“Boom—!”
As the figure behind, with two pairs of wings glowing white, descended from the sky, dust on the ground exploded in every direction.
Lin Nuo felt that if it weren’t for Amidina lowering her bow and turning to shield him, even this gust of wind alone would have blown him away…
‘Could it be… I’ve stumbled into a divine battle again?’
An elderly man stepped forward, dressed in a dark green embroidered coat.
Age spots climbed up his temples on both sides, and one hand wore rings engraved with noble family crests on every finger.
“Your Highness the Princess, I trust you’ve been well recently.”
His voice was strong and commanding.
The sword at his waist, sheathed in a slender cylindrical scabbard, clanged sharply as he moved.
“So you did come, Parkes.”
Amidina’s delicate hands tightened around the Frost Soul Longbow, her aura of magical energy swelling dangerously.
Before them stood Parkes Angekesai, the Sixth Duke of the Angekesai House, one of the last five vassals under the Clemence Family within the Divine Empire, and their arcane master.
“I truly didn’t expect Your Highness to dare break our agreement at such a time, and to have the audacity to take those elven slaves—who were supposed to be transported to Silver Tears Lake—with you when you left,” Parkes’s hoarse voice carried a tone of accusation, as if he was preparing for war.
“I’m genuinely curious—what method did Your Highness use, and how long did you plan, to sneak those wretched slaves—whose minds and reason no longer belong to them—right from under my nose?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Amidina’s voice was chilling, her fingers still drawn taut on the bowstring.
“From the moment you broke the terms I set, it was inevitable I would stand against you.”
“Your Highness’s terms? Ha…”
Parkes sounded amused, as if hearing a joke.
“You forbid us from harming a single elven slave’s body, or using mental compulsion on any elf?”
“Naïve.”
“…And forbidding us from using the Elf King’s Curse—then why bother capturing those elves and seizing their Sacred Relics at great cost?”
A harsh, cold laugh escaped Parkes’s throat, his gaze dripping with disdain.
“Slaves are slaves. Even if your family’s blood stains a bit of the noble Angekesai House, you’re still a slave in my eyes.”
“The lowly offspring of a foreign race, tainted with some trace of the noble Angekesai blood, dares to think she can bargain with me—”
“Isn’t that a bit presumptuous, Your Highness?”
The moment he finished speaking, Parkes’s extraordinary presence radiated overwhelming pressure.
The sword still sheathed at his side sent a chill that Lin Nuo could feel straight to his bones.
Amidina’s expression darkened further.
Parkes’s gaze then landed on the golden-haired man standing beside Amidina.
“As you can see, four of the seven dukes have approved the proposal to raise the Magic Whale. You, who can purify the restless spirits of Silver Tears Lake, are the most suitable candidate.”
“Perhaps the one duke here opposing this proposal wishes to shield you and cannot show himself easily.”
“A mere twenty-five years old, weak and isolated, do you really intend to stand against the old swordsman who could manifest four wings forty years ago?”
“Buzz—”
It felt as if something exploded inside Lin Nuo’s mind.
Though he knew almost nothing about magic, he instantly understood the gravity of the situation.
It seemed the majority of the seven dukes supported a plan involving Silver Tears Lake and raising the Magic Whale, which required Amidina’s purification ability.
But since Parkes had broken Amidina’s terms first, she not only refused to cooperate but secretly took away Parkes’s elven slaves…
Now, a fight was inevitable!
Everyone on the Sallydor Continent knew that the Angekesai House was a family of swordsmen devoted to the Angel.
Their swordsmanship combined both blade and magic.
A swordsman who could manifest a pair of angelic wings behind them was already in the realm of prodigy.
Even twenty times as many adventurers like Heize could be easily defeated in direct combat by such a swordsman.
But four wings…
Lin Nuo suddenly realized he had overestimated himself.
In this situation, even if he hid nearby and secretly cheered for Amidina, just a swipe of the sword’s aura might slice through his neck without him even noticing.
“Tomorrow is the day to awaken the Magic Whale, but it requires the Princess to sacrifice a bit of her lifespan and all her magical power…” Parkes’s expression grew even more arrogant and mocking.
“Still unwilling to give up the fight?”
“Never!” Cold light flashed in Amidina’s eyes.
“Remember this, Your Highness, you broke the Grimoire first. I will no longer show you any mercy or respect befitting a legitimate child of the Angekesai House…”
As he spoke, Parkes’s wrinkled hand adorned with the family crest gripped the hilt of his sword.
“Your archery is flawless among all elves I’ve seen, but unfortunately, you are still too young.”
“Ssshh—”
The sound of the sword slowly sliding from its sheath.
The blade, only half a finger’s width exposed, radiated such a piercing murderous intent that Amidina, fully locked onto by this strike, struggled to breathe.
The surrounding air seemed compressed by the sinister magical force.
Her body tensed so much that even relaxing her fingers from the bowstring felt impossible!
This was the secret arcane master of the Angekesai House, who had trained in swordsmanship for seventy years—a power far beyond that of any young swordsman.
Even if she could barely keep up for a few rounds, there was no way she could withstand the full assault of a four-winged swordsman. Even this single strike…
“Boom.”
Just as the sword was about to fully draw—perhaps to sever her legs and force her into surrender—
A warm palm suddenly rested lightly on her shoulder.
Perhaps out of fear of Clemence family’s wrath, Parkes’s hand stiffened, and the pressure around them suddenly eased.
Amidina, focused entirely on the deadly strike, glanced to the side and found Lin Nuo was still there—not scared off.
Not only that, Lin Nuo patted her shoulder and, as if bathing in spring breeze, nodded at her with an incredibly confident, even wildly arrogant smile:
“Your Highness the Princess, it’s time to use that move on him!”
“…??”
That move… which move?
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