"Gods…this thing loves his precious, doesn't he? Jeez…Talk about depravity." Lesha whispered, seemingly suppressing a laugh while peering from behind a dead tree alongside Gris.

Caleb and Daru, meanwhile, were hiding behind another tree just across the ridge, observing the nightmarish ghoul, whom they would have to fight soon.

The former shook his head after hearing the words of his comrade.

She, of all people, should not be making comments about depravity. Caleb then shifted his head slightly, asking: "Daru, what's next?"

From what the older human bladeborn understood, this was merely sightseeing, and the blossom they would have to steal was located in another ridge, where Harlow, The Eye, was also sitting in his throne of withered branches, ever unmoving.

His understanding was correct.

"Follow me," Daru said, leading them to a certain part of the Monstrous Duel Ridge…as he decided to call their gentle and generous foothold.

Soon enough, they stood in front of a daunting cliff.

Gris did not have a good feeling about this…

"So, pull out your swords and let's climb," Daru stated, summoning Onimaru Kunitsuna and using the divine blade as a mountaineering tool.

He was quite proud of his mountain-climbing skills now.

Lesha seemed to have the mental capacity to appreciate his agile display, but the other two — especially the Serpentkin — grimaced.

Gris…was not used to using his feet at all, having slithered his way through life's battles.

Caleb, on the other hand, had some…memorable experiences with his older sister, and although he missed her very much, he did not miss the memories of those few falls.

It was a miracle he had even lived to awaken his sword.

Nonetheless, the leader of their wretched cohort was already on the climb, apathetic about what they were thinking.

What else could they do except follow him?

Lesha was used to climbing trees, and while mountain cliffs were different, some of her skills transferred over quite smoothly.

Her technique, although simpler, turned out to be far more effective than Daru's.

And more reliable.

She would simply stab the gray jian they've obtained from raiding the armory of the cemetery wraiths deep into the sides of the cliff, nimbly step on it — using it as a foothold — then repeat with the other one.

Lesha was akin to a monkey as she performed the necessary motions with skill and finesse.

Caleb and Gris copied what she was doing, though their ascent was far slower.

Nonetheless, the four of them arrived at the other ridge without any problems.

The other three then turned to Daru.

Sensing their gazes, he explained what they would be doing next, or rather, gave them a small tour of the Jester's Ridge.

Ascending the path, Daru casually shared that he slept at the root hollow they just passed.

Then, arriving at the part where a small, gray blossom grew by its little lonesome, he casually plucked it out and kept it in his inventory.

As it turned out, the Sinflower was a strategic, consumable item.

"That should be it. All we have to do is wait for the duel between Saphoros and Rocante to happen, and the ghoul would rush to this flower for comfort. Since we've taken it already, he will…uhh…throw a tantrum. I have no experience sniffing illegal drugs, though, so I don't know what's happening inside his body, but I noticed that Saphoros would be more sluggish the longer he goes without his indulgence, so we will intercept him on his way back to the Monstrous Duel Ridge."

Caleb nodded, seemingly satisfied with the plan.

"Ah, right. Saphoros wouldn't return to the Monstrous Duel Ridge until tomorrow, so feel free to do what you want. It's safe here." Daru then added as he and his cohort arrived beneath a certain dead tree.

He noticed that Caleb and Gris kept on looking up, as though looking for something.

The latter finally couldn't resist and asked:

"Right…Daru, I know you said that the demonic jester is harmless, but if I understood correctly, we're currently on its ridge."

"Correct." He nodded in confirmation.

"So…you know, where is it? The horror."

Daru's brows rose, then eased, the realization that The Eye was quite easy to miss sinking in.

He smiled faintly and looked up.

There Harlowe was, sitting in his throne of dead branches and staring into the distance.

Caleb and Gris shuddered.

As for Lesha, her eyes landed on the horror with grim seriousness.

She, too, did not notice, and this was despite the fact that Vesharis prided themselves on dexterity, agility, and perception.

They stumbled upon the same realization…That their lives could've been taken so easily.

Fortunately, it seemed that the demonic jester was truly harmless, and while it did take them some time to warm up to the company of The Eye, they were soon able to relax.

The root hollow was way too small for four wretches, though.

So, Daru led his small cohort further up the ridge — to a very spacious but less-hidden alcove. He had slept here quite a few times while testing Saphoros' reactions.

There was no danger here, as the nightmarish ghoul never climbed this high into the mountain.

The four wretches passed the time just like this.

Caleb, Lesha, and Gris would leave the alcove from time to time, walking around to alleviate their boredom and quench their curiosity.

In a sensible manner, of course.

They mostly climbed up the ridge and never descended a few meters past the alcove, following Daru's instructions well.

The cohort slept early, too, so that there was no chance for them to miss the correct ambush timing.

The alcove was quite some distance away from the plucked blossom.

So, they didn't hear the nightmarish ghoul's harrowing cries of withdrawal and had a restful sleep.

Eight hours later, the relic-hunting cohort of Egress was ready.

The four descended, armed with swords and determination…and excitement.

At least Daru and Lesha were.

A few minutes later, they heard it: the withdrawal tantrums.

Saphoros howled and whimpered as he clawed at the ashen ground. His wails were so difficult to ignore that even Harlowe glanced in his direction from time to time.

Still, the demonic jester didn't move…yet.

He would soon, though…to watch Rocante's defeated figure with glee, clearly displeased with the hulking horror's relationship with La Filosa.

Daru would shake his head every time he remembered that the silly jester would feel jealous because his crush would whisper something to another horror's ears for a few moments.

'It's like the resentment of elementary school kids…or something…'

It wasn't wise to wait until Harlowe jumped down from his tree, though.

Saphoros seemed disoriented enough, too.

So, with not a hint of hesitation in his eyes, Daru assumed an L-stance, heart racing in excitement as he fired a Crescent Dicer at the nightmarish ghoul.

It was finally time to cross swords with The Five.

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