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Fight? Three hours? Could it be that…

Ness glanced at Lady Erica, her face masked and her head bowed as if she had dozed off. A gleam sparkled in his eyes.

Lilith unfolded the map and studied it for a long time before pointing to what seemed like a lake at the center of it, marked by a rectangle for some unknown reason.

“What’s this?” she asked.

Ness glanced at it before clarifying, “It’s a lake at the center of this small world. The rectangle in the middle of it indicates a small island.”

“A perfectly rectangular island?”

Lilith scrutinized the markings of the other islands. They were all roughly depicted in shape except for this rectangle, which stood out starkly.

Ness shook his head, explaining, “It’s not that the island itself is rectangular. There are no rectangular islands in this world. However, there’s a mountain on the island that has a rectangular shape, so that’s why it’s marked as a rectangle.”

“A rectangular mountain? That’s interesting. This shall be the place then.” Lilith’s eyes lit up, nodding at the spot with interest.

Turning to Ness, Lilith declared, “When you return, tell everyone—whether they’re part of the Anti-Princess Alliance or not—if they find Lady Erica too arrogant or an eyesore, they can challenge her there in five days. One-on-one or in groups, it’s their choice.”

Lilith’s bold proclamation left Ness reeling, who instinctively replied, “Alright, alright, we’ll relay the message.”

“Off you go then.” Lilith dismissed them with a wave. “Or are you expecting me to keep you for dinner?”

Startled, Ness and Brady quickly gathered Ballmer, preparing to depart.

“Wait.” Lilith suddenly stopped them.

She pointed at the unconscious Ballmer and demanded, “Where are his five Holy Dragon’s Hearts? Hand them over.”

Upon hearing Lilith’s questions, relief washed over Ness before a troubled look quickly appeared on his face again.

“B-But… he’s unconscious.”

“That’s your problem. Or do you guys need my help to wake him?” Lilith asked, waving her small fist.

Ness frowned. “Never mind, I’ll handle it.”

With a pained expression, Ness retrieved a pill emitting a strong aroma, muttering something about merely lending and expecting it to be returned before feeding it to Ballmer.

The pill took effect swiftly, though it couldn’t match Erica’s healing power.

After a few minutes, Ballmer coughed up a mouthful of stale blood and regained consciousness.

“Where are your five Holy Dragon’s Hearts?” Ness asked without beating around the bush.

Ballmer, not entirely dim-witted, understood immediately. He obediently retrieved the Holy Dragon’s Hearts from his storage ring, looking pale.

“Here they are.”

Exactly five—no more, no less. After handing them over to Lilith, she beamed with joy, bidding them farewell. “Take care, and remember to visit us again.”

The three men, who had arrived arrogantly, departed with tails between their legs. Finding a safe spot, Ness and Brady gently laid Ballmer down in the shade to rest. Ness reached behind himself and realized his back was damp.

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I thought she was arrogant, but failed to realize that I was blinded by my own ego too,” Ballmer said guiltily, unable to move his body.

“Understandable. You’re not the only one who underestimated them. I didn’t expect her to be that strong either,” Ness reassured him.

Brady muttered quietly, “I told you guys she’s strong, but no one believed me…”

Ness glanced at Brady but said nothing. He turned back to Ballmer and asked, “How are you feeling? Do you have any healing items?” Ness took out a pill, though its quality was noticeably inferior to the one he used earlier. “If you need one, you can use mine.”

“No, thanks. I have one,” Ballmer replied, managing to retrieve an expensive healing elixir. With Ness’ earlier pill reaching its peak effect, the two healing items visibly healed Ballmer’s wounds.

“They’re all physical wounds. That blonde girl sure hits hard; I’ve got a few broken bones,” Ballmer remarked.

“I’m glad it’s nothing major,” Ness said, feigning relief. “What about that blonde girl? How did you find fighting her?”

“The blonde girl?” Fear appeared on Ballmer’s face as he recalled the battle. “When she punched me, it felt like I was being hit by a legendary, ancient, and powerful demonic ape that could split mountains with its fist. I was disoriented instantly; my mind went blank until I started calling for help. I was just acting on instinct.”

He smiled wryly. “Sorry that all of you had to see that. I’ve truly embarrassed myself.”

“No worries, I’d probably fare worse in that situation,” Ness replied, then changed the subject. “Apart from her strength, did you notice anything else about her?”

Ballmer pondered carefully before replying, “Not really, but she smiled really happily while beating me up.”

Ness stared at him speechlessly.

That’s not what I meant… And seriously, how could you still notice her smile when you were being pummeled?

“Speaking of which, I don’t know if I was imagining things, but her punches seemed to lose power over time,” Ballmer suddenly recalled.

“Really?” Ness’ eyes immediately lit up.

“Yeah, each punch seemed weaker than the last,” Ballmer pondered for a moment before confirming.

“The first one was the most terrifyingly strong. But then they gradually lost their force. Honestly, those last punches that knocked me out should have been manageable if they were thrown earlier in the fight,” he added.

“I see, I see…” Ness rubbed his chin, pacing back and forth. “In that case, maybe that blonde girl isn’t as strong as we thought.”

“Did something happen?” Ballmer asked.

“Well, she spoke on behalf of Lady Erica again,” Ness replied, then recounted Lilith’s words to Ballmer.

After listening to Ness’ account, Ballmer fell into a long silence. Instead of reacting with anger and disdain, he thoughtfully asked, “What do you plan to do? Spread Lilith’s message to the rest of the Anti-Princess Alliance?”

“Yes.” Ness nodded, then clenched his fist decisively. “And more than just spreading the message. I want to gather as many people as possible and take them down.”

“What? You want to retaliate?” Brady exclaimed before Ballmer could respond. “Are you out of your mind? It’s only been a few minutes, and you’ve forgotten how terrifying they were? You’ll get yourself killed!”