Cocotte frowned, confusion rising in her heart.
She had met all of Aubrey's children.
Whether it was the Second Prince or Aurelian, each of them had shown their own distinct qualities.
The Second Prince might not have been a good person, but he had dared to collude with demons. His resolve was anything but weak.
She believed that neither the Second Prince nor Aurelia would have shown cowardice or fear in a situation like this.
Yet the Crown Prince, despite being the oldest...
At this moment, standing before the crowd and facing the stone giant... Was afraid?
Cocotte couldn't understand it.
But just as she fell into confusion, the ground began trembling once more.
The earth-brown giant had stood back up.
The moment Cocotte's attention wandered, the rock giant, which had been enduring the humans' attacks, broke free from its restraints and threw away all the nearby knights and demon hunters.
Its massive stone legs pounded across the earth as its towering body charged toward the square.
Hearing the frightened cries of the people behind her once again, Cocotte suddenly came to her senses and realized how serious the situation had become.
She had been too focused on the little golden man's condition and forgotten to deal with the rock giant.
It was all because this earth giant showed no hostility toward her at all, causing her to let her guard down.
Cocotte immediately cast nature magic. Thick green vines burst from the ground one after another, trying to stop the giant's advance.
Under wave after wave of obstruction, the giant's charge gradually slowed.
The vines collapsed and shattered under the giant's impact, but their sacrifice steadily weakened its momentum.
Thank goodness... thank goodness.
Cocotte let out a sigh of relief.
Although she was only a fifth-tier mage, her close connection with the World Tree gave her unimaginably powerful natural magic.
That was why she had managed to stop the rock giant before disaster struck.
As long as she had enough time, she could deal with this stone giant however she pleased.
Just as she relaxed a little, the earth giant standing in place suddenly tore through the cloud of dust.
A thick stone fist, made entirely of solid rock, broke away from its arm and flew through the air toward them.
The enormous rock ripped through the air itself, the violent wind howling all around it.
At that moment, Cocotte's eyes widened.
This earth giant had a ranged attack!?
She had never expected that, so she hadn't prepared for such an attack at all.
The boulder was moving too fast. If it crashed into the square, the casualties would be unimaginable.
Cocotte hurriedly cast another spell. Thick vines intertwined in midair, forming two enormous whips.
The whips quickly crossed together, weaving into a giant net in an attempt to intercept the incoming stone arm.
But the rock, carrying overwhelming momentum, still snapped the vines anchoring the net to the ground. Dragging the green web with it, it continued toward the square.
The hastily cast spell couldn't stop it. It only managed to reduce the force of the impact.
Although the stone slowed somewhat, when it still came crashing toward the crowd, Cocotte could only watch helplessly as it fell.
And where it was falling... Was exactly where the Crown Prince stood.
The family standing beside the Crown Prince had all closed their eyes.
The parents tightly covered their child's eyes as well.
Now, all they could do was watch the rock fall.
Waiting in despair.
Waiting for death to come.
Yet at that utterly hopeless moment...
A streak of golden light leaped up from the ground.
It wasn't especially fast.
Yet it still appeared directly in front of the falling boulder.
Everyone, including Cocotte, stared blankly toward the rock.
Toward that golden figure.
It was the Crown Prince...
Albany Sol.
At that moment, he did something that left everyone speechless.
With nothing but his own flesh and blood, he charged without hesitation toward the massive rock.
The tremendous boulder slammed into the Crown Prince, the overwhelming force spreading through his entire body.
His bones and organs shifted in an instant, and even his fragile bones cracked loudly enough to be heard.
Even so, he still clung tightly to the rock.
Within that brief single second, the crowd finally reacted.
Even the family of four immediately came to their senses and fled backward.
In the end, the boulder crashed heavily onto the open ground, shattering apart.
As the dust gradually settled, the Crown Prince lay quietly beside the rock, his golden armor in ruins.
His eyes were empty, as lifeless as ashes, while blood continuously flowed from the corner of his mouth.
He looked as though he were on the verge of death.
Cocotte stared with wide eyes at the Crown Prince's miserable condition.
But at that moment, the earth giant that had just been stopped prepared to attack again.
It raised its other arm, intending to throw another massive boulder.
Cocotte realized that if another rock came flying over, there might not be another hero like the Crown Prince to step forward.
So she immediately prepared another spell, trying to stop the stone giant's attack.
But then...
The giant's body suddenly froze, as though time itself had stopped.
Although Cocotte was puzzled, she had no time to think about it. She only felt pleasantly surprised.
'A perfect chance!'
She quickly channeled her magic as lush green life surged beneath her feet.
Almost at the same time...
Whoosh!!!
A brilliant star, shining with dazzling light, took only half a breath.
As though tearing space apart, it roared past her ear.
The instant that streak of light flashed by, the whole world fell into a thunderous silence.
In an instant, a tidal wave of air exploded through space, spreading outward in every direction toward the crowd.
The terrifying impact tore the earth apart, blasting countless fragments of shattered ground into the air.
Even the black sky, hidden beneath earth-brown clouds, was ripped open by a long, narrow crack.
A deep blue moonlight poured through the rift, illuminating the broken earth below.
Cocotte turned her head blankly, only to discover that space itself had been forcibly torn open by a void-like fissure.
The rift stretched an immense distance, reaching all the way to the rock giant's chest.
Finally, her gaze fell upon the giant at its end.
That terrifying star had pierced straight through the rock giant's body, firmly embedded within it.
The silver starlight gradually faded, and the flames caused by its friction slowly died away.
Everyone fell silent, staring without blinking at the giant that had been pierced through.
BOOM!
The next moment, the giant, as huge as a mountain holding up the sky, shattered apart and collapsed onto the earth like a landslide.
Only a single spear remained, its silver glow fading as it stood firmly embedded in the ground.
Its spearhead had been completely ruined. The metal had entirely broken away, left scattered near the shattered rocks.
Yet by sheer force alone, it had driven itself deep into the earth, with half its shaft buried underground.
As the crack in space slowly closed, everyone's gaze followed its path.
Their eyes crossed the square and passed over countless steps.
The people saw an old man dressed in unmatched luxury, calmly seated upon a throne made of gold.
A crown rested upon his head.
One hand supported his face, while the other remained casually held in the posture of someone who had just thrown a spear.
Beside the old man stood a servant, respectfully holding a bundle of ordinary iron spears, waiting in silence with a calm expression.
At that moment, everyone stood frozen like wooden puppets.
Under countless gazes, Aubrey radiated an overwhelming pressure.
His voice was calm, yet carried an indescribable authority.
He spoke one sentence softly, yet it echoed like the roar of a lion through the heavens.
"How fragile."
"But..."
His gaze fell directly upon the Crown Prince lying on the ground, barely alive.
For what seemed like the first time, he showed him the faintest smile.
"My son."
"This time..."
"You did well."