Although John Miller wanted to approach the little boy without noticing at all the murderous intent of all the women in the group (Especially Priscilla), he was quickly stopped by Maximilian; who smiled wryly at the thought of the bastard being so oblivious as to not notice the atmosphere and would eventually be killed for his foolishness at the hands of his wife if he was left alone.

Not that he would care if he died, but Lady Bluen sacrificed good quality materials in creating the slave collar, so it would be a waste to let him die… Those were his sincere thoughts.

And although Maximiliano had to endure the investigator's dirty eyes for a moment analyzing what was going on in the process, he finally convinced him to let the child, who was sick, rest. He also told her that Armán had gone through unpleasant experiences, so it would be better not to bother him.

Acting reluctant at the idea but deciding to be as understanding as a wife to her husband (Again, gross) John Miller agreed not to bother Armán and the child for the moment; which effectively prevented him from potentially being horribly murdered.

John Miller suddenly noticed his documents and awkwardly asked if anyone saw them anywhere. After which, Arisella showed him a pile of torn papers on the floor, stained with dried blood. The Terario almost sighed in relief, but managed to hide it with a look of false concern.

The group could only sneer in their minds at the little idiot who thought their secret was safe. If it weren't for the fact that the slave collar that Arisella created couldn't compare to the one invented in the future, he wouldn't have bothered to make them hide everything.

Who knows? It could be released with a surge of aether by sacrificing its core and killing most of those present with the consequences and fleeing. They couldn't take that risk.

They explained to him that Armán boasted about his ability with Magic and that they needed his help and he, happy to be praised by Armán, gladly accepted. Part of him also didn't want to be abandoned for being useless anyway, and being in a group would give him greater security.

That's what John Miller thought about it.

After that, Armán decided to carry the little black-haired boy who was still unconscious under the attentive and unpleasant gaze of John Miller, and it was decided that they would continue on their way. Something that everyone agreed on since no one, except Amelia, could stand to be in that bloody cave any longer.

Especially Tasha, who happily removed the rag on her face after reaching a certain distance and breathed in fresh air (?) greedily.

On the way, it was noticeable that John Miller didn't seem to have much interest in anyone other than Armán and the boy. Not that it would matter, but everyone wanted him to abandon that disgusting look that he had on his face, that he was basically begging for a hit.

Although, somehow, Armán seemed to be completely unaware of the dwarf's evil intentions as he secretly looked at Lucelle, who was also completely unaware of the attention the soldier was giving her.

What a trio of oblivious... Arisella couldn't help but think like that, although she thought it was rude to put her sister and the soldier in the same group as that piece of shit, but it was a fact that the three of them were too oblivious to things that for The others could not be more obvious.

By the way, Arisella secretly used her skill [Psychometry] on John Miller, and obtained quite...peculiar information. He certainly was a Wizard, with the magical concept of Earth, and his abilities were typical of a wizard. Furthermore, he was Rank Three, which made him more useful.

It is just that…

[Muscle Taster] and [Little Prince Taster]

Titles that could not be more worrying could be revealed through his skill. And not only that.

[Divine Protections: Super resistance (Blessing of King Zeus]

This guy received the blessing of Zeus, that gang-loving bisexual bastard!

He suddenly felt his brain hurt.

Although it's not like Zeus would descend to save the old man in case he faces danger, Arisella's headache came from the fact that somehow, this little old man gained Zeus's approval and received a blessing that It gave great physical resistance.

It sounded very useful…but she knew it wasn't for climbing mountains without getting sick. Just understanding that fact made him quite sick.

What evil things had this man committed against muscular boys and adorable shotas to get the God King himself to give him some attention? Arisella felt that the answer would leave her traumatized….

Anyway, aside from those disturbing pieces of information, Arisella nodded approvingly at the dwarf as far as the power of his magic was concerned. Although not as tall as Priscilla, she was still much taller than the average humans.

Your usefulness is of ours, you disgusting pig…..

John Miller's existence has long since fallen to a lower level than John Wick's...which is sad when you remember again that these perverts have the same name as his boyfriend.

Anyway, along the way they encountered several monsters, so they had to fight to continue forward.

Armán, still with the child in his arms, coldly ordered the steps to follow to defeat the enemies, and despite being complete novices, the [Soldiers] executed his orders perfectly due to the good influence of their skills and mercilessly put an end to the Enemy magical beasts.

The heavy infantry would bravely face the charge of the larger monsters, while the light infantry would use guns and cannons to tear them to pieces. They did it better than they themselves expected, to their joy and morale, and in the entire process Lucelle did not have to use a single poisonous potion.

Which is good, since we know well what situation would require their intervention...and it would be a very dangerous one.

An interesting thing that Arisella noticed is that Lucelle herself seemed to unconsciously look at Armán with a certain admiration for how he also ordered the [Soldiers] with a strict atmosphere that combined well with his ferocious face; an image that was not ruined by the child in her arms but, strangely, gave him another type of charm… that of a guardian.

Maybe Lucelle, this girl with a boyfriend, found him quite attractive at the moment... although she was not the only one.

While also looking at the object of his affection (Lust) with admiration, John Miller followed his orders with absolute obedience and attacked the enemies with his Magic. The collar on his neck shone slightly with each command, and he didn't notice; although he did complain a little about the apparent problem of his now non-existent perception of the ether in the environment.

Still, he fulfilled his role as a combat slave very well. Stone Ball Spells or Earth Spears flew towards insect-like monsters, animals, and even some humanoid mushrooms with incredible precision, saving the lives of heavy infantry several times over.

On the way, they stopped in a cave and rested from the long walk, taking advantage of that time for Pricillia to heal the wounded. She was becoming more fluent in reciting prayers to the goddesses with each [Soldier] she healed.

The [Soldiers] used their non-combat skills with special tools given by Armán to repair their shields. They smeared a special substance capable of magically repairing cracks in metals, and with the skills of artisans, they accelerated the repair process in just seconds (Suggestion from their Lady Bluen).

Some were chattering somewhat happily about their achievements in the recent battles against the monsters, happily boasting about how they were now part of the Empire's special people, the professionals. Of course, there were still those who remained silent and stoic like the spitting images of a soldier.

After that. Arisella took out the snacks she kept for herself from her space bracelet and shared them with anyone who felt hungry in the group, even the unpleasant John Miller, since she needed them all badly.

It was unpleasant how the guy tried to slowly approach Armán and the child even with a warning that they needed space, but it only took an order to keep him under control. Even so….

“Why can't I go to Armán and comfort him? Why can't I caress my little Elian's head and give him a loving kiss...?“ He was heard muttering such complaints to himself, making those who heard him feel dirty and want to wash their ears.

Anyway, Lucelle took advantage of that time to monitor the health of the little boy named Elian, and frowned. That immediately caught the attention of Priscilla and Arisella, who were watching her closely.

“What's wrong?” Priscilla asked anxiously as she looked at the nurse Lucelle (?), who was checking the boy's body with a serious expression.

“There are purple spots on his arms…” Concern could be seen on the Alchemist's face as she analyzed the strange spots forming on the boy's thin skin, spreading very slowly, “I think he has a serious skin infection.”

“What!?” Priscilla and John Miller screamed at the top of their voice in worry and fear. The latter immediately ran towards them and rudely pushed Priscilla aside as she approached Elian.

“Hey!” The future saint and her husband looked at the Terario annoyed but were ignored while he tried to approach the child with the expression of a lover who was about to lose his true love, “Elian, don't die my baby!”

“Stay away!” Arisella ordered coldly with a look of disgust, to which the homosexual Terario almost immediately obeyed with a look of incomprehension, stopping dead just a few centimeters from the two individuals.

"That….?"

“Don't you see that she still has a lot to say? Don't you think they are exaggerating? Lucelle gave no death sentence! I know you're worried, but before you jump to conclusions, you first have to let the medical expert speak, okay!?

He declared with some authority in his tone, not only for John Miller, that thing, but also for Priscilla. In fact, you could say that she just used her authority to subtly pressure them, both to calm them down and to divert John Miller's attention so that he would believe that her obedience was due to her common authority. noble.

Although we all know that was far from the truth.

“Lucelle…How are you so sure this is an infection? And what will happen if we can't cure him? “Arisella asked softly with a serious expression, to which Lucelle responded promptly as she looked at the little boy in her care.

“I have never seen a disease like this…I'm afraid I have no idea what it can do or how life-threatening it is. Fortunately, my potions have been shown to lessen its bad effects on your body for now…but as long as this continues to spread, it will only be a temporary solution to the real problem. Maybe I could try to get him to take high-rank potions to slow the spread…but I don't know if he has enough Aether for that.”

“High-ranking potions?” Before Arisella could speak, Maximilian asked with strangeness in his voice. The slightly short man with red hair tilted his head slightly at the name he had never heard.

“Oh…they are some special potions from my birthplace, I can only tell you that for now…” Arisella shook her head with a bitter smile.

How were they supposed to explain the concept of potions that can cast spells within the organism using the body's Aether as fuel? It would be better to leave that for another time.

Priscilla, Maximilian, and even John Miller looked at each other, but no longer paid attention to them as Lucelle continued to frown and worry all over her face.

“I used my spiritual power to explore his body and discovered that he has been releasing his Aether uncontrollably. It seems that his body is functioning strangely... the internal physical and chemical processes of his body seem to advance erratically... and since his body expels the Aether into his flesh, it would be useless to use high-rank potions on him if not. There is enough energy to power it….”

Organism functioning strangely? Ether escaping from the body?

Arisella frowned in confusion as she felt a sense of familiarity with the symptoms. She concentrated, trying to remember where she heard something similar… and her expression froze.

How can I forget about that scenario!?

With a pale and worried expression, Arisella strode towards the confused Lucelle and cast her [Psychometry] skill on Elian.

What the voice told him confirmed his suspicions, much to the boy's misfortune...

[Abnormal Condition: Dungeon Sickness (Intermediate Stage)]

Curse

Arisella couldn't help but curse at this misfortune...

The boy named Elian…. will inevitably perish...

♦♦♦♦

Astrian flew towards the disgusting purple dome that dared to imprison his beloved wife without thinking about the consequences of his actions. His cold gaze focused on the terrible phenomenon that threatened the life of the one he loved more than anything in this world.

He didn't waste time praying to the Gods that she was okay. She just hoped that the love of her life was still alive when he found her.

Who should be well, Arisella!

Otherwise…. He would destroy Madarhem, the land that caused everything, and kill his stupid uncle cruelly until he was nothing but meat paste. After that…..Who knows what will happen.

With those horrible thoughts in his head, Astrian walked across the absurdly long bridge towards Monte Cartus; the power of Divinity protecting him from both the wind and the terrible forces generated by such speed while he flew in a very Superman-style pose.

Suddenly…..

“!?”

Astrian felt a sudden crash against his body that stopped his ass from charging hard. He spun through the air disoriented for a few seconds, before stabilizing himself with a flick of his wings as he shook his head.

He frowned at the winged stranger who fell onto the bridge, which he could only describe as something that seemed to drift in and out of reality while releasing smoke, much of it broken.

A machine….? Is this the work of Madarhem? Not….

I can't sense any form of magical energy emanating from that thing!

I can't understand them even with Divine Eyes!

Completely confused with his eyes glowing with golden light, Astrian took flight slightly and suddenly finally noticed the hooded individuals running towards the Dome. He then scoffed.

“Are they the cause of this? Do they want to stop me from going to the dome or something? Ha, you shameless bastards…!“ I grit my teeth, extremely furious. His murderous aura spreading throughout the space, making it more gloomy and somehow, overshadowing the sunlight that was already very weak.

The holy light of his wings, on the other hand, became more grandiose.

How dare these bastards get in my way?

Astrian was not interested in what they planned at Monte Cartus. The mere fact that they will try to stop him when he only wants to save his wife was enough for him to sentence them to death. With such murderous thoughts, the Duke flapped his wings with killing intent.

It was then that he perceived it, with his divine eyes active he noticed the attack of a vague and humanoid foot in his direction, and Astrian blocked the attack of that foot with his hands.

“Ku….!” He was sent flying to the ground with the power of that kick, crashing hard into the ground; breaking the hard rocks that made the bridge. He stood up with some difficulty from the large crater his body made after the crash, where many cracks spread, and he frowned angrily in a certain direction.

There, there was a figure standing. His strange camouflage method began to flash in the same way as that of the machine that hit him, and his appearance was revealed, more or less.

He was a man with beautiful but at the same time unnatural appearance, sending an eerie feeling to those who looked at him as he stood there, silently smiling.

His blue eyes faintly emanated light similar to Astrian. However, while the Astrian ones were strangely charming or domineering, the one with the hooded figure gave people an unpleasant feeling.

It was creepy, as if...it was a thing trying to imitate a human being.

“You are….a Golem, huh” Astrian said darkly, to which the other party responded in a surprisingly polite voice, although somehow, he could feel that it was rather false to the extreme.

“I wouldn't call myself a Golem…an automaton would be more appropriate to call me.”

"You can talk"

"I do. I need to communicate with humans after all”

"I see"

It's strange how human and inhuman this thing could sound at the same time.

Asttain thought to himself. His cold gaze observed every movement of the mysterious figure of the self-proclaimed automaton, as he asked in a murderous but cautious voice, “Why are you blocking my path? Do you know who I am?"

"Of course. The powerful Duke of the North, Astrian von Aswort. That's you. Even so, it would be a problem if you meet my Adepts with that dangerous look on your face, so I have to stop you here even if you are a powerful entity in human society」

“They're not my objective,” Astrian responded promptly, to which the automaton shrugged his shoulders.

“Maybe not originally, I realized belatedly. However, right now, from the looks of it, I don't dare risk you running into them after I hit you with the drone. Your mission is important….”

“Enough of this nonsense!” Fed up with this conversation, Astrian interrupted the automaton and prepared for battle. He was cautious due to the machine's unexpected physical power and absurd speed, but he didn't want to waste any more time, “If you're going to get in my way, prepare to be torn to pieces!”

“Okay,” Prometheus smiled at him with narrowed eyes, “I'd like to see how long this body made with the Federation's cutting-edge technology lasts against a powerful Professionist…”

As he spoke happily, Astrian was already running towards him with great speed, summoning his sword ready for battle.

It was the beginning of the confrontation between the Northern Duke of the Empire and the Machine God of the Galactic Federation.

A battle that should have belonged to Astrian's son was about to be fought at that moment by his father, altering the fate of the world forever...