Afterwards, Leyvi and the ladies left the area, leaving the six brutally beaten men unconscious on the ground. After a few days, the seals on their meridians would slowly loosen, allowing them a chance to free themselves.
The group was now heading toward the eastern side of the Royal City, the area near Princess Waniwani's territory where most people tended to gather.
Leyvi wanted to find the individuals on his list, but visiting each faction's territory directly would take far too much time and effort. And now, after learning the grim truth about the portals, he felt time was ticking away far too quickly.
Since most people congregated in Princess Waniwani's sector, it was the perfect place to search for familiar faces. But he had another, more pressing agenda for going there immediately.
Once he was finished there, he planned to return to the cave mansion and discuss their next steps with everyone.
As for the relics and treasures hidden within the ancient palaces high up in the tree, they could wait. Those had suddenly become far less important to him.
"Darling, do you want to see Princess Waniwani? She is very pretty, you know. All the attention always seems to be on her," Rose said, a hint of playful competitiveness in her tone.
"But don't worry, I am still far prettier. When we arrive, all the limelight will shift to us. Fufufu~"
"Why would I want any limelight?" Leyvi replied flatly. "I want to be invisible if at all possible."
Ava threw him a sharp side glance. Why? So you can peep at ladies unnoticed? Not on my watch! She thought inwardly.
"Holy Maiden, look at us right now," Liyan said, pulling out a small, ornate hand mirror and holding it up.
"Ah, right, we are in disguise," Rose remembered, studying her plain reflection. "Look at us, so ugly. We certainly cannot get any limelight looking like this."
She turned back to Leyvi, her expression suddenly earnest. "Darling, please don't get familiar with this ugly face. I don't want you to remember me like this. Here, a good portrait of mine. Keep this and remember my true appearance."
She forcefully pressed a large, pink-framed portrait into his hands.
Leyvi was speechless as he took the heavy, gilded frame. Who carries around a life-sized portrait of themselves?
He glanced at the painting and was genuinely surprised. The Rose depicted was surprisingly modest and elegant, clothed in flowing, dignified robes. There was none of the overt sensuality he had seen before. She looked pure, innocent, even holy.
He could not help but acknowledge how drastically a person's attire could alter the entire vibe and aura they projected.
Well, Nala has proven that many times already. Her unique lingerie designs make all the ladies many times more alluring.
Leyvi nodded to himself, lost in thought.
"Darling, does that nod mean you like this portrait? Yay! I am so happy!" Rose beamed, misinterpreting his gesture entirely. "Next time, I will dress exactly like this just for you." She ended with a hopeful, playful wink.
Leyvi blinked. Uhh... I nodded for a completely different reason. Well, whatever.
He was too lazy to explain and simply stored the oversized portrait in his space ring. Returning it to her would only sour her mood, and he did not want to deal with that.
Leyvi then spread his spiritual sense, and after confirming that no one was nearby, he finally opened his mouth. It was time to tell them the truth.
"There are no portals up there. The rumor isn't true," he revealed bluntly.
"What?" All four women turned to him at once, their expressions a mirror of stunned disbelief.
"You... are you telling the truth?" Liyan questioned, her face going pale.
After learning that Leyvi could actually climb the colossal tree, she had felt a powerful surge of hope about returning home. This sudden news shattered that hope all over again.
Unlike Lily and her Holy Maiden, Liyan had her entire family's fate depending on her. If she disappeared forever, her family would be ruined. Of all of them, she was the most deeply distressed about being trapped.
"Yes," Leyvi nodded, watching the raw emotion flood her features. "That is why it took me so many days up there. I searched everywhere."
"That can't be..." Liyan whispered, her shoulders slumping in profound depression.
"Holy Maiden, do you know where the news about the portals being up there originally came from?" Leyvi inquired.
"I know. We all know," Rose replied. "It came from Mental Lord Vincent, the leader of the southeast region faction. Sigh... I never expected he would lie about something so important."
"Hmph! So it was the mental illness guy," Ava chimed in, her tone sharp with contempt. "The boss of the six who tried to recruit us. All they do is lie."
"Right, it was him," Rose continued, her disappointment now palpable. "Too bad... now Darling can't become our hero anymore."
Leyvi was dumbfounded. That is what you are upset about? And whoever said I wanted to be a hero?
"What should we do now? Are we stuck here forever?" Ava said, her fists clenching. "We should expose that mentally ill liar. How dare he? He needs a good beating too."
"I don't mind," Rose said, her mood swinging in a completely different direction. A dreamy smile touched her lips.
"That means I can be with Darling forever, serving him! We will not have to be separated. We can populate this entire world with our children! Hundreds of them!" Her eyes shone with fervent, misguided hope.
Lily rolled her eyes discreetly. Holy Maiden, I know you are deeply in love, but please think about Liyan's feelings for a moment.
She gently began stroking Liyan's back, offering what comfort she could.
"I don't plan on staying here forever," Leyvi stated, his voice firm and serious. "I need to go home, no matter what it takes."
"I see. Sorry, Darling," Rose said immediately, her expression shifting to one of contrite adoration. "I am being inconsiderate. Do not worry! I will do my absolute best to help you in any way I can! Just tell me what to do. I will even sacrifice myself for you if needed!" Her gaze was utterly sincere.
"Stop, stop. Listen to me, Holy Maiden," Leyvi said, holding up a hand. "Don't ever put yourself in any danger. Not under any circumstances. You must prioritize your own safety above all else. Do you understand? This is my order."
With his body still under the strange curse that forced him to protect her, her putting herself in harm's way would mean his own body would rebel to save her. He could not let that happen.
"Haaaa!" Rose gasped audibly, a hand flying to her chest. Her eyes instantly welled with tears.
"Darling! I didn't know you cared about me this much," she breathed, her voice trembling with emotion. "You can't bear to see me hurt in the slightest! Oh, Darling, I could die in peace right now. It is enough to know my beloved cares for me... my life is complete." She delivered the line with her usual dramatic flair.
Leyvi was left speechless. She misunderstood me again. Well, whatever. As long as she stays out of danger. More importantly, he needed her help right now.
"What I want to do there is tell everyone the truth of what I discovered," Leyvi explained his plan. "The news needs to spread as fast as possible. I know we have a time limit of about ten years. We still have six years left to find the real portals. We need everyone to go out and search before it is too late. But people might not believe a nobody like me. So, Holy Maiden Rose, I need your help to convince them."
"Haaaa!" Rose gasped again, her hand flying to her heart.
"Yes, Darling! Leave it to me! I will use my charm to convince everyone. I will do absolutely anything for you," she pledged without hesitation.
Leyvi sighed inwardly. He had not expected to rely on her like this. Senior Lapin could also help by marking all the places he had already searched for portals, which would save a tremendous amount of time.
Afterwards, Leyvi's group quickened their pace, heading directly for the west region of the Royal City.
---
A few hours later, an invisible figure arrived at the scene of the beating. He stood over the six unconscious, brutally beaten men lying on the ground.
It was Mental Lord Vincent.
"Hmm... they have already departed. These fools are lucky they were left alive," he observed calmly.
"Now, let me see. Where did he go?" the invisible man muttered, spreading his spiritual sense to blanket the area. He did not have time to deal with his incompetent subordinates right now.
He focused on the specific spot high above where he had seen the man in the red jacket standing earlier.
"Good. His residual aura is still here. Now you can't escape." A cold smile touched Vincent's lips.
After processing the lingering spiritual signature, a faint, glowing trail of the man's recent path materialized within his perception.
"Heh, wait for me, Jacket Man. Your death is near." Vincent set off, following the trail as swiftly and silently as a ghost, leaving his unconscious men forgotten behind him.