In the royal palace of the Denian Kingdom, Barbosa sat upon the throne and spoke. “You look dissatisfied, Maximus.”0

Maximus scowled and replied, “How could I not? Why does that barbarian receive such special treatment?”0

After the recent Dungeon incident, every mercenary who participated underwent investigation. Only Ketal was excluded, all because of Barbosa’s direct command, which Maximus found deeply unfair.0

“I know that the barbarian has ties to the head of the Akasha family,” Maximus continued. “He also rightfully deserves compensation for escorting Princess Elene here. But this is still too much.”0

Barbosa simply smiled, aware that Maximus hadn’t heard his earlier conversation with the Tower Master.0

Instead of explaining, Barbosa asked, “What do you think would’ve happened if our mercenaries hadn’t returned this time?”0

“I can’t say for sure, but it would have caused a huge crisis for the kingdom,” Maximus replied.0

According to Cartman, the Dungeon boss intentionally chose not to kill the mercenaries. However, if the Dungeon had fully reclaimed its original form and the boss had absorbed the mercenaries’ life force, it could have turned into something far more dangerous, possibly shaking the entire kingdom to its core.0

“I’m not sure if it was planned or just coincidence…” Barbosa murmured. After a brief pause, he propped his chin on one hand and murmured, “The Earth Goddess has delivered a revelation.”0

“What?” Maximus asked him, eyes widening.0

The Earth Goddess was one of two major deities ruling this world, alongside the Sun God. Although the Sun God’s church was more prominent,...0