I blinked my confusion away and adjusted everything from my senses. When I came to my consciousness, I found myself breathing heavily and can't really hear anything that much. Because my heart was beating so loud and fast to even notice the clamor around me.

When my eyes landed on the scene, I stared wide-eyed with my mouth slightly agape. Stunned.

The cloaked figures are fighting with my guards so fiercely and without a doubt, we are at a great disadvantage. Uno can't come close to them at all because before he could, they would blast him with magic. What can he do with his sword then? His sword is defenseless against a long-range attack and a magic attack at that.

It's not just Uno who has this problem, everyone in my entourage is. Faced with such opponents, they were all being pushed back and were forced to tire themselves to avoid their onslaught of magic strikes.

Good thing that the Herman secret guards are no ordinary people and all of them won't die just like that. They put to use their real-life ninja skills to try and land an attack on the other side and succeeded, though not satisfactorily.

As I've said, what can they do against magic users?

"Magic? Why are there mages…?

" I was grumbling like an idiot, still dumbstruck from seeing such a spectacle.

Isn't magic scarce anymore? Why are there so many in one place? And why are they attacking us?

I felt Kuro shifted and blocked my line of sight entirely. His whole body was tense and I could even feel how wired up he was at the moment. I haven't seen him in all his glory for a long time so I was amazed to see how big he has grown. He looked like a small mountain now.

But before I could truly soak in wonder, I felt a terrifying breath of danger behind me. Kuro felt it too and immediately turned around and growled. His fur sparked with a mixture of black and blue lightning as it stood erect in preparation to attack. These bursts of electricity didn't hurt me but it sure is hella intimidating.

I also turned around to see where that danger came from and saw another cloaked figure, but this time, his face was showing. It was a man with a smiling expression that made him look approachable. As if he's a friendly guy who was just going to say hello but I know that his appearance is deceiving. Why else would I get goosebumps just from looking at him?

"Who are you? What do you want from us?

"

Is it bad to talk to the enemy? I think so.

The man did not answer and his smile never wavered. Instead, he raised his left hand in a sign and two hidden figures jumped out of nowhere and immediately swept in her direction.

"Lady Nadia!

"

I heard Uno yelling over the chaos and was about to come to my side but someone suddenly blasted him. With gritted teeth, Uno evaded to the side, failing to get closer to me.

My foot took a step back in reflex when those two shadows darted forward and when they were only a few meters away, Kuro snarled and released a sound wave. The waves he created were razor-sharp, shocking even the opponents. They sensed how dangerous it was and dodged, which is a smart move because when it swept to the trees behind them, it all got cut cleanly in half.

The smiling man frowned as his red eyes landed on the eight-tailed fox beside me who didn't give them a breather. Kuro continued attacking them with sound waves, sometimes swishing his majestic tails to swat them away. One closer did not see his tails coming and was sent flying away and with a loud sound to boot.

I don't have to look to see that he suffered extreme injuries judging from the deafening crash to the side. Either he is incapacitated or dead. One can't survive that fatal whip from a magical spirit unless their body constitutions are strong enough to withstand being hit by a boulder.

And true enough, the smell of blood wafted through the battlefield catching the cloaked figures off-guard.

'Damn!'

Kuro prowled beside me, his fangs bared against the opponents threateningly. His tension can be seen from the sparks from his fur and the low growl he unleashes from his throat. I stood there clutching my cloak and his fur, shrinking myself further. The safest place is with Kuro's side, that is for damn sure. I ain't stepping away from here!

"Who are you, people?!

" I exclaimed yet again.

Countless thoughts were sprouting in my head, trying to guess their purpose.

Are they my dad's enemies? People, who are against the Herman family? Or against me?

The man who seemed to be the leader was still smiling but his face was turning black. He probably didn't expect to find Kuro protecting me fiercely. I saw his red eyes even from this distance and was surprised at how vivid they were. It's like they are filled with blood.

Red eyes?

It's not the same as the Hermans that looked like jewels but more… inhumane.

My heart pounded faster, making my breath hitch. I might not know who he is but I could sense danger that makes my skin crawl. I know for sure that if these people caught me here, I wouldn't live.

These people… especially, that man… he's not human.

I didn't notice that I was subconsciously clutching tightly on Kuro's fur and that I shrank further in his hide. Warning bells kept ringing and I began to panic. I know, I know… It's not the exact time but can you blame me?

These people's target is clearly my person and they are no ordinary individuals! They can use magic for goodness's sake!

I have magic too but I don't even know how to utilize it to my advantage. I only have my guards and my familiar to protect me. How can I fare against them?

At this moment, I saw how incredibly weak I was. Heck, even my bow is not here and even though I learned how to use a sword, it's useless against long-range attacks.

And the worst of all, I could feel that they are still holding back…

Fvck.

I rarely cuss but…

I glanced at my men. Some of them are heavily wounded but none are dead. Uno also has wounds but only superficial, though I could see his frustrations and struggles. The same goes for Dos and the rest. They can barely fend off for themselves, what about me?

If not for Kuro I would have been long snatched away.