Unlike the girl’s assumption, Theos was now preoccupied with one thought: how to reclaim the princess from the enemy’s grasp. Since their motives and hiding place remained unknown, rash action was out of the question.
The boy gathered his thoughts, piecing together every clue.
*Princess. Kidnapper. Beast-controller. Forest. Cave. Not terrorists.*
That was all they had. As the team’s self-proclaimed smartest member (mistakenly), Theos believed he could crack this.
“Hard to describe… but this place is something else,” Saria murmured, gazing down the mountainside.
Beasts howled from the valley. Eagles sliced through the sky. Roars echoed from the forest behind them.
This marked the edge of the Death Forest. Beyond this mountain lay foreign soil—close to the Miralstin Empire’s border.
*The enemy must’ve chosen this spot for that very reason.*
Though reluctant, Moyu Manatsu crouched to examine stones on the ground, deducing the kidnapper’s hideout. With countless caves dotting the area, getting lost was easy. Where would they hide?
“What are you doing, Lunorette?” Saria frowned.
Ignoring her, Moyu picked up a stone, scrutinizing it. Saria wondered if she’d lost her mind.
“The rock’s unusually hard.”
“Did you skip your meds today?”
“Don’t disturb me.”
“Are you insane?!”
Unfazed by Saria’s jabs, Moyu studied the stone beneath her boots, knowledge flashing through her mind.
“Weird… why would ocean rock be here?” She lifted a stone, lost in thought.
“Found something, Lunorette?” Theos sensed her discovery.
“Look at this.” She tossed him the stone.
Unlike the yellowish mountain rocks, it felt harder, carrying a faint salty tang.
“This isn’t local.”
Theos’s expression turned grave. “Could be accidental, but it’s a clue. At least we know its origin.”
All eyes turned to him.
“Ocean rock shouldn’t exist here. The enemy likely left it. No neighboring country borders the sea except one tiny nation—Zazvita Duchy. They survive on fishing.”
He dropped the stone, relaxing slightly.
“Zazvita?”
“The neutral micro-state?”
“Correction—it declared war on the Empire months ago. Technically, they’re enemies now.”
“Ridiculous. Their territory and military can’t compare to ours. Why would they kidnap the princess?”
Zazvita Duchy, a hundred kilometers from Miralstin, had long upheld neutrality, avoiding wars. Yet months ago, it joined forces against the Empire. Relations had never been warm, but outright war shocked everyone—though few worried. One nation wielded elite magic armies; the other, outdated troops. No contest.
Kidnapping by Zazvita seemed absurd… yet plausible.
“The answer’s surprising but acceptable. We’re closer to the truth,” Theos said. He crushed the stone in his palm, dust sifting to the ground. His gaze fixed on a distant point, mind racing. Then he glanced at the silver-haired girl.
*Unbelievable. Lunorette noticed such a tiny detail.*
A flicker of frustration rose in him—quickly buried. His focus returned to rescuing the princess.
---
Inside a cave, Xiejit switched off the hologram, adjusted his knives, and let a chilling smile spread across his face.
“Hm?”
A confused voice sounded behind him.
Wensidia slowly opened her eyes. A rugged cave came into view—and a stranger.
“Remarkable. My sedative should’ve kept you asleep for three days. Yet here you are, awake after two.” Xiejit chuckled.
Wensidia’s mind blanked. Memories flooded back: the kidnapping, the mountain trek, then darkness.
“Who are you?”
“Typical royalty. Still defiant even now. No matter. You won’t be smug much longer.”
“…What do you want? Why kidnap me?”
“Kidnap? Laughable. You’re my prisoner now.”
Xiejit’s grin twisted, radiating battlefield-hardened bloodlust. Wensidia recognized that aura—the same lethal intent she’d sensed in Imperial Magic Army veterans.
“Listen well, Miralstin’s little princess. Your life is mine to end.”
“…What will you do?”
“Relax. I won’t kill you yet. Your life still has value. Besides, the Empire doesn’t even know you’re missing. No news reports. Why waste you now?”
“You’re the Empire’s enemies.”
“Call us that if you like. You’re vital to us. Be grateful. Oh—and your classmates came searching. Want to see?”
He activated the hologram. Academy students wandered aimlessly through the mountains.
“Theos… Caina… Saria… Iril…” Wensidia named them one by one until—
“Why…” Her breath hitched at the sight of the white-haired girl. “Why is *she* here?”
Disbelief choked her. The girl scanned the terrain, searching. Wensidia’s composure shattered.
“Ah. Someone important to you? How… interesting.”
“What will you do to them?!”
“Calm down. Screaming changes nothing. *I* decide their fate.”
“Don’t involve them! This is between us!”
“They trespassed here. Consider it a gift—possibly your last chance to see friends.”
“No! Please… spare them. Don’t hurt them!”
Wensidia’s voice broke. To Xiejit, her desperation was pathetic—typical of powerless girls begging for mercy. *Amusing, though.*
“First,” he pointed at Theos on-screen, “we start with him.”
Bound hand and foot, Wensidia could only kneel, head bowed in helpless fury.
---
Outside, Theos sensed danger. He leaped back ten meters—just as an explosion ripped through where he’d stood.
“What was that?!” he barked.
Moyu Manatsu jolted, then snapped into focus. Her mind raced, hyper-alert.
Before Theos, a terror bird screeched, feathers bristling. More Phantom Beasts emerged from shadows, jaws snapping.
“Someone’s controlling them? But beast-taming magic… I’ve never heard of it.” Sword drawn, Theos braced himself.
*BOOM!*
Chaos erupted. All seven students clashed with beasts. These were forest-dwellers they’d faced before—but Moyu noticed a pattern: most attacks targeted Theos.
Before she could react, Caina blocked a strike aimed at her.
“Caina… thanks.” Moyu tightened her grip on her sword and charged. Battle had honed her instincts.
Caina watched her back, words dying on her lips.
Meanwhile, Theos fought desperately. Overwhelmed, he bit his thumb and sketched a magic circle on the ground.
“Hear my call, distant Phantom Beast! Come to me!”
A summoning spell. Draining immense Mana, it called his contracted beast from the academy. He rarely used it—but now, he had no choice.
Green light flared from the circle. As it faded, white wings unfurled. A winged unicorn reared, golden aura blazing.
*Iris, my bonded Phantom Beast.*
“Iris—shine!”
Blinding light erupted from the unicorn, searing the beasts. They shrieked, green blood pooling on the earth.
Sweat dripped down Theos’s face. He leaned on Iris, gasping. Summoning her had cost him dearly; the attack drained him further.
“Not yet…” He straightened, jaw set. “First, find the princess.”
His eyes scanned the beasts. Most charged from the northwest.
*Aha.*
A faint smile touched his lips. *The enemy’s not as clever as they think.*
