After a few days of traveling, Lux and his comrades finally arrived at the Atlas Stronghold, where they were welcomed by the Saintess, Cleo, and Commander Garen, along with his men.
The moment they saw Aurora, almost all of them took a few steps back, wary of what she was capable of doing.
"Y-You really brought her back," Cleo stuttered.
Lux arched an eyebrow. "Why are you surprised? Isn't that the reason I went to the Pantheon of Exile? Do you think I went there to buy cabbages?"
Cleo's face became flushed because Lux's reply was on point. He had indeed set sail to the Pantheon of Exile to bring Aurora back, but she didn't think that he would actually succeed.
Commander Garen, who was in charge of the Atlas Stronghold, narrowed his eyes.
"I applaud you for doing the unthinkable," Commander Garen stated. "But I'm afraid we can't let Princess Aurora go back to Agartha. Even though I also feel that she doesn't deserve to be locked up in that place, her existence is a threat to the peace of our kingdom.
"Even if I don't block you, once the citizens know that she has returned, they might attempt to attack her out of fear. I hope you understand, but I can't allow such a thing to happen."
Lux nodded his head in understanding. However, he also had something to say to the Commander of the Stronghold.
"I have two things to say to you," Lux said. "The first is that the exiles in the Pantheon of Exile are planning to return, and it seems that they have the means to do it. We have confiscated their contraband, but I believe that they still have more in places that are hidden. One of these days, they will cross the Purple Sea and return to these lands."
Commander Garen's expression immediately turned grim after hearing Lux's statement. If all the Exiles were to really return to Agartha, then another civil war might take place.
However, before he could even think of a way to inform the capital about the possible return of the wanted criminals, Lux raised two of his fingers to tell him the next thing that he wanted to say.
"The second thing that I want to say to you is that I don't care about your opinion," Lux stated. "Even if Lady Cleo were to help you and your men, none of you have the strength to stop us."
Garen, who was still not aware of Lux's abilities, sneered.
"It seems that the success of saving Princess Aurora has gone to your head, boy," Commander Garen said coldly. "Are you sure you can back up your words?"
Lux sneered, but before he could even reply, he felt someone tugging on his robe, which made him look at the young beauty beside him.
"Allow me to negotiate with Commander Garen," Aurora said softly. "Please give me some space. All of you back away for a bit."
Lux looked at Aurora before nodding his head. He then backed a few meters away and looked at Aurora.
"A bit farther," Aurora commented.
The Half-Elf nodded and asked everyone to back away with him.
Cethus originally wasn't going to budge, but after reading Aurora's comment in their Guild Chat, the arrogant Dragon Born backed farther away than Lux, Gerhart, and Lilian did.
Seeing that everyone had distanced themselves from her, Aurora turned his attention to Commander Garen, who had an aloof expression on his face.
"Commander Garen, I plan to return to Agartha," Aurora said. "Can you please let us use the teleporter that will take us back to the capital?"
The Commander of the Atlas Stronghold frowned. The teleporter was supposed to be a military secret, and no one should have been able to know that it existed.
However, after remembering that it was King Septimius himself who had taken Aurora to the Pantheon of Exile, it was only natural for the Princess to know that it existed.
"I'm sorry, Princess," Commander Garen stated. "I cannot allow you to return to the capital."
"I see." Aurora nodded before giving the Commander a mischievous smile.
She then placed her hand over her neck, removing her necklace.
"This is a gift given to me by Lux," Aurora stated as she held Fortuna's Tears in her hand. "As long as I'm wearing or holding this, my curse will not spread to my surroundings. However, since Commander Garen refuses to cooperate, I guess I'll stop wearing it. I just hope that you enjoy having bad luck for the rest of your life."
The corner of Commander Garen's lips twitched as he looked at the beautiful young lady who was outright threatening him.
As a citizen of Agartha, he knew full well how dangerous it was to be cursed by Misfortune's Beloved.
Even Cleo, who was standing beside him a while ago, distanced herself in fear. She had seen how much suffering those who were cursed with Misfortune had to go through, and she had no intention of becoming one of them.
"P-Princess, I'm just doing my job." Commander Garen couldn't help but feel his heart tremble.
Even his men had already backed away, leaving him behind to deal with the beautiful princess, who could curse them all to oblivion.
"I know. But, do you really think you can stop me?" Aurora asked sweetly. "Do you dare to try and stop me?"
Zane and Zeke, who were standing beside Aurora, crossed their arms over their chest and gave Commander Garen the "if you don't want to get hurt, kneel and beg our Princess for forgiveness!" stare.
Several emotions flashed across the Commander's face. He knew that if he let Aurora return to the capital, he would definitely be punished by the King for dereliction of duty.
After giving it some thought, he decided to steel himself and suppress Aurora. He also planned to use her as a hostage to make Lux and his people leave peacefully.
The beautiful Princess sighed because she could tell that Commander Garen had already resolved himself to deal with her.
Since that was the case, the smile disappeared from her face. She had been suppressed for many years, and if she said that she didn't feel angry because of this, she would be lying.
Lux had already done many things for her sake, so she decided to handle the rest on her own. However, before she could even do anything, Lilian walked past her and stood in front of Commander Garen.
"You're in the way," Lilian stated. "Scram!"
Without another word, the Wicked Queen Slime punched Commander Garen's chest, sending him flying towards the Atlas Stronghold.
The force of the punch was so strong that the walls of the fort were destroyed, and this sight made the soldiers gulp.
"Do you know where the teleporter is?" Lilian asked Aurora who was about to unleash her Curse Domain a moment ago.
The young lady nodded her head and pointed at the Stronghold.
"The Teleporter is inside the Keep," Aurora replied.
Lilian nodded before shifting her gaze back to Lux.
"What are you waiting for?" Lilian arched an eyebrow. "Let's go."
The Half-Elf chuckled before walking towards Aurora. He then held her hand and led her to the stronghold.
The soldiers manning the Fort didn't dare to block their path because they didn't want to be sent flying like Commander Garen.
"Are you coming?" Lux asked Cleo, who was a distance away from them.
The Saintess thought for a bit before nodding her head.
The only reason why she was in the Stronghold in the first place was because she was assigned to guide and monitor Lux. Since the Half-Elf was going to leave, it was only normal that she would leave with him as well.
When they entered the stronghold, they saw Commander Garen lying in the distance without moving. Clearly, Lilian's blow had knocked him unconscious.
By the time he woke up later, Lux and the others would have already long left his Stronghold.
Originally, Lux had told Aurora that they could instantly leave Agartha and teleport to their Guild Headquarters.
However, the beautiful Princess rejected his offer. She said that she wanted to see her sister, Princess Shayna, whom she hadn't seen for many years.
Aurora missed her dearly, and she wanted to say a proper goodbye to her sister and father before going with Lux to the Surface World.
Because of this, the Half-Elf decided to accompany her to the Capital City and make sure that the King of Agartha wouldn't imprison his daughter again.
Several minutes later, the group used the Teleportation Gate and traveled directly to the Capital City of Agartha.
As to how Aurora's reunion with her family would turn out, the Half-Elf only hoped that they wouldn't have to say goodbye to each other under bad circumstances.
