"Yona!"
Aria took out her dagger and glared at Yona like a fierce lioness.
"Ahem!"
Aengus cleared his throat, reminding Aria to avoid any strenuous movements.
He felt a little guilty for being so rough in excitement.
He could heal her using light element but she had refused his offer, insisting on leaving it as it was, which surprised him.
He understood her reasoning, which only made his affection for her grow more.
Aria touched belly time to time, but her movements only caught by Aengus.
Yona, startled by Aengus's voice, quickly straightened up.
"Oh, sorry! I forgot our Emperor is present here," she said in a teasing tone, though the respect and hint of distance in her eyes were clear.
Aengus wasn't just a friend now; he was an Emperor with an ambition to liberate the world from the oppressors.
Aengus ignored Yona's teasing and continued,
"Yona, Drake, and you as well, Princess Delilah. I have a gift for each of you, though you haven't given me one yet."
Yona and Drake looked intrigued.
"Hey, we are planning something for you.." Yona retorted.
"Forget about her, Brother-in-law...What is the gift?" Drake asked excitedly, finally acknowledging Aengus as his brother-in-law.
Aengus found it a little awkward, but his face remained casual.
Aria smiled at the term of address, pleased with Drake's thoughtfulness.
Delilah's expression faltered suddenly.
"Etha—no, Your Imperial Highness, please just call me by my name. Don't call me a princess. Aren't we friends?" she asked, her face falling slightly as a pang of hurt surfaced.
"Of course, you're not... We barely know each other
"Argh!"
Yona and Delilah's faces turned pale as they witnessed Drake's painful reaction, screaming as the otherworldly process began under Aengus's command.
Aria stood beside Aengus, watching with slight worry as the reflection of a sky-blue light shone in her eyes. But she had confidence in Aengus and trusted he wouldn't let any harm come to Drake.
When the process was over, she sighed in relief.
Drake was unharmed and far more powerful than before. He took a single step forward, and the grassy ground sank under his sheer strength.
"Uh... sorry."
Embarrassed, Drake quickly controlled his strength and approached them cautiously.
"Now, you two," Aengus said to the ladies after confirming everything was fine with Drake.
As Drake shared the details of his new S-ranked skills with Aria, Aengus began the process with the two ladies.
As for why Drake gained S-Rank skills but not SS-Rank ones, it was because his soul was significantly weaker than Aria's.
The other two ladies also quickly became S-Rank powerhouses and thanked Aengus from the bottom of their hearts.
With that done, Aengus removed the barrier and walls.
"Aria, come with me. We need to set the ancient Dwarves free to join our Empire."
Aria gave a small nod.
"Alright. Drake, Yona, Delilah, you should manage the soldiers with the generals. We'll be back soon."
They agreed without any fuss, though they were curious about meeting the ancient Dwarves.
Aengus held Aria's hand, and with a whoosh, he flapped his wings with incredible speed, holding Aria gently in his arms, princess-style.
Flying under the bright red sun, they found themselves in their own little world.
"Are you still feeling pain there, Aria? I told you to let me heal you so this wouldn't have happened," Aengus said with a frown as he noticed her pained expression.
"Tsk, you don't have to. I wanted it this way. Besides,The pain has already lessened a lot... But someone was too excited," Aria replied, glaring at him, huffing angrily.
Aengus felt guilty and looked away, avoiding her piercing gaze.