—Clang!
A loud metallic clang echoed through the air, forcing them to turn to the noise.
There, they saw a figure with black hair standing a few meters away, his sword lying on the ground beside him.
Nathaniel's eyes widened in surprise.
"What the hell! Did you two just kiss?!"
He exclaimed, his voice laced with frustration and disbelief.
The black-haired teen massaged his wrinkled forehead at the sudden surge of headache and spoke exasperatedly.
"For Chrono's sake! You're just kids! This is not appropriate behavior for your age!"
Leticia stepped forward, hoping to defuse the situation.
"With all due respect, Your Highness, I will take full responsibility for the situation. Prince Adrian bears no fault in this matter. I humbly request your forgiveness for my actions."
Despite Leticia's apology, Adrian couldn't help but roll his eyes in boredom and spoke dismissively.
"Please, let's not be dramatic. It was just an accident."
While he was indeed surprised, then again it was just a kiss—not a big deal at all.
It wasn't as if they were engaging in intercourse or anything of the sort.
He had lived in the year 20xx where such displays of affection were commonplace and hardly significant.
Removing his hand from his forehead, Nathaniel glanced at him.
"Now that you're talking, I clearly remember you saying she's not your girlfriend, but what's going on here?"
"Tsk."
Adrian clicked his tongue in annoyance.
'Not this stupid conversation again!'
However, before he could say a word, Nathaniel went on.
"I was worried sick because my little brother was kidnapped, but then I find out he's down in the sewers enjoying his time with his girlfriend?!"
"I've already told you countless times! She's not my girlfriend! I don't even like her!"
Nathaniel's face contorted with surprise and he bellowed.
"How can you say that? She's—"
"Please, don't fight. It's all my fault!"
Leticia interrupted, her voice cracking.
Adrian turned to face her, seeing tears pooling in her eyes.
Was she hurt by his words?
He didn't care.
He only hoped it would put an end to her useless feelings for him.
Nathaniel turned to Leticia and smiled.
"Lady Leticia, we're not fighting. This is just how brothers show affection."
Adrian rolled his eyes at Nathaniel's comment and changed the subject.
"Do you happen to have a bandage?"
"Huh? Are you hurt?"
"No, she is."
The back-haired teen picked up his sword and approached them.
"Your Highness, I'll be alright. There's no need for it."
Ignoring her protest, Adrian stretched out his hand toward his brother as he arrived.
Nathaniel took out a bandage and placed it on the boy's palm.
Nathaniel couldn't help but be surprised and alarmed when he saw the deep, red burns on Leticia's delicate palms.
"Wait, what happened to Lady Leticia?"
Adrian, who was tending to her wounds, answered with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"She insisted on casting fireballs, even though she has a low affinity for Fire Elemental magic, and burned herself."
"Ah, I see."
Nathaniel nodded in comprehension, his mind piecing together the situation like a jigsaw puzzle.
He turned to Leticia and once their eyes met, Nathaniel offered a smile.
"Lady Leticia, I appreciate your desire to help my brother, but you must also take care of yourself. It's not worth risking your well-being to prove a point."
Leticia looked down, feeling ashamed of her actions.
"I'm sorry…"
She murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Nathaniel soon resumed with his smile still in place.
"There's no need to apologize, Lady Leticia. We all make mistakes. What's important is that we learn from them and move forward."
After a brief silence, he continued.
"But please remember, you don't have to prove anything to anyone. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses, and it's important to work with what we have and not push ourselves too hard."
Leticia lifted her head and nodded, a grateful smile planted on her lips as she absorbed Nathaniel's words of wisdom.
However, before she could express her gratitude, Adrian cut in with a sneer.
"Oh, my! I don't know if my brother is capable of saying such sweet words."
Because it seemed like everything that came out of his brother's mouth always grated on his nerves.
Unexpectedly, Nathaniel turned to him and let out a mischievous smirk.
Upon seeing it, Adrian swore that whatever his brother was about to say would undoubtedly be annoying.
"Oh, my! Is my little brother jealous?"
Nathaniel teased, clearly enjoying Adrian's discomfort.
However, before he could respond, Nathaniel flung something toward his face and Adrian deftly caught it.
He unclenched his fist and a bracelet with two blue beads came into view—his Telespere.
Adrian's heart raced as he checked the contents of his bag.
To his surprise, nothing was missing—his beloved Damascus sword and the pouch of gold coins Nathaniel had given him were still there!
Soon, a smile bloomed across his face and his anger dissipated into thin air.
Adrian couldn't resist the surge of happiness that flooded through him.
Today was truly a good day!
"Hehe. Thanks."
Adrian fastened the Telesphere back onto his wrist and turned to his brother.
"Where did you get this?"
"Your kidnapper broke your Telesphere, but I fixed it."
"I see. Thanks!"
Adrian said, grateful for his brother's resourcefulness.
Nathaniel chuckled and patted Adrian's head affectionately.
"You're welcome. By the way, we should get moving."
They nodded in agreement and set off running.
As they ran, Nathaniel activated his Telesphere and dialed Duke Florance's Tele-code.
After a few rings, the call connected and the Duke's voice filled the air.
// Your Highness, how may I help you? //
"I've found my brother and Lady Leticia."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Duke Florance spoke again, his voice trembling with emotion.
// Y-your Highness, may I talk to my daughter? //
His voice cracked with tears.
"Sure."
He handed the Telesphere to Leticia, who took it with a small smile and stepped away to speak with her father.
As they spoke, Nathaniel couldn't help but notice the strain in the Duke's voice.
Even from a distance, it was clear that he was struggling to hold back tears.
After a few moments, Lady Leticia returned the device to Nathaniel, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Duke Florance. Can you track us? We're looking for the quickest way out."
// I understand. I will contact Your Highness soon. //
Andarc's voice regained some of its earlier composure.
"Alright. Thanks."
Right after the call ended, Adrian asked.
"By the way, how did you find us?"
"Thanks to Lady Leticia."
Nathaniel replied, his eyes flickering toward the young woman in question.
"?"
Leticia tilted her head in confusion and Adrian arched an eyebrow, demanding Nathaniel to elaborate.
"Duke Florance said that Lady Leticia is often targeted by kidnappers. That's why he's planted numerous tracking devices on her."
"Numerous?"
Adrian repeated and Nathaniel nodded.
"Yes, everything Lady Leticia wears has been fitted with a tracking device."
Adrian immediately turned her and asked.
"Is it true?"
Leticia nodded and answered.
"That's correct. It's the only way the Duke can be sure of my safety."
Frustrated, Adrian spat his mind.
"Then why didn't you—haa…"
He cut himself off with a sigh, feeling too exhausted to be angry anymore.
Adrian rubbed his temples, trying to relieve the pounding headache.
What the hell!
If only he had known about it, he would have stayed in the cage and waited patiently for rescue.
It seemed he had risked his life for naught!
Brushing it off, Adrian raised another question.
"I see. So the earlier explosion was caused by...?"
Nathaniel beamed with pride.
"It was me. I destroyed their Mana Disruption Device."
Ah, that would explain why the Mana Waves had returned to normal in the area.
"What about the children? Did you meet them?"
"I did, and I believe the Florance Knights are currently taking care of them."
"I see."
Adrian nodded his head in understanding.
As a thought kicked in, he asked another one.
"So, where are we actually?"
"We're still in Syna."
"Huh? How come?"
Adrian thought that they were somewhere far away.
Soon, Nathaniel explained.
"The kidnappers didn't actually leave the city, but instead teleported and intentionally left evidence in the woods outside Syna to mislead pursuers into thinking you had been taken elsewhere. While the truth is, you and Lady Leticia are actually inside Syna, or more specifically, in the kidnappers' hideout."
As expected of that shitty organization, they were clever, huh?
But now that he thought about it, didn't those bastards also have an underground hideout in Agatha?
'Could it be…'
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