"A cure for the Purple Plague," Keane muttered.
The Purple Plague, as the name suggests, changed the skin color of its victims to purple. Its victims wouldn't get a quick and easy death, but a slow and excruciating one.
If someone was afflicted by this disease, they would immediately be killed, and their bodies would be burned to prevent the disease from spreading. It was said that only Saints were immune to this disease, which meant that the chances of surviving it were extremely low.
"Your Grandma has the Purple Plague?" Lux asked with concern. "Is that the reason why you wanted to challenge the Hard Mode that badly?"
Cai nodded. "That's right. Normal Mode doesn't have this flower, so I can only go to Hell Mode in order to find it. Challenging the Normal Mode is just a waste of time and resources. The Rowan Tribe has pooled everything we have for this upcoming event, so we wanted to bring as many strong warriors as we could with us to ensure our expedition's success."
Lux remained silent for a few moments because he knew that if it had been Vera or Iris infected with the Purple Plague, he would also go to hell and back in order to find the cure for them.
It didn't matter how dangerous it was. He would certainly go all out to make sure that both of his loved ones were cured of their diseases.
"Okay." Lux nodded. "I will help you."
"Count me in as well," Keane commented from the side.
Cai bowed its head respectfully at its two comrades. "Thank you. It doesn't matter if we don't clear the Dungeon. All we need to do is find the flower and the Rowan Tribe will forever be grateful for your help. My Grandpa will certainly do his best to accommodate any of your requests as long as it is within his ability."
Lux and Keane nodded. If what Cai said to them was true, then the Rowan Tribe, especially Cai's Grandpa, would be truly grateful to them and gain his favor.
The favor of a Saint was an extremely precious thing, and since Cai only wanted to retrieve the flower that would cure its Grandma, and not clear the Dungeon, the difficulty of the mission was decreased by a good margin.
As long as they found the flower, they could leave the Dungeon using a special item that the Six Kingdoms had made to help ensure that their talented warriors didn't lose their stats, should they face the threat of being killed by the Bosses that they would face within the Sacred Domain.
After telling its friends the true reason why it was desperately asking for their help, Cai felt as if all the pressure it was feeling suddenly disappeared. Because of this, its appetite doubled as it ate all the dishes it got from the buffet area with renewed vigor.
Half an hour later, the lights inside the event Hall dimmed, until the light disappeared completely.
A moment later, the soothing voice of a lady reverberated within the darkness as she introduced the coming of the birthday celebrant, Iris.
The lights illuminated the right stairs of the Event Hall, where Iris would be appearing shortly.
A mellow music started to play in the background as the Academy's Orchestra played the opening tune for Iris' entrance.
Half a minute later, a young lady, who wore a pure white dress, appeared at the top of the stairs.
Lux's eyes widened in shock when he saw the blue-haired beauty walking down the stairs with an angelic smile on her face.
Her long blue hair was tied up into a princess braid, and the pure-white clothes made her look pure and innocent. She was so gorgeous that all the men couldn't stop themselves from staring at her.
Deep in their hearts, they envied Lux for snagging this angelic beauty for himself and making her his fiance.
Nero, who was looking at her from the distance, clenched his fist tightly. From the first time he saw Iris, he had already fallen in love with her, and this was one of the reasons why he hated Lux with a vengeance.
Even after losing to the Half-Elf, his love for the blue-haired beauty remained. His only regret was that he wasn't the one who would be marrying her in the future, but the red-headed teenager, who had won against him during their battle in the Semi-Finals.
Nero acknowledged that he lost to Lux in a battle of strength, but that didn't prevent him from keeping his feelings towards the young lady who was now celebrating her sixteenth birthday.
An age in which most ladies among the noble families were engaged to other nobles, strengthening relationships and bringing about a cooperation that benefited both sides of the family.
Iris had everything in the world—a loving grandmother, a doting father, as well as a dependable fiance, who had won the Tournament for her sake.
It would not be an exaggeration to call her the happiest young lady within the Six Kingdoms at this moment because she would be able to marry the person that she had loved the past few years of her life.
As Iris walked down the stairs, the light followed her every step.
"May we please call upon My Daddy to give the birthday celebrant the first dance of the night."
When Lux heard what he was called, he scratched his cheeks within the darkness before walking towards the light, where the beautiful young lady waited for him.
The moment Lux stepped into the spotlight, he knelt in front of Iris and kissed the back of her hand like a knight in shining armor. Countless girls couldn't help but sigh in their hearts.
When the handsome Half-Elf, and the blue-haired beauty stood side by side, the words, "a match made in heaven" appeared inside their minds.
"May I have this first dance, My Lady?" Lux asked. Although the announcer had already said that he would be her first dance, he still decided to do things formally and asked Iris' permission to dance.
"It will be my pleasure," Iris replied with a smile so sweet that it could rot anyone's teeth.
The two started to dance to the slow and romantic music playing in the background. Countless eyes watched as the two of them gracefully stepped across the dance floor.
In truth, Iris and Lux had danced to this song countless times in the past. They could dance it even if they had their eyes closed, but tonight was a special night, so both of them gazed at each other lovingly, making the young men and women, who were watching them, feel the urge to have a lover of their own.
"Are you happy right now?" Lux whispered in Iris' ears when the song was about to finish.
"Very happy," Iris replied. "I wish this moment could last forever."
Lux smiled after hearing her words. In truth, he felt the same, but the two of them knew that this was not possible.
Even so, at this moment in time, they held each other's hand and gave each other a knowing glance. Both knew that when the party was over, they could no longer go back to their old relationship as step-siblings because they decided to move forward together.
Iris lightly squeezed Lux's hand, and the latter returned her gesture, making her giggle. In her heart, no one could replace the handsome Half-Elf, who would soon make her his woman for life.
