Bahamut and the girls, after spending a quiet time in his room, came out. Lily and Alana moved out first so Bahamut and Exildra could get dressed. Although she was literally seated on Bahamut’s lap, right on his hard-on, she was still not really ready to see it, and neither was Alana. In fact, she was the first to get out.

Bahamut and Exildra got out next, and they all headed for Elder Silvia’s hall, where she was mostly either reading or having a tea time with Elder Iset, Exildra’s master. When they arrived, they found Elder Silvia in discussion with Elder Iset. They appeared to be very focused, but the moment Bahamut and the girls stepped inside, they turned their attention to them.

"Oh? You finally woke up..." Elder Silvia said while getting up. Elder Iset just sat down and stared at Bahamut with a scrutinizing gaze. "You really can’t give your peers a break, can you?"

Bahamut smiled wryly at Elder Silvia’s remark. He knew what she was talking about. Because of him, there was pressure on the others, especially the Strong Eleven. But it wasn’t their fault. Even if he refused to grow stronger, the system would make him grow. So, he had no choice but to grow.

Besides, it wasn’t his fault for being hardworking. He had six elements, a totally new race out of the system... he was destined to be busy and hardworking. They couldn’t even focus on one element and advance, and they wanted to compare to him?

"Funny..." Bahamut muttered absentmindedly.

"What?" Elder Iset asked, thinking that the question was directed at her. Bahamut looked straight into her eyes in silence. He was without his blindfold, and his eyes had returned to their usual grey color, but this time, they didn’t look blind. There was light in them, meaning that grey was his normal eye color. But looking into Elder Iset’s eyes made them turn from grey to red with multiple pupils. They glowed ominously and defiantly.

"I mean, I didn’t achieve this by sleeping and eating all day," Bahamut stated with a dark voice.

"...this..."

"I didn’t achieve my current strength by playing around. I suffered, bled, and sweated for it. I almost died sometimes, I lost my mind one time, but I still strived on. And I am not the only one in this situation. All those at the top have one thing pushing them to become stronger. Sel isn’t ranked second because of his looks, but his strength. A strength I respect a lot. I doubt I would come out unscathed if I fight him seriously. And I am very sure he would be the next person to ascend to Tier 2 this week," Bahamut stated matter-of-factly.

"Saying this in front of your girls... Do you even love them, or are you trying to say they are expendable?"

"I never said that, and they know me, even if it’s for a short time. I’m just being honest. If Alana or Ren weren’t considered my contracted beasts, Sel would most likely not be crowned the second. I wouldn’t even be the ranked one when Ren is already a Tier 2. Exildra and Lily are also strong, but compared to Sel, Alana, or Ren, they are weak, and they are aware of that. I cannot make them strong; I can only cheer them on, and if there’s a way to support them, I will try to support them.

Besides, Exildra and Lily aren’t exactly damsels who need saving. I’m just a maniac because we all know that if I were out of the picture, they would be competing with Sel, not to mention Gabi. He was one of the weakest out of the so-called Strong Eleven and passed the trial by luck. But the current Gabi can solo his trial without even trying. He didn’t become strong enough to go toe to toe with me by sleeping and lazing around, and neither did the Strong Eleven.

They are all strong because they want to be and have worked towards it."

"I never asked you anything."

"Your gaze says it all. You are questioning how I’m becoming so strong in such a short time. You are questioning how a boy who was barely a Tier 1 just a month ago could reach Tier 2 so fast. You want to know my secret."

Elder Iset was left speechless by Bahamut’s answer, making her turn to Elder Silvia, who was smirking triumphantly.

"I told you he’s not all brawn. I fear his mind more than his strength," She said with a smile. If only they knew...

"Forgive me for thinking that," Elder Iset bowed lightly, surprising everyone around. Bahamut also bowed in return as a sign of respect. Then he asked.

"I haven’t seen Sel around, and I can’t sense him either. Where is he?"

"Sel is missing," Alana said with an innocent expression. Most of the time, they forgot that she was still a little girl in terms of beast-kin. Even though she looked to be 20 years old, she was 15 or 16 in mind... mostly. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know anything or wasn’t mature, but the growth of beast-kin brought with it a lot of after-effects, and hers was the childish nature. Lily had yet to go through her growth, but that would be coming soon... The moment she advances to Tier 2, she will achieve a more mature appearance.

Alana’s growth, mostly known as evolution, was forced, so it would take some time for her to become accustomed to a lot of things. Fortunately or unfortunately for her, she ended up with Bahamut, so it would happen sooner or later.

Elder Silvia chuckled lightly at Alana’s response. She wasn’t wrong in the actual sense, since logically, Sel was nowhere to be found, meaning he was missing. But...

"Sel is in secluded training. His element is one of the special types, Space element, so he’s been sent to a spatial domain to cultivate. That is what the Chief Elder told me," Elder Silvia said.

"I see. Hope he can make it."

"He will. He went with Ren after all."

"If he doesn’t make it, I will beat him up."