...

Meanwhile, somewhere at the Amaharpe border...

"That was close. Taking that last attack head-on was out of the question. Avoiding it was also not an option. I would have had to use up a life-saving skill to survive. Fortunately, everyone was able to get through the portal in time." Luna internalized as she looked around and saw the group of captives celebrating their escape.

Some were jumping from joy, others were crying after escaping a certain death, and many were still in a state of shock as they tried to process what just happened. But, one thing was for sure, they were all relieved to have escaped that place in one piece.

Once Luna realized that everyone had safely made it through the portal, she wasted no time going through herself. Then, the moment she reached the other side, she immediately terminated the portal.

However, even though she was successful, Luna released a small sigh of regret. She did not expect there to be separate areas where the captives were kept. Her original group of fifteen were taken to a room with only sixty to seventy people. This was quite a far cry from the 240 civilians mentioned on the quest information.

Luna could not help feel that perhaps she had been too impatient in her escape. If she stayed longer and allowed herself to be taken away, could she have saved more people?

No, thinking this way was wrong. It was possible there would be even more people of Sakari's strength guarding the area they would have been taken to. There was even a high possibility of running into a skounae stronger than Sakari!

"I managed to save them, but... I just hope that the other two are able to do the same." Luna internalized.

Her eyes then scanned through the crowd before landing on the young girl, Aria. She was unconscious, undoubtedly due to the shock of everything that transpired; however, she was unharmed just as the male captive promised.

"We may be out of Malentansium territory, but traveling in a group this large will attract a lot of attention. We should begin making our way to the nearest outpost." Luna said to herself.

There were still things like bandits and monsters to worry about on the way to the outpost. These civilians were not suited for combat, but more importantly, they were no longer under the watchful eye of the skounae. If things became too chaotic, Luna could no longer guarantee their protection.

After letting everyone celebrate and gather themselves for a few minutes, Luna decided that it was time to start heading towards the outpost. But, just as she got ready to announce her decision, she went on high alert as the space behind her fluctuated.

A couple of seconds later, a spatial rift formed less than two meters away from Luna's location, and as the others witnessed this, they began to panic.

"Did they follow us..?!"

"No more... Please, not again!"

"Should we run for it? If we go different ways, they can't catch all of us, right?"

Zeeeeut!

Right as everyone was ready to run away from the scene in fear of being captured once again, things suddenly calmed down once they saw who stepped out of the spatial rift. To their surprise, it was not a skounae, but a human!

Even though chaos did not ensue, there were still some who remained on guard and cautious. In the end, just because one was human did not necessarily mean they had good intentions.

As for Luna, she immediately recognized the person who came from the spatial rift. After all, it was the same individual who assigned her this SS-ranked quest! But, what were they doing here personally?

"You've brought back more than I expected. Great work, Adjutant Luna. I knew it was the right call choosing you for this assignment." The one who spoke was a man who appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties. He had short hair that was seven parts gray and three parts black with a pair of eyes that possessed no pupils.

"Sir Aeacus, I was not informed that you would come here in person," Luna replied as she inwardly furrowed her brows.

NPC Name: Aeacus Jestal(???)

NPC Level: ???

Aeacus was a high-ranking officer; however, he was not officially a part of any existing war branch. Instead, he was a member of a group deemed as a "special war power", similar to Amaharpe's Crimson Corps Guards. These types of groups were exempted from the war alliance's influence and existed solely as a power of the kingdom they were aligned with.

Of course, this also meant that they were given special privileges that ordinary war branches were not.

On a visit to one of the war branch sectors, upon witnessing Luna's skills firsthand and learning of her identity as one a Protector of Amaharpe, Aeacus offered her a position as his Adjutant.

In terms of authority, the Adjutant of someone like Aeacus held no less influence than a Commander of the War Brigade!

"Since I was the one who assigned you this mission, naturally, I have an obligation to ensure that things proceed smoothly upon your return. Also, you are my Adjutant. I may not have been able to enter the Night Lord's Crypt along with you, but how can I leave all the work in your hands?" Aeacus said with a smile as he swept his gaze across the group of shaken civilians.

He then continued, "And? The other two?"

Luna shook her head and responded, "I'm uncertain. We were separated into different groups when we first entered the Night Lord's Crypt. I was only able to save the people that you see before us now—though it is regrettable that I could not rescue the remaining civilians."

Luna turned to face the civilians as she released a heavy sigh.

"Adjutant Luna—you have done a great deed on this day. I am sure the other two will succeed in their mission. After all, they were personally handpicked by me." Aeacus reassured.

...

Several moments later...

Everyone had long since calmed down after Luna confirmed Aeacus' identity. Needless to say, they were all extremely grateful that a high-ranking noble would go through so much effort to rescue them and many expressed their gratitude.

At the moment, the group was traveling in a somewhat orderly fashion as they tried not to stray too far from one another, with Luna and Aeacus acting as guides.

"Are you sure it was okay to leave without waiting for the others?" Luna questioned.

"Your concern is wasted, Adjutant. I have left hidden instructions that those two will be able to find when they arrive safely outside. Rest assured, they will know what to do." Aeacus answered.

"Then, that spatial portal you used—is it possible to-" Luna wanted to ask; however, she was quickly cut off.

"It's not. I know what you want to ask, but even for me, it's impossible to transport this many people over such a vast distance. We can only use this method to proceed." Aeacus stated.

"I see... May I ask another question? Where exactly are we headed? If my memory serves me correctly, the nearest outpost should be located somewhere in the opposite direction." Luna inquired.

"That outpost has been compromised. The place we are currently headed to is called Eastgate. It is a minor outpost, but it should have no issue housing this many civilians." Aeacus said.

"I never-"

"Adjutant, it seems that you have an endless stream of worries. Can it be that you do not trust me?" Aeacus asked with a smile.

"...No, you have given me no reason not to trust you. Just that, I feel as though I am being left in the dark. As your Adjutant, I would like to know these matters beforehand if possible." Luna said calmly.

"You're quite outspoken, Adjutant Luna. But, as I mentioned before, I assure you—your worries are wasted. Now, I believe we should increase our pace. The sooner we arrive at Eastgate, the better." Aeacus said as he walked forward with slightly quickened steps.

At the same time, a small grin peeked out from the corner of Aeacus' lips.

...

Meanwhile, somewhere at an undisclosed location in the Demilitarization Belt...

'These should be the correct coordinates. Am I the first to arrive?'

Izroth thoroughly examined his new surroundings; however, there were no signs of anyone within the immediate vicinity.

'It seems I have some extra time on my hands. Then, should I try that out?'

Izroth removed the Dark Abyssal Cauldron from his inventory.

Bang!

The cauldron instantly stabilized itself on the uneven terrain by forcibly flattening the earth beneath it.