NOVPUBDeep exhaustion radiated from Trisa. She'd rushed here without a moment's rest. Taking a normal route would have spared her this strain, but time was a luxury she couldn't afford.
Instead, she had ripped open the fabric of the void, creating an instantaneous passage straight to the Central Continent's heart.
Penetrating the barrier protecting this land via the void strained her body more than a journey to the depths of hell. It was evident from her disheveled hair, torn robes, and the visible tremor in her aura.
"We leave now," she announced, grabbing Eren's shoulder to steady herself as much as to claim him.
Eren couldn't help but ask, "How did you know I'd be here?"
He had been extremely meticulous, taking detours specifically during his trip to the Central Continent. There was no way someone could have guessed his destination based on his trail alone.
Did she guess his destination because he had revealed some interest in the Temple of Light? That was the only possibility he could think of.
"It doesn't matter. Just know that we are returning." Trisa didn't offer any explanation. After catching her breath, she took a deep breath and tried to open another void in a hurry.
"Wait! I can't enter the spatial void with you! My body... I mean my physique doesn't allow me to travel through space. You saw what happened to me last time? Even worse might happen this time!"
Eren tried to stop her, and even gave her an excuse. As there was no lie in his excuse, even Trisa couldn't force him unless she wanted him to die.
"You..." Trisa stopped tearing the void open. She thought that she could take Eren back and pretend as if he never stepped foot in this place. But if they couldn't return through the void, didn't it mean they had to take the longer route?
It meant they had to be within the borders of the Central Continent for longer? She didn't really mind taking the longer route, but there were two things that worried her.
If Eren's alter ego came out while they were on this land, then what hell was going to be let loose? Something that worried her even more was the reason that the other personality didn't want Eren to come here.
He was so strong, then what could have worried him to this extent? Just what kind of danger was facing him in this continent that even someone as strong as him couldn't handle?
"Fine! We will fly back!" With no other choice, Trisa planned to fly back. "I will hire the fastest boat. We should be back within a few days."
Even if she had come here in a hurry, she didn't forget to bring aura stones with her. It could be used as a currency, even in the Central Continent.
She might not be the richest person in the Central Continent, but as the Lord of the Ice Maiden Palace, she was definitely rich enough to hire the fastest and greatest boat back.
She grabbed Eren's wrist tightly, and pulled him back with her. "Come with me to the Merchant Union."
"Mother-in-law, can we stay here for a few more days?" Eren asked Trisa, who was pulling him back.
"Absolutely not. This place is not safe for you. The faster we get out of here, the better. If something goes wrong, my Ice Maiden Palace will also be dragged down with you."
"Nothing will go wrong. I told you that I have a friend. I came here to meet him."
"So what if you have a friend? Can your friend protect you in the Central Continent, where true dragons roam freely? There are too many dangers here. Even I can't protect you completely if something goes wrong."
"My friend can definitely protect me."
"Hmph. Even I'm not confident about being able to protect you here. And you say that your friend can do that? Go ahead then. Tell me which friend is it?"
"What if he is someone that is truly able to protect me?"
"Are you trying to use bluff on me, for me to let you go free? It won't work. If you truly have a friend that can do it, then I will let you meet him. Go ahead!"
Trisa was not in the mood to listen. Eren had already used tricks to run away from the Ice Maiden Palace. He had lied to the medicinal elder, using such a story. She was certain that the story about a friend was just an excuse, that he had used to run away.
'Does he really think that same excuse will work twice? This time, let's see what kind of lies you come up with.' She thought. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"My friend is from the Arcadia Clan. His name is Frey Arcadia."
"Arcadia Clan?" Trisa's legs froze in place the moment she heard the name. Eren had been walking behind her, and didn't expect her to stop suddenly.
He collided with her, and subconsciously held her waist.
"You are saying that your friend is part of the Arcadia Clan?" Trisa asked, her tone completely changed.
If the Ice Maiden Palace was A-Rank Power in the Upper Realm, and the Temple of Light was S-Rank, then the Arcadia Clan could only be called the SSS-Rank Clan.
It was one of the few ancient clans that had millions of years of lineage. No one really knows how long it had been since these clans came into existence. Compared to them, the Temple of Light's history was like that of a dwarf.
In the Central Continent, the Arcadia Clan held a lot of power. If they really wanted, then they just had to issue an order and the Temple of Light would have stopped fighting in an instant.
At the moment, she was cursing herself for promising Eren that he could meet his friend if he really had the ability to protect him.
If she knew that his friend was in the Arcadia Clan, then she never would've made that promise. She would've just taken him back.
