“Useless, every last one of you! You couldn’t even catch a badly wounded woman!” At the Firster Court, Prince Kelai flipped over the table and roared in fury.

His trusted men in the shadows trembled like leaves. Their supposedly foolproof capture plan had failed, and a royal heir had survived! The prince’s plan to claim the throne as emperor would have to be delayed yet again. Worse, he still had to put on a show of searching for the princess. It made Kelai furious.

“Your Majesty.” An elf stepped forward. Though the plan hadn’t succeeded yet, he was already addressing Kelai as His Majesty—and the title clearly pleased him.

“That is human territory, after all. It’s difficult for our search parties to operate there. If we can get in touch with the local powers, the traitor Greya shouldn’t be able to escape.”

“Oh? Haosen, what do you have in mind?” Kelai narrowed his eyes, waiting for his trusted adviser to come up with a solution.

“There’s an underground organization in the human world called the Non-God Society. It has deep roots and considerable influence. If we pay them, they can use their local connections to hunt down the princess. It should be a safe bet.”

“Good. Then I’ll leave this to you. Within a month, I want to see my niece—dead or alive.” Kelai gave the order with a cold expression.

“Yes, Your Highness!” His trusted men withdrew and began making arrangements.

Greya had already left. After Yixing gave her a definite answer, she’d walked away in silence. She said she couldn’t abandon the loyal royal guards, so she’d left the safety of Yixing’s home without a moment’s hesitation.

Ragdoll sat frozen in fear. Yes, she was a member of the Non-God Society, but the person in front of her was clearly the bigger powerhouse. She had no intention of angering them, so she sat quietly off to the side. She didn’t even dare mention that she’d been forced to pee herself, afraid they’d slap her head straight into her chest.

As for Awei'er, she seemed deeply shaken. She quietly went over to Yixing and, gathering her courage, asked, “Lord Yixing, you… really don’t plan to help her? She looks so pitiful.”

“If help comes too easily, people won’t cherish it.” Yixing spoke softly. “If she’s truly determined, then I’ll help her. To be honest…” Yixing gently put an arm around Awei’er’s shoulders. “She really startled me.”

Yixing’s touch made Awei’er’s face turn red, but she said nothing. She only repeated the words to herself: “They won’t cherish it…?”

The streets were empty at night, silent and still.

And yet someone was hurrying down the street. With golden hair and long ears, she was unmistakably an elf. For some reason, she was fleeing for her life in human territory.

She kept changing her route, turning from the main street into an alley. Then someone suddenly grabbed her.

Shing! A slender sword slid from its sheath—but stopped at once. The elf looked at the person holding her with delight and whispered, “Your Highness!” But her joy quickly gave way to alarm. “No, you can’t show yourself! Find somewhere safe to hide. We’ll split up!”

Greya shook her head, rejecting the idea. “I only managed to find you, Xihe. What about your sister…?”

At the mention of her sister, the royal guard trembled. But her gaze soon grew firm. “My sister has fulfilled her duty as a royal guard.”

“…I see. The Firster royal family will remember your sacrifice forever. I owe you so much.” Greya embraced the guard before her, her voice heavy with grief.

“This is our duty. We made that choice the moment we swore to serve as your guards. We’ll be loyal to you for all eternity, until our dying breath!” The guard named Xihe pushed Greya away. “So, do you have a new plan, Your Highness?”

“Yes. First, we leave the city. They’ve planted too many eyes here. We’ll go to some village and hide our identities… Then we’ll build up our strength and hire mercenaries to return to the Kingdom of the Elves. I believe there are still noble families willing to serve me.” Greya laid out her plan.

“Understood. Then we leave the city first. My sister is dead… I can’t use magic, so I’ll have to rely on you, Princess.” Xihe drew a deep breath. The princess had made up her mind, so all she had to do was follow her lead.

The two of them made their way toward the city gates through the alleys. Greya used magic to conceal their movements the whole way. As they walked, Xihe suddenly asked her, “Princess… how many circles of magic can you use now?”

Magic was divided into nine circles, and mages were ranked across those same nine levels. There was also the Legendary tier above the ninth, but so few people reached it that it wasn’t worth discussing here.

“Fifth circle. I’ve more or less mastered all the fifth-circle-or-lower spells in the schools of Evocation and Transmutation,” Greya said as she ran.

“Fifth circle? That’s impressive… Once we’re out of the city, we can use stone-hardening to fake our trail.” Xihe considered their options as she led the princess at a run.

Before long, they reached the outskirts of the city, and both of them breathed a sigh of relief. A forest lay not far away; once they reached it, their chances of being discovered would be even lower. But just as they were about to leave, a voice suddenly rang out.

“The Non-God Society’s intelligence is as accurate as ever. I’ve found you!” an old voice called. The ground heaved at once, rolling like waves. Greya lost her footing and fell. Xihe hurriedly caught her, then tapped her feet against the ground and landed, warily scanning their surroundings.

Then the black-robed mage who had appeared before, along with dozens of knights, closed in around them!

No one had expected the situation to turn so suddenly. They’d been on the verge of escape, but in a matter of seconds, every path to survival had vanished!

“Crowen, you used to be a royal guard. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” Xihe glared at the black-robed mage, her anger rising.

But he couldn’t be bothered to answer her. He had no intention of wasting words on someone who was already dead. He struck the ground with his staff and gave the order: “Kill them!”

The knights surged forward at his command, charging in formation!

“Not a chance!” Xihe drew her sword and charged without hesitation. Then she turned and shouted, “Your Highness! Run!” She clashed with the knights.

The black-robed mage shook his head. “You won’t get away.” He began chanting, and his staff blazed with light. The ground around them shifted, forming a circular wall that blocked their way out. They couldn’t escape unless they broke through it.

“An eighth-circle spell… Earth and Stone Manipulation? You…” Greya stared in shock. She hadn’t expected him to be this powerful!

The black-robed mage’s expression remained cold. “I told you. You won’t get away.” He took a few steps forward, leaning on his staff. “In light of the time I once served you, surrender. I promise I won’t kill you.”

“Never…!” Xihe swung her sword with all her might, kicking up a gust of wind that forced the knights back.

Greya didn’t waste a moment either. She chanted a spell and waved her hand, placing a shield around Xihe. At the same time, she kept casting minor spells to disrupt the knights. For a time, Xihe held her own against dozens of them!

She was also steadily channeling her inner force into the earthen wall, trying to break through it and create an opening for Greya.

“Such loyalty—you’ve been blessed with guards like these, Greya. But all I can do is honor her loyalty.” The black-robed mage shook his head as magic churned in his hand. “Arcane Pulse!”

Magic gathered and transformed into a beam of light as bright as the sun. The pure energy surged forward in a torrent, straight at Xihe!

The beam moved incredibly fast. Xihe couldn’t dodge in time and took the full blast! Her shield shattered on impact, doing no more than briefly slowing the beam.

“Ugh… Aah!” The violent explosion sent Xihe flying. Greya hurried to catch her, but the impact sent them both crashing away.

“Princess! Run! The wall’s broken!” Xihe coughed up a mouthful of blood. Without another word, she grabbed Greya and hurled her through the opening!

A huge hole had opened in the wall in the distance!

The black-robed mage’s expression darkened. He hadn’t expected Xihe to risk everything. He’d seen it with his own eyes: she hadn’t failed to dodge. She’d taken the blast head-on and deflected its angle, sacrificing herself to use the attack to break the earthen wall!

“That woman doesn’t matter! Go after Greya!” The black-robed mage finally lost his composure. He waved his hand and ordered the knights to pursue her at once.

But then—a flash of swordlight blocked their way. Wounded as she was, Xihe used her sword to prop herself up. “I… can still fight. Don’t think you’re getting past me!”