"Wuwuwuwu!" Eiko cried sadly in Iris' arms after Astra had beaten her and Boomer at the same time.

To be perfectly honest, even Lux thought that the Unicorn would not be able to beat Eiko and Boomer's combination, especially after what the Baby Slime had been through in the Gate of Conquest.

However, to Lux's and Eiko's surprise, Astra had also acquired a Doppelganger Ability, allowing him to create not three, not four, but five copies of himself!

Despite the fact that Eiko had used everything in her arsenal to put the smug-faced Unicorn in his place, Astra had simply become more powerful than ever.

Iris whispered in Lux's ears that when Astra managed to gain the Doppelganger Skill, it had also become a Peak Rank 5 Alpha Monster, who could only be defeated by a complete party of Initiates.

An Astra without a Doppelganger and an Astra with a Doppelganger were two different beasts, and coupled with the Unicorn's speed and firepower, he was now the strongest fighter among Iris' personal Guardians.

In short, the Unicorn was now similar to Cadmus, the Draconian Kobold, whose strength allowed him to survive in the Savage Lands that were outside the borders of Leaf Village.

Eiko might have gained a lot of battle experience after fighting against Rankers, but Astra had long fought against Monsters that were far stronger than him in order to protect his Master, Iris, from any kind of harm.

"There, there. Don't cry, Eiko," Iris coaxed the crying Baby Slime in her arms. "Don't worry, someday, you will become more powerful than Astra. When that happens, you will definitely win."

Eiko raised her head and looked at her Mama and nodded.

"Un!" Eiko answered with tears in her eyes. "Eiko will win!"

"That's right. Eiko is strong. Eiko will win!"

"Eiko will win!"

Lux could only smile after seeing this lovable exchange between the two.

The three of them were now inside Iris' residence and just spending some time together before leaving for dinner in three hours.

Cai and Keane were guided by Alicia to the rooms that were prepared for their stay in Barbatos Academy, and they decided to rest a while because they were still tired from their journey.

Astra, who was very satisfied after he beat Eiko, went to his own den to rest. Although he didn't want to admit it, the battle he had with Eiko and Boomer had exhausted him more than he expected.

He knew that Eiko was growing at a very rapid pace, but he didn't expect that the Baby Slime would use the terrain to her advantage, even digging under the ground to use sneak attacks against him.

Eiko had also become more flexible and more patient when initiating attacks. If not for the fact that Astra could instantaneously blink a few meters away from his location, he would have suffered several close calls against the Baby Slime, whose Dragon's Breaths only missed him by a hair's breadth.

When dinner came, Lux, Cai, and Keane, were surprised to see that the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy had joined them in the dining room.

"All of you did well in conquering the Gate of Conquest," Alexander said as the food was being served at the table. "There were many close calls, but all of you were able to survive, and that is all that matters."

Alexander then shifted his gaze to Lux, which made the latter look back at his Stepfather with a serious expression on his face.

"There is one last gate remaining, and I'm sure that the different Factions will undoubtedly ask you to assist them in conquering that last stage," Alexander added. "This time around, they will stick to you like glue. I don't know how much they had seen during your battle with Nero, but the few glimpses that Henrietta managed to see were enough to tell me that you have a few Life Saving Trump Cards in your disposal.

"The Vahan Empire is giving me mixed signals, and there is a chance that they will either try to woo you and make you their friend, or they will send people to eliminate you, so that you will not get the opportunity to reach a stage that can threaten them.

"Fortunately, I doubt that they will do anything to you until all the gates have been opened. There is also the issue with the Fifth Gate that can only be unlocked after all the other four gates have been cleared. For now, focus on getting stronger and find ways to acquire life-saving artifacts that will help you survive an assassination from a Ranker."

Lux nodded his head because he also felt that the Vahan Empire was plotting something against him. However, just like what Alexander said, they would probably not do anything until all the gates, including the Fifth Gate of the Sacred Dungeon, had been cleared.

"I will do my best, Father," Lux said. "For the time being, I don't plan on going to the Sacred Dungeon for a month or two. I still have a lot of things to take care of in my Guild, and politics is not my cup of tea. If possible, I'd like to let the experts handle the talking for me."

The corner of Alexander's lips rose slightly because he could tell that the Half-Elf was subtly asking him to be his spokesperson for the time being.

Everyone felt that they could talk down on Lux because he was still young and weak.

However, the words of a Saint were different. There were only a handful of people that could talk to Alexander on equal terms, and those people are very few and far between.

"Very well," Alexander replied. "I will tell them that I asked you to do a mission for the Academy to make them stop bugging you for a period of time. Use that time well, and prepare for the conquest of the Gate of Famine."

Alexander then shifted his gaze to Cai and Keane and gave the two a brief nod.

"Look after Lux when you guys are in the Dungeon," Alexander said. "As you know, this punk can be very reckless at times. Also, thank you Cai for saving him. What you did was very selfless and very brave."

Cai, who had been praised by a Saint, looked so smug, making Lux very tempted to give her a spanking.

However, since she really did save his life, he decided to be nicer to her and spank her at a later date.

Alexander talked to them about other things, especially about the latest news related to the Six Kingdoms, Skystead Alliance, and Xynnar War Pact.

He wanted to let the teenagers know that although they were united while clearing the Sacred Dungeon, they all had separate agendas in mind, and it would be best to not trust the others completely.

After dinner, everyone retired to their rooms to rest for the night.

Lux, Iris, and Eiko took a bath together before going to bed.

The Baby Slime enjoyed being pampered and washed by her Mama inside the bathtub that could easily hold five people.

The Half-Elf was well behaved and didn't attempt to make any moves on Iris while they were in the bath. He simply allowed the blue-haired beauty to lean her back against his chest as he held her waist in place.

After the bath, the three went to the bedroom. Lux and Iris only wore bathrobes. Eiko was tired and would yawn from time to time.

She had fought a long and hard battle against Astra, so after eating delicious food and having a relaxing bath, the Baby Slime became too sleepy to keep her eyes open.

Soon, Eiko had fallen soundly asleep inside her basket without a care in the world.

Not far from her, Iris took the initiative to kiss Lux as the Half-Elf's naughty hands started to fondle her soft breasts and played with the pink tips that had become hard under his touch.

"Mmh kiss"

Iris missed Lux terribly, so as soon as she was sure that Eiko was fast asleep, she pinned the Half-Elf on the bed and pressed her lips against his, fanning the flames of desire that both of them had been suppressing since the moment they had been reunited.

"I love you, Lux," Iris said softly as soon as their kiss ended.

"I love you too, Iris," Lux replied as he rested his hand at the back of Iris' head before pulling her close to him, kissing her forehead.

Iris then sat on Lux's stomach before removing her bathrobe, letting the Half-Elf see her young, and seductive body that she would show to no other man but him.

"I'll take the lead for the first round," Iris stated.

Lux nodded as he looked at his beautiful fiance's face, whose soft right hand was playfully rubbing his hard and throbbing shaft on her petals, which were wet from the desire, lust, and love that she felt for him.

Inch by painful inch, he slid inside her, making the Half-Elf feel as if he was going to die if Iris were to stop midway and deny him of the release that was threatening to fill her up and melt her from the inside out.