A Few Days Later.
The chaos from the Harrier village had subsided, and Ricky life and somewhat returned to it's usual routine.
On an incredibly sunny day.
"Hey! Thief, are you sure about this?"
Dark Shadow's voice rang out, laced with suspicion.
Though she had come to trust Ricky over time, his latest claim—that a spiritual plant barely a year old could begin bearing fruit—was downright absurd.
From what she remembered, a spiritual tree only started producing fruit after it had fully matured. And maturity, in spiritual plant terms, meant at least a hundred years of patient growth.
Ricky continued to do his thing.
But now, a faint sense of danger tingled at the edge of her senses. A bad feeling coiled in her heart like a snake about to strike.
"D-Don't damage the plant..." she muttered anxiously.
Ricky, however, ignored her concern and approached the tree. With a smooth motion, he used his dagger-sharp limb—enhanced by the Robust Iron Frame—to slice into the bark of the mature spiritual tree.
Today's lesson? Grafting.
The idea had sparked in his mind after returning from Harrier Village. Back then, he'd overheard Dark Shadow complaining about her fruit supply.
Ever since evolving to Stage 2, her appetite for spiritual fruits had skyrocketed. But the tree she guarded could only produce so much. She had already devoured every last fruit it bore.
If this continued, Dark shadow progress was bound to stagnate, not just Dark shadow but even Ricky would have to work hard to search for animals to absorb Lifespan.
As right now, animals from all over the forest were attracted by the fruits aroma.
So here they were—Ricky attempting to graft a young, newly grown spiritual fruit sapling onto the older tree.
Dark Shadow watched nervously as Ricky attached the sapling to a carefully carved notch in the trunk.
Once it was in place, he turned and gestured at her.
"Quickly, come and wrap it. Use your threads."
Although she doubted, but now she had no choice.
Without hesitation, Dark Shadow moved. Her body glowed faintly as thin, silken threads poured from her form, wrapping tightly around the grafted section like a cocoon.
"Is this enough?" she asked once the binding was thick and firm.
"Hmmm... should be fine." Ricky nodded in satisfaction, examining the air-tight seal.
Just then, a figure approached from the distance.
Demon Queen Noctyss was naked no more.
Her alluring, dangerously seductive form was now draped in a long azure cloth—one woven by Dark Shadow herself. Oddly enough, the spider had shown an almost unreasonable level of seriousness in creating it.
Ricky didn't know why she'd gone through all that trouble.
Sigh... He missed the view of those jiggling balls already.
His thoughts drifted back to a few days ago, when he'd first brought Noctyss back to the stone courtyard.
Possessed by some strange instinct, Dark Shadow had immediately lashed out with terrifying ferocity.
If he hadn't intervened, the once-proud Demon Queen would've been turned into a kebab by now.
---
"What are these rags?" Noctyss muttered with disdain, pushing at the cloth draped over her body.
Calling it a dress was giving it too much credit. The material itched, irritated her skin, and made her feel ten times more uncomfortable than being nude.
She gritted her teeth.
"Just wait, you bastard…"
Her mind cursed Ricky with venom.
Though her expression remained calm, her heart was in turmoil.
She'd used similar control techniques before—binding her enemies, puppeteering minds. She had assumed escape would be easy.
But she was wrong.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even begin to understand how she was being controlled. It was maddening.
That lack of understanding clawed at her sanity.
Without realizing it, her skin turned pale. Her breathing grew heavier. The wooden bucket in her hand began to crack under the unconscious pressure of her grip.
The greenish fertilizer she carried spilled out, soaking into the soil.
At that exact moment, Dark Shadow's gaze intensified.
From the moment Noctyss arrived, she'd had her eyes on her. There was something about the woman that irritated her to no end. Something... vile.
Her eight eyes tracked every motion, every breath.
And when the fertilizer hit the ground, she snapped.
"You two-legged animal! Brainless woman!"
Dark Shadow's voice was sharp and furious.
"How dare you waste the precious divine elixir?!"
Noctyss's body stiffened.
That insult was the spark—and she exploded.
"How dare you…"
"How dare a puny insect speak to me that way!"
"Do you even know who I am?!"
Her words thundered with the majesty of a Demon Queen, slicing through the air like blades.
"Do you think I care?" Dark Shadow snapped back, her eyes gleaming with fury.
---
Ricky floated in the air, watching the drama unfold with great interest.
All that was missing was a tub of popcorn.
"Man, I like drama too much…" he mumbled.
After watching these two butt heads again and again, Ricky realized just how much he enjoyed their ridiculous fights. It made things feel... human again.
Yeah, he was once human, after all.
A moment later, Dark Shadow called out, "Thief, your water bucket's talking too much again."
Ricky sighed.
It really was hard for Dark Shadow to verbally win against Noctyss. The Demon Queen had centuries of experience and a silver tongue honed through countless power plays.
Still, he had to stop things before it got violent.
He cleared his throat.
"Noctyss, shut up."
The command dropped like a hammer.
As if compelled by divine decree, Noctyss went silent instantly.
Had he waited even a second longer, there would've been an all-out brawl.
"You!" she hissed, glaring at Ricky with amethyst eyes that burned with fury.
If looks could kill, he'd be a splatter on the stone floor.
"Hmph!"
"Go and water the plants," Ricky said coldly.
Noctyss growled low in her throat, but she obeyed.
Ricky didn't feel a shred of guilt.
She had tried to kill him. If anything, he was being generous. He could've treated her far worse.