Silas and Darius spent the next few minutes discussing ways to buy enough time for the others to complete their tasks. In the end, they could only settle on a single plan: keep moving and force everyone else to follow.

"It’s risky," Darius said with a frown. "If even one group decides not to chase us, they might head for the mine and disrupt the operation, or simply disappear somewhere else."

Silas nodded. He understood the concern.

"But it’s the only viable option we have," he said calmly. "Besides, there is another variable we can’t ignore... The dragon is still out there, waiting."

Darius fell silent. He understood immediately what Silas was speaking about.

The dragon had been acting like a patient hunter, lingering on the edge of the battlefield and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. What troubled him was that such behaviour did not fit a creature like that. A dragon should have relied on overwhelming strength rather than careful schemes and calculated timing, yet this one seemed determined to do the opposite.

"Then we’re gambling everything on uncertainty," Darius said at last.

And Silas nodded.

"We don’t have another choice. That’s also why you’ll separate from me. I can move much faster on my own, while you can intervene if one of the groups decides to break away."

Darius shot him an incredulous look.

"You don’t seriously expect me to stop several hundred Dark Hunters or mine soldiers by myself, do you?"

Silas chuckled.

"You’ve been pulling rabbits out of your hat since the moment we started this plan. Why not do it one more time?"

Darius stared at him, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused.

In truth, Silas was only teasing him. He had no intention of letting his friend face either force alone. Wherever the Dark Hunters went, the mine troops would inevitably follow. As for the Dark Hunters themselves, Silas already had a reliable way to keep them moving in the direction he wanted through the flower.

Still, he kept those thoughts to himself and watched Darius reluctantly depart.

"Don’t hesitate to call for help if things go wrong," Silas shouted after him. But Darius did not bother replying.

Once his friend disappeared into the distance, Silas turned his full attention to the chase ahead.

"This is going to be rough," he muttered, lifting his gaze toward the sky. "Especially if that dragon decides to join the hunt."

Despite the danger, he still had some confidence in his chances. The Shadowheart had escaped the dragon once. Darius had done the same. If they could manage it, perhaps he could as well.

Encouraged by that thought, Silas veered away from the mine and began following a long, winding route, drawing both forces after him.

At first, the Dark Hunters suspected nothing. Soon enough, they assumed he had finally abandoned whatever plan he was pursuing and was simply trying to flee. The Scorpion leader eventually ordered his people to halt, regroup, and search for an opportunity to escape the relentless pursuit of the mine forces.

The moment they stopped, however, Silas repeated the same provocation using the flower and forced them back into the chase.

The cycle continued several times. By then, everyone understood there would be no escaping him until he was dead.

Silas paid little attention to either side. He was not worried about the Dark Hunters, nor about the mine troops trailing behind them. His focus remained fixed on the sky. Every few moments, his eyes swept across the clouds while one hand rested on a Mana Crystal, ready to use it at a moment’s notice.

Hours passed in this manner. Yet the dragon never appeared.

Eventually, Silas began to question his own judgment. Had he misread the dragon’s intentions? Had it already abandoned the hunt?

Even so, he refused to lower his guard.

[Lara, Alfred, and Cissel arrived at the mine.]

Four hours later, Darius finally sent the news Silas had been waiting for.

[No one ran away from you, and the dragon never appeared.]

[Can I come back now?]

Silas read the messages and couldn’t help but grin.

"Feeling this nervous, my dear friend?"

His grin widened.

"But let’s keep you on edge a little longer."

He immediately sent a reply, telling Darius to stay where he was. He reasoned that Lara still needed more time to complete her part of the plan, and any interruption could ruin everything.

"Make sure Lara sticks to the instructions I gave her."

"Even the slightest mistake could get me killed."

That was not an exaggeration. Lara’s role was one of the most important pieces of the entire scheme. If she failed, Silas would end up facing the dragon without the preparation he needed.

Darius tried to argue, but Silas remained firm. In the end, he reluctantly accepted his fate and continued carrying the burden of standing alone while enemies could appear from any direction at any moment.

Some time later, another message arrived, a bit different this time. Darius had spotted a large force coming from the direction of the mine and heading toward his position.

’More troops?’

Silas frowned.

The movement felt wrong.

If the dragon were actively attacking, reinforcing the area would have made perfect sense. Yet the dragon had remained silent for hours, and the Dark Hunters were nowhere near the mine itself. Not to mention there were already enough mine forces to keep them at bay if they tried to head to the mine.

’What are you planning, Cher’s old man?’

Silas had never met the man, but he had heard enough from Cher to know what kind of person he was. Ruthless, calculating, and willing to do whatever benefited him.

The more Silas thought about it, the less he believed those troops had been sent after the Dark Hunters.

’The Dark Hunters are busy chasing me.’

He continued analysing the situation until a troubling thought suddenly crossed his mind.

’Cher said he wanted something from her.’

’There was also that bet between them. Something about the team she’d join during her first year.’

A moment later, a ridiculous conclusion formed in his mind.

’Don’t tell me he wants to remove us from her side.’