Chapter 397: A Letter From His Devoted, Unpaid, Overworked Partner in Crime

Ruvian breathed a quiet sigh of relief. With Zian and Lovia’s arrival, the tide of battle had decisively shifted in their favor.

A moment later, Lord Evrard turned toward him, seemingly seeking confirmation that the two newcomers were indeed the reinforcements Ruvian had requested.

Understanding his unspoken question, Ruvian simply nodded in affirmation.

Meanwhile, Calyra narrowed her eyes as she studied the two figures in the distance, a flicker of curiosity passing through her blue eyes.

"Are those two affiliated with your Guild?" she asked.

"More or less, though I would consider them allies for now. As far as I know, neither of them has officially joined the Guild yet." Ruvian replied.

Calyra gave a slight nod, though her attention soon returned to Zian.

’She must be surprised, as well.’

Ruvian could hardly blame her for being intrigued. Even from such a considerable distance, he could sense the immense concentration of mana emanating from Zian’s body.

’Ha, talk about having the protagonist’s aura...’

Ruvian scoffed inwardly.

*****

Not long afterward, the Black Knight finally made its decision. Under its command, the surviving Voidspawns began withdrawing from the battlefield, abandoning their advance toward Frostgrave.

Considering the circumstances, it was arguably the most prudent decision the creature could have made.

With the arrival of such formidable opponents, pressing the assault any further would likely result in needless casualties, if not the complete annihilation of its remaining forces.

Of course, that decision was equally advantageous to Frostgrave. With the enemy retreating, the battle-weary soldiers finally had an opportunity to catch their breath.

It was a desperately needed respite after the relentless bloodshed they had endured.

More importantly, the unexpected reprieve would afford them some time to regroup and prepare for whatever the Black Knight intended to unleash next.

Meanwhile, Zian and Lovia had already made their way toward Lord Evrard.

After exchanging the customary greetings, the two introduced themselves as reinforcements dispatched under the banner of the Golden Fortune Corporations.

They also explained that they had deliberately advanced ahead of the main force, knowing that reaching Frostgrave as swiftly as possible was their foremost priority.

As for the remaining reinforcements, however, there was little cause for concern.

According to Zian, the main force was already closing in on Frostgrave and would arrive within the next few moments.

As the conversation continued, Lovia turned her attention toward Ruvian.

She currently wore a black mask that concealed most of her face, leaving only her mouth exposed. Her lustrous golden hair, a distinctive trait of the Saintinac Royal Family, had been neatly gathered into a bun.

As for her attire, she wore a fitted black combat uniform, reinforced with enchanted fabric and designed to provide both protection and freedom of movement.

Despite her rather inconspicuous appearance, however, Ruvian couldn’t help but find something peculiar about her choice of disguise.

’Why isn’t she concealing her identity like before?’

After all, while the mask obscured her features, her unmistakable golden hair remained plainly visible.

"Well, well, well! Who would’ve thought our long-awaited first meeting would take place on a deadly battlefield, Spicy?"

Lovia remarked playfully, looking Ruvian up and down with an impish grin. Zian arrived a moment later, stopping beside her with a rather weary expression.

"I’d say you’re fortunate I’m still alive to greet you," Ruvian retorted, shaking his head. "Anyway, how did you two manage to arrive ahead of the others?"

"Oh, that?"

Lovia chuckled before casually smacking the back of her hand against Zian’s shoulder.

"Simple! I had Zian carry me all the way from the guild!"

Zian sighed in resignation.

"...You make it sound like I volunteered."

"Wait, you didn’t? I thought you did, no?"

"No, you threatened to bite me, Lady Lovia. And you insisted we hurry over here to, in your own words, ’kick some ass.’"

Both Ruvian and Calyra frowned.

"...You had him carry you?" Ruvian repeated incredulously.

"I mean, yeah?"

Lovia replied unabashedly before letting out another chuckle.

"How else was I supposed to get here so quickly? Fly? Not a chance! Oh, and goodness, you should’ve seen how fast we were going! I nearly lost this mask!"

Ruvian could hardly believe it. How could he have forgotten just how much of an incessant chatterbox she was?

He was sorely tempted to smack his forehead in disbelief.

However, perhaps it was best not to do that.

After all, the Duchess’s loyal lapdog was currently eyeing him up and down with an unmistakably hostile gaze, as though itching to pick a fight with him.

’Ha... What’s this guy’s problem now?’

Normally, Ruvian wouldn’t have minded being subjected to such a contemptuous glare. He had already received his fair share of those back at Velthia Academy.

However, receiving one from the protagonist, someone he had deliberately avoided provoking for fear of getting himself killed, was rather disconcerting.

Strangely enough, Calyra seemed to have noticed it as well.

Evidently displeased by the way Zian was glaring at Ruvian, she narrowed her eyes and reciprocated with an equally intimidating stare, exerting a subtle pressure of her own.

Ruvian was dumbfounded.

’What the hell is going on?’

Why on earth were these two suddenly having a staring contest?!

’Wait, come to think of it...’

At that moment, Ruvian suddenly recalled that this was actually the first time Calyra and Zian had met each other.

Canonically, in the original novel, the two were rivals from opposing academies, and from what he remembered, Calyra had been portrayed as something akin to the final boss that Wellencrest Academy had to overcome.

Could it be that their predetermined rivalry was the reason they had taken such an immediate dislike to each other, almost like cats and dogs?

As Ruvian grew increasingly sidetracked by his own conjectures, Lovia suddenly snapped him out of his reverie.

"By the way, Spicy. You have a message from someone," she remarked, retrieving something from her dimensional ring.

It was a folded piece of paper.

"From whom?"

Ruvian asked, taking the paper from her hand.

"Who else? Why, your ever-so-lovely, incomparably brilliant, and outrageously wealthy merchant benefactress, of course!"

Ruvian frowned.

She really didn’t have to be so extravagant with her praises.

Nevertheless, he unfolded the paper and began reading its contents. Meanwhile, Calyra rose onto her tiptoes, attempting to sneak a peek at what was written.

==========

Dear you,

OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS, YOU ABSOLUTE, INCORRIGIBLE, DISASTER-ATTRACTING LITTLE TROUBLEMAKER!

Do you have any idea how utterly ridiculous this is!? What the hell are you even doing over there!? Just a moment ago, I was talking to Seraphine about how much of a trouble magnet you are!

I DIDN’T MEAN FOR YOU TO PROVE MY POINT IMMEDIATELY!

==========

’Uhh...’

Ruvian was rendered speechless.

He then turned toward Lovia, seemingly seeking some clarification. However, Lovia merely shrugged, as though to say that it was his problem to deal with, not hers.

’Well, I suppose I’m on my own with this.’

"Oh, she seems rather upset with you."

"Yeah, I can tell, Calyra. But thanks for letting me know."

Ruvian continued reading:

========

Anyway, putting that aside, I’ve already dispatched some troops your way. Seraphine is leading them personally, so you can rest assured. I’ve also included a communication device so you can contact her directly.

Unfortunately, I’m still negotiating the acquisition of that item you requested, along with the royal authorization to conquer the dungeon under the Crown’s jurisdiction. So, I won’t be able to join you personally.

And one more thing. DON’T YOU DARE DIE ON ME!

I’ve also sent you several high-grade healing potions. Use them however you see fit, and for goodness’ sake, try not to get yourself killed before our damn expedition!

I’m working hard for all of that!

And good luck!

—Your exceedingly devoted, unpaid, overworked partner in crime,

Silvena

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[Chapter 397: A Letter From His Devoted, Unpaid, Overworked Partner in Crime]