Sylvester made Lady Aurora wait until the following day so they'd reach their destination in one go. But before she left, he met her in private.

"Lady Aurora, please do not underestimate the bloodling no matter what. You don't have light magic like me, so keeping it from touching you will be hard. But, I hope this helps." He extended a small leather bag to her. "There are two dozen light crystals and a dozen solarium crystals. Please use them for your own safety, and remember, if you find it troublesome, just return."

Lady Aurora glanced at Sylvester while smiling warmly. To her, this gesture meant a lot more than anything else. What does a person without a family wish for the most? It's someone to care about you… think about you.

"Oh, you…" She jumped closer and hugged Sylvester tightly, slamming his head on her breastplate by pulling him down. "You are like my little brother, Archpriest. Thank you for worrying about me."

Sylvester got himself freed after some struggles as she was strangling him. "Good lord, be more careful with your monstrous strength. Furthermore, if you see me as a little brother, just call me Sylvester. No need to use official rank."

He offered. It was a well-calculated move. Because not only was Lady Aurora already older than his both lives combined, but she also longed for a family. And, if he were to become family to her, then the loyalty could be eternal.

Her smile was worth seeing as her grey eyes shined with excitement. "Really? You're okay with that? Then you must call me big sister Aurora from now on."

Sylvester made an ugly face. "Ugh… I'm not calling you that. The best I can do is Aurora, or sister Aurora."

"Good, that's also good. Call me sister from now on. I always wanted a little bother to bully since I was small—finally, the wish has come true."

"..."

Sylvester turned around to leave. "Good luck with your mission, Aurora. Remember, never underestimate a bloodling."

"Hey! Add sister to it!" She shouted in fake anger, but Sylvester just waved his hand.

Seeing him gone, she opened the bag and looked inside. It was filled with expensive magical crystals. "My brother is filthy rich. But how? Can a bra make one so rich? Hmm… they are pretty great, though. Anyway, let's move out."

…

Holy Land, Pope's Peninsula.

"Haaa!"

Clash!

"Wraaa!"

Clank!

"Stronger and louder, boy! You're one tall giant, so make sure your enemy not only bathes in his own blood but also piss. Roar, my boy! Roar to the heavens!"

"Rwaaaaa!"

"Good boy, Zeke. You will one day be the finest knight this school has ever produced!" Shouted the bald black man, tall and old as ever, with his iconic foul tongue. Sir Baldfreak was the same as years ago.

"My sword is strong," Zeke muttered while looking at the long blade in his hands.

"Indeed. You may not be gifted like most others, but you have a high talent, and the best thing about you is that you are one persistent fellow." Sir Baldfreak praised him.

The thing about Zeke was that he was very simple-minded. Once he's told to do something, he'll do it for night and day until he's asked to stop.

And that's how even if he knew just a few moves, he was strong and masterful in it. Not to mention, he was slowly turning into a powerhouse with his potential being untapped.

Of course, for that, a good diet was required. So, Zeke now had a new adoptive mother, who happily made him tasty food, and in return, Zeke cleaned the house."It's lunchtime, Zeke. Come here!" Xavia arrived at the School of Dawn with a big lunchbox.

Zeke quickly put aside his sword and bowed his head in respect. "Big Lady, thank you for the food."

Xavia chuckled. "Stop calling me that. I'm just Max's mother, not some powerful woman. He asked me to take care of you and ensure you eat healthily and work hard. Is your training going well?"

Sir Baldfreak greeted her as well. "Mother Xavia, good to see you again. Zeke is a good monster in disguise. He has a lot of physical strength, and his arms are strong. He has already ranked up to Silver Knight's rank. If he keeps exerting himself like this, before long, he'd be a Golden Knight and ready to go out on adventures."

​ Xavia proudly nodded and patted Zeke's shoulder. The simple man was much taller than her. "I'm sure Max will appreciate this. Zeke, make sure you keep getting stronger and protect Max. He's too reckless otherwise."

Zeke patted his chest. "Big Lady, don't worry. I will protect the big lord with everything. He's my favourite person in the world."

Xavia made a fake sad face. "Really? Then what about me? I thought I was the favourite as I make you tasty food."

Zeke appeared taken aback and tensed. He looked left and right in panic, trying to think. "Uh… I… Big Lady is my favourite person too. But I met the big lord first, so he comes first."

"Haha… fair enough. Come, eat lunch now. I made Max's favourite dish. But I just hope he returns soon now. Sir Dolorem asks about him every time I see him—but I have no information to give. Where even is that careless brat?"

"Big lord work very hard, big lady," Zeke spoke.

Xavia eyed him. "Oh, what's this? Already taking his side? Fine, I guess you don't like my food anymore."

Zeke quickly ate all the food and bloated his cheeks. "I love the food! The best ever! You are the greatest! The mighty! The–"

"Alright, alright, no need to become a bootlicker now. Eat fast and get back to training. I must head to work as well."

"Understood, big lady!"

Chomp!

Zeke emptied the lunchbox in one go.

…

Duke Daemon Gracia's Keep.

Sylvester and Felix arrived inside the castle yet again. But this time, they didn't come to ask the Duke any questions or get him to agree to something. No, this time, they had a much more profound, selfish, and possibly a criminal reason.

"Are you sure about this, Max? We don't want to be labelled as thieves now." Felix asked nervously.

"Shut up. If you keep talking about it, we'll be caught before we even start. Just do as I told you and reap the benefits later. We must do this for effective mission completion. Now focus." Sylvester scolded Felix and made him walk in front of himself.

Meanwhile, Sylvester spoke with Miraj. "Chonky, you got the map memorised? You know what to pick. Remember, this heist is very important. The chonky bank is nearly empty, and we need funds to prepare for any future emergency."

Miraj saluted with his chubby white paw. "Aye, aye, Maxy. Worry not. Your bank shall never disappoint you as long as the banana tax is paid."

"Hah, you can have ten bananas if you do this, boy. Now, get serious. The rooms on the top floor of the Duke's tower are covered with valuable items, but you must only focus on what shins. Gold, diamonds and rubies, that's what we need. But, make sure it's not something so big that it's noticeable on one look." He started briefing him.

The need of the hour for Sylvester was to buy more essential crystals since the future was unpredictable. He didn't know who he'd have to fight all of a sudden. It could be Shadow Knight in the worst case.

Knock! Knock!Sylvester knocked on the door, and it automatically opened. He moved in proudly, but inside, all he saw was Lady Artemis sitting on Duke's chair, with her legs on the table. She was wearing a black gown that had a long cut on the side, all the way to the side hip. Hence, her slender, smooth legs were shining under the sunlight from outside. At the same time, her more-than-normal pale face and red lips contrasted against the bright room.

She smirkingly looked at the two of them and spoke in an orgasmic voice. "What can I do for the two of you, lords?"

"We wish to speak with the Duke," Sylvester replied.

The Duchess shifted into her seat, so more of her legs were visible. "What's there that he can give you and I can't? Speak your mind, lord bard. But take a seat before that."

'Good. If the Duke isn't here, I should be able to keep her distracted while Chonky eats up all the precious things. No matter what, my pretty face has never disappointed me.' Sylvester thought and walked forward with no fear or doubt.

"Forget what you're about to see." He whispered to Felix before proceeding.

While Felix took a visitor's seat, Sylvester walked around and took the seat beside the seductress Duchess. The Duke usually kept two seats on the leading side, one for himself and one for his wife.

Doing the unexpected, Sylvester put his hand on her revealing thigh and made his palm warm. In an instant, he felt goosebumps all over her skin. He didn't caress her, though, as that would be too much. "Ah, I saw a small blood-sucking fly. It's gone now."

'Good, I can smell the excitement in her.'

The Duchess looked into Sylvester's confident golden eyes. He was handsome as hell, like no man should be. "My lord… I must say, even the best elven slaves I've seen in my life hold no place as compared to your elegance—you are as exquisite as they come."

"Ah!"

She exclaimed in shock as Sylvester lifted her legs and turned her chair easily so she faced him, and her legs rested on his lap. Her dress was not very good at hiding anything under her waist, so he could see everything all the way till where her legs parted.

But Sylvester kept staring into her deep black eyes, ensuring she did not break eye contact. "You may not have heard of it, but I read a book about something called massage that's popular in the Warsong Kingdom. It's a technique of pressing certain parts of the body that makes one relaxed. I'm sure you can use some—relaxing."

He used both his hands, ensuring they were pleasingly warm. He needed no oil as he started caressing her slender legs, every time going all the way to her upper inner thighs but never reaching where she wanted him to.

'The scent of roses and sweat is overwhelming. Good lord, how horny is this woman? Chonky, boy, I hope you do it fast, or I'm afraid this woman will just jump on me. I'm putting my name and reputation on the line here!' Sylvester felt slightly worried as the Duchess made some low-moaning noises and twitched around in her seat.

Sylvester gave her an authentic massage, though. He was not kidding around with his techniques as he pressed plantar fascia under her feet and, from time to time, went up near the parts he never wished to reach.

"Umph!" She moaned.

Bam!

Just as Sylvester was reaching her inner thigh again, she suddenly moved and caught his hands. Her eyes showed a pleading, welcoming, submissive look. "My lord, you are such a tease—I won't mind if you give me a full body massage."

"..."

'Damn it! She's hit the peak!' Sylvester cursed internally.

Ting!

Thud!

A loud noise resounded in the quiet solar. Lady Artemis immediately stood up, fixed her dress, and looked around. "What was that?"

"Wind, I believe."

Sylvester also walked back to Felix's side and winked at Miraj, who was also showing him a thumbs-up from a distance.

Apparently, the good boy saw Sylvester's predicament and decided to help. Certainly, he was now getting not ten but fifty bananas in tax.

________________________

GT = 1 Bonus chapter.

Super Gift = 1 Bonus chapter.

APE TOGETHER STRONG!