Chapter 179: The Pugilist Cousins

"Where the hell did you drop from?! We searched all over the camp!"

"We heard some weird things about you..."

The siblings spoke in unison, their eager gazes betraying the relief they felt at Damian's presence. Though they were trying to act tough, their voices revealed their true emotions. Damian was also pretty happy seeing them doing well, he had not expected he would feel this much seeing them but somehow he did. Guess the past weeks had not been as easy on him as he made them out to be in his head.

Damian had noticed that he'd developed a kind of mental barrier against unpleasant or painful emotions, as though his mind was protecting itself, making him emotionally stronger. Could his stats be affecting his feelings too? That would explain why third-rankers seemed so weird and distant. He could only imagine what those even higher in rank must feel like.

"It's a long story... I'm just glad to see you both doing great," Damian said genuinely.

The two brothers looked everywhere but at him feeling shy, their eyes darting around the dining table they were seated at. These two guys were terrible at hiding their feelings, making awkward expressions that caused Damian to chuckle.

"Where are the other three?" Damian asked, shifting the conversation since they were acting like embarrassed high school girls. Their faces immediately changed to ones of worry and sadness.

"We've asked around, but Captain Valoris said there hasn't been any word about them from the groups that came after us," Geldric began, with Jorven nodding along. "They were tasked with escorting villagers that we found in the first village to the nearest safe village or town, but by the time we faced the Ashenvale soldiers, we realized they have tricks to hide in plain sight.

We barely made it here ourselves, saving as many villages as we could along the way. Valoris promised to send search parties, and we plan to join them, even though Captain Mira objected. We're going anyway."

Damian had blasted the hidden Ashenvale soldiers to bits. Captain Mira and the others on duty had taken care of the rest. At least for one night, they could sleep peacefully, knowing Ashenvale's plans had been thwarted. Afterward, Damian had found the cousins and brought them to the dining area, no one objected, And even if someone had, Damian knew no one would have cared. Things were different now.

They didn't care if they were kicked out of the army; they'd choose to go home if they had the chance anyway. S~eaʀᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"They said you disappeared with Lady Vidalia. They were calling you all sorts of names. What in the world happened after they brought you here?" Jorven asked, staring at him intently.

"Oh, just the usual noble judgments. She didn't forgive me and punished me with lashes, but then we got attacked. I helped out, and we came to some kind of understanding," Damian explained briefly, finding it odd to talk about it out loud.

"So, they finally forgave you for the thing ?" Geldric asked, his surprise and hope evident. Read exclusive content at m_v-l'-NovelFire

"Sort of. I helped with some of my sensory type unique skills, and we gained the upper hand."

"So, what now? Are you planning to stay?" Jorven asked.

"First, I'm going to look for Sam and the others. Then I'm out of here. I've done enough to get what I needed. What about you guys?"

"Honestly, I wasn't too keen on fighting a losing war, but with Lady Vidalia back, this might end well. We owe Captain Mira and some of her unit for helping us a lot. Plus, uncle won't be happy if we bail now. But we won't stick around if things get worse," Geldric said, glancing at his cousin, who nodded in agreement. They hadn't talked about it before today, it seemed.

Damian wanted to tell them the truth but he decided against it for the moment, the place wasn't right.

Damian felt a strong presence approaching from behind, and when the cousins stared behind him, he followed their gaze and turned around to find Captain Mira standing there.

"You.. Why are you always so much trouble? But thank you. At least now we can rest without worrying for a while," she said, sitting beside him on the wooden bench. "But how did you know? Can you sense them?

I reported it to my superiors, and I was called to meet Lady Vidalia and Lord Bonecrusher. They asked about it, and when I told them what happened, they said something about your heightened senses."

"You already reported it?" Damian asked, hoping to avoid getting caught up in their shit again. He knew it would bring trouble but he couldn't just let the guys be attacked either once he had noticed the enemy.

"Yeah, and they asked me to send you to meet them immediately at Lady Vidalia's new camp residence," she said, grabbing his shoulder with a firm grip.

"Careful. I'm delicate,"

The three of them squinted at him, disbelief written across their faces.

"Tsk... You guys are no fun anymore. You used to believe in me, remember?" Damian said, offended by the blatant disrespect.

"We always knew you were full of shit," Jorven scoffed.

"Your name should be 'Maximum Lies,'" Geldric added.

"Definitely the biggest liar I've ever taught," Mira chimed in, shaking her head.

Damian smiled as he stood, heading toward Vidalia's location. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

They smiled behind his back, and Damian felt much better than he had in the past few weeks. It was surprising how much a simple conversation with the right people could do.

Vidalia's new building, like the other two she'd constructed, was four stories tall and massive in comparison to the others. She'd sneakily built it while he was away. That scheming woman. The entrance was guarded by two fully armored knights who recognized him from his time as her prisoner and allowed him to pass without a word.

Ignoring the gasping maids and surprised soldiers looking at him, Damian made his way directly to the room where he sensed Vidalia, Bonecrusher, and the rest of them gathered. Another boring meeting, huh..? He was so grateful to no longer be a part of those soul-sucking things.

The same two Queen's Guard knights, who had been protecting Vidalia day and night, stood watch at the door. They were still here? Damian had half-expected them to lose control and go off in the wild in search of their precious lady.

"Yo! Being as useful as always, I see," Damian teased, hitting a sore spot. The knights must have already been feeling guilty for letting Vidalia get into danger. But Damian, ever the nice guy, always remembered to hold a grudge.