Undine took the necklace, her spiritual perception sweeping over it. Her eyes widened in recognition. "Clan Ciphers?"

  Eros nodded. He watched as the expression on her face shifted from confusion to sheer shock; she had clearly deciphered the weight of the information carried within the charm.

  "It's a good thing I went for that stroll last night," Eros noted. "Otherwise, Irina would be gone, and this message would have vanished into the shadows with her."

  Eros recounted the previous night’s events in detail. When he finished, Undine remained silent for a long time, processing the gravity of the situation.

  It was true—if not for Eros’s whim to wander outside the Academy, his chance encounter with Ayesha’s group, and the overheard whispers of the Church’s hunt, Irina would already be one with the void. Even with the rescue, the cost had been staggering.

  Undine bit her lip, her mood dipping. "So... Sister Irina is now your shadow? If she can never leave your side, doesn't that mean she’s lost her freedom?"

  "Not forever," Eros said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

  "Hmm? Didn't you say she was tethered to you?"

  "Only because I'm currently weak. Once I ascend to Greatness and become a God, I’ll be able to restore her freedom naturally."

  Undine rolled her eyes at his sheer audacity. This brat really dares to say anything. However, she didn't voice a rebuttal. Given Eros’s freakish talent, "ascending to Godhood" wasn't exactly an impossibility.

  She looked at the necklace in her hand and whispered, "Mother probably doesn't know about the Divine Kingdom fragment yet, does she?"

  "Unlikely. Otherwise, Irina wouldn't have been fleeing toward the Capital. She was trying to break through the lines to deliver the news personally, but..."

  Eros trailed off. Undine understood perfectly. Her identity was exposed, the road was blocked, and if not for that series of miraculous coincidences, the clue to the Divine Kingdom would have been lost forever.

  After another moment of silence, Undine spoke firmly. "We have to get this message home."

  Eros shrugged. "Looks like my travel-worn legs are in for another long night."

  As for why he wouldn't just ask the Academy for a day's leave to travel openly? Eros had his reasons. Ever since the news of his Elven bloodline broke, Barbara had detected a swarm of "shady characters" lurking around the Academy.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Most were ancient, withered nobles looking to buy his blood to brew longevity elixirs. They were blocked at the gates, appearing somewhat "legitimate" in their desperation. But Barbara had also sensed a few old foxes hiding in the dense woods nearby, masked and silent.

  Clearly, those ones weren't looking for a "trade"—they were planning a "zero-dollar shopping spree." They were only held back by the Academy’s status as a sanctuary of the Orthodox Churches.

  Among those lurkers, Eros found a few particularly interesting. Barbara had detected an aura on them identical to a certain "Blue-Haired Prince" who shall remain nameless.

  So Saliba hasn't given up? He’s just shifted his target from Undine to me? Heh.

  This was why he refused to travel by day. Night was his home turf; in the dark, he had a hundred percent certainty of going unnoticed. By day? Only eighty percent. And in the Way of Caution taught by his elders, eighty percent rounded down to zero. It was too risky.

  Eros checked the sky. Sensing the time was right, he stood up. "I'll deliver the news now. As for your slander earlier... I'll settle that score with you when I get back."

  Undine’s face flushed as she let out a defensive huff.

  Eros took the necklace back. His left eye turned pitch-black, and a thin layer of gray mist shrouded his body. With a slight shimmer, he vanished from the room.

  The Academy wasn't far from the Capital—just a short distance outside the walls. Compared to the hundred-mile marathon of the previous night, this was a leisure walk. Before long, the massive city walls of the Imperial Capital loomed ahead. Without slowing down, he leaped through the shadows and bypassed the thick stone fortifications.

  Upon entering the inner-city Duke's Mansion, Eros paused, surprised by the current layout. What’s going on? Why are there so many patrols?

  Estelle was equally surprised by his sudden return. "Why are you back so soon?"

  "Because I missed you!" Eros grinned.

  Estelle looked at the boy she hadn't seen in a month and chuckled. "Always a charmer. Out with it—what’s happened?"

  "First, tell me what’s going on with the house. Why are there so many more guards than usual?"

  Estelle hesitated for a second but didn't hide the truth. She recounted the events of the past month. Eros listened with a sense of exasperation—he had underestimated the desperation of those "longevity-seeking" geezers and the perceived rarity of Elven blood.

  Estelle, however, wasn't worried. She smiled lightly. "The family anticipated this. When I left, I brought three Temple Guards with me."

  Eros let out a huge sigh of relief. He had heard of the Temple Guards—ancient legacy defenders from the clan’s peak.

  Back when the Night lineage hadn't yet fallen, ancestors had entered the Shadow Realm to capture Shadow Lords and refine them using secret alchemy. Each guard possessed the power of a Sequence 4 powerhouse. Unfortunately, back then, the Night faction was too strong, and these guards were relegated to the status of "glorified janitors" for the temples.

  After the Night Goddess fell and the Great Churches began their purge, the high-level clan members were slaughtered. It was only then that these "janitors" were pushed to the front lines.

  Because Temple Guards were nearly impossible to kill—as long as their "Source" remained intact and they were supplied with enough spirituality, they were immortal. And according to Eros's knowledge, their "Source"... was Barbara.

  Since she carried the Authority of Shadow, to truly destroy the guards, one would have to destroy a Divine Artifact first. Good luck with that.

  This was why, despite tens of thousands of years of persecution, the number of Temple Guards had never dwindled. Most were simply dormant due to a lack of Spirit Marrow, but they could be awakened at a moment's notice with the right resources.