’I don’t believe it was something related to the dragons.’

Chaz reasoned with his worries before settling down. Then what truly occupied his mind was his daughter, Cher.

He still remembered the day he had discovered the nature of her special gift. It was an ability unlike almost anything he had ever encountered, rare enough to alter the fate of entire humans.

As her father, he had felt immense pride. As one of humanity’s leaders, however, he had immediately understood the burden such a gift placed upon people in positions like his.

Even if part of his decision back then had been driven by greed, Chaz knew it had also come from a clear understanding of the responsibility he carried. In his eyes, the future of humanity demanded sacrifices. Unfortunately, his daughter did not share that belief and had no intention of sacrificing herself for what he considered a greater cause.

’She refused to help me break the cursed bottleneck that has trapped humanity at A-Grade since coming to Eldrune.’

The thought reignited his anger. A wave of bloodlust leaked from him, instantly drawing the attention of the B-Enhancers gathered around the tactical map. Their discussion faltered as they turned toward him.

Chaz quickly suppressed the killing intent and offered a calm nod along with a faint smile, signalling them to continue.

’The dragon will corner you eventually and leave you no choice but to accept my offer.’

His gaze swept across the tactical display, searching for something that stubbornly refused to appear. The longer he looked, the deeper his frown became.

’Cher... Where are you, little darling?’

For hours, her whereabouts had remained unknown.

The fault lay entirely with his spies. Convinced that Cher would return to Silas and Darius after completing whatever task she had in mind, they had focused all their attention on tracking those two and ignored the shuttle that carried her away.

By the time they realised their mistake, she had vanished without a trace.

Chaz had been furious. He immediately sent a harsh warning, making it clear that another failure would not be tolerated.

’One way or another, you’ll reveal yourself.’

His eyes shifted toward the G-Enhancers surrounding the map. And a faint smile appeared. As everything was proceeding exactly as he intended.

To ensure the battle against the dragon lasted as long as possible, he had deliberately selected the weakest B-Enhancers under his command. Their job was not to win quickly but to keep the dragon occupied until Cher resurfaced.

Once she did, he would guide events so that the two sides collided, allowing him to reap the rewards.

***

"Her wristwatch is still offline."

Inside a rapidly moving shuttle, Cher tried once again to contact Lara and received no response. She knew that the wristwatch was either damaged or powered off. And she desperately hoped it was the latter.

What worried her most was not knowing whether Lara had followed the original plan and remained at the location Silas had chosen, or if something had forced her to move.

Yet her gut feeling told her Lara moved away from the spot Silas picked for her.

The shuttle was already heading toward Lara and Alfred’s last known position, yet the uncertainty offered little comfort.

The moment she had boarded, Cher had contacted one of the few relatives within the family who still supported her. She asked him to use his connections to trace Lara’s wristwatch. Even when powered down, the device continued to emit a faint signal that could be tracked by the manufacturing company.

Now, the results had finally arrived. A map appeared before her, marked with a blinking red dot.

"So she really did leave that area..."

Cher narrowed her eyes. The distance wasn’t great, however.

"Maybe she found an opportunity and decided to seize it."

At the very least, the moving signal confirmed that Lara was still alive. The red dot drifted slowly across the map. She was moving at snail speed, but even that sluggish movement was enough to make Cher release a long breath of relief.

She immediately forwarded the updated coordinates to the shuttle crew before returning her attention to the display. Unfortunately, the relief brought an unwelcome consequence. Now that her worries about Lara had eased, thoughts of her father returned.

For the past couple of hours, concern for her friend had distracted her from those painful memories. During that time, she had regained some measure of control over herself. At least she no longer broke down in tears whenever she thought about him.

One memory after another surfaced in her mind, dragging her back to everything that had happened between them. Then, for some reason, she remembered her conversation with Silas before leaving.

And a bitter sigh escaped her lips.

"Father... I hope time has changed you..."

After a brief pause, her voice softened.

"Even if only a little."

Unknown to her, far away, Chaz was arranging the pieces that would force her into a corner.

Cher finally arrived at Lara and Alfred’s location.

Unwilling to drown herself in more painful memories, she had urged the shuttle crew to push the engines to their limits. What should have been a two-hour journey was reduced to one, allowing her to reach the destination far sooner than expected.

Even before the shuttle landed, she saw the area from above and immediately wondered why Lara had picked this place instead of the one Silas had picked.

This was a narrow valley stretched between three modest mountain peaks. A wide river cut through its centre, spilling across both banks and submerging much of the land beneath shallow, muddy water. With the current moving sluggishly through the confined terrain, the entire valley had transformed into a vast muddy swamp.

The sight itself did surprise Cher. The original location Silas had selected for Lara had also been a swamp. However, that one had been smaller and surrounded by open terrain. This place was different.

The swamp below was far larger, hemmed in by rocky slopes on every side, giving it a far more dangerous and oppressive atmosphere. Not to mention if something went wrong and monsters decided to go berserk and attack, there was no way for Lara and Alfred to run through.

That alone left her confused.

It was obvious that this swamp posed greater risks than the original location. If so, why had Lara decided to move here?

Cher doubted Alfred had made the decision himself. The entire mission revolved around helping Lara tame suitable monsters, a goal Silas had repeatedly emphasised as a critical part of their plans. Considering how seriously Lara took Silas’s instructions, the choice had likely been hers.

The moment Cher stepped out of the shuttle, another surprise awaited her.

The aircraft had landed on the last strip of solid ground before the swamp swallowed the valley completely. Ahead, Lara was standing waist-deep in muddy water, almost entirely submerged except for her upper body and head. She remained perfectly still, her attention fixed on something beneath the surface.

Several dozen meters away floated a crude wooden raft. Alfred stood atop it, carefully guiding it forward with a long branch that served as a makeshift pole.

Frowning, Cher walked to the edge of the water and climbed aboard.

"What exactly are you doing here?"

She was prepared to bombard him with questions, but Alfred immediately raised a finger to his lips and silenced her with a stern look. Then he leaned closer and whispered.

"Please, keep your voice down."

His gaze shifted toward Lara.

"We chased those monsters all the way here. The last thing we want is to startle them or provoke them."