Smack!
A loud noise rang out as Astrid’s strike landed squarely on Lance.
But there was only the sound. Lance remained half-kneeling, his body only trembling slightly from the impact. He wasn’t sent flying as he had expected.
Lance subconsciously thought the Elf girl had held back.
After all, Astrid was supposed to be a Late-stage High Rank who was about to knock on the Gate of Elements.
“Hiss—”
Before Lance could say anything, the Elf girl who had done the hitting gasped, her expression shifting as she sucked in a breath of cold air.
With the mist in her eyes thickening, Astrid felt even more aggrieved.
‘Why does it hurt so much…’
Seeing the knight looking at her with a bewildered expression, Astrid felt even more ashamed and annoyed, disgusted by her own uselessness.
“What… what are you looking at!”
Her words were harsh, but she couldn’t hide the sob in her voice.
As she spoke, Astrid raised her foot to kick the insolent knight again.
Seeing this, Lance quickly stood and retreated, causing Astrid’s kick to miss.
Unfortunately…
Lance shook his head, asking somewhat uncertainly, “Highness Astrid, are you… Low-order?”
This was his rough estimation based on the strength of that slap and the speed of her kick.
But to his surprise, Astrid choked on her words, her grievance and irritation intensifying.
“Low-order… so what if I’m Low-order? Is there a problem? Not all… not all royals are talented… Being Low-order isn’t a bad thing…”
Astrid was agitated. she looked up and glared at the rude knight.
Her voice grew smaller as she babbled her defenses.
Her gaze flickered, losing its initial firmness.
Finally, she gave up, wiped away a tear that was about to fall, and tried to regain her composure.
“I am Low-order! So what?”
Glared at, Lance took a step back. He hurried to make up for his slip of the tongue and comforted her.
“It’s not a bad thing! You don’t need to worry about it, because you will eventually become a powerful High Rank, or even an Element-grade expert!”
Seeing Lance’s certainty and sincere expression, Astrid’s bravado deflated.
Her mood plummeted like a roller coaster.
“Don’t try to comfort me… I’m destined to be Low-order for the rest of my life… I know it…”
‘Huh?’
Lance was confused. ‘You’re clearly a top-tier High Rank expert who dared to venture into the sixtieth floor of the Maze alone. How could you be destined for Low-order?’
“Highness, you must be joking. How could you stay at Low-order forever? You really will become strong in the future! You’ll be just one step away from the Elements!”
“Haha, you say it as if you’ve actually seen it.”
‘I have seen it…’
“But I suppose your words are pleasant enough. I won’t pursue your rudeness further. What’s your name? What are you doing here? This is my garden…”
Lance hesitated for a moment, his expression turning strange. He eventually managed to explain how he had arrived there.
“Lost? Well, it is easy to get lost the first time. But the rear hall of the Holy Tree Hall is where the clergy live and work. How did you get in here?”
“An Oathbound Knight?!”
Although Astrid had already guessed as much, her heart skipped a beat once it was confirmed.
She quickly slid her feet, clad in cream-colored velvet socks, back into her shoes.
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
Astrid held her skirt and ran out of the pavilion, distancing herself from Lance with a wary expression.
“Are you also someone my father sent to spy on me?”
“Your father?”
Lance waved his hands dismissively. “I’ve never even met the Holy King. How could I be sent by him?”
“Then how did you qualify to become an Oathbound Knight?”
“I don’t know! I just exchanged a few blows with someone at the Great Arena and won. Then the referee told me to report here and gave me this necklace.”
After saying that, Lance pulled out the emerald necklace. He looked sincere, not as if he were lying.
Astrid was mostly convinced, but the story sounded absurd.
‘The selection for my Oathbound Knight was that casual? This Elga royalty! I can’t stay here for another day!’
Astrid gritted her teeth, her resolve to leave the royal family hardening.
But what should she do about this knight? If she left, should she take him? Wouldn’t she still be under surveillance?
Astrid furrowed her brows in thought, seemingly hesitant. She had been quite decisive when rejecting those other prospective Oathbound Knights!
Taking advantage of the silence, Lance reached out to the Witch in his mind.
‘Master! Master! What should I do now? Is there any way to make the Elf girl wake up immediately?’
However, the Witch didn’t respond, seemingly unwilling to pay him any mind. But Lance wouldn’t give up so easily.
‘Master? Master? Master…’
Inside the Mental World, Little Faliya covered her ears impatiently and complained, “Didn’t I say this was a test for him? Why is he still asking?! I’ll give him a piece of my mind!”
As she spoke, Little Faliya prepared to gather her mental power for a Mental Punishment.
“Wait, wait! Calm down! Why not just tell him what to do?”
The short-haired Apprentice Faliya hurried forward and grabbed Little Faliya’s hand before she could cast the spell.
At the same time, she turned to Professor Faliya for help. “Professor!”
Professor Faliya merely looked up at the two of them, her expression calm as she spoke slowly, “Didn’t we agree to leave it to her?”
“Right, right! Didn’t we say I’d handle the Dream? Apprentice! Let go of me! I’m just going to give him a small lesson!”
Ugh—
The short-haired Faliya sighed deeply. She didn’t believe Little Faliya at all. To her, anything that didn’t result in death was a “small lesson.”
‘Master, please wake up! I really can’t figure out how these two think!’
The apprentice sighed and forcibly held down Little Faliya’s hands.
She leaned forward, pressing Little Faliya against her chest to muffle her.
Finally, she took control of their shared consciousness.
She prepared to answer Lance. “Lance! You can wake her up anytime. Just tell her in detail about the things you went through together. But don’t wake her up yet!”
“Why?”
Lance was confused. To him, leaving the Dream as soon as possible was the priority.
“You haven’t found my feet yet! It won’t be too late once you’ve found them!”
“But… how am I supposed to get into the Sealing Chamber of the Holy Tree Hall?”
Mmph, mmph… mmph!
Sensing Little Faliya’s struggle becoming more intense, the apprentice said concisely, “Just fight your way in!”
“Huh?”
“This is a dream! Your strength depends entirely on your imagination! Find a way to make that Elf believe you’re strong and the Bishop is weak!”
After that, Apprentice Faliya cut the mental connection, putting all her effort into suppressing the nearly escaping Little Faliya.
Lance fell into thought. ‘My strength depends on my imagination?’
His gaze fell on the Elf girl, who was still lost in thought. An idea formed in his mind.