My eyes slowly opened.
Complete darkness.
I tried rubbing my eyes, but I couldn't.
My hands were tied behind my back.
Where am I?
Where's my knight?
I was just at the Baron's dinner party.
And… and then…
I was knocked unconscious after being teleported.
I struggled to move, only to realize my feet were tied together as well.
How disgraceful.
A princess reduced to squirming helplessly on wet dirt and grass.
I mustered enough strength to force myself into a sitting position.
Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
A figure stood several meters away from me.
Was that my knight?
"Nora! Are you alright?! What happened?!"
I cried out desperately.
However, as the figure slowly stepped closer, I realized it wasn't my knight.
"A lovely night indeed, Princess~"
The man hummed cheerfully.
He wore a sleek black coat tailored with almost unnatural precision, accented by subtle silver patterns along the sleeves and collar. A dark vest rested neatly beneath it, making him look more like a refined noble than a criminal.
A smooth white mask concealed the upper half of his face.
A single black tear was painted beneath the right eye.
He slowly reached a hand toward me.
He was going to knock me unconscious again.
No!
But then—
He froze.
As though he had suddenly heard something.
Several seconds passed.
Then the masked man began giggling.
His shoulders trembled violently as the laughter grew louder.
"Afufufu… a mere boy figured out my blessing?"
The man burst into laughter.
It sounded like someone had spoken to him.
Yet I couldn't see anyone else nearby.
There were no communication devices either.
It was only the two of us.
So who exactly was he talking to?
"No matter. Kehehe… they're already inside my invisible box."
The man's smile widened beneath the mask.
Then his body suddenly melted.
Flesh twisted and collapsed into a grotesque mass of writhing flesh and black sludge.
My breath caught in my throat.
Several moments later, the creature slowly reshaped itself back into the masked man.
Except…
There were now three of him.
For a moment, it was impossible to tell which one was real.
Then the one in the center tilted his head toward the princess, almost as if he had suddenly remembered something amusing.
"Oh," he said lightly, a quiet chuckle escaping beneath the mask, "I almost forgot…"
He took a slow step forward.
"It's time for your nap again, Princess."
*****
"This way, my lords!"
The knight accompanying us led the way.
The northern part of the Baron's estate was surrounded by a normal forest. Beyond it was a river, according to the map the Baron had given us.
"We are almost at the entrance of the forest, my lords!" the knight bellowed.
We had been running at a full sprint for about five minutes.
Honestly, I was getting a bit tired.
It was only my grit keeping me going, but I knew it wouldn't last much longer.
"Ethea pinpointed a large mana concentration at the center of the northern forest. How long will it take to get there?"
Uncle Henry asked the knight. Since he served the Baron, he knew the area well. However, he had only been knighted a month ago.
"It would take another five minutes at most, sir!"
The knight replied enthusiastically. He must've been excited at the chance to save a princess—a huge achievement for a knight.
"What's the terrain like there… sir?"
I stumbled over my words.
We had never really exchanged names, so it wasn't my fault.
Still, I said it as politely as possible.
"Just Cameon, young lord!"
He replied enthusiastically.
"The center of this forest is a plain field with a huge oak tree, my lords!" he added.
Then we stopped.
Cold fog drifted silently between the trees.
Moonlight barely slipped through the dense canopy above, leaving the forest drowning in shadows.
Ah.
I see.
Now, I'm certain.
They're here.
It seemed the Viscount thought so too. He took out the magical communication device and contacted the other groups.
"This is the north group. We need reinforcements, now. The forest is covered in fog. It'll be difficult to search for the princess with just the three of us."
For a moment, no one replied.
Until a static-like sound emerged from the device.
"Hehehe, hello~"
A playful man's voice echoed through the device.
The atmosphere around us turned heavy.
Henry quickly tried reconnecting the transmission to the other groups, only to discover that it already was.
Then why was no one saying anything?
Who was speaking right now?
"Henry! Is that you?"
It was Father's voice.
The heavy feeling in my chest eased slightly. At least the east group was safe.
"It's us!" Uncle Henry replied.
Then an ominous laugh echoed from the device. It was the same man from before.
"Good, the remaining audience is here!"
The man spoke.
"Listen closely, because I won't say this again. Let me leave with the princess, and your south and west groups will be spared."
Chills ran down our spines.
He was serious.
"Henry, don't waver! We've already destroyed the glyph on the east route. We're on our way to the northern forest!"
Father ordered.
Henry gradually collected himself before replying.
"Alright."
A moment later, gurgling and grunting noises emerged from the device—the sound of people dying and drowning in their own blood.
My stomach twisted.
Even Uncle Henry's expression darkened.
Beside me, Cameon's expression became unreadable.
"Then, say bye-bye~"
Those were the last words he spoke through the device.
Silence followed.
A suffocating, dreadful silence.
We hurried toward the center of the forest, though the fog made navigating difficult.
Fortunately, thanks to Sir Cameon's knowledge of the area, we were almost there. The large oak tree he mentioned was already in sight.
We were about to step into the plain when the communication device let out another burst of static.
"Henry! We're at the entrance of the northern forest! Several men intercepted us. We're fighting them right now, but we got separated from Amon and Thea!"
My heart dropped.
My face turned pale.
Everything was going wrong.
The groups were separated.
The enemy was prepared.
And I couldn't think straight anymore.
What was I doing?
"Trust them, Alan!"
Father's voice was firm. The clanging of swords echoed through the device.
"The enemy can create clones of themselves. However, it takes time for the clones to emerge! They're not your usual clones that disappear after taking enough damage! Aim for their vital spots—they bleed and get injured the same way normal humans do!"
Father explained.
His firm voice started to grow shaky.
He was worried too, but he had to stay strong.
I took a shaky breath.
Right.
I need to get myself together.
"Affirmative, Father," I replied.
Ethea and Amon were geniuses of the empire.
They wouldn't go down that easily.
If anything, I should've been more worried about myself.
A rustling sound came from behind us.
"I'll check it out, sir!"
Cameon dashed off before waiting for our reply.
The fog thickened even more.
It was almost impossible to see.
"Hah, we can't see in these conditions."
Uncle Henry, seemingly fed up with the fog, stretched both hands forward.
Soon enough, a bright orb of light appeared.
"Cover your eyes," he instructed.
Then he waved both hands as if spreading the orb of light he held.
The light spread throughout our surroundings.
The fog didn't dissipate completely, but it was enough for us to see.
Then he repeated the same motion.
"What kind of weapon do you use?" he asked.
Although he seemed to expect me to use a sword, the light forming in his hands was already taking the shape of one.
"A bow… or just something I can throw."
He paused for a moment.
The light shifted into something else.
Five rods of light formed in the air.
He handed them to me. Surprisingly, they didn't hurt. They just felt like glowing sticks.
"I don't have the mental prowess to create a bow, so I hope these are enough. Throw them at an enemy, and they'll pierce through them before exploding."
He said that so nonchalantly that it was honestly terrifying.
"Let's go. Cameon can catch up later."
We ran toward the large oak tree.
Nobody intercepted us along the way.
It was quiet.
Soon enough, we arrived.
The princess was tied up on the ground.
We immediately checked her pulse.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
She was only unconscious.
"There's no teleportation glyph here."
Uncle Henry scanned the area once more.
Same result.
"My lords! I found the teleportation glyph!"
Cameon came rushing toward us.
He was carrying a masked man dressed in a sleek black coat.
It must've been the abductor.
"Was it just him?"
The Viscount asked.
Cameon nodded.
"I believe this is just a clone, sir," Cameon added.
"Alright. Let's destroy this and help the others," Uncle Henry replied.
Cameon laid the clone's body on the ground before handing the folded teleportation glyph to the Viscount.
Chk!
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Cameon tossed the glyph aside.
Then—
He stabbed Uncle Henry.