TBATE-PRODIGY

Chapter 101

Arthur Leywin POV

The sound of footsteps and armor clanking reverberated through the air as our group made our way toward the boss's room. Several of the squads were having small talk as we made our way forward. Tess and her squad were currently on the left flank. I wanted to be with her, but Helen told me I needed to be in the middle of the formation with her.

I had Regis and Sylvie stay with Tess and her group just to make sure she was safe. Tess tried to tell me she didn't need the extra protection. I told her that it gave me some peace of mind, and she didn't argue.

As I glanced at her group, I saw Tess talking with Claire while they were both smiling. Theo was walking behind them, looking around, keeping an eye on his surroundings. Lilia just walked in the back with Jasmine, as they didn't say anything.

My eyes then fell onto Caera, and I saw she was looking down while walking, like she was deep in thought. The news of her mentor arriving in Dicathen and that they were enemies now hit her hard. I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about her.

'Hey Regis, Sylvie.' I said mentally.

'What is it, princess?' Regis asked mentally.

'Yes, papa?' Sylvie asked mentally.

'Sylvie, I want you to stay close to Tess. Regis, stay close to Caera. She seems a little out of it. Make sure she doesn't get hurt.' I said mentally.

'Staying close to my horned goddess? Say no more. I'll stay extra close to her.' Regis snickered mentally.

'Regis, seriously. Just keep an eye on her.' I said sternly.

'Don't worry, princess. I'll keep her safe.' Regis reassured.

'I'll keep Mama safe, don't you worry!' Sylvie chirped, moving closer to Tess.

'Thank you, you two.' I said mentally, as they both gave me a mental nod.

"Arthur."

I looked to my right as Helen walked beside me, giving me a glance.

"What is it, Helen?" I asked with a smile.

"I just wanted to go over a few things," Helen said.

"Oh? Like what?" I asked curiously.

"Well, for starters, if we come across some low-level mana beasts, leave them to the trailblazers. I want you to focus just on the boss." Helen said.

"Really? Why?" I asked.

"Because I don't need the men to become heavily dependent on you. Plus, this way, you can keep us safe from the boss monster." Helen said matter of factly.

"Alright," I shrugged.

We continued to make our way through the dungeon until we came to a cavern entrance. Inside the cavern, I could see an orange glow and felt an intense heat coming from the inside. My eyes traced the entrance and narrowed as I noticed weird symbols etched into the walls.

"What do those symbols mean?" I asked, looking at Helen.

Helen looked at the symbols with a confused look before she looked at me. "I don't know. I've never seen symbols like them before." Helen said, sounding curious and cautious.

I nodded as I looked over to Tess' group. My eyes fell on Caera and noticed she was looking at the symbols with wide eyes. I could tell by her expression that she knew what the symbols meant.

'Regis. Ask Caera what the symbols mean.' I told Regis mentally.

Regis nodded and walked up to Caera. Caera turned toward Regis as he spoke to her. Her eyes flicked to me, then back to Regis. I saw her say something to Regis, who just nodded and looked back at me.