141 Brown Petal?! (1/2)

At this point, everyone but Ozul thought that the man would be able to take the Lotus.

However, they did not take into account the density of Mana surrounding the plant. Although Ozul wasn't sure, he figured that even an average Rank-7 Mage would find it challenging to touch the Lotus!

As Ozul had imagined, the man suddenly flew back and hit the wall just when he was about to get closer to the Lotus.

For a moment, the mercenaries thought that the man had finally triggered some trap that had sent him flying back. Only a few seconds later, when they felt the Mana pressure increasing with each step taking near the Lotus did they realize what the cause was.

”Now what?” Clive asked. He had instinctively addressed his question towards Ozul as he knew nothing about what all of this was.

The people had given him a proper routine to cross the whole forest beforehand, and encountering such a dangerous treasure was not in the plan!

Only when his words got out of his mouth did he realize that he had made a mistake, but he couldn't just take his words back now. The others also turned towards Ozul to see what he had to say about the situation.

In response, Ozul only looked at the crowd with his bored expressions and went to the corner of the room. All eyes followed his figure as he sat cross-legged with his back against the wall.

No one uttered a word for a while, and an awkward silence took over the room. Ozul had his eyes closed while everyone had theirs' on him.

Everyone's stares made him open his eyes. Even the usual gawking of people would be disturbing for people, but Ozul also felt their emotions! So it was hard to ignore, even for him.

He understood that the group wouldn't leave him alone unless he explained everything to them. It was really getting on his nerves.

”The Lotus has yet to bloom. I will be waiting for it here. Do whatever you want. Leave or not, you decide.” Ozul said in such a cold tone that it sent shivers down the spines of others.

When the group heard him, they turned their heads back towards Clive since he was the leader, and his orders were absolute.

Being put on the spot where he was totally clueless about the situation made Clive's head gears turn at full speed.

”Uh... Of course, we would be staying in here as well.” Clive announced after a few seconds of thinking.

He knew that Ozul was strong enough to protect them from most of the dangers here. And if they were to leave alone now, what if there other Rank-7 Beasts outside?

Anyways, he wasn't even sure if getting out from here without the help of Ozul was possible because of the wild vines.

The best course of action was to stay together with Ozul, which guaranteed them the best protection. Since he couldn't force the latter to come together with them, at least he could get the group to stay here for a while.

”Everyone! The space in this room is limited, so everyone will have to manage. We will be resting here for as long as the Lotus doesn't bloom,” Clive explained as the mercenaries sighed in relief.

Just like him, they did not want to leave Ozul's company either. If Clive had ordered, they would be forced to go and fight the vines with their lives on the line. And no matter how seasoned of a warrior they were, no one enjoyed dying!

At this point, almost all of them had understood that Ozul was the strongest in their group. However, they were still unsure of how strong he actually was.

There were only three other corners in the room, and the mercenaries spread out towards them. Some sat down on the ground while others chose to keep standing and observe the room.

”Remember, no one will go near the plant. And try not to touch anything suspicious. If you find anything unusual, report first!” Clive shouted when he noticed another Rank-6 Mage trying his luck and nearing the middle of the room.

”Also-”

”Will you stop shouting already?!” Ozul interrupted Clive with an annoyed face when he was about to shout other orders.

”Ah, my bad,” Clive smiled embarrassedly. Instead of getting angry that Ozul had interrupted, he bowed a few times.

He knew better than to show his arrogance as the Vice-Leader of the Silver Knights before someone stronger than him. It was the world that was ruled by the strong. The strong were respected, and the strongest was worshiped. Some mighty titles did not mean a thing when you were weaker than your opponent.

Since he had expressed his annoyance at his loud tone, Clive gave every command in a voice that barely reached Ozul's corner.