Village Head's Debauchery

"No," the cloaked figure shook his head in fear, his voice laced with hesitation. "Clan head, the assassination failed. The Gem Shroud Legion, except for one, and all the two hundred descendants of the forgotten clan are all dead."

An indescribable chill immediately gripped the room, sending shivers to all four corners.

'How did it fail?' Garnet's thoughts raced. Feeling a pair of eyes drilling into his skull, he did his best to maintain focus on the cloaked figure before him.

"Explain," Garnet asked with a heavy lump of rock in his throat.

….......

The Castle

Orion crunched down on a few fruits laid out on the table in front of him, waiting patiently in his room for someone to arrive and take him to the Garden so he could check on Saria.

A few minutes later, a knock resounded from the door.

"They're here," Orion muttered to himself as he ate the last piece of fruit and walked towards the door.

He wondered who the royal family would send to accompany him to the Garden, as they seemed extremely tense around him since their return from the ambush.

They had even sent away all the guards positioned around his room.

Opening the door, Orion was a bit surprised to see the figure standing there. "Madam Seraphina."

Madam Seraphina nodded her head, though her smile appeared somewhat strained.

She cleared her throat and said, "Are you prepared to head over to the garden, or would you prefer to rest a while longer?"

Orion stole a glance at Madam Seraphina's dress, which, despite having a different colour, still resembled the same revealing waist-length outfit she had worn the day before, which displayed her panties and stunning plump buttocks. It made him wonder if the Queen hadn't sent an elite or someone similar to guide him to the garden because they wanted to avoid rash decisions and show that they weren't as tense as he had imagined.

'I think that's the reason,' Orion thought, as Madam Seraphina's voice suddenly broke through his musings.

"Ahem! Would you like to rest a little while longer, Mr. Orion? I understand you've had a long day," Madam Seraphina asked, looking at him while trying to suppress the trembling in her voice.

Orion shook his head and replied, "No, don't worry. I've already rested enough, so we can go now."

Madam Seraphina nodded in understanding and began to lead the way towards the garden, with Orion following closely behind.

As they traversed the corridors, just as expected, Orion noticed an abundance of guards patrolling the area, far more than he had seen previously. When they reached the entrance to the garden, they didn't encounter any obstacles.

The guards swiftly rolled the stone door open without hesitation, prompting Orion to raise an eyebrow. He had a sense of what was happening but decided to put it out of his mind as they entered the garden.

"Hey!" Orion exclaimed as he deftly dodged a flying pixie attempting to attack him.

"Hey, you guys should quit it!" He swung his hands left and right in an attempt to shoo away the pixies, but they seemed determined to drive him out of the garden.

'Are they still angry?' Orion wondered, recalling how he had inadvertently damaged a part of the forest when he created his two Vylkr containers.

Madam Seraphina, who stood on the other side, watched the scene in astonishment. It was the first time she had seen the Guardians of the Forest so furious.

Just as she was about to intervene, a bell rang through the air. The sound caused the pixies to cease their actions immediately and fly back into the garden.

"Phew," Orion breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that he didn't have to use his powers on them, fearing that they might get hurt.

"Are you okay?" Madam Seraphina asked, her voice tinged with anxiety, concerned that Orion might be annoyed by the sudden attack from the Guardians of the Garden.

"Yes, I'm fine. No need to worry," Orion reassured her, shaking his head in response as he noticed the tense expression on her face.

He turned his head in the direction of the bell's sound and spotted the Princess of the Garden standing beside Saria's tree, smiling at them from afar. Orion furrowed his brow, curious about why she was near Saria's tree.

He said, "Let's go," and began walking toward their location.

As Orion and Madam Seraphina reached their destination, they noticed another figure who appeared to be stuck in a tree, engaged in a serious conversation with the Princess of the Garden.

"Saria," Orion muttered, momentarily struck by the sight of the tall, slender figure with a light blue upper body, mirroring the shade of her waist-length, smooth hair.

Saria stood still, her heart racing, as she heard a familiar voice call her name.

Slowly, she turned her head, her eyes widening in disbelief at the unforgettable figure before her.

"Orion," she stammered, her voice quivering with emotion.

"You... you're awake," Orion said, his voice filled with relief as he approached her.

Despite knowing she was on the path to recovery, he had been worried about how long it would take for her to regain consciousness. He couldn't bear to leave the village without her.

"Yes... sNIFF!" Saria nodded, tears staining her cheeks.

"How about you? How is your health?" She asked, recalling the injuries they had both suffered at the hands of Stronghold Leader Drakar.

Orion smiled in response to her question, gesturing towards his body.

"As you can see, I'm okay too, so there's no need to worry," he assured her.

He approached Saria to get a closer look at her, sensing that something was different about her.

However, before he could inquire further, Saria immediately grabbed him and pulled him into a warm hug with her long, light-blue arms.

Orion, though initially stunned, quickly embraced her in return, savouring the comforting hug for a few precious moments. Saria's arms, however, tightened around him, prompting a warm smile from Orion as he gently and soothingly rubbed her back.