Two days ago.
“Young Master… Take care…”
Mei watched Mann from afar, her eyes filled with resolve.
She draped a brown robe over herself, and her figure gradually became translucent.
‘I also have… my own things to do.’
At the spot where she stood, a puff of dust rose, vanishing along with her presence.
…
Outside Matthews Territory, an elite military force was advancing, with over a dozen pitch-black carriages neatly lined up in their midst.
At the head of the group was none other than the Empire’s Second Imperial Princess, Sophie Ulikon.
“Reporting to Your Highness, no traces of enemies such as the Heretic God Sect have been found,” said the scout who had been surveying the surroundings, returning to report at the scheduled time.
This meant that, at least for now, there was nothing unusual.
Yet Sophie’s heart grew increasingly uneasy.
Although this unease had no reason, perhaps it was just a sixth sense warning.
However, Kris was protected by a powerful barrier, and she herself was stationed outside.
‘Maybe I’m just overthinking.’
She thought this to herself, calming her emotions.
After all, only with a steady mind could mistakes be avoided.
“Mm, don’t let your guard down. Continue scouting.”
“Yes.”
Sophie turned her head and looked behind her, her expression complex.
‘The camouflage is done, the protection and detection are fine. Maybe I really am being paranoid…’
On a giant tree nearby, Mei, draped in a robe, stared intently at the advancing procession.
“Revenge for the Demihuman race begins with you, Kris!”
The images of the dead Demihuman mercenaries from the past, and the Demihumans brutally murdered in the cave—each and every scene replayed in her mind.
Her pupils gradually turned bloodshot as she fixed her gaze on one of the carriages.
From within her wide robe, a dagger gleaming with cold light slowly emerged.
“Today, your blood will be the banner for my clan’s counterattack!”
Mei pulled up her hood, and her figure became illusory once more.
It was precisely this overflow of killing intent that Sophie keenly sensed.
But when she looked up, she saw nothing.
‘An ambush, huh…’
Sophie raised her hand, signaling everyone to halt.
“Everyone, be alert! Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!”
The moment she spoke, the soldiers immediately changed formation, shielding the prison wagon and Sophie behind them.
Sophie then attempted to spread her mana over a certain area to sense if there were enemies.
‘I never thought I’d use the technique I learned from Lord Mann here… I’ll have to thank him properly later.’
Under her careful sensing, she gradually began to catch intermittent glimpses of a figure.
If she hadn’t absorbed the power of the Rune Script to enhance her perception, she might not have been able to detect the assassin at all.
And as the assassin drew closer, Sophie intensified her sensing.
“Look out! He’s coming!”
As soon as she spoke, several soldiers in the front row were sent flying in unison.
After completing this series of movements, the assassin immediately vanished from Sophie’s detection.
‘No killing blows on the soldiers?’
This puzzled Sophie.
‘He’s so fast… Who the hell is this guy?’
And why did his aura mix with Mann’s mana?
In any case, the current detection precision was clearly insufficient against such a high-speed enemy.
Blindly expanding the detection range was not advisable.
Since that wouldn’t work…
Sophie instead halved her detection range, just enough to cover the entire group.
Although the carriage holding Kris had an extremely powerful magic barrier—even Sophie herself would find it very troublesome to face—as long as Kris was alive, the barrier remained.
So her purpose on this trip wasn’t simply escort duty; she had long guessed that the transport would not go smoothly.
Better to turn the situation to her advantage. If she could catch a few assassins along the way and investigate their identities, she might make unexpected discoveries.
This was also the confidence that allowed her to flaunt Kris’s transport so openly.
Simply put, it was a trap.
“I’m starting to get interested in your identity… Come on, then, let me see who you really are!”
Sophie smiled teasingly, but in reality, she had already set up mana traps all around Kris’s prison wagon, just waiting for the assassin to step into them.
If by some chance he relied on speed to dodge the traps, then when he attacked the barrier, the backlash would inevitably leave him open.
Thus, his speed advantage would be nullified.
And that would be the perfect moment for her to strike.
As expected, the next moment, the trap near the wagon was triggered.
Almost instantly, Sophie locked onto him.
“Heh, what a reckless fool!”
All the surrounding mana surged toward the assassin under her control.
By the time the assassin realized it, it was too late to dodge.
Out of options, he could only charge into the wagon.
Seeing this, Sophie couldn’t help but smile.
The barrier would completely block his escape route, and behind him, her attack was about to strike.
But then, she could hardly believe her eyes.
The assassin seemed to ignore the barrier entirely and barged straight into the wagon.
“…What?”
“How is this possible?”
Immediately, Sophie sensed something was wrong.
“No, Kris!”
Donning the Dragon Scale Armor, she rushed into the wagon alongside the assassin at lightning speed.
When she saw the scene before her, she stopped together with the assassin.
Both stared blankly ahead: Kris was hanging limply, a pitch-black dagger deeply embedded in his chest. Blood dripped down his feet, and there was even a faint stench of decay.
“How can this be…”
“Why didn’t the barrier react when something happened to Kris? Is there someone else who can ignore the barrier?”
And because of the barrier’s seal, those outside had no idea what was happening inside.
Who would have thought that the barrier would instead help the killer?
The assassin, seeing Sophie stunned, knew that this place was no place to linger. Just as she turned to flee, Sophie ripped off her hood.
“You are…?!”
Realizing her identity was exposed, Mei quickly covered her face. Taking advantage of Sophie’s daze, she kicked her back several steps, then immediately fled, disappearing from sight.
“Your Highness? Should we pursue?”
A few soldiers approached Sophie, but when they saw the scene behind her, they couldn’t help but gasp.
“No need to pursue. She’s not the killer. Let’s deal with what’s in front of us first.”
“And have someone come to examine the Third Prince’s body immediately.”
She walked up to Kris’s corpse and pulled out the dagger. The Matthews family emblem was conspicuously engraved on the blade.
‘Just a frame-up…?’
‘But how did the assassin break through the barrier?’
Before long, the coroner had finished his examination and bowed respectfully to Sophie.
“Reporting to Your Highness, the prince did die from a sharp weapon, and the time of death…”
He looked up at Sophie, as if hesitating whether to continue.
“He was already assassinated within Matthews Territory, wasn’t he?”
“…Yes.”
…
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent. All the soldiers knelt, not daring to breathe.
Sophie put down the dagger, turned, and gave her order.
“We’ll set out now and report this truthfully to Father King, the sooner the better!”