When Anvi woke up again, he found himself lying on a spacious and soft bed. The velvet texture of the pillow against his cheek was even softer than his own underclothes.
The room was exquisitely decorated, with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, emitting a dazzling light. Even the canopy by the bed was adorned with dark red and gold trim, giving off a strong nouveau riche vibe, as if the owner wanted everyone to know how wealthy they were.
Speaking of which, where was he?
Right, it seemed like he was attacked by the flower girl when he was tracking Mothra in the south of the city, and then...he fainted in an alley? But what was happening now? Did someone save him?
Anwei tried to struggle and sit up, but he found himself completely paralyzed and weak, unable to even move a finger.
At that moment, Anwei heard the sound of the door being pushed open.
However, because he didn't have the strength to turn his head, Anwei couldn't see who it was, but he could hear the footsteps approaching him.
Coming into view was...Mothra? There was no mistaking it, Anwei couldn't be wrong about that face.
"Why...are you...here? Weren't you...captured?" Anwei managed to use all his strength to speak, although it was a bit strained.
Master Mothra did not answer, but silently stared at her, making Anwei uncomfortable. This guy wouldn't...hey, no way, even if he had a lot of guts, he wouldn't dare lay a hand on an officer of the militia, right?
Wait, something's not right. Anwei realized where the problem lay—the unfeeling, expressionless gaze in the eyes before her was different from the lascivious look she had seen earlier. It was devoid of any emotion, like still water with no ripples.
Taking a closer look, this guy's eyes were lifeless, and his expression was extremely vacant. Instead of a person, it was more like a poorly controlled puppet being manipulated by a street performer.
"You're just a loser, and yet you dare to call me a street performer? I'm so heartbroken." Suddenly, a little head popped up behind Mothra, squinting its slender eyes as it looked at her with great interest. "Well, as a Level 3 Knight, I must say you did quite well. After all, you really surprised me with that little burst of power."
Still couldn't escape.
Anwei's mood worsened. She had no idea what the girl in front of her wanted, but judging from the current situation, she must have somehow controlled Mothra, which meant that this place was probably the young master's home.
If they were stirring up trouble in Beacon City using the power of the Mothra family, it would undoubtedly cause a great disturbance. And in the current state of imminent war, Beacon City, as the kingdom's largest port, could easily become the spark that ignites the powder keg if it suffered any damage.
"Who are you...whose side are you on? The Crown Prince...or the neighboring country..."
"Well, I'm not on either side. I'm just a gardener looking for a formidable opponent. My hobby is taking care of flowers and arranging them. Of course, I don't mind having a little fight every now and then." The girl pointed her index finger to her lower lip, speaking lightly.
Wait, a formidable opponent? Though Beacon City was a bustling city, it was ultimately a commercial port. While there were certainly ordinary high-level practitioners, it might be a bit difficult to find a truly formidable person, like a great knight or a powerful mage.
The only exception would be the esteemed Crown Prince who resided in the castle on the outskirts of the city. Slaying dragons and being a Holy Ranker had earned the Silver War Maiden a reputation across the continent, solidifying her position as one of the topmost powerful individuals.
Anwei took a sip of saliva and looked at the girl with suspicion. "Ah, by the way, how much do you know about Gilliast Castle?" The girl supported herself on her knees and leaned forward, looking at Anwei with a smile.
...
The burning giant blade roared as it spun, the swirling flames danced and twisted the surrounding air, tearing it apart and distorting it. Even from over a hundred meters away, one could feel the heat rushing towards them after the heat wave dissipated.
The two flame swords of devastation, which required immense magical power to wield, were as light as nothing in Aya's hands. She swung them effortlessly, seemingly easier than a small dagger, but their power was astonishing.
Most swordsmen either relied on the technique of using lightweight swords or the power of heavy swords like Beinrich. Although there was also a so-called balanced style, they still had their own preferences.
But someone like Aya, dragging two massive flaming swords disproportionate to her body size, also had an equally incomprehensible speed, almost non-existent.
Even Ino, scratching his head, couldn't figure out how she could launch such a continuous and precise onslaught while carrying the two giant blades. He couldn't even see her movements clearly, and could only barely see the constantly flickering flame trails in the distance, as the gigantic undead creatures continued to accumulate dark black wounds.
However, due to the undead body and the constant supply of death qi from the dark The RealmYuanYuan in the swamp, the giant was still able to regenerate and barely survive.
But in the relentless onslaught, the giant undead creature finally reached its end.
The hand of the frost giant emerged from below, clenched into a fist, and sent the enormous body flying into the air. Meanwhile, Aya took advantage of the momentary gap in the attack, smoothly turned around, and tossed the giant sword into the sky.
The flame giant blade, which had no fixed form to begin with, elongated into a spear-like shape under the immense power, and caught up to the giant undead creature at a speed several times faster than before. After piercing through the dark and decaying body, it maintained its strong upward momentum, ultimately entering the sky above the swamp, creating a hole and allowing sunlight to shine into the perpetually gloomy swamp.
This time, the giant undead creature did not regenerate.
The sunlight briefly dispelled the death qi of the undead, and at the same time, Aya's two spear-throws depleted its last remaining strength. So, before the body descended to the ground, it had already scattered in the air like cooled ashes.
"Phew, done."
Upon returning to the town, Aya looked at the scattered bones and the war fortress emitting hot steam on the ground. "It seems like they don't need any more help here."
"Of course, even as an S-rank adventurer, if they can't solve such a small trouble, it's better for them to retire." Unarmed, Aetras approached Aya with a magic handgun in hand, but his eyes kept glancing at the hole in the sky created by the two spear-throws.
"But compared to you, I'm still far behind. You truly live up to your title as his Highness's companion. With this level of strength, reaching the legendary level is not a problem at all, as long as you so desire."
"It's nothing special," Aya modestly replied with clasped fists, but her smug expression betrayed her true nature. I won't brag or deny it, but let me tell you, I'm the one who runs the show in the castle, especially now that the princess at home has become weak.
"Speaking of which, how did you achieve that kind of power just now?"
A certain pretentious young man seemed to have completely lost his mind. His eyes were vacant, and he kept muttering incomprehensibly, resembling a patient with senile dementia.
"How did I achieve it?" Aya was taken aback and instinctively replied, "It just... came naturally."
Well, it's not a lie. Even an ordinary dragon, when it naturally grows into an adult, can have combat power that is not inferior to the top human knights and mages. Not to mention a Golden Dragon, one of the most outstanding dragons. It would be embarrassing if I couldn't defeat a half-dead undead giant, right?
So Ino was not feeling well at all.
"Well, that's the end of the undead on this side. Now, you better explain to us about this place, right? Little one over there."
With a long magic gun, Aetras patted Ino's shoulder and turned, looking at Anjerika who was sitting obediently by a demolished house.
A wave of skeleton soldiers appeared inexplicably. The culprit seemed to be this girl who appeared suddenly. Moreover, Aetras noticed earlier during the battle that the area where Anjerika was sitting seemed to be unconsciously ignored by the undead. Whether it was the low-level skeleton soldiers or the relatively high-level black knights and abominations, they all rushed towards her as if they couldn't see her.
It's so obvious, anyone without a ghost would find it suspicious, right?
...
"Gili... Yasite..."
Anwei's eyes changed when she looked at her. Now it was certain that she was definitely a dangerous person. People who didn't have the ability to think about targeting the Silver War Maiden... weren't they fools?
"What are you... planning with Tiran, Your Highness?"
"I've already said it. I want to fight her, and if possible, it wouldn't be bad to kill her."
"Just with you?" Perhaps because of emotional excitement, Anwei felt that the numbness had faded a bit and her speech became clearer. "Against a powerhouse like Tiran, it would be effortless for her to deal with you!"
"Well, if she's that powerful, it would be difficult for me to win head-on. So, I have to resort to some tricks."
The girl lightly laughed and poked Anwei's cheek with her finger. "So, Knight Sister, can you please share some information about the castle? I mean, the kind that ordinary people don't know, like the castle's defenses, procurement routes for various supplies, and the records of the castle's personnel activities."
"Delusional." Anvi coldly replied.
"Oh, really? Well, that's a pity." The girl sighed with disappointment, but then smiled again. "Well, there's nothing I can do. I didn't want the beautiful girls to end up like this either."
As she spoke, she glanced subtly at Lord Mosla, who was standing still beside them.
Under Mosla's rigid face, his skin suddenly twitched, and countless fine black lines emerged from below, resembling... the roots of a plant.
