Rights Ceremony

"Ummm… which vault did you arrive in? Do you know if she's there?" Bena asked. She couldn't stop herself from grinning as the group walked along the hallway.

"The fourth one. I'm sure she's there. I didn't bother to check, though. If she isn't there, she'll definitely be in the third one. If not, she'll—"

"All right. I get it. Why do you have to use a roundabout method to say I don't know?" Bena interjected.

"Hahaha… it's your fault for asking, babe. You know the pendant randomly sends us to any of the four vaults," Cefero quipped from the side. Casually ruffling Bena's hair.

"What did you say?" Bena retorted. Her limpid eyes fell directly on Cefero.

However, silence greeted her words. Cefero causally titled his head to the side while humming a little tune.

"Enough with your lovers' quarrel," Henriksen said in a gloomy voice. The constant back and forth between Cefero and Bena was getting on his nerves. "That reminds me. Have you guys decided on how to determine their hierarchy?"

"Hahaha… what's the point in mulling over something so simple?" Cefero suddenly wore a beaming smile. "They'll undergo the same test we did. There's no point complicating things. Or what do you think?"

At that moment, the group suddenly came to a stop. They each stared at each other with bland expressions. Just then, the four burst into a thunderous bout of laughter.

"I had a feeling you guys would choose that. Well, I'm not complaining. I'll finally get to see something good," Henriksen said. His smile brightened as he causally stroked his beard.

"Oh. We are finally here! I'm so excited." Bena voice echoed.

At that same moment, an uninspiring bronze door came into view. It had the number four etched just above it, and it occasionally blinked with a red neon light.

"Henriksen, you go ahead and—" before Cefero could finish his statement, Bena charged towards the room while laughing like an excited youngster.

'Is she that excited to have another girl among us?' Cefero couldn't help but shake his head.

Boufal and Henriksen had similar thoughts, and for a moment the men started at each other with wry smiles.

Just then, Bena's voice reached the trio, "What the hell happened here?! Guys, get in here!"

'Huh? Why does she sound so anxious? Did someone wake up?' Henriksen thought.

Wasting no time, the trio dashed towards the partially opened bronze door. With a gentle push, Cefero charged into the vault with Henriksen and Boufal closely following. A few meters away from the parted walls, they could see Bena staring at a certain location.

"Bena, what's the—what the fuck happened here?" Cefero said. His eyes suddenly bulged as he stared at the youth laying a few feet away from Bena.

'Is that an Ogre? How did it get so dried up?'

At that moment, he slowly scanned the room. Just like the mummified ogre, he could see dozens of mummified corpses with some already disintegrating.

'What happened here? How did this happen?' Cefero mused. His jaws dropped as he stared at the horrifying scene.

Boufal and Bena had the same thought in mind. Henriksen, on the other hand, could hardly believe his eyes.

"There were over one hundred and fifty of them when I left earlier… How could this happen?" Henriksen muttered. He couldn't hide his apprehension and confusion as he stared at the degrading bodies of the once unconscious youths. Taking a rough calculation, he estimated less than fifty youths remained.

Deep in thought, Bena's words suddenly reached Henriksen, "Henriksen, is she here? Please check!"

Henriksen instantly woke up from his stupor. Like a crazed man, his eyes roamed the room. Bena, Boufal and Cefero watched with bated breaths from the side. With each passing second, their apprehension only worsened.

'This can't be happening. We have waited so long for such an opportunity… Fate can't be this cruel to us. I refuse to believe this!' Bena bit her lower lips as she slowly closed her eyes. All she could do was hope Lilis wasn't among the victims of the strange mummification.

At that same moment, they heard Henriksen's words, "She isn't here."

His words instantly crushed the faint hope brewing in Bena's heart.

"But it doesn't mean she's gone. You three stay here. I'll go check the other vaults," Henriksen said.

However, his friends still wore solemn expressions. From their experience with instant teleportation, Lillis and Henriksen should have arrived in the same vault. Although there was a possibility she would be in another vault, it was only a slim chance.

Saying nothing, Henriksen quickly exited the room. This time he parted through another hidden door. A few minutes later, the group watched as he returned. From his gloomy expression, no one needed to tell them the result. However, Henriksen once again used another hidden door. Like before, he wore the same gloomy expression as he returned.

"Hahaha… what sort of luck is this? We finally had the key to leave this forsaken place, and this happens!"

Neither Boufal nor Bena attempted to stop Cefero, because they, too, felt aggrieved. Only they knew what they had passed through over the last couple of years.

"Don't lose hope yet. There's still one more vault," Henriksen said. However, his listless eyes showed he didn't harbor any hope. Saying nothing further, he once again used another hidden door. Less than a minute after Henriksen left the room, they could hear footsteps.

'So quick? Damn it. What did we do to deserve this?' Cefero thought. He already believed the strange mummification had devoured Lilis.

A moment later, the trio turned their gaze towards the northern walls. There, they could see Henriksen's body emerging from the door. However, their gazes lingered on the unconscious elf hanging on his shoulders.

"Hahahaha… I knew it! Fate couldn't be that cruel to us! Hahaha… I never doubted it for a second!" Cefero brazenly declared.

Boufal and Bena didn't waste words on him. Instead, they dashed towards Henriksen. Like Cefero, their excitement was unmeasurable.

"She is the one, right?" Bena asked. Although she knew her question was redundant, she couldn't help but ask.

"Would Henriksen really bother with someone else?" Boufal retorted. However, Bena ignored him. Her eyes lingered on Henriksen. Only he could douse the uncertainty in her heart.

Basking in the expectant stares of his friends, Henriksen wore a brilliant smile. Saying nothing, he nodded. The anxiety brewing in the hearts of the group Instantly disappeared.

"Does she have any injuries? Did you check her pulse? Nevermind. Hand her over to me. I'll take her to my room." Bena insisted.

Knowing Bena's character, Henriksen didn't bother to argue. Without hesitation, he handed over Lilis. However, before she could exit the vault, Henriksen's words reached her, "Bena, we'll leave her to you. Do you want to take part in Rights Ceremony?"

"I'm not interested. You guys have fun." Bena suddenly stopped. She turned around, staring at the trio with a fierce gaze. "My room is off limits for the next two days. Understand?" Her eyes shifted between the trio, lingering on Cefero.

The trio awkwardly nodded, but said nothing. With slight smiles on their faces, they watched as Bena carried Lilis out of the room.

"Should we really leave her with Bena? Who knows what she will do her," Henriksen muttered.

"Trust me, you don't want to go down that rabbit hole. There's no reasoning with her once she gets excited. Hopefully, she won't teach her some weird stuff…" Cefero said.

"You know it's Bena we are talking about, right? Well, since we are being optimistic. I hope these bastards won't waste our time. Should I wake them up?" Boufal said. Unlike the others, his gaze lingered on the unconscious youths.

"Yes. We need to know how many people survived. We'll investigate the cause of the mummification later," Cefero said.

Boufal suddenly clicked his fingers while muttering inaudible words. Just then, a pulsating hum echoed within the room. Gradually intensifying into a loud screeching echo. At that same moment, the unconscious bodies of the youths spasmed. With the majority of them drifting in and out of consciousness.

"They should wake in ten minutes. Let's complete the preparations. Oh? Who will take the lead?" Boufal asked. His uncaring eyes shifted between Cefero and Henriksen.

"Hahaha… I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. I'll take the lead. I can't wait to see how these little freaks handle themselves. Hahaha…" Cefero declared.