The moment his vision cleared, his golden eyes stretched wide upon recognizing who she was.
'What? There's more of them?'
Not too far away from him, there stood a woman with red-haired hair and eyes.
She wore a sleek black suit that accentuated her curves, paired with long red gloves.
The deep V-neckline revealed her ample cleavage.
Ignoring the boy, she turned to face the blonde man standing behind her.
"Haa… haa…"
The man in front of her was covered in blood and gasping for air.
He had a long diagonal cut that started from his right eye and extended down to his left cheek, which likely left him partially blind.
Not only that, but he also had numerous cuts all over his body. The most severe one was a deep cut on his thigh.
Upon seeing his appearance, she couldn't help but heave a deep breath.
"Haa…"
And the fact that his body stopped regenerating and trembled like a guitar string that was being plucked.
It seemed the little Prince behind her had done something funny to him.
Nevertheless, she voiced her thoughts.
"I instructed you to observe, not to fight."
"But—"
"Now look at yourself. You even lost an eye."
"..."
The man hung his head and clenched his fist, unable to refute her statement.
She let out a sigh and continued speaking.
"Let's forget about it and leave this place."
The man darted at her, his face etched with surprise.
"What? Why? What about our mission?"
"You should have guessed it."
"I… I see."
Sensing something approaching, she quickly looked over her shoulder and saw three white crescent lights hurtling toward them.
—Boom!
An eruption roared through the surrounding, dispersing debris and dirt into the air.
"Do you really think that I will let you go?!"
Nathaniel shouted as he ran toward them with a shining blade within his grasp.
To Nathaniel's surprise, a slender hand shot out of the clouds of dust and grabbed his neck in an instant.
"Urk!"
The woman flung Nathaniel's body aside, causing him to roll several times on the ground.
As soon as he stopped, a shadow loomed over him, prompting him to leap into action and land on a nearby tree branch.
—Boom!
A small crater was formed on his previous spot and the woman could be seen straightening her body with ease.
Nathaniel gritted his teeth.
Despite his gift still being active, the woman in front of him surpassed him in both speed and strength, proving that she held a ridiculously high rank.
As she looked up, their eyes met.
They exchanged glances for a few seconds before she veered around and walked leisurely towards the man.
Nathaniel chanted inwardly and the moment his sword was covered with bright light, he jumped down and—
"Argh!"
Nathaniel's sword slipped from his grip as he fell to his knees, clutching his shoulder.
A thin iron spike had pierced his shoulder joint, causing blood to gush out uncontrollably.
"Serves you right."
With that, the woman turned around and approached the man.
She put the man's arm around her neck and lifted his body.
Her red eyes fixated on the boy who was sitting whilst clutching his shoulder and bid him farewell.
"We'll meet again, Prince Nathaniel."
In a sudden blink of an eye, the pair vanished into thin air, leaving behind nothing but a faint trail of dust that quickly dissipated into the air.
"Haa!!"
Nathaniel let out an exasperated sigh and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Even though he didn't want to let them go, he realized he couldn't defeat that bitch.
With that, Nathaniel pulled the iron spike out of his body.
Nathaniel's wound spewed blood and he immediately took out an Elixir from his Magical Sphere.
He poured half of it onto the wound, causing him to wail in agony, before drinking the rest of the Elixir.
Soon, Nathaniel let his back fall onto the soil and stared at the glowing rocks scattered across the night sky.
Here he thought that he was strong enough, yet reality always hit him hard in the face.
He raised his right arm high in the air and stared at it.
"I'm weak."
After hearing numerous footsteps, Nathaniel lifted his head toward the noise and Wyatt along with his troop was seen running toward him.
"Your Highness!!"
Begrudgingly, Nathaniel sat up and stood.
"Your Highness!! Are you—"
Wyatt gasped upon seeing the amount of blood staining his armor.
"I'm alright. Don't worry about it."
Nathaniel reassured Wyatt.
"I-I understand…"
"How is the battle going?"
Nathaniel asked.
"We managed to slay numerous enemies, and some are fleeing. However, something feels off."
Nathaniel frowned and Wyatt continued.
"It almost looked like they were just ordinary citizens, lacking any proper combat training or experience."
Nathaniel's brow furrowed, but he quickly shook his head to dispel useless thoughts.
"By the way, we should head back to camp before the monsters catch the scent of blood. Plus, Ian needs us."
"I understand."
With that, they marched outside the forest.
.
.
.
A translucent barrier emerged from below and began to spread, covering the entire refugee camp.
Thereafter, a thick fog enveloped the meadow surrounding the camp, obscuring the surroundings.
Turning around, Gizel asked Adrian, who was gazing up at the barrier above.
"Will this be enough, Your Highness?"
Adrian smiled and nodded in satisfaction.
"Yes, thank you so much, Professor Gizel."
"It's my pleasure."
The second plan was to ensure that the other Princes and Princesses from the neighboring Kingdoms were protected.
Although Adrian wouldn't allow the intruders to pass the portcullis, he couldn't shake the feeling that something amiss was going on.
Also, it never hurt to be extra vigilant rather than sorry.
As the sound of thundering footsteps echoed in the distance, Adrian's heart raced with excitement and anticipation.
"If you will, excuse me."
With that, Adrian turned around, however, a voice stopped him—it was Gizel's.
"Your Highness, are you sure about this?"
Adrian glanced at him and smiled.
"Just like I stated before, I will not take a single step outside this fortress. So, please don't worry about it."
Adrian reassured Gizel.
"I understand."
"I entrust my friends' safety to you. Please protect them."
"Your Highness has my words and I wish you good luck."
Adrian smiled and nodded his head.
"Thank you. Good luck to you too, Professor."
Turning around, Adrian made his way toward the fort battlement.
During the late Middle Ages in Europe, there was a war called 'the Battle of Aljubarrota'.
It was a war between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile.
The Portuguese army had around 6,500 to 7,000 soldiers, while the Castilian army had between 30,000 to 35,000 soldiers.
Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Portuguese army was able to achieve a decisive victory over the Castilian army.
And that was what Adrian was trying to recreate.
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