n

n

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"Prince Mikel. How did this happen?

" One of the black-robed mages asked.

nHe had already taken out a golden halberd from which sparks of lightning were sizzling.

nClearly, this mage was also a lightning expert just like the Quilin beast.

n

"I have no idea.

" Mikel sighed and shook his head.

"I was just out here training little Cassius.

"

nOthers might have to respect and bow to the high council mages, but he had the royal blood coursing through him, so he just answered curtly.

n

"Oh! I see. In that case, we got extremely lucky.

"

nAnother black-robed mage nodded, agreeing with him.

"If this bastard had breached the cities or the villages nearby, there would have been a massacre by now.

"

n

"Let's talk about it later. We still need to deal with this troublesome beast.

"

nThe black-robed mages quickly shuffled their feet and surrounded the Quilin forming a circle of sorts.

nThe Quilin warily eyed the many powerful experts it had to deal with now. Its deep jade eyes crackled in anger and annoyance.

nThe weak insects who were powerless against it individually dared to stand with so much confidence only because of their numbers.

nIt let out a loud growl stomping its hooves on the moist forest ground.

nKARAKA BOOM! KARAKA BOOM!

nThe air around it immediately crackled and sizzled, brimming with electricity.

nLightning bolts started raining down on the black-robed mages surrounding the Quilin beast.

nBut the mages were no amateurs.

nThey were well aware of the beast's attack pattern and quickly started casting a multitude of spells, drowning the beast with various attacks.

nFireballs, ice lances, earthen spears struck the Quilin beast from all directions.

nDozens of runic symbols danced in the air as the battle slowly grew more and more intense.

nHandling so many mages at the same time, the Quilin's strength was truly applaudable.

nWhile these two sides continued clashing with each other, Mikel and Theodore silently withdrew themselves from the fight and stepped back in order to avoid being injured in the crossfire.

nCassius as well shakily followed them, clinging very close to Mikel. All of his bravado from earlier had now completely disappeared.

nHe was just a small kid in the Kingdom's academy, and he had never experienced something like this before.

n

"It's alright, Cass. We are fine now.

" Mikel comforted him.

nHe then turned around to check on the other troublemaker who they had brought over to the forest.

nBut just as he turned, his black irises froze, realizing something very important.

nSylvia was not to be found anywhere near them. In fact, he couldn't recall seeing her for a while now.

nThe damned girl was missing!

nAfter confirming his fear by looking around thoroughly, Mikel lowered his head, his thin lips curving upwards with hints of cruelty.

nThe girl who had been acting, playing the scared cat all along, had daringly taken advantage of this unexpected situation!

nShe had given him the slip when he had least expected it!

n

"Theo…

" Mikel muttered, his voice laced with a freezing chill.

"Find her. Now.

"

n

"Yes, your highness.

"

n…

n…

n…

nMeanwhile…

nA few meters away from the site of the intense battle…

nA slender woman clutched the edges of her dress as she ran helter-skelter towards the border market.

nSylvia's injuries from the tree-climbing incident of the previous night had already faded.

nThat coupled with the fact that her body was now coursing with adrenaline and fighting instinct, she made good distance at a good speed.

nShe even felt as if she was much faster compared to her usual capabilities but Sylvia didn't have the time to stop and wonder why.

nShe dashed forward madly without thinking about anything. This was her one and only chance.

nShe shuddered to even think about what might happen if by chance she gets caught.

nAfter all, the man had repeatedly warned her about one thing and only one thing and that was not to run away from him!

nBut she was currently doing exactly that!

nOthers might not know it but Sylvia knew exactly how scary Mikel was. There was a deep darkness within him that scared the living daylights out of her.

nJust the thought of his wicked grin made the hair on her back stand up and she mustered even more of her strength to pick up the pace and run faster.

nHuff. Huff. Huff.

nSylvia panted loudly as her thin figure ran nimbly through the woods.

nThe forest was now a lot more crowded than how it was before. The word about the sighting of the Quilin beast had spread wide.

nSeveral warriors, hunters, and mages daringly hurriedly over to witness the ongoing battle.

nAnd thankfully, this worked in Sylvia's favor.

nWhile everyone was running forward, heading deeper into the forests, she alone was running in the other direction.

nNormally, the sight of a woman, especially someone as beautiful as Sylvia, dashing through the forests all alone would have caught the eyes of many bystanders.

nBut today, no one noticed her and paid any attention to her as she ran past them without stopping.

nNo one even gave her a second glance.

nAnd very soon, Sylvia reached the border market without any hitch!

nShe was ecstatic. She didn't think that she could come so far so easily. She could almost taste the sweet sweet freedom.

nHere, she paused a while and took a second to catch her breath.

nHer clear blue eyes scanned the crowded market, trying to look for carriages.

nThe running part of her escape plan was already over.

nShe now only needed to get a carriage ride to one of the neighboring kingdoms and she would be finally free!

nThe Kalindor Kingdom might have close ties and allies around it, but not all Kingdoms were at complete peace with each other.

nThere was plenty of friction between some of them and Sylvia planned to use this to her advantage.

nIf she could somehow get into a rival kingdom where Mikel did not have a good standing, she would be completely free!

n