"Have you two decided?" Magus Rosia asked, her gaze on her late husband's two juniors. "Are you going back to Earth or are you going to stay?" The rules set for a lower realm acolyte like Emery and Julian were quite straightforward. Return to the planet they originated until reaching the magus realm, or stay and give services to either the Magus Alliance or certain approved factions. The latter option, however, required one to withhold their rights as a native of their home planet. Emery actually never thought about not going home. However, he couldn't help but falter at this moment. Even now, the thoughts of his friends whose whereabouts and circumstances were unknown filled his entire mind. There was also his dear master, who was still missing. Hence, the reason for his hesitation to answer, as well as his consideration about the other option. Nevertheless, he wanted to know more about the second option, specifically about the withheld rights. That way, he hopefully could make the best decision. Right after, Magus Rosia began to explain the entire matter. The first would be the right to enter and leave the planet, which would be under the mercy of the caretaker. The second was the right to participate in any development and altercations on the planet. The last and third right was the right of any resources the planet had and would have. All rights would be on hold until a certain amount of service time or contribution was sufficiently fulfilled according to the Magus Alliance standards. In addition to that, the individual would need to have at least reached the magus level to be allowed to enter and leave a lower realm planet. These rules corresponded to the prime directives that have been upheld for tens of thousands of years. All in order to safely preserve a lower civilization from utter destruction, before they could reach their full potential. The intricate situation for them about this decision was the requirement to have someone still having those rights if they wanted to be eligible to take over the caretaker position of their own planet. Fuxi added "In general, the service can go from 5 to 100 years, depending on the level of contribution. So there is a chance you will not be able to compete for the caretaker duel if your service were not finished" Hearing this, Julian came forward and announced his decision with firm conviction. "There is nothing to be confused about. I believe i can reach Magus level in less than 5 years, I will return to Earth." However, Emery still seemed undecided. Not returning and losing all those rights would definitely be a great disadvantage for him. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about Klea and the others. It was at this moment that Julian opened his mouth again, uttering words that shook Emery. "I know you are thinking about them, but how much can your presence here affect the situation? You alone compared to the entire Magus Alliance resources?" Before Emery could put up a response, the Roman heaved a sigh and added, "If you want to stay, that's fine too. We only need one person, after all. I am alone is enough." Upon hearing that, Emery couldn't help but turn his head towards his seniors. He saw the Eastern Sage nod his head and calmly said, "It's true, especially with Julian being the leader of the Earth faction. As long as he keeps his rights as a native of the planet, we will still be able to lay claim over the caretaker position later on." Seeing that Emery still had not made up his mind, Magus Rosia added her opinion. "Actually, my sisters and I hope that one of you will stay here." Staring at the two of them, she spoke in a sincere tone. "We wish to follow the will of our deceased Lord." Emery was taken aback by those words. "Will?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂 It turned out Lord Izta had left a will in the event that he's died and due to the fact there was no heir to the Terra Kingdom's throne. Inside, it was stated that his wives and the entire Terra Kingdom would support his juniors with all their power and that, if they managed to fulfill his wish to regain Earth's caretaker position, the ownership of the kingdom and everything it possessed would be granted to them. "You see, we can't be of much help if you're on Earth. On the other hand, we can and will do all we can to assist you in your preparations for the upcoming duel with the Kronos faction if you stay." Emery instinctively turned to look at Julian, but although there was a slight change seen in his expression, the Roman still remained in his decision to return to Earth. He even supported Magus Rosia's words, saying, "This is good for you, Emery." "A talent like you can gain a lot more progress here than back at home. Think about it. Your apothecary skill alone will bring about a lot of possibilities and opportunities for you and our faction." "Plus, I will feel much better knowing you are still here, looking for our friends." Emery was a little surprised how much Julian wished to return home, but he was definitely not wrong. As stated, there were indeed many reasons for Emery to stay instead of returning to Earth. However, there were two reasons holding him back from doing so. One was Morgana's condition, which was still unknown when he left, the second was the access to Khaos Space and the secret Killgragah kept telling him. While not ideal, Emery could actually ask Julian to bring home one of his Reviving Potions and give it to Morgana. This meant that his decision was hanging on the promise given by the dragon, whether Killgragah was actually telling the truth. After all, if he returned and the dragon turned out to be lying, he would be in a lot of trouble for being restricted within the confines of Earth with no way to break through to the magus realm. "So what do you say, Emery?" The female Magus asked. Hearing the same question once again, Emery remained silent as he really felt lost. He going back home to settle his situation with the dragon was the obvious choice. However, his heart wasn't willing to just give up on his friends whose fate was still unknown. In the end, he could only say what he honestly thought. "Please give me some more time to think about this." Magus Rosia glanced at the Eastern Sage before turning back to Emery and said, "Of course, Emery. The academy, however, will need your answer first thing in the morning." Nodding his head in understanding, Emery quickly excused himself and walked out of the hall. He then exited the palace and flew towards the hill where the statue of Lord Izta was built. Staring at it for a moment, he proceeded to sit down on the grass beside it. As his eyes were fixed on the bustling city in front of him, Emery spoke as if Lord Izta was right there with him. "What do you think, senior? What should I do?" If only Emery has some leads about his friends or his Master's Xion whereabouts, he would consider staying. The only thing he had was to get connected to the Darkmoon clan's real patriarch, Lyanna's father. But it might not lead to anything and he's running out of time. Emery sat there for hours while the sun began to set over the horizon, still there was no one to answer his confusion. While he was so deep in his thoughts, he didn't realize someone was approaching him from the shadows of the trees. It was a figure of a young woman, with long white hair and pale skin. When she finally arrived near him, her familiar voice took Emery by surprise. "Huh… I see you are still so indecisive, always such a fool!"