‘I’m sorry, Meliya… I broke your glass because I was in a hurry…’
Lian apologized to her wife in her heart while leaping through the air — or rather, jumping, as what she was doing could not strictly be called flying.
On this Empire called Aitixila, flight was a privilege reserved for winged races — such as the Heavenly Demons of the Demon Race or the Dragon Species of the Western Dragon Realm.
Although similar feats could be achieved with magic… it required an immense reserve of Magic Power and extremely delicate manipulation.
For example, one would have to manipulate wind Elementals to form erratic air currents to lift oneself into the sky.
Furthermore, one would need to continuously output Magic Power and expend energy to adjust the strength and direction of the currents to achieve long-term levitation and free movement.
Therefore, even High Demonkind who met the Magic Power requirements rarely used such an inefficient and tedious spell.
In Lian’s memory, the only person who could use this spell as a regular means of transportation was Sephy.
Sephy had taught her the trick… but she simply couldn’t learn it.
So, after researching with Vera, they had come up with a simpler method — setting up miniature platforms made of ice magic in the air and jumping on them like stairs.
This was the method Lian was using now. She wasn’t even willing to walk down the stairs normally, let alone use transportation like a carriage or a steam car.
During her leaps, she pulled the Communication Pearl from her bosom and repeatedly tried to contact Sephy.
She believed that Sephy, who could fly freely and had many doppelgangers in the city, would be able to get there much faster than herself… but Sephy had been unreachable since the attack yesterday afternoon.
Even when Lian tried to contact her during the night, there had been no response.
Although Meliya said she was likely resting… how could she have no reaction at all when such a major event had occurred in the city? Could it be that even she had encountered danger?
Looking at the unresponsive bead, Lian couldn’t help but imagine the worst. She didn’t think anyone could hurt Sephy… even if she had been significantly weakened by forcibly leaving the Sage’s Tower.
But if it was the Feiyin from just now…?
‘Dammit… what on earth is she trying to do?! To think such a monster has been lurking around my wife and daughter for so long, hidden from Vera and Sephy…!’
Thinking of this, Lian looked at the Red Hexagram Mark on her hand again.
How did she turn herself into her current appearance? She and Milin truly looked like sisters… and Meliya clearly trusted her quite a bit.
As she said… if she really wanted to do something harmful to them, why wait until today?
Why did she choose today of all times to reveal her true face and use this contract to restrict Lian’s movements?
In short, everything about her left Lian feeling bewildered… but she had no time to dwell on it now.
She wasn’t naive enough to believe that Feiyin would honestly stay put and wait for her to return and deal with her.
She was certainly planning something else in the Duke’s Household… and it likely had something to do with today’s Crown Festival schedule.
Lian had to reach Vera’s side as quickly as possible, and then immediately return to the Duke’s Household to handle Feiyin after rescuing her.
Just the thought that her companions might be in trouble made her feel like she was going insane.
This anxiety gnawed at her heart, making her recall the past memories that had flashed through her mind when she confessed to Milin on the festival float —
That girl, the girl who had shielded her cowardly and incompetent self from the slaughtering blade.
The girl who had accepted all of her meanness and cowardice, only to lose her life because of it.
‘Diana… Diana… I will definitely protect your sister. This time, I will never, never again…’
She leaped into the clouds, reaching a height where she could overlook the Palace and half of the inner city.
Following her memory, she quickly locked onto the direction of the street where Vera lived, and then she drove her body to fall like a shooting star.
Amidst the sound of breaking wind, she soon approached the apartment building where Vera resided.
She saw that the building had already half-collapsed. In an exposed room, several soldiers from the City Defense Force were conducting an investigation of the scene.
They were surrounding a tall ice sculpture, discussing and taking notes with paper and pens.
Could this be the site of the attack?
Lian quickly used the air currents to push her body and change direction in mid-air, falling straight into the adjacent room.
She crashed to the ground like a meteorite, creating a large crater… and then fell through to the lower floor of the apartment.
“Gah!”
The soldiers of the City Defense Force certainly wouldn’t miss such a huge commotion.
They immediately entered a combat stance, calling for reinforcements while running into the room where Lian had fallen.
Amidst the dust, they nervously raised their weapons and aimed them at the large crater in the center of the room.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
The soldiers saw a slender hand grab the edge of the crater, and then a maid covered in dust crawled out.
“…A maid?”
Seeing the coughing Lian, several soldiers stared in daze. But their captain immediately restored their vigilance with a stern military order:
“Don’t lower your guns! Be ready to fire at any moment!”
“Don’t fire! I’m human! I was sent by the Duke… you’re the ones who reported the attack here, right?”
Seeing the dark muzzles pointed at her, Lian quickly raised her hands to show the soldiers she wasn’t an enemy.
“The Duke sent a maid… and a maid who fell from the sky?”
The soldiers clearly didn’t believe such a thing, and they did not lower their guns. However, after their captain saw Lian’s face clearly, he shouted with joy:
“Aren’t you Miss Asius?”
“You are… that officer from the Martial Tournament the other day?”
Hearing the other party call her name in a voice that sounded familiar, Lian also saw his face clearly through the haze of smoke.
This captain commanding the soldiers was the young Lieutenant who had fought her on the public green arena on the second day of the Crown Festival.
“Yes! I am City Defense Force Lieutenant Tain Giruett, responsible for investigating the scene of the attack! Men, lower your weapons! This lady is a warrior who has received special attention even from Her Royal Highness!”
The Lieutenant named Tain saluted Lian solemnly and then gave orders to his subordinates.
Hearing the captain’s words, the soldiers lowered their weapons amidst a chorus of surprise and admiration:
“No way… she’s the maid who beat the captain black and blue?”
“So this person really exists… and she’s actually a young girl. I thought you were joking with us, Captain. It was a real loss not to see your match that day.”
“That’s enough out of you!” In the midst of his subordinates’ chatter, Tain looked somewhat embarrassed.
He raised his voice to signal them to be quiet, and then turned to Lian. “I didn’t expect the person sent by the Duke to be you… I must say, your entrance was truly shocking.”
He looked at Lian with an admiring gaze, but Lian had no time to respond to his enthusiasm.
She asked anxiously, “Where is the room of Her Royal Highness? Is she alright?”
Her question caused the soldiers, including Tain, to look troubled.
Lieutenant Tain scratched his cheek and said with a heavy expression, “The room next door is the Princess’s room… we didn’t find her. We are still investigating what exactly happened in the room.”
Before Tain’s words had even finished, Lian impatiently ran from the collapsed corridor into Vera’s room.
There, she saw the true form of the ice sculpture she had glimpsed from the air —
“…A Beast Demon?”
It was a Beast Demon whose entire body was frozen in ice. Lian looked up at his face and found a satisfied smile hanging there.
She reached out a finger to touch the ice sculpture.
At the moment her fingertip made contact, the entire sculpture suddenly collapsed, turning into dust that sparkled like stardust.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.