Because Millie was still tired from the battle, they weren't able to fly at a very fast rate. However, it was swift enough.

Lux believed that, within the eight remaining hours, they would arrive at Dunspear City, where the Baron's Residence was located, in time.

Seeing the Half-Elf carrying the sleeping Clyde in his arms made Princess Anastasia frown a bit.

Right now, she was being carried by Millie in a princess carry as they soared across the sky headed towards the Baron's territory.

In truth, the Princess wanted to propose that she swap places with Clyde, allowing herself to be carried by the chubby teenager.

But, knowing the crisis that her Kingdom was about to face, she decided to set this selfish thought aside.

'There will be plenty of opportunities in the future,' Princess Anastasia thought.

Since she was a Princess of the Kingdom, she would just use her authority to create opportunities for him to pamper her.

Due to the urgency of the situation, none of them had the chance to talk as they continued their journey.

Princess Anastasia had asked the Adventurers from the Adventurer's Guild to head to Wolfpine Barony in order to serve as reinforcements, just in case something out of the ordinary happened.

After completing their mission, Keelan and his comrades were about to disband and return to their own hometowns, but after hearing the Princess' request, they decided to take a detour, and assist her one more time.

Keelan, who had already been informed by Lux about the Creature of Ruin, decided to convince his people to do as the Princess asked.

However, he insisted that they should be given additional compensation because they would treat the Princess' orders as a direct commission to the Adventurer's Guild.

Princess Anastasia didn't bat an eye and agreed to their request. It wasn't her money that would be used to pay the Adventurer's Guild, so she was fine with that. She would just collect the payment from the Baron, or from her father, and cite that this was an emergency request that concerned the safety of the Kingdom.

If what Millie told her was real, then the Adventurers would not hesitate to help them because once the Monster of Ruin rampaged across the land, their livelihoods would be affected as well.

Seven and a half hours later, an exhausted Millie landed on the outskirts of Dunspear City at Lux's request.

He knew that bringing Clyde back to the Baron's house was a bad idea, so they agreed to just hide him somewhere for the time being until the Monster of Ruin arrived.

The Half-Elf passed the sleeping Clyde to Eiko, who unceremoniously devoured him for safekeeping.

The Half-Elf then rented a big room in an inn, while Millie and Princess Anastasia put on robes with hoods to cover their faces.

Only after they were safely inside the room did the two Dwarves take them off.

"Let's rest for now," Lux proposed before glancing at the remaining time on his mission. "We don't know what will happen later. There is still an hour left before the Monster of Ruin arrives."

-----

Mission Time: 1: 14: 37

-----

The Half-Elf opened the window and stared towards the North.

He could see the dark clouds in the distance, which meant that the monster of Ruin was close.

"Sir Lucien, I have something to ask," Princess Anastasia said as she sat on top of the bed. "Millie told me that her Master said that the latest member of the Order of the Griffon was a Half-Elf and not a Human. Are you perhaps hiding your true identity?"

Lux glanced at the adorable Princess before nodding his head.

"Yes," Lux answered. "I am indeed hiding my true identity."

After receiving Millie's help, Lux felt that it was fine to share this bit of information with them since they were currently temporary allies.

The green-haired Dwarf was the disciple of one of the members of the Order, so it was only natural for her to know some information about him.

"Then, are you using some kind of artifact to hide your true looks?" Princess Anastasia asked. "If possible, I want to see what you really look like."

"Is there even a need for that?" Lux asked back. "Also, Twilight Rain is looking for me. It will be best if I don't show my true appearance right now."

Princess Anastasia pouted.

"We are not members of Twilight Rain, and you are my benefactor," Princess Anastasia insisted. "Your secret is safe with me."

Lux sighed before glancing in Millie's direction.

After seeing that Lux was asking for her opinion, the green-haired Dwarf nodded her head.

"Although your employer and her Highness are currently competing, it doesn't change the fact that we owe you a great debt," Millie stated. "We will not do anything to jeopardize your identity. Also, I am very curious about what you truly looked like. Just this once, I want to see the real face of the person who helped save Her Highness, so I can repay this favor in the future. I won't be able to do that if I didn't know your real face, right?"

Lux couldn't come up with any reason to refute the green-haired Dwarf because she had indeed helped him a lot on this mission.

Also, he didn't know what would happen in the future, and having a Ranker become indebted to him wasn't a bad idea.

"Okay," Lux finally agreed. "But, you have to promise me one thing. No matter what happens, you will not spread my information to other people. Right now, Twilight Rain thinks that I am dead. It should stay that way until I am strong enough to let them know that I am still alive and kicking."

Princess Anastasia and Millie nodded their heads and promised Lux to not divulge his information.

"Actually, my true name is not Lucien, but Lux," Lux said as he took off his mask, undoing his current transformation. "And this is what I truly looked like."

Princess Anastasia's face turned beet red after seeing the handsome Half-Elf look at her with a smile. Even Millie, who didn't expect Lux to be a good looking teenager, blinked a few times just to confirm that she wasn't seeing things.

'He looks like a Prince,' Princess Anastasia thought as she looked at the Half-Elf with a flushed face. 'Although our race is different, I think I can convince my father to'

The Princess started to get lost in her fantasy as she looked at the handsome Half-Elf, who was responsible for devising a plan to save her.

Millie, on the other hand, just nodded her head before telling Lux that he could put his mask on again.

"Thank you for your trust," Millie said. "In the future, if you ever need my help, just ask. I will not hesitate to offer you my assistance in order to repay the debt that I owe you."

"I'll take you up on that offer," Lux replied. "I always find myself in situations similar to this, so having a Ranker's help is greatly appreciated."

The corner of Millie's lips twitched when he heard that Lux always found himself in tricky situations such as this.

"...Do you always attract Calamity-Ranked Disasters?" Millie asked. If someone were to listen closely to the tone of her voice, they would hear the faint traces of anxiety and regret in her voice.

"Not always," Lux replied as he put on his Mask of Thousand Faces. He was so close to answering Yes to Millie's question. Fortunately, he managed to stop himself at the last minute, making Millie breathe a sigh of relief.

For the green-haired Dwarf, the Princess' kidnapping on top of the Calamity-Ranked Monster of Ruin was already a very big deal.

If Lux were to admit that he often found himself in trouble, Millie might take her offer back, making him lose a dependable ally in the future.

Half an hour later, a thunderous roar reverberated in the skies above Dunspear City, making Princess Anastasia jump up from the bed in fright and run towards Lux, clinging onto him.

At first, Lux wanted to pry the Princess' hands from his robes, but after he saw that her body was trembling, he had no choice but to pat her head and assure her that everything was going to be fine.

Millie walked towards where Lux was standing before looking out of the window.

Strong gusts of wind were blowing in the surroundings, and thunder and lightning rampaged in the sky, forcing the people outdoors to seek shelter.

"Is it here?" Millie asked Lux with a voice that was almost akin to a whisper. She still couldn't forget the instinctive fear that she felt when she saw the seven-headed dog monster, making her subconsciously clench her fist due to anxiety.

Lux narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the blurry figure that seemed to be covered by a thick mist that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, shrouding the entire city.

The Half-Elf might not be able to see the seven-headed dog, but he could hear its steady steps in the distance. He knew that it was only a matter of time before it arrived.

Princess Anastasia had never seen the Monster of Ruin before, but due to the nature of her powers, she was quite sensitive to everything that was dangerous to living things.

She couldn't stop her body from shuddering as she buried her face in Lux's waist, hoping that her savior would be able to deal with the current situation and stop the Monster of Ruin from turning her Kingdom into a wasteland.