Inside one of the set tents for the heroes.....

Lily sat on her futon with a frown on her face; next to her sat Jacob.

He had assisted her in setting up her tent....well, more like engaged her in conversation as Lily did all the heavy lifting.

Lily was furious because of no one other than their former classmate and now fellow hero, Caleb Cole.

She had no personal feeling about this Caleb person in the beginning, not until Jacob started to explain to her the young man’s true nature.

Jacob opened her eyes to how he was manipulating her friend Ava, and soon moved on to Erica, and now both ladies had stopped acting like their usual selves.

But what’s most annoying to Lily was the fact that this person, called Caleb, had been causing her friend Jacob to always be in a bad mood, and anytime they would sit to talk, something about Caleb and Ava would always come up.

He wasn’t even in the friend group to begin with.

Their meetup at the cafe before their sudden transmigration was actually the first time she had taken notice of the person called Caleb Cole.....

And ever since then, Jacob has always mentioned him regarding one bad thing or the other, and he was always the reason why her Jacob was in a bad mood.

At first, Lily simply disliked the young man for Jacob’s sake, but seeing the disorder he had brought to their group, all the things about him being an expert manipulator that Jacob had been saying to her began to make much sense.....

And seeing her friends’ states because of this person who had suddenly gained such a potent voice in their friend group, she couldn’t bear it anymore, and was very much on board with what Jacob was currently proposing.

Even though what Jacob was asking her to do wasn’t in her nature, and she was even a little scared about it.... It was Jacob who had asked.... And she would do anything for her Jacob.

"I agree, He deserves it, Jacob.... I will do as you’ve said." Lily said in her tiny voice, her determination coming through with mixed nervousness.

"That’s why I like you, Lily.... That’s why you are my good friend." Jacob, seated upon the futon, said endearingly as he adjusted his glasses on his long nose, his words causing Lily to blush a little.

"Yes...I will do anything for you, Jacob." Lily murmured shyly in response, but she failed to notice the little grin spreading at the corner of Jacob’s lips.

Jacob had been friends with Lily ever since their early days of college.

It wasn’t that he was oblivious to the fact that she had strong feelings for him; he simply had someone else in his heart, and Lily knows that too. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

That doesn’t mean he lacks genuine care for her. If Jacob was being honest, Lily has always been good to him, and they share a genuine closeness.

That he was currently using her as a means to get back at Caleb and expose him for what he truly is was because she was the best and only option he currently had.

From his observation so far, Caleb had also somehow managed to bring Erica to his side and was one hundred percent certain that their relationship wasn’t pure, judging from his observations.

He had also stolen Broddy away from him, so he, too, was out of the picture, and considering what he had in mind, Broddy was not the appropriate person to use in the first place.

Roberto was in a world of his own, and Jacob understood he could never get him to do what he didn’t want to, since the young man was too self-absorbed. If it doesn’t have anything to do with him directly, it doesn’t concern him.

The only time Roberto would actively make a move that wasn’t about himself was when Julia was involved. As narcissistic as he was, he still cared deeply about his girlfriend.

The two other girls and Andrew were out of the question as well, since, though they hung out and talked a lot, it wasn’t to the point where he could influence them to act against Caleb when their direct interests were not at stake.

And annoyingly enough, they were all drinking the Caleb kool-aid already. Acting as if he had always been such a pivotal member of their team.

Jacob had impressed upon them playfully on several occasions that Caleb wasn’t even a useful hero, simply a luggage on legs.... But even though some of them agree, they don’t seem to care.

Jacob loathed Caleb, and he was ready to do whatever was required to pay him back for always being a hurdle in the way of him and Ava’s relationship.....

And most importantly, for the humiliation he had suffered recently when he watched him defile the one that belongs to him that way.

He plans to directly get rid of him later on after exposing him, and for that, his plans with Lily have to work as well.

He was only playing at being passive-aggressive with him by missfiring his attacks while they moved, so Caleb would let his guard down, thinking that was all he had planned.

"Thank you, Lily. I know I can always count on you."

"I’ll be going now.... Remember.... We start tomorrow, okay?" Jacob said as he stood from the futon, with Lily nodding in agreement as he walked out of the tent.

Staring at Jacob’s back as he left, Lily muttered with determination on her face....

"Don’t worry, Jacob..... I’ll help you nail that scumbag."

******

A while later, after Jacob had left Lily’s tent, with most of the heroes already deep into their sleep, even those who like to sleep late had already turned in for the night.

Zorat strolled leisurely out of the forest of no return and moved in the direction of the small mountain base where they had camped for the night.

He had recast his void domain spell once again after leaving the water serpent cave, so no beast in the forest was able to pick up on his presence as he walked right through until he arrived at the camp.

However, as he proceeded to his tent, he found that there was something different from the way he had left it.

An imperial knight at that grandmaster realm was now standing at his tent’s entrance.

Zorat instantly recognized this person as one of the saintess’s personal guards, and now this person was at his entrance, he also appeared to be waiting for him.....

So, Zorat dispelled his void domain where no one could see.... threw on a simple cotton shirt and footware from his spatial repertoir, and then walked straight in the direction of his tent....

And just as expected, as the knight saw him approach, he quickly said..... "Hero of item box..."

"The Honored Saintess would like to have a word with you."