The smell of medicine and herbs instantly reached Michael's nostrils as he entered the recovery room.

His eyes were drawn out to Conor. Despite his pale expression, the man didn't look at death's door anymore. The doctors had done a great job.

"Sir Michael!"

Conor's eyes instantly sharpened when he saw the familiar silhouette. Without hesitating, he got up from the bed, opening his wounds in the process.

Yet rather than showing any concern for his condition, he dropped on one knee, his head bowing deeply.

"For saving my life and, more importantly, the life of Miss Jasmine, you have my utmost gratitude. If you ever find yourself in trouble or in need of assistance, don't hesitate to ask. I am willing to offer my life!"

'Who could have thought the man was so virtuous?' Michael thought nearing.

Lending his shoulder, he made sure that Conor was back in the bed and proceeded to call a doctor to fix his open wounds.

"Please forgive the unpleasant sight. This isn't a state that a warrior should be in." Conor bowed again.

Michael's eyes narrowed. 'This man's chastity seems familiar. Could he be a part of…'

"Are you a part of the Sacred Order?" He asked.

A faint smile spread over Conor's face hearing the question. "I am indeed. I guess the way I carry myself gave it away."

This was clearly unprecedented. The members of the Sacred Order were famed for their charity and unwavering loyalty. From every faction there was, they held the strongest image of righteousness and virtue.

'I can see why Conor is assigned as Jasmine's guard.' Michael mused.

"I haven't come here to talk about your faction, nor am I about to demand something from you. I just want to see the man that faced a General in order to save a little girl."

Conor shook his head. "There is nothing impressive about it. I was simply doing my duty. Not to mention that Jasmine's intellect is extraordinary. I am certain as she matures she will change humanity for the better, and I want to see her achieve that."

Shifting his gaze to the man's sliced-off arm, Michael said. "Since you are in need of an implant, I can refer you to Grandmaster Riley. She will give you one unlike any other."

Michael wasn't doing this only because of the goodness of his heart. He had to make sure that Conor was in the best possible condition. Otherwise, if Jasmine's guard failed to protect her, then the consequence would be catastrophic.

"..."

Conor stared wordless at the man before him. Even from a glance, he knew that Michael was just 18 years old, yet the way he carried himself spoke otherwise.

'Not only has he rescued us from a General, but he is even willing to help me recover?'

Having spent more than a decade in the Sacred Order, Conor had seen many people with forged personalities trying to join their ranks. Yet this was the first time he witnessed a person that was an embodiment of their teachings.

The little doubts that Conor had held about Michael's true intent were instantly dispersed. Without hesitating, he took out a golden token and handed it to him.

Michael was flabbergasted seeing the token. The Sacred Order was one of the tenth strongest factions there was, and this golden thing was proof of a tie with a high-standing member there.

How a simple Early Expert got access to it in the first place was a mystery.

"Keep it, my faction is willing to assist anyone as skilled as you." Conor insisted that Michael keep the token.

'Who would have thought that agreeing to save a little girl would leave me with so many gains?' He mused.

With a nod of appreciation, Michael left shortly after. The man was still recovering, and it would be rude to linger for too long.

Slightly in a daze, Michael stared at the token for several seconds. He had made several plans on how to acquire the piece of metal, yet they all proved to be unneeded due to a single guard.

'Conor, was it? Such tokens are usually only given to Grandmasters. Taking into account his personality, I doubt that he has stolen it, so he must have been awarded or gifted by someone…'

Making the choice to pay close attention to the man, Michael gathered with his crew.

"Sis Victoria, Ava, Claire, we can play again some time, right?!" Jasmine asked with a smile. It appeared that the girls had gotten closer in a short time.

Bryce sighed quietly. "So the old man isn't that fun. I must up my game..."

Saying farewell to the Golden Goose, the crew went to rest. They hadn't taken a breather since the festival had begun, so they were exhausted.

"It has been some time since I called home. But the blizzards on Neptune aren't calming down at all…" Michael mumbled. If he wanted to see how his family was doing, he would either have to wait out the climate or go high in the atmosphere to contact them.

While speaking with his family would have been nice, he couldn't afford to separate himself from the crew and the city for personal matters, so he decided to wait out the storms and try his luck then.

Exhausted, he quickly undressed, laying into bed. The moment his head hit the pillow, he knew that he would be out for a long while.

"...!"

Or at least it was supposed to be this way. Yet an unknown amount of hours later, his eyes instantly sprang open.

Something was wrong.

Despite resting, his mind was clouded… Much more than usual. It had become several times harder to form any kind of thought.

His breathing was erratic, his body ran hot. The blood running through his veins was acting in a way it wasn't supposed to.

Thanks to the past experience of his life, he instantly arrived at one conclusion.

He had been poisoned.

Knock Knock

The next moment somebody gently knocked on the door of his room.

It appeared he had a visitor.

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