"Everyone, retreat now!!" shouted King Andvari.
Hearing their king's order, all the surviving Nergals immediately retreat back. In contrast, King Andvari didn't move from his spot and glared at Jade.
"Master Jade, should we pursue them?" asked Duke Blue.
"No need. Unless you want to lose more than half of our current army, you may go." replied Jade.
"B-But…" replied Duke Blue.
"Owen, I know what you are thinking. The reason we win this battle easily is because of outsiders' interference. Also, you should never underestimate seventh grade, especially the desperate one." said Jade sternly.
"A-Alright." said Duke Blue reluctantly.
Since most of the Nergal soldiers in this place were high-grade combatants, it didn't take long for them to retreat. After his soldiers retreated into the safety distance, King Andvari nodded his head to Jade before following them.
Although King Andvari is scumbag and despicable, he still gives his regards to Jade for deliberately letting them retreat. Otherwise, he may need to fight to the death with Jade to let everyone go. At that point, he may die and the Nergal kingdom will definitely disappear.
King Andvari may not have cared too much about the lives of his soldiers. But he didn't want to see his kingdom disappear, at least not under his rule. Jade and King Andvari know this point and take a step back. Fighting further will only harm both sides without any benefit.
Meanwhile, everyone didn't notice that the petite silver-haired girl Lily had silently disappeared from the battlefield and back to the Windshire Fortress. With her speed, she could travel back to Fortress in just a few minutes.
Currently, she is standing in silence in front of Benjamin's private room. She still didn't fully understand what Mira did to her.
But she knows it is a good thing for her. Still, she knows not everything is good. There will be some side effects, and her instinct keeps warning her that something terrible will happen if she ignores it.
The only person who could help her now was his father, Benjamin. As her creator, Benjamin is the one that knows about her body the most.
However, her relationship with him is quite complicated, especially after their last conversation. Although Lily is socially inept, she still knows it is wrong for a parent to lust for their own daughter. She even feels anger and disgust at her father after hearing his story.
If Benjamin is not her creator and father, she may already be grinding his skeletal bone to dust. In fact, her brain and initial program should ignore this problem.
Yet, Lily somehow develops some emotion as time passes by. This emotion slowly affected her judgment and decision. Combined with her current unknown condition, her feelings became stronger and more vivid.
Everything she had never thought about became a considerable point for her. This feeling makes her fear being indecisive and excited simultaneously.
Therefore, she feels complicated about her father. As Angus said, Benjamin is her father and it is a natural fact. No matter how much she denied it. It will always become a fact. After steeling herself, she opens the doors and enters Benjamin's private room.
"This… Lily?! No way!! No, you are… my daughter Lily." said Benjamin while still trembling after seeing Lily's figure.
On the other hand, Lily tilts her head in confusion. Although Benjamin often mistakes her for Lily Alcataria, he only shows it through hidden lust in his eyes. It is because Benjamin always knows Lily is not the true Lily Alcataria.
Someone like Benjamin should never have mistaken his daughter Lily for Lily Alcataria, even with his intense obsession.
"Lily, what happened? Why did your body?" asked Benjamin in worry.
Benjamin immediately realizes something is wrong with Lily because she is too similar to Lily Alcataria, not only in appearance but also in breadth and aura.
Benjamin knows he doesn't deserve to become Lily's father anymore. But he is still her father and creator. He couldn't help but worry about her sudden change.
"I am not sure.. Fa... I just went to the battlefield…" said Lily before telling her experience on the battlefield.
She decided not to call Benjamin her father, which Benjamin didn't mind and focused on the current problem.
Initially, Lily wants to release her pent-up anger and help the other homunculus survive the war. But she didn't expect to find ridiculous beings like Mira on the battlefield.
After hearing the story, "So, you are saying she somehow summoned our Philosopher's stone and integrated it with your body? And you suddenly could feel more clearly?" asked Benjamin.
"Yes." replied Lily shortly.
"Hmm... I could roughly guess what she did to you based on your description. I know Master Hidden in the Dark is a God-like being but not this ridiculous." muttered Benjamin.
"Is it bad?" asked Lily.
"No. Not really. In fact, I am not quite sure if it is bad or good. Anyway, you must feel something wrong will happen to your body, right?" asked Benjamin.
"Yes." replied Lily.
"Actually, she just makes you more perfect. When I hear you have a soul in your body, I know you are no longer just a homunculus. No matter how perfect homunculus is, they can't have a soul even with all those thousand years of experience."
"Although I am not an expert on the soul subject, I still know a few things about it. One thing for certain is the soul couldn't be created but must be born, which leads me to question your soul origin." said Benjamin.
"It took me a while of research before I noticed you starting to resemble Lily Alcataria each day passed by. What Master Hidden in the Dark did to you makes me more certain. Now, you practically have a similar aura as her and not just appearance." added Benjamin.
"So, I am Lily Alcataria?" asked Lily.
"No. The thing is you also have a large part of my aura. You are Lily Graham. My and Lily Alcataria's daughter. You are our daughter." said Benjamin in a melancholy tone.
Lily is surprised at Benjamin's revelation and never expects such a conclusion. Lily blinked and processed the sudden information for a few seconds.
"How?" asked Lily.
"I am not sure either. But one thing is certain. You are truly a miracle. Our miracle." replied Benjamin with a gentle tone.
Hearing this and remembering Darren and Mira's words, she finally understands her current condition. Without hesitation, Lily jumps toward Benjamin and hugs him.
"Father!!" called Lily emotionally.
All her dissatisfaction towards Benjamin is completely gone. She just wants to hug her beloved father. While the father and daughter are talking with each other emotionally, Anna and Mira come back to the training ground where Angus and Jayna reside.
"Angus… Big sis… Anna is back!!" called Anna while hugging the couple.
"Welcome back. Did you have fun?" greeted Jayna.
"Yup. Anna and Mira watch the Boom Bam Blar Blarr movie. It was so exciting. Hmm??" said Anna before frowning.
"Is there something wrong, Anna?" asked Angus in worry.
"Angus and Big sis are not mating?" asked Anna bluntly.
"Anna!! What are you saying?! How many times have I told you not to say something like that in public." rebuked Jayna while blushing.
"Ehh.. But Angus and Big sis are always mating when Anna is away. Did Angus and Big sis split beds? Did Anna need to choose which one Anna needed to go with? Noo… Anna doesn't want to be separated from Angus and Big sis!!" said Anna in a sad tone.
"Alright. That's enough. We are not splitting or anything. So, stop making sudden assumptions. Tch… where did you learn such a thing? Honestly, your mouth is more dangerous than those gossiping nobles at the capital." grumbled Angus.
"Anyway, did you catch any Moon Rabbits?" asked Angus.
"Fluffy Bubble? Why should Anna catch Fluffy Bubbles? Anna can't eat Fluffy Bubble. Silly Angus." said Anna while looking at Angus as if he was dumb.
"Did she already forget about our previous deal? Ahh.. Forget it. It's time for lunch. Let's eat it first. It seems the war will also stop for some reason." said Angus before glancing at the dark cloud on the horizon.
"Yay! Yay! Meat!! Anna wants fluffy meat!!" said Anna excitedly.
"Master Mira and Master Darren, did you want to join us?" asked Angus while carrying the excited Anna.
"Hmmm… I am afraid we can't accompany you anymore. There are still things we need to do in our kingdom." replied Darren.
"No!! Mira are you going already?!" protested Anna.
Mira shakes her head at Anna.
"Master, we still…" said Darren before stopping talking after being glared at by Mira.
"Boring." said Mira shortly.
"Haa.. Alright, I will send Lenora to serve you while I am away." replied Darren helplessly.
Mira didn't react and made a shooing gesture to Darren. Seeing this, Darren could only release a deep sigh.
Although Vlad is staying in the Eternal Kingdom, many things must be done to manage the kingdom. Because of the stupid Vampire Kings in the past, the Eternal Kingdom is not only on the verge of collapse but also exhausted and damaged all its foundations.
If they don't repair this foundation, the Eternal kingdom may be gone when Mira wakes up from her slumber next time.