A few days had passed since the execution of the two sinners Ludis and Syron. The reconstruction of the massive area that been utterly destroyed inside of Legacia was able to be finished rapidly due to the use of mages who specialized in reconstruction magic.

Reconstruction magic was incredibly rare and those who were able to use it properly were even rarer. Because of this, they were incredibly expensive.

Thus, the cost to fix the city was mind-blowing and even managed to make Frize and Erebus’ eyes widen a little at the outrageous cost.

“So this is what it’s like to experience shock over money,” Erebus had mused to himself.

“I never want to go through that ever again,” Frize sighed.

The overall total of reconstructing the area back to its original beauty was a whopping two million gold.

Repair cost, worker cost, repaying the families,... Frize had to shoulder it all.

Because Erebus refused to pay, not even a single copper.

To quote him it was, “Not my fault. You’re the leader, right? Own up.” Or something along the lines of that.

Now, they were all standing outside the gates of Legacia.

“I’ll handle the rest here,” Frize was saying. “Good luck on your journey, Erebus, and thank you for your help.”

Erebus waved. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye,” his followers echoed.

With that, they headed back in the direction that would guide them to Yvick’s castle.

Since they planned on moving incredibly slow and still had hopes of clearing out the entire [Hungry Bear Caverns], their estimated time of arrival was a day or two before the entrance to the hidden dungeon would open.

Erebus could not wait for the time to hurry up and pass so he could go back there. Maybe it’d be like the previous dungeon he explored, and someone he knew would be at the bottom.

Also, Weryn would be heading back to the Dragon Continent with Frize. Apparently, he was missing his family. He told them would come back within a few months.

And he was definitely not asking Erebus for a ride to the Main Continent. When Erebus had suggested so, Weryn’s face turned frightfully pale and he stammered and shot off multiple excuses that did not make any sense in the slightest.

With that, the group composed of Erebus, Tear, Vyne, and Lilian headed off once more.

This time, mostly due to Weryn’s and Frize’s incessant nagging, they brought proper supplies.

Such as a compass, a far better map, extra clothing, and tents. According to Frize, sleeping on a makeshift bed of grass and moss was ‘unsightly and frankly, disgusting’.

Along with that they were (forcibly) given a magic carriage and horses that accompanied with.

In Erebus’ honest opinion, such things were simply a waste of space and completely unnecessary.

If anything, the drove the enjoyment out of anything. It was so dull and monotonous.

What fun was running from a pack of wild, bloodthirsty monsters when you were in some carriage?

The feeling of the branches snapping beneath your feet and leaves smacking your face brought an indescribable sense of unfiltered adrenaline as you ran.

Vicious snarls behind you that lit a fire underneath your heels. The snapping of jaws and low-pitched rumbles that came straight from the stomach.

Your heart racing, blood roaring. The sound of your breath, the sight of the world flashing by you.

Erebus let out a sigh as Lilian began pouring her mana into the carriage and it began to move slowly.

“Mm... the only good thing about the carriage is I can take a nap while we move,” he said with a yawn, stretching out and resting his head on Lilian’s soft lap.

Through the window, Tear’s eyes zoned in on them.

They flared with jealousy as she watched Lilian’s indifference to the glorious feeling of Erebus’ head pressed against her skin.

How dare that woman!

Her lap was just as soft-- no, softer than Lilian’s.

“I can rest my head on your lap, if you’d so wish,” Vyne spoke in a mocking tone as he observed Tear’s glare full of pure hatred and loathing.

Tear’s head snapped towards him, yet her eyes stayed on Lilian and Erebus. “I absolutely detest the thought of you touching me. Filthy mongrel, you’ll never be fit enough to lick the dirt off of Lord Erebus’ shoe!”

“Eh? Pig, you’re getting rather confident nowadays, aren’t you? Don’t forget I can crush you like the bug you are.”

Now, Tear’s eyes were focused on Vyne. Light flared in her hands and she spoke daringly, “Want to try it?”

Vyne’s lips pulled back into a snarl. “I’ll rip you apart.”

The two’s auras flared and caused the carriage to shake a little.

“Be quiet! Both of you, I’m trying to take a nap,” Erebus’ voice shouted in annoyance.

What happened to them tolerating each other’s existence? Was it because Weryn was no longer with them that they finally let loose once more? That kid... he turned out to be pretty useful after all.

For all the wrong reasons, Erebus began to miss Weryn’s presence.

“I apologize,” Tear said softly. “If you would like, I’ll accept any type of punishment that you wish to give me. But I beg you, please don’t tie me up and have your way with me.”

“Pardon my rudeness, I will not do so again. I think a suitable solution would be to cut off the pig’s tongue. I know the best way to do it that will cause the least amount of pain to it.”

Erebus, very wisely, pretended as if the two hadn’t spoke. Strange, both of their strange tendencies were reading their ugly heads.

Ah... Weryn, my buffer.

Erebus sighed discontentedly and attempted to make himself comfortable.

“Wake me up when we get to the place...” he spoke tiredly.

“[Hungry Bear Caverns]?”

“Mm, yeah.”

With that, Erebus drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

The carriage moved steadily since they were in no particular rush, they moved at a normal pace.

A stark contrast to their normal abnormal rate of travel that would leave even the greatest of adventurers dizzy.

Of course, monsters would occasionally attempt to attack the carriage, but they were easily dispelled with Lilian’s ability to summon undead to fight as they continued to move on.

If the monster proved to be even more tenacious, Vyne would leap out of the carriage and deal with it. Due to his ability to fly quickly, he was able to catch up with the carriage without them having to slow and wait for him.

It was a systematic, simple way of doing things.

Erebus drifted in and out of consciousness. Most dragons could sleep for decades, even centuries, if left alone. They would wake ever so frequently for a minute or two before closing their eyes once more.

With that being the way it was, it wasn’t incredibly difficult for humans or any other race to stumble upon sleeping dragons and manage to anger them.

Ah... there were plenty of tales of that occurring throughout history. But the sleeping places of dragons were widely sought after, as it wasn’t any secret that the area was typically full of riches.

The only problem was if you weren’t able to get past the gatekeeper who had a terrible attitude from being awoken from a pleasant slumber.

Anyway, within a few day’s time, the four were back at the desert that connected to the entrance of the [Hungry Bear Caverns]. Tear and Vyne managed to get in only a couple of verbal fights, but they kept their noise level low enough to where Erebus could care less if they killed each other.

“Lord Erebus,” Lilian spoke gently, slightly shaking her master. “We have arrived.”

Erebus jumped awake and to full attention. “Pack up the carriage! We’re going in.”

His subordinates wasted no time at all.

With their lord finally conscious, they dove into action and were full of energy once more.

They closely resembled worker bees scrambling to appease their queen’s wishes.

Siren!

Erebus had not forgotten the creature that drove his fascination with this place to an even greater level. That enchanting lullaby that had lulled all the monsters inside of the [Hungry Bear Caverns] to a deep sleep that could only be ended with magic.

How he hoped that she was still there.

He planned on talking to her first before clearing out the entire dungeon, siren’s always proved to be interesting.

They never had a shortage of stories to tell and songs to sing. Also, sirens were typically always in a good mood. To them, the world was a great place! Their happiness seeped through to those who surrounded them.

Vyne, Lilian, Erebus, and Tear entered the [Hungry Bear Caverns] full of hope as to what was still lurking inside.