The entire situation was rather confusing for him.
How could Abe possibly have known about his identity? Was the princess the one who told him? But knowing Gwenneth's character, it was very unlikely.
Emery could see Abe's body was dented by both sword and arrow wounds.
Abe's strength could be considered to be on the same level as a silver rank knight. With his strength and status as the son of the most prominent figure in the kingdom, this entire conflict disturbed him to no end. There was a high chance it could be a trap.
Emery quickly cast his Spirit Sense and tried to feel the area around Venta Town to see if there was anything coming for him. Fortunately, according to the spell, there wasn't.
"What are you doing here, Abe? How did you know to come looking for me here?"
The young man lying before him tried his best to stay awake despite the fact that his eyes were heavy and half lidded. He weakly reached for his bag.
Taking note of the gesture, Emery immediately grabbed the bag from his side and opened it. To his surprise, he found his Moon Dagger tucked safely inside.
"This is... Where did you…"
It suddenly dawned on Emery he didn't really see Abe on the night he rescued the princess. And Abe definitely did not join the others in the convoy that night.
The most likely answer regarding his whereabouts? At the time, Abe was probably either hiding in the shadows or blending in with the enemy. As for finding Emery's dagger, he had to have been there in the woods at the place he fought against the witch.
The dagger somehow proved Abe had been keeping his secret, for what reason he didn't know.
The young knight noticed the perplexed look on Emery's face. In response, he began to choke out an explanation.
"Emery… I saw you that night, but I was too scared to do anything. I couldn't choose a side… But not anymore... You must save the princess... It might be too late for me, but I have seen your strength... You... You probably still have a chance."
Abe spoke so quietly, his breath heavy, that it became apparent he really did force himself to come here. Emery noted his injuries were worsening the more they were left untreated, especially since his speech started to become affected.
Evidently, the situation was dire and, at the moment, Emery decided that wondering about the princess' situation was the last thing he should be doing. His first priority should be saving a life.
After he clasped the dagger onto the belt looped around his waist, he took a few steps backward in order to cast the Spatial Gate Spell. He had just started to mentally prepare himself to cast it when once again, Morgana asked to come along with him.
Her request made Emery feel conflicted. The task itself would probably be dangerous, but at this point Morgana probably possessed a strength level that was on par with a gold ranked knight.
He sighed, closing his eyes. He was not really sure whether he should decline the request for the sake of her safety. Eventually, though, Emery decided he should not be so overprotective of her. Despite his reservations, he finally gave in and a smile spread delicately on her usually stoic features.
"But be careful, okay!" Emery reminded her, trying to sound as firm as possible.
Before leaving, he turned towards Luna's direction, asking her to prepare the men just in case they were needed.
Luna grinned enthusiastically in reply, a determined expression on her face. "I'll send as many as I can, Emery! Lioness is my kingdom, after all."
Emery nodded, once more feeling thankful for her help. Once again, he looked back and saw Abe's face twisted in a weak, sickly expression. He was pale and cold sweat was dripping down his brow. Their eyes locked. With a helpless stare, Abe silently mouthed "save her", right before Emery opened up the Spatial Gate.
As he stepped through, the soles of his shoes were met with thick vines and grass. The spell had brought both him and Morgana in the midst of the deep, lush woods situated outside of the Lioness castle.
Just as he arrived, he immediately used his Spirit Sense to check their surroundings. Upon analyzing the information he had just received, he suddenly realized the sheer gravity of the situation at hand.
Lioness castle was under siege. He could feel thousands of people surrounding it.
He began to wonder. Had the battle already started?!
Emery instantly passed Morgana a sword before saying curtly, "Only use magic when necessary. But definitely do not use transformation."
Morgana assured him she understood, nodding in acknowledgment.
Emery quickly utilized his [Shapeshifting] skill. It took only a few seconds for his face to change and his physique began to transform as well. He decided that arriving at the scene as Lanzelot would work in his favor, as the other knights would recognize him as friendly.
Afterwards, the two rushed toward the castle, cutting through the rough branches and shrubbery within the forest. The sound of steel weapons screaming as they clashed violently onto one another could be heard, as they drew nearer to the castle.
In the distance, Emery saw smoke rising into the sky, which was never a good sign. Finally, both him and Morgana finally got out of the woods and passed through into the palace grounds.
They rushed in, only to see that there were two banners among the thousands of people that were gathered outside of the gate. Emblazoned on the banners were the black and white birds of the Cantiaci emblem, and the red gold lion of the Lioness emblem.
But to his surprise, both colors were not fighting with each other at all. Both of their forces were attacking the castle together.
To make things worse, the gate had already been broken open, smoke could be seen flowing from inside the Lioness castle.
"We are too late, aren't we?" Said the girl standing next to him.
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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by NovelFull,