Meanwhile, at the Mazzanti estate...

Jasmine had just arrived at Vicente's estate and was quickly taken to the detention area.

Watching his men finish closing Vicente's hostage's cell, Rory looked at her interestedly, having heard what had happened after his group split from Vice's.

Having heard from the three men who had accompanied Vice to Ironcrest what had happened and who that woman was, Rory was aware of the resources his friend had at his disposal for the family but also of the current trouble over him.

'More trouble? Why is it that every time we get close to having some peace, something happens?' He asked himself, remembering that after they had left for the Alpine Woodpecker Forest, he and Vice had thought that they would be able to grow up in peace for the next few months without any major challenges.

They had to hunt pentagrams, find a way to use the Irwin family's resources, and then prepare to deal with the Scarlet Syndicate.

All things considered, everything was going well for them, and soon, they would be able to reach the ideal situation of no more local problems. From then on, they would have peace to grow.

But out of nowhere, new problems had arisen. Now Vicente had a ridiculous promise to keep in ten years. There was the situation with the Symons family and Nina, but also the problem with that woman from the strongest organization on the continent, the Congregation of Revelations.

Thinking about it, Rory was not in a good mood, feeling that the Mazzanti family's situation was even more difficult now than when they were dealing with the Defiant Tyranny.

'Somehow, we're now even more screwed than before. How is that possible?' He looked at the beautiful woman while wearing a metallic mask on his face.

Meanwhile, Jasmine looked at Rory and asked. "So this is the dreaded Mazzanti family? Looking at it from the inside, it seems ordinary to me... How did you manage to steal from the Irwin family? I'm really curious."

Rory looked into her eyes and said. "Miss Jasmine, are you planning a robbery? Please leave that to the experts."

"Haha, you're funny. But when I think about how much you've accomplished, I believe that's a really tempting option. I wouldn't mind taking a little risk with such good prizes." She joked, seeing that Rory had no intention of talking about it.

"Anyway, 'Deputy,' what are you going to do with me? Where's your leader?"

"Miss Jasmine, take your time. He'll see you soon enough. For now, tell me about your position in the Congregation of Revelation. Which temple do you serve?"

That woman had been talking to Vicente for the past few days about some kind of partnership to prevent both sides from perishing with their current problem. So, Rory wanted to talk to her quickly so he could help his friend evaluate Jasmine's proposed deal.

Maybe Vicente already knew a lot about her, but Rory still had to verify her information.

He would do that while he let his friend do other things and start solving some local problems.

"I'm from..."

...

While Jasmine was answering Vicente's questions, a blond man on the roof of a building in the center of Millfall looked thoughtfully to the east of the city.

'Cesar Mazzanti, huh? It looks like you're more complicated than we thought.' Such a man from Ironcrest thought, having arrived in Millfall and already knowing practically everything there was to know about Cesar.

He didn't know Vicente's identity since he had no special ability to reveal such a thing. However, he had found out enough to mention some crucial points to his partners at the Ironcrest Awakening Temple.

'Time for me to go back.' He decided to head back to his city. 'I will let Levi decide what to do with you!'

...

Meanwhile, Vicente was in the dark about another brewing problem that would hit him in a few weeks.

Unable to solve all his problems, he arrived at Nova's house and looked at the place with emotion.

He wanted to visit Nova for her. But after everything that had happened and how important she had been in saving Nina, he was there to thank her.

Pa! Pa!

"Nova, it's me, Vicente." He said as he knocked on the door a few times.

Nova would be leaving this afternoon with an army battalion. Still, Vicente was aware that she was at home at the moment.

His information network was much better now than it had been weeks ago, and Vice now had observers keeping an eye on his main interests on the ground.

He knew that Nova, who was supposed to be on her last hours of pre-departure leave for a new mission, was at home right now.

After a minute of waiting, Vicente saw the front door of that residence open.

"Vicente!" Nova shouted as she saw the face she hadn't seen in over a month.

She immediately hugged him and couldn't help but ask him to forgive her for letting Nina down. "I'm sorry for what happened to your sister, Vice. I was out of town the day she was kidnapped and couldn't help her sooner."

"Don't worry, it's not your fault." Vicente smiled at her as he hugged her waist. "Anyway, you saved her. Without your help, Nina could have suffered much more. So, I thank you, Nova. You had no obligation, but you did what you did for her regardless."

"Nina is like a little sister to me. You don't have to thank me." She looked into Vicente's eyes as she hugged him.

Staring at each other in silence, they didn't stay still for long. Feeling the great tension building up between them, they were both inside the residence in the blink of an eye, kissing like long-separated lovers.

This time, Nova wasn't as rational as on other occasions with Vicente, and before she knew it, she was half naked in his arms and on the way to her bedroom.

Vicente, too, was lost in emotion and soon was with Nova in a way he had never been with any other woman in this world.

Without much thought, the two would spend the next two hours in that apartment getting to know each other on a much deeper level than they had ever attempted before!