As the dust billowed up from the ground, obscuring vision in the aftermath of the attack that had struck Radakel head-on, a powerful gust of wind swept through, sending smoke swirling in every direction.
Despite the chaos, Catnys remained vigilant. Her eyes locked on Nathan’s body as it fell, swift and decisive. With practiced precision, she invoked a wind spell, catching Nathan just before he could hit the ground, and swiftly carrying him away from the danger zone.
“Are you alright? We need to move, now!” Catnys’s voice rang out urgently amid the turmoil.
Nathan, floating in the protective embrace of the wind, shook his head weakly as Catnys gently removed his mask, revealing his true, youthful face, striking in its distinctiveness.
In a swift motion, Nathan retrieved a ring, invoking its power to restore his familiar guise—the facade known to all as the unassuming, lackadaisical Nathan.
“Get rid of my mask and the clothes you gave me,” Nathan murmured urgently, his voice strained.
“We don’t have time for that—” Catnys began, interrupted by Nathan’s urgent grip on her arm and the seriousness etched into his expression.
“Listen to me, Catnys,” Nathan insisted, his voice tinged with urgency despite his injuries. “No one must know it was me. To them, it must seem like you captured me. Do you understand?”
Catnys was confused but nodded. “What do you need me to do?”
Nathan exhaled with relief. “Take me back to that house where I tied up the girl. Bind me next to her and then leave me there.”
“Is that all?” Catnys asked, grasping the gravity of his request.
“Yeah,” Nathan managed a weary smile through bloody lips. “You still have the artifact I gave you, right? Use it to teleport to a safe mansion outside the Empire.”
In truth, the artifact was a teleportation device Nathan had obtained from Khione as a contingency plan. He had chosen to entrust it to Catnys, sacrificing his own escape route to ensure she and the others could flee to safety.
‘I can’t believe I gave away my lifeline from Khione to save others,’ Nathan thought ruefully. ‘But I can’t live with myself knowing I let those children die.’
‘Well, I still have another artifact just in case,’ he reassured himself silently.
Catnys was at a loss for words at Nathan’s selflessness, but gratitude overcame her hesitation. “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you,” she whispered sincerely.
Nathan managed a faint smile. “I promised I wouldn’t let my woman die or leave her in danger,” he said, before abruptly losing consciousness, his strength spent.
Catnys hastened her steps as she entered the house, urgency driving her every move. Following Nathan’s instructions, she descended into the underground chamber. Thankfully, Courtney still lay unconscious on the ground, her arm bound to a pipe.
With a determined focus, Catnys swiftly removed the armor and clothes she had provided Nathan, along with his mask. She secured him firmly against the wall, his wounds bleeding freely and forming a dark pool on the ground beneath him.
Despite the urge to heal him, Catnys resisted. Nathan’s current state was crucial to maintaining the illusion he had orchestrated.
Exhaling heavily, Catnys turned to leave, but something made her pause. She knelt beside Nathan, gently touching his blood-smeared cheek. Leaning closer, she pressed a tender kiss to his battered lips.
“I won’t forget. I promise,” she whispered softly and left.
°°°°°°
“L…Lord Radakel?!”
Cecilia’s voice echoed through the forest as she hurried alongside several knights belonging to Radakel’s retinue. Following the trail of ice that led through the dense woods, she finally came upon Radakel lying on the ground, his limbs splayed and a gaping hole in his stomach. His blood, frozen in place, refused to spill.
Horrified, Cecilia knelt beside him, pressing her ear close to his chest. There was no heartbeat.
“It can’t be…” Her voice trembled with disbelief.
Frantically, Cecilia withdrew all the high-grade healing potions she had brought for heroes, pouring their contents over Radakel’s wound and coaxing him to drink. But the ice was no ordinary frost; it resisted their efforts, unmoved by their desperate attempts.
Both Cecilia and the knights stood aghast, unable to comprehend the sight before them. Radakel, the Divine Knight they had always known as calm and resolute, now lay before them, his body smeared with blood, his white hair stained crimson, eyes closed in eternal rest.
“He was defeated…” Cecilia murmured, her voice barely audible amid the solemn silence that engulfed them.
“Lady Cecilia!” A knight suddenly cried out, pointing skyward.
A flash of golden light streaked toward them with terrifying speed from above.
“Step back, everyone!” Cecilia commanded, torn away from Radakel’s side by urgency and instinct.
With a resounding thud, the figure landed next to Radakel, stirring up clouds of dust.
“W…who are you?!” Cecilia drew her sword, her knights following suit, their weapons poised defensively.
The newcomer exuded an aura of immense power, their presence overwhelming and mysterious in equal measure.
“Hmm~ look at you, Radakel, in such a miserable state~”
A feminine, playful voice rang out, startling Cecilia and the knights. As the dust settled, the figure of a burly giant man came into view, leaving them all open-mouthed in astonishment. Could that charming voice really belong to this man?
The moment of confusion was brief as the giant knelt down and gently helped a woman in his arms to stand. The sound of two heels tapping the ground echoed as he stepped aside, revealing an extraordinarily curvaceous woman.
All the knights gulped at the sight of her. She was stunningly beautiful, with a voluptuous figure accentuated by a white robe that clung to her body, revealing just enough to leave them mesmerized. Her long, light blue hair cascaded down to her waist, adorned with a golden ornament that looked like a crown. Her golden eyes shimmered behind her glasses as she gazed down at Radakel.
“Thank you, Carka,” the woman said, patting the giant man’s shoulder with a sultry smile, causing the knights to blush.
Cecilia, upon seeing the woman’s face, froze.
“Hmm?” The woman noticed Cecilia and turned, smiling warmly. “It’s been a while, cute Cecilia.”
Cecilia flinched before quickly dropping to one knee, placing her hand on her chest. Her face turned pale instantly.
“L…Lady Liphiel!”
The knights, though unsure of who she was, followed Cecilia’s lead and knelt.
Liphiel smiled and turned her attention back to Radakel. “Poor Radakel.” She raised her golden staff, topped with a blue gem, above Radakel’s body. The staff glowed with a golden light as a sphere of blue and gold light appeared and entered the gaping hole in Radakel’s stomach.
Before their very eyes, the wound began to close, the flesh knitting itself back together until it was as if nothing had happened.
“Take care of Radakel, Cecilia~,” Liphiel instructed, allowing Carka to lift her up effortlessly. “I want to see the Heroes.”
“Y…yes!” Cecilia, still kneeling, nodded.
Then Carka with Liphiel in his arms kicked off the ground jumping at high speed toward Uteska.
After a few seconds only he landed on one of the houses, his boots embedding deeply in the roof.
“W..Who?” Amelia turned around and looked up.
The few students who were with her also followed her gaze and froze seeing the extremely beautiful woman above them.
Liphiel didn’t answer.
Her golden gaze flickered until it settled on a white haired boy laying on the ground being treated by healers.
“Oh?”
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