?304 I Trust You


    "Grandma!" Iris hugged Vera who was lying on the bed. Her tears seeped through the old woman''s robes, and her wail of sadness echoed inside the room.


    "Why are you crying?" Vera asked. "I''m just a bit injured from the fight. Just give me a few days and I''ll be back up to normal."


    "Grandma, the High-Cleric already told me," Iris replied as she held her grandma tight. "I swear I will kill that Ranker! He''ll pay for this!"


    "...Child, it will be best if you forget about him for the time being," Vera stated as she patted Iris back in order to calm her down. "Everyone dies. Some just die sooner than others. You''re still young and still have a long life ahead of you. I don''t mind if you avenge me, but only do it when you are strong enough. Do you understand?"


    Iris nodded her head as she cried her heart out. Right now, she just wanted to stay with her grandma while she was still alive. She would set aside everything else, including her revenge, as well as her responsibilities with her guild, Serenity.


    Lux stood beside the bed and allowed his fiance to vent out all the frustration and pain she was feeling. After the Seed of the Abyss had taken root inside his heart, all the negative emotions that he had felt during the battle were turned into the Power of the Abyss, resulting in his Abyssal Transformation.


    If it hadn''t been for Keoza absorbing the Abyssal Powers that had run amok inside his body, he might have been corruptedpletely, turning into an Abyssal Monster that would bring ruin to those around him.


    Now that all of these negative emotions were sucked up by the Golden Token, Lux was able to think more clearly, allowing him to make the necessary preparations to save his Grandma''s life.


    He had a chat with Asmodeus on their way towards the settlement of the Rowan Tribe, and thetter gave him some advice on how to utilize the Flower of Death to its fullest potential.


    What the Archlich told him then made the Half-Elf shudder. His first reaction was to reject Asmodeus'' proposalpletely, but after the Archlich pointed out the pros of the "experiment" that he had suggested Lux to do, the red-headed teenager found out that it might actually benefit Vera in the long run.


    However, there were still risks involved, and even the Archlich had to agree that his proposal was only based on theories that had never been tested.


    Because of this, Lux decided to consult his grandma about this procedure and ask her opinion about it.


    "Grandma, I have a way to prevent you from dying," Lux said softly as he sat on the bed and held one of Vera''s wrinkled hands that had protected and guided him for more than a decade.


    Iris, who had been crying, raised her head and looked at Lux in horror because she thought that the Half-Elf was nning to revive her grandma into an Undead.


    As if sensing her concern, Lux shook his head before shifting his gaze back to the olddy who was looking at him with a tender gaze.


    "You don''t have to force yourself, Lux," Vera replied. "I am fine. Even without me, I am sure that you will be able to be a wonderful person."


    "Grandma, there are still many things that you need to teach me. It''s too early for you to go. You still haven''t held my and Iris'' babies."


    "...Yes. This will be my greatest regret in this lifetime. I knew I should have ced an aphrodisiac in your meal when you turned sixteen. That way, I would have been able to hold my great grandchild before passing away."


    Lux pretended to not hear his grandma''s words and continued to talk to her about his n.


    "Grandma, during the Dungeon Expedition, I managed to get an item that has never been heard of before," Lux said as he summoned the Flower of Death. "This is the Flower of Death. It can allow someone to escape the jaws of death, as long as they still drew breath. However, after ingesting it, you will enter aatose state for a month, as your body regains its vitality, giving you a new chance at life."


    Iris'' eyes widened in shock as she stared at the ck flower that was floating above the palm of Lux''s hand. Just as the Half-Elf had said, this was the first time she was seeing such a thing, and it made her feel hopeful.


    "Quick! Let grandma consume it!" Iris said as if her very life depended on it. However, Lux only shook his head because he still wasn''t finished with his exnation yet.


    A momentter, a ck coffin appeared behind Lux.


    "Come out," Lux ordered.


    Immediately, the ck coffin opened and two beams of light shot out from inside of it,nding on Lux''s left and right sides.


    Sid and Scarlet appeared before Iris and Vera and bowed their heads respectfully.


    "They are… the two children that helped us earlier, right?" Iris said after taking a good look at the two "children" that hade out of the ck coffin.


    "They are not children. They are Dwarves. Long story short, these two tried to kill me back in Elysium," Lux replied before cing his left hand on the young Dwarf beside him. "But they got killed instead, so now, both of them are my subordinates."


    "This is Sid. He is very hardworking and very loyal. I have high hopes for him."


    Lux introduced the handsome Dwarf who bowed respectfully to Iris and Vera.


    "My name is Sid, and thanks to my Master''s kindness, I was given a second chance to live my life to the fullest. It is my great honor to see you, Master''s Wife, Master''s Grandma."


    Iris immediately got a good impression of Sid after bing called Lux''s wife, making her smile at the skilled assassin who once tried to kill her fiance.


    Vera also smiled faintly as she acknowledged Sid''s greeting. Clearly, she liked the dwarf who was now her grandson''s subordinate.


    Lux smiled as he patted Sid''s shoulder. "Right now, he is a Dhampir, and he''s working hard to be a Ranker. Unlike someone who is being spoon fed with resources…"


    Scarlet, who was standing beside Lux, clicked her tongue before averting her gaze. Clearly, she didn''t like the way her Master was going to introduce her, so she decided to just ignore the Half-Elfpletely.


    "This feistydy here is Scarlet. After her revival, she turned into a Cambion," Lux said as he used his thumb to point at the Dwarf, whose arms were crossed over her chest and was looking off to her right side. "Don''t judge her by her looks, she is one talented assassin and although I have revived her, she''s not as obedient as Sid. Truly a troublesome girl."


    Scarlet snorted before ncing at Lux.


    "I can''t stay here for long," Scarlet said. "The Elder might look for me soon. I have already wasted a lot of timeing to your aid, so can I go now?"


    "See? Look at how ungrateful she is." Lux sighed, but still nodded his head. "Make sure to be a Ranker as soon as you can. I will need your help very soon."


    "...Fine," Scarlet replied before walking towards the ck Coffin. "Only call me when it''s truly important. If you want someone to run your errands for you, Sid will be more than enough."


    After saying what she wanted to say, she turned into a beam of light and flew towards the Coffin, returning to the world of Elysium.


    "Sid, you can go as well," Lux stated. "I''m sure that you''re doing your best, so you won''t get left behind by Scarlet. Make sure to show her what hard work can do!"


    Sid respectfully bowed towards Lux. "As you wish, Master."


    A secondter, he turned into a beam of light and flew towards the ck coffin.


    Vera had an amused expression on her pale face after seeing Lux''s two subordinates. She had seen how strong the two Initiates were in the battle, and it made her feel relieved, knowing that her grandson still had some trump cards that he could summon to save his life.


    "Grandma, the name of this coffin is ckfire," Lux exined. "It has the ability to store Dead and Near Death creatures inside it. Using its ability, one can…"


    Lux exined ckfire''s functions to Vera. Iris, who was holding her Grandma''s hand, listened seriously to the Half-Elf''s words as if dissecting it from the inside out.


    "Since grandma will be in aatose state for a month, it will be best if you stayed inside ckfire," Lux said. "With the Flower of Death as an offering, you will definitely recover. Also, there is a possibility that you will gain a strong, new body, just like Sid, who has turned into a Dhampir, and Scarlet, who has be a Cambion.


    "But since you will be using the Flower of Death as an offering, you will not turn into an Undead Creature."


    Iris, who had been listening quietly on the side, voiced her opinion. "Lux, ording to your exnation, everyone that you revive using ckfire will be loyal to you. Will they lose their free will?"


    Lux smirked after hearing his fiance''s worry.


    "DId you not see and hear Scarlet earlier?" Lux asked. "Does that look and sound like someone who has lost their free will? Also, I don''t n to make Grandma my subordinate. As soon as the revival procedure is over, I will release her from ckfire''s hold."


    The Half-Elf then looked at his grandma who seemed to be deep in thought.


    "Of course, if Grandma doesn''t like it, you can just consume the Flower of Death," Lux stated. "I will abide by your decision. But you have to decide soon, Grandma."


    ckfire, which was floating beside Lux, radiated a crimson glow. It meant that someone around it was about to die, which had activated its ability to store near-death creatures.


    Vera could also feel her body slowly turning cold with every passing second, and she understood that she didn''t have much time left.


    "Lux, I trust you." Vera gazed at her grandson with a tender gaze. She knew that Lux wouldn''t do anything to harm her, so she decided to put her life in his hands. "Do what you think will be best for me."


    The red-headed teenager clenched his first before nodding his head.


    "Grandma, I''ll see you in a month''s time," Lux said softly. "ckfire, please take her."


    The ck Coffin opened wide as a ck mist escaped from within its depths. The ck mist covered Vera''s body entirely, and she turned into a ck mist, floating towards the coffin whose crimson radiance had be intense.


    When thest trace of mist was sucked up inside it, the ck coffin closed and hovered beside Lux.


    Holding the Flower of Death in his hand, Lux stretched his arm and ced the flower over the coffin as an offering. A few secondster, the ck flower turned into particles of light, merging with the ck coffin.


    Lux didn''t know whether he made the right decision or not.


    All he knew was that he would find the answer as soon as the ck Coffin released one of the most important people to him, who had cared for him for the past sixteen years of his life.