"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…'
Adrian turned to his brother and asked.
"Wait—where is the hideout entrance?"
"It's in Syna's slum."
Ah, of course. What a perfect place.
Slums were neglected by the government and shunned by most citizens, making them an ideal place for illicit activities.
'Ha! So their hideout was right under our noses all along.'
As Adrian was about to speak, there was someone faster.
"Kkiiieeekkk!!"
Peeking over their shoulders, they saw a pack of Chimeras charging towards them.
"Keep moving."
Nathaniel ordered and Adrian nodded.
The black-haired boy halted his steps and chanted inwardly.
Soon, his sword began to shine brightly, illuminating the dimly lit tunnel.
The moment the distance between them drew closer, Nathaniel dashed and swung his sword directly at its chest.
"Kkiiieeekkk!!"
—Splash!
Black blood splattered onto Nathaniel's face and clothes, drenching him in its sticky, disgusting scent.
Lifting his gaze, Nathaniel saw two Chimeras charging at him.
He extended his left hand and shot two wind bullets, causing their chest to explode.
—Splash! —Splash!
With no more monsters in sight, Nathaniel broke into a run and soon reached his brother's side.
"By the way…"
Adrian began, his tone serious.
Nathaniel turned towards him and furrowed his brow at the sight of his displeased expression.
"You lied to me."
"Huh?"
Nathaniel was taken aback, his face filled with confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Somehow, he couldn't comprehend what his brother was talking about.
"The Conference; you lied. You claimed to have fought only one of them, but it turned out there were actually two, correct?"
Nathaniel's heart raced as he felt a jolt of surprise shoot through him.
He had no idea how his brother had found out about it.
"A woman with vermilion hair and ruby eyes. You met that woman, right?"
Adrian pressed, his eyes boring into Nathaniel's.
"That's—"
Nathaniel opened and closed his mouth, struggling to find the right words.
In the end, he let out a resigned sigh and eventually admitted it.
"Yes. I met her."
Despite his annoyance toward his brother, Adrian resumed his story.
"When I was imprisoned, she visited me—"
"She what?!"
Nathaniel interjected, his voice laced with anger.
"What—what did she want from you?"
His voice trembled slightly.
"She asked me to join her organization."
"What the hell?!"
Nathaniel exclaimed, his frustration evident.
"No, no, no! Don't do it! They're corrupt to the bone! Did you see what happened to those innocent children? They were transformed into hideous monsters by that vile organization! You must open your eyes, Ian! Don't be blinded by their lies! They're evil to the core!"
Given the traumatic events that occurred in the previous timeline, Nathaniel's anger was completely understandable.
'He's just… worried about his little brother…'
Nevertheless, Adrian offered him a smile and placed a reassuring hand on Nathaniel's shoulder.
"Don't worry, I have no intention of joining those troublemakers."
Suddenly, Nathaniel halted his steps, causing the duo to follow suit and he unexpectedly stretched out his pinky finger toward Adrian.
"Then, promise me!"
Upon seeing it, Adrian couldn't help but sneer at the gesture.
"I didn't know if my brother had such a cute side."
Irritated, Nathaniel snapped back.
"Shut up! Just promise me, damn it!"
"Tsk. You're cursing too much."
"Uh, sorry."
Adrian rolled his eyes in boredom but linked their pinkies nonetheless.
"Pfft—"
Leticia stifled a laugh and quickly curtsied when the two princes turned to look at her.
"Forgive me, Your Highnesses. It was just so cute, I couldn't help myself."
Soon, Nathaniel's gentle voice was heard.
"Lady Leticia, you don't have to be so formal when it's the three of us. After all, you're my future sister-in—argh!"
Nathaniel yelped as Adrian kicked his shin.
"Stop spurting nonsense!"
He knew his brother loved to tease him, but calling her his future sister-in-law was a bit too much in his eyes.
"You—"
"Kiiieekkk!!"
Nevertheless, their moment of levity was short-lived.
They glanced at the voice and saw a horde of Chimera approaching from both sides.
Without hesitation, Nathaniel dashed forward and declared.
"I'll go ahead."
Adrian glanced at the girl next to him and instructed.
"Stay behind me and refrain from using your powers, understood?"
"Understood!"
With a firm nod, Leticia acknowledged his instructions and Adrian quickly made his way to join his brother.
The sea of Chimera was seen sprinting toward them.
Following activating his Wind Blade, Nathaniel sent a barrage of arc lights hurtled toward the monsters.
—Whizz! —Whizz! —Whizz!
The whizzing sound filled the air as the lights cut through the monster's body.
Deep gorges were carved out, spilling forth black blood and guts into the surrounding.
Chunks of flesh and bone flew in all directions, splattering against the walls and ceiling.
—Splash! —Splash! —Splash!
"Kiiieekkk!!"
"Kiiieekkk!!"
The Chimera from the backline jumped in and charged at him.
As Nathaniel prepared to unleash his Wind Blade, the monster's heart suddenly exploded, causing black blood to spray into the air from their chest cavity.
Peeking over his shoulder, Nathaniel saw his little brother standing behind him with two Magic Circles spun on both of his sides.
The wind bullets flew out from the Circle, tearing through the monsters' flesh with brute force.
With each shot, a fountain of black blood erupted from the creatures' chests, accompanied by screams of agony.
"Kiiieekkk!!"
"Kiiieekkk!!"
Here and there, body parts would be blown off, leaving scraps of flesh and bone flying in scattered fragments.
—Splash! —Splash! —Splash!
Dozens of Chimeras fell, but a new wave of them surged from behind.
Nathaniel charged towards the Chimera, fearlessly swinging his sword to and fro.
With each powerful stroke, screams of agony rang out from the herd of monsters.
Blood flew in wild arcs, showering the area with gore.
One by one, the Chimera began to fall, their limbs and heads flying off with each cut of his blade.
Nevertheless, Adrian couldn't help but be mesmerized by Nathaniel's sword dance before his eyes.
Watching him fight in person felt different from reading about it in a book.
Come to think of it, wasn't this the first time they had fought together?
Sensing danger, Adrian looked up and saw two Chimeras leaping toward Nathaniel.
Without delay, he shot wind bullets at each one, his blue eyes fixed on the targets.
"Kkkkiieekkk!!
They shrieked and fell to the ground.
—Splash! —Splash!
Five Chimeras were seen rushing to Nathaniel's blind spot, Adrian quickly aimed and shot their chests, causing splatters of blood and guts to fly everywhere.
And after half an hour, the fight was over.
"Haa… haa…"
Nathaniel wiped the sweat dripping down his chin with the back of his hand, then turned to his brother.
"Let's go."
Despite their exhaustion, they pushed themselves to keep running, they knew they couldn't afford to slow down.
"Is there anything else?"
Nathaniel asked and Adrian responded.
"Aside from trying to recruit me, she also said that she hasn't given up on igniting the war between the Empire and the Kearny Kingdom."
Nathaniel's jaw tightened as he asked.
"Does she think about…"
"Yes, she plans to harm the Kearny Princess and her Convoy."
"We need to stop her. We can't let her carry out her plans."
Nathaniel said firmly.
That was exactly his plan, but—
"How? We don't know what she was planning. Moreover, it's impossible for just the two of us to stop her. We need at least a company, and a galley as well. I know it may sound excessive, but we must prepare for the worst-case scenario."
Nathaniel knew Adrian was right.
They needed to be prepared for anything, no matter how unlikely.
Turning to his brother, Nathaniel reassured him.
"Don't worry about it. I'll handle everything."
Adrian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow—but whatever; seemed it was related to his regression.
However, Adrian knew he needed to get to the bottom of this problem first, so he asked.
"By the way, how long have I been kidnapped?"
"It has been 30 hours; 2 days and 1 night."
Before he was kidnapped, Ferdinand informed him that the Kearny Princess was estimated to arrive in 5 to 7 days.
Now that 30 hours have passed, they only have 3 to 5 days left.
'There's not much time left…'
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