One would only treasure the things one had after losing them.
At this moment, Sonia came to this deep realization. If it were her from the past, she would have never accepted this hard, wooden bed. With Sonia’s and Lilian’s identities, they should be sleeping on the soft, fragrant, and warm feather-made bedding and bed—not this hard, wooden bed with a straw mattress made from weeds. Even though it was clean from bugs, there was still a distasteful scent wafting from the thin blanket. If it were in the past, Sonia wouldn’t have given it a second look. But now…
Sonia gazed at Lilian who had already entered a blissful, deep sleep, as though she didn’t mind the uncomfortable bed at all. As soon as she got onto the bed, she fell asleep almost immediately. She couldn’t be blamed. After all, they had been braving the elements for the past few days and Lilian surely didn’t feel great. Sonia recalled a few instances where Lilian was woken up abruptly by the wolves’ howls from the distance, widening her eyes and scanning the surroundings in fear. There was once when she grabbed Sonia’s clothes while asleep, asking her to not leave her side… That was the first time Sonia witnessed Lilian display such an expression.
But Sonia knew that the situation wasn’t that simple.
During dinner, she gave extra attention in observing the owner of the house. There was nothing unusual with the elderly man and his grandson, but the man’s gazes toward Sonia and Lilian were filled with intense emotions and were by no means normal. Sonia sensed that it wasn’t the burning, passionate, and instinctive desires of a man toward women. Instead, the man might have possibly seen a public notice about her. If this was the case, they couldn’t rest leisurely any longer. Sonia turned to Lilian at this thought. If the situation was as terrible as she had imagined, it would be best to leave before dawn while everyone was still asleep. If not, she wouldn’t know what would happen.
Sonia closed her eyes at this thought. But unlike Lilian, Sonia didn’t fall asleep. Even though she was resting, her mental senses were still probing the surroundings of the house. Perhaps due to the days of traveling, she felt her sword skills that had reached the bottleneck were beginning to improve again. She wasn’t this mindful of her sword skills initially because as a noblewoman, she didn’t need to possess powerful swordsmanship. It would be sufficient as she could ensure her safety and not stand stiffly like a flower vase during emergencies. Besides, her talent in swordsmanship wasn’t great either. This was why after realizing that her sword skills couldn’t be further improved, she didn’t waste too much time on them. But she didn’t expect days of traveling across mountains and forests and battling wild animals to improve her strength greatly. Right now, perhaps the level of her swordsmanship had exceeded the Intermediate Elite Stage and reached the Peak Elite Stage, where such mental probing wouldn’t be challenging for her. Moreover, there were only boorish militias in this village who couldn’t possibly escape her mental detection. So even if they tried to do anything…
“Hmm?”
Sonia opened her eyes.
The village remained tranquil under the envelopment of the spotless and white glowing moon. But Sonia sensed someone gathering slowly toward the house they resided. At the same time, someone in the house had also gotten up.
It seemed like those guys decided to make a move while we’re asleep?
There’s no time to slack around any longer.
“Lily.”
Sonia shook Lilian gently. The latter opened her blurry eyes and gazed at Sonia. But before Lilian said anything, Sonia quickly covered her mouth. This sudden movement startled the half-asleep Lilian. The little girl widened her eyes, staring at Sonia. Sonia gestured for her to remain silent. After understanding what Sonia meant, Lilian nodded. Then, Sonia let loose of her right hand, knitted her brow, and said softly into Lilian’s ear.
“We have to leave now. There are people trying to capture us.”
“…!?”
Even though Lilian was mentally prepared for such situations, she widened her eyes in shock after hearing Sonia’s words.
How is it possible? Didn’t I treat the child’s illness for them? Why are they doing this?
But now wasn’t the time to consider these questions. Shortly after, Lilian quickly packed the luggage and followed Sonia silently to the door. Even though it was incomparably silent outside, Sonia sensed a man was slowly sneaking toward the house. She dragged Lilian to the back, while clutching her sword with her right hand.
One step, two steps, three steps.
The man arrived at the entrance. He extended his arm and quietly pushed the door open. Then…
Shing!
Sonia brandished the sword immediately, striking the man in his throat. The tall, muscular man instantly crumpled to the ground. The dagger in his hand fell to the ground, letting out a crisp, loud sound.
Clang!
Suddenly, torches lit up all around the dark village. Sonia’s heart sank. Even though she knew that there was a possibility that someone would capture them in this village, she didn’t expect so many people to be involved! If only her mental perceptions were better… but there was no point thinking about this now. Sonia could only clutch the sword at this thought, hold Lilian’s hand, and dash out of the house.
Swish!
The instant they left the house, Sonia witnessed a dozen arrows flying toward them. If she were an ordinary human, perhaps she wouldn’t be able to avoid this ambush. However, she quickly swung her right arm to release a string of flares, burning the arrows into ashes completely.
“Capture them!”
The leader of the group ordered after spotting Sonia and Lilian. Sonia grimaced instantly because they were surrounded by nearly 100 militia men holding swords and bows. Sonia panicked for a means to escape. She was confident of dealing with 100 of them alone, but it was an entirely different matter with Lilian by her side. And what worried her more was that she didn’t sense so many people encircling the house earlier. Although she sensed some presence, reality was much more than she expected. If not, she would have left earlier, instead of only now.
Is it due to my fatigue which causes my misperception? Or are there other reasons?
But now wasn’t the time to consider this question.
“Lilian, hide behind me. Follow me, we are going to break through their encirclement!”
The flares flashed.
Even though they seemed aggressive, they retreated at the sight of Sonia’s sword skills. On the other hand, Sonia had no intention of killing them all either. Although she didn’t have a high level of mastery, she knew that if she accidentally killed a few of them, it would be hard to scare the others away. But if she were to accidentally trigger their aggressiveness, not even Hercules could contend against two and she wouldn’t be able to ensure Lilian’s safety. After all, even though Lilian possessed spiritual spells, she wasn’t an official cleric. The current Lilian could only use her talent as the Creator Dragon to cast healing spells. It was impossible for her to immediately cast a defensive barrier around them like Lize.
“Capture them alive!”
Perhaps feeling threatened by Sonia’s sword skills or simply bound by the order, the militia didn’t blindly resist Sonia’s scarlet blade. Instead, they retreated to the left and right in a fluster. Sonia hesitated no more. She flipped her wrist around and in the blink of an eye, a blaze of scarlet flame erupted from the ground like a giant serpent lifting its head to breathe flames at the militias. None of the militias and villagers had witnessed such a scene in their lives before. They screamed and instantly separated themselves to both sides from the fire serpent. Using this opportunity, Sonia ran off, holding Lilian’s hand and darting out of the encirclement.
Once we leave this place and hide in the wilderness of the forest…
Swish! Swish! Swish!
“This is bad!”
Upon hearing the sound of arrows tearing through the air, Sonia was appalled. She turned around and brandished the sword at them once again. Shortly after, flames erupted from the blade and devoured the arrows completely. But at this moment, Sonia discovered that the militias had already bypassed the fire circle and were closing in on Lilian.
“Your Majesty!”
In this heart-pounding situation, Sonia turned around quickly and attempted to stop the militia. But…
——!
What?
Before Sonia reacted, she witnessed an ice-cold, shimmering blade that had pierced her chest. Then, she realized what happened exactly. Lilian widened her eyes, screaming Sonia’s name and yet, Sonia couldn’t hear her at all. Sonia’s vision dimmed and her body became ice-cold. She didn’t even have the strength to wield her sword anymore… But…
But… Do you think this is the end of me?
Sonia tightened her grip on the scarlet sword in her hand. Then, an unparalleled burst of flames exploded. The razor-sharp, powerful magic weapon in her hand was instantly destroyed as it turned into white flames that bombarded the militia before her. Shortly after, a series of blood-curdling screeches filled the air. The sword that punctured her chest also withdrew quickly, while Sonia swayed and collapsed to the ground.
What a pity… Master… Seems like I’ve reached the end…
Gazing at the teary Lilian who screamed and pounced on her, the corners of Sonia’s mouth twitched.
Then, her world entered complete darkness.
