey. Seeing that you are so eager to help them, I bet you have an idea about how to build their new base?"

"It's simple, just go back to your throne and use the monarch system," Peniel answered. "A new wonder building should be available now."

"Oh? A wonder building from a divine faction? No wonder you are so excited," Jack said.

"This is not just any wonder building. It is the base of a divine faction. You will see its benefit once you build it. You better use your ruling power to complete it instantly."

"Hm, hearing you said it like that, I can't wait to do so. But first, let's talk about our next move for this war in Lefkauselis."

Although Hope had demanded a ceasefire for one week, this was only temporary. The war itself was not considered ended. The teleportation function between countries was still down. Hence, Jack couldn't waste time returning to Thereath to build the new base for the Council of Virtus. He would have to put this promise on hold.

*

As was planned, what was left of Themisphere and Hydrurond armies marched to Lefkauselis. The Liguritudum and Aurebor didn't tail them. They remained on the battlefield while Master continued reviving the dead for his zombie army.

Before the march, Jack spared the time to catch up with Grace. As expected, she had been inside Greed's sanctum.

She spent almost five months inside that place. She had been spending her time using Greed's unending wave portal, which explained her high level. Her possession of a large number of mana cores was also from using one of the portals in Greed's sanctum, one that Jack haven't had the chance to enter during his time there.

Jack asked how she managed to escape Greed's sanctum.

"I didn't escape. God Greed let me out," Grace answered.

"Really?" Jack asked in surprise, but then he remembered the way Greed talked with Grace earlier today. They did seem close. This also reminded him of Greed's threat to take care of Grace.

"Yeah. It was he who brought me to this battlefield. I asked him to take me to where you are at the moment. He went away after bringing me here, saying that his acquaintances were nearby, and he wanted to greet them. I didn't expect at the time he was talking about the other Gods."

"I see… Well, I was glad that you arrived as you did. I was truly in a pinch at that time," Jack said.

"If you went all out, you won't need my help," Grace said.

"If I did that, I won't be able to help my army as I did. So, thank you," Jack said. "Anyway, why did Greed only let you out today and not any other day?"

"Because today is the day when I finally achieved the condition he set for allowing me to leave. You know about the portal with unending waves, don't you?"

Jack nodded.

"I finally managed to beat the wave with fifteen rare elites," Grace said. Her face beaming.

"You did?!" Jack asked with wide eyes.

"I'm sure you could have done it with no problem if it's the current you. I failed countless times. But today, I finally managed to do it."

"Impressive! But didn't you get a wilderness death if you die in that portal? How do you get so high level if you failed countless times?"

"Greed gave me lenience. He set the portal so I only lose the exp I gained during that session. So, if I die inside the portal, I retain the level before I enter that portal."

"Wow! This means that if you played it safe, your level will be even higher. You should have just continued collecting exp to level up until you get better skills when you reach a higher level. It will be easier for you to beat the fifteen rare elites then. Why force yourself to come out early?"

"Because I heard of your war. I wanted to come to your aid."

Hearing that, Jack felt a great sense of guilt. He said, "I'm sorry…"

"What for?" Grace asked, confused.

"I have suspected that you were trapped inside Greed's sanctum… I didn't at first, but I finally came to that conclusion. But even after that, I didn't come to rescue you. I have no excuse. You should hate me. I don't deserve you…"

Grace blinked a few times before she smiled. "I know how you are. You dislike responsibility. But when you have one on your shoulders, you will fully honor it. I know that if you were not the Themisphere king, you would surely come looking for me in Greed's sanctum, even if it meant getting trapped again. But since you are, I understand why you don't."

She then leaned forward and kissed Jack.

Jack was genuinely surprised by Grace's act. He froze.

Grace was still smiling when she let go of Jack. "If you truly feel guilty, then treat me better from now on, okay?"

She then walked away, leaving Jack who was still standing like a statue.