Chapter 566: Orange Pool In the Monster Realm

Renard did not know what their agenda was, what they truly want, or what their ultimate goal might be.

That was a big deal because it would mean this entity can hide from Seraphina as well, evading her perception and detection.

This automatically made them most likely an outlier: a high level individual of extraordinary power.

Someone who operates beyond the normal rules of this world.

Benjamin would enjoy his stay in Thaad, but the terms were absolute and non-negotiable, set in stone by Renard himself.

He had three days—no more, no less—to catch the rat that had been terrorizing the region. He would identify the entity and put an end to its reign of chaos.

If he failed and could not complete the task within the allotted time, Renard would come for him personally and drag him out of the city by force.

Considering the Interracial Alliance, this was actually a big deal.

That the Beast Kingdom, Verdant Spire, and Fairylynch had gotten their "turns" with Benjamin was a massive power imbalance.

"Take care of yourself, Erica, and do not let this one lead you into too much trouble," Renard said with a small smile as he stepped out of the basin, "Staying too long in the bath will make you dizzy and lightheaded. Also, say hi to your mother, Stellaria, for me. Hellebore says hi as well."

Water streamed down his lean frame, his short wet hair clinging to his face.

His two companions followed in silence, their movements smooth and practiced, their expressions unreadable.

"Is His Majesty with my Father?" Erica turned sharply, her green eyes bright with sudden hope.

"He is not in Gihon," Renard answered, already turning away, his back to the group. "And he does not want his location known, so do not bother searching for him. But he is doing fine, surviving and thriving as he always does. He’s currently struggling with the wrong genital, though, a predicament he finds most vexing."

"Huh? What does that mean? What kind of struggle could that possibly be?"

Erica called after him, her voice rising with confusion, but Renard and his companions were already disappearing.

"Benjamin, behave yourself and do not cause any more trouble," Renard added over his shoulder without looking back.

"Yes, mom," Benjamin muttered, rolling his eyes as he climbed out of the water, still supporting a half-conscious Sara, her body limp and unresponsive in his arms. "But wait... You’re going back naked, all of you?"

"This water wasn’t nearly warm enough, not even close to satisfying," Renard replied, his voice dismissive, his form already faintly glowing with the beginnings of teleportation magic. "So we are going to a mountain in the monster realm to dip in magma for some hours and feel real warmth for once."

The two groups parted without further ceremony, no more words exchanged.

Renard’s trio vanished in a clean teleport, their forms dissolving into light and disappearing completely.

Benjamin and the others began the walk back toward the lights of Thaad, the distant glow of the city beckoning them through the darkness.

***

"Ugh, that boy annoys me, more than almost anyone I have ever encountered," Renard muttered the moment the three of them reappeared, his voice filled with deep exasperation, his brows furrowed with lingering irritation.

They stood inside a vast, enclosed cavern deep within a mountain, far from the world above, a place of primordial heat and ancient stone.

The only light came from a wide pool of molten magma that glowed a deep, angry orange-red, painting the black stone walls in shifting shadows and dancing reflections.

The air itself shimmered with heat so intense that it distorted vision, making everything appear to waver and flow like a mirage.

The instant they arrived, Renard’s posture changed, his entire demeanor shifting from the composed king to something more raw and unguarded.

He released his shoulders and let them drop, as though a mountain of invisible weight had finally been lifted from his slender frame, as though he could finally breathe without constraint.

And the moment he did, deep blue and near-black tendrils of raw magic began to seep from his body in slow, heavy rivulets, coiling through the hot air like living smoke, twisting and writhing with a life of their own.

Seraphina followed suit, her body relaxing in a similar release.

She exhaled and let her chest drop; her moderate breasts trembled with the motion as dense waves of power poured off her skin in visible ripples, the sheer force of her suppressed energy finally allowed to flow freely.

A faint flush rose across her cheeks and the upper slopes of her chest as the suppressed energy left her, her skin taking on an even warmer, healthy glow.

Izra released her own restraint last, her muscles loosening one by one as the pressure within her found release.

Dark energy rolled off her muscular form in thick sheets, the air around her warping slightly from the density of it, the stone beneath her feet cracking from the sheer weight of her presence.

The large, grotesque creatures that had been present in the cavern the moment the trio arrived fled in pure panic, their minds overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of such overwhelming power.

Massive shapes scrambled over one another, claws scraping stone, desperate to escape the sudden presence of three beings whose casual power felt like an extinction event, a force of nature that could end them without effort.

Renard walked forward and slipped into the boiling magma without hesitation, his body sinking into the glowing liquid with a calm acceptance that spoke of long familiarity.

The molten rock closed around him with a soft, viscous sound, the heat embracing him like an old friend.

Seraphina moved to the opposite side of the roughly circular pool and sank in as well, the glowing liquid rising to the undersides of her breasts, her expression one of pure contentment.

The space was smaller than Erica’s hot spring, more intimate and enclosed, large enough for perhaps four people at most.

But the heat was naturally incomparable, far beyond anything the previous location could offer.

"Izra, is this too hot for you? Are you able to tolerate this temperature?" Renard asked, his voice calm again, his eyes half-closed with pleasure.

"Certainly not. I’m coming, this is exactly what I needed," Izra answered, and fully submerged herself to the shoulders, the magma bubbling around her form.

All three let out long, satisfied sighs as the magma enveloped them, the tension of their suppressed power finally finding release.

And... none of them paid any attention to the enormous monster still trembling in terror somewhere beneath the surface of the pool, its movements causing the molten rock to bubble and shift.

The creature had realized far too late that remaining hidden inside the magma had been a fatal mistake, that its sanctuary had become a trap.

Now it could only stay perfectly still and pray the three titans above it wanted nothing more than quiet, that they would not find its presence irritating and decide to end it.

Renard’s blue eyes shifted to Seraphina across the short distance of glowing liquid, his gaze steady and piercing, carrying a weight of unspoken questions.

"Hey, Seraphina, answer me honestly," Renard began, his voice flowing with gentle accusation. "Have you not been too moody lately? And too quick to act on your own impulses? I can’t say I appreciated you terminating my attack a while back, overriding my judgment without consultation. You should know I would not jeopardize the lives of mortals like that. I have more control and consideration than you gave me credit for."