Draco naturally sat down opposite the group.
Aura and Mare had already returned to their work, as their help was no longer needed here.
Shalltear and Albedo stood silently behind Draco.
The invisible pressure emanating from the two of them made Eren's trio tremble with fear, not daring to lift their heads to look directly at them.
Shizu observed the three people in front of her and then asked, "I wonder why your Excellency has sought us out?"
"It's nothing, I just came to meet some fellow countrymen."
"The Conqueror of Flames, Izawa Shizue, right?"
Shizu was slightly taken aback; she hadn't even made a move, so how did he find out?
"Eh!!!"
"Miss Shizu is the Conqueror of Flames? Isn't that the legendary figure active twenty years ago?"
"For real?"
Hearing this, the three people beside her widened their eyes and looked at Shizu with shock, seemingly wanting to confirm this from her own mouth.
"Indeed, it is me, but I have already retired now."
Shizu nodded and admitted it.
"How did your Excellency find out?"
Draco smiled without saying a word, merely waving his hand to indicate he didn't mind.
"Just call me Draco."
"Oh? You are the Otherworlder who killed the Magister Razen?"
Draco rubbed his nose and smiled, "Haha, am I already that famous?"
"You are indeed quite famous; the Kingdom of Falmuth has issued a wanted poster, and the Western Nations have all paid attention to this matter."
"This..."
The expressions of Albedo and Shalltear standing behind him became somewhat cold.
"Mere lowly humans dare to provoke the majesty of our supreme being; they deserve to die!"
"Hmph, they must pay the price for this."
The two were filled with righteous indignation, seemingly ready to go cause trouble for the Kingdom of Falmuth at any moment.
"Don't get excited."
Draco quickly stopped the two of them.
In his heart, he silently complained, 'I'm also human, okay? You're making this a bit awkward for me.'
"Apologies, Master, we lost our composure."
The two immediately restrained their Auras and stood obediently behind Draco.
Seeing Draco stop the two of them, Kabaru and Gido on the opposite side breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.
The pressure those two had just released was too terrifying; as two humans staying here, they felt like they were sitting on pins and needles, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.
"Sorry, my subordinates frightened you."
"Miss Shizu, could you let me see your mask?"
Shizu hesitated for a moment before taking off her silver mask.
She revealed a face that was exquisite and ethereal, though there was a burn scar near her left eye.
Taking the mask, Draco quietly had the system appraise it.
[This item is protected by the Power of Time; information retrieval failed!]
At the same time, the bead hanging from Draco's chest, the 'source of magic power', suddenly flickered for a moment.
[Affected by unknown causes, you have obtained the Innate Skill 'Source of Time']
"Hmm!?"
Draco was startled; what was going on?
"Is there something wrong with my mask?"
Shizu looked at Draco, seemingly noticing the surprise that appeared on his face.
"Ah, no, no problem."
He returned the mask to her.
Draco changed the subject, "So, can you tell me why you were following behind the Ogre Tribe?"
Kabaru and the others explained the Freedom Association's mission.
Upon learning that it was his abduction of Shuna that led to this series of events, Draco fell silent for a moment.
"Fate truly works in mysterious ways!"
He sighed lightly and then continued, "I understand the situation; I will find a way to settle it."
"But since you are already here, why don't you stay for a couple of days?"
"When you go back, help me promote this place; I have many magic items here that aren't available outside."
"I will pay you for it."
Hearing that they could get free food and lodging and even get paid when they returned, the three immediately agreed gladly.
"Miss Shizu should also rest here for a few days."
Shizu hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed.
"Albedo, go back and arrange for some maids to come here and attend to the guests."
"Yes."
"It's getting late, and I have things to do. You should rest first; if you need anything, you can tell the maids."
The conversation concluded, and Draco returned to his study.
Dismissing everyone else, Draco opened the system interface.
He found the skill tab and began to check it.
The skill effect of 'Source of Time' was like that of 'Summoner', consisting of several sub-skills.
Time Guidance: Allows the user to briefly obtain the ability to accelerate time.
Time Retrospection: Allows the user to return to 10 seconds ago, with a 10-second cooldown.
Time Prediction: Allows the user to see what will happen 10 seconds into the future.
Time Blessing: Reduces the cooldown of all skills by 50%.
Draco looked at the skill descriptions and fell into thought.
"The system must have a bug; this skill is a bit broken."
When things are abnormal, there must be a reason.
Draco felt that this skill had appeared far too strangely.
If it were granted by the 'voice of the world', it would be understandable, but why did the system give it to him?
Normally, such a skill shouldn't appear in the skill library.
This world had the Great Spirit of Time, which stood above the seven Primal Spirits.
Only this spirit possessed the Power of Time.
Shizu's mask was a product of Chloe's infinite reincarnation, relying on the power of the Great Spirit of Time.
Could it be that changing the plot had caused a subsequent temporal distortion?
Draco's mind was now a tangled mess; he had no idea if this was good or bad.
This matter made Draco reach a decision.
"It's better to go out less in the future; I'll just be a shut-in and try not to break the original plot as much as possible."
Organizing his thoughts, he chose to forget those questions in his mind for now.
He prepared to find a place to clear his head.
He arrived at the Sakura Sanctuary on the Eighth Floor.
Cherry blossoms danced in the air, and the fields were covered in pink petals, as if he were in a fairyland.
He took a deep breath, feeling the faint sweetness permeating the surrounding air.
Draco couldn't help but stretch his body, loosening his muscles and bones.
"This is still the best place to relax."
Orel was still standing before the giant crystal ball in the center of the platform, silently observing every movement within Nazarick.
Seeing Draco appear, Orel walked slowly toward him and gave a slight bow.
She said softly, "Lord Draco."
"Ah, Orel. Carry on with your work; I just came here to clear my head."
Draco nodded slightly to her and then went to lie down on a patch of grass.
Looking at the dreamlike scenery before him, he quietly enjoyed the comfort of the breeze on his face.
Orel did not speak to disturb him; she simply sat silently by Draco's side.
A faint, ethereal smile remained on her face.
-------------------------------
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