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Join the Server“Even if you don’t say it, I already know,” Ailin retorted, his face impassive, as he pulled the stopper from the potion bottle.
Tipping his head back, Ailin drank a third of its contents before passing the potion to Nia.
“Hurry and drink it, or you won’t be able to later.”
No sooner had Nia taken the potion from Ailin than she heard his urgent instruction.
“What’s wrong?” Nia asked, her large eyes wide with confusion.
“We’ll discuss all that after you’ve finished the potion.”
Seeing Nia hesitate and pose a question instead of drinking, Ailin exclaimed with palpable anxiety.
Sensing the urgency in Ailin’s tone, Nia wasted no more words and promptly drank the remaining third.
With only a third of the potion left, Nia, without a moment’s hesitation, handed it to Qi Lin.
Qi Lin, having already grasped the gravity of the situation, immediately took the potion and drank it directly.
Once Qi Lin had finished, Ailin snatched the bottle and flung it through the gaps in the cage.
‘Good heavens, littering from a height!’
Qi Lin’s mind momentarily froze as she watched Ailin toss the bottle through the cage’s bars.
‘Was that truly necessary?’
A slight twitch played at the corner of Qi Lin’s mouth as she inquired, her voice laced with a faint bewilderment,
“So, what exactly happened? Why the rush? And does this potion have an expiration date?”
“Expiration date? Of course not,” Ailin replied, a sigh of relief escaping him as he watched the potion bottle plummet.
Yet, his gaze soon shifted to Qi Lin, filled with curiosity.
“By the way, what does ‘expiration date’ mean?”
“Ah, an expiration date,” Qi Lin began, feeling a touch awkward as she explained Ailin’s confusion.
“It’s simply the point at which something might spoil if kept for too long.”
“So that’s what ‘expiration date’ means!” Ailin mused, stroking his chin with a nod.
“However, arcane potions don’t spoil from being stored too long.”
Qi Lin offered a dry chuckle.
“This is the airspace of a Candirac Imperial Prince. Who are you, and are you attempting an attack?”
Before Qi Lin could even voice her question about the unfolding events, a menacing voice suddenly echoed from ahead.
Upon hearing the voice, the three inside the cage, suppressing their confusion, turned their gazes towards its source.
Not far from their prison carriage, three Knights clad in dark plate armor rode black winged steeds, their eyes fixed on them with predatory intent.
No, to be precise, they were glaring at Ketia with overt hostility.
Gazing at the three, Ketia calmly smoothed his hand over his chest and stated,
“To the three of the Prince’s army, I am Ketia, a subject of Candirac’s Emperor, His Majesty Novas.”
“Ketia? So that’s what this fellow is called!”
From the cage behind, Ailin, leaning against the bars, murmured softly as he watched the exchange.
“Ketia? Ha, never heard of him.”
The Leading Knight raised his lance, pointing it directly at Ketia.
“Tell us, who exactly are you?”
Ketia’s brow furrowed slightly, an unnamed irritation sparking within him.
‘Ketia, remember, if you encounter my Prince brother’s subordinates, yield if you can. If not, present the token.’
Recalling His Majesty’s words before their departure, Ketia let out a sigh.
Retrieving the Imperial City token of Candirac from his arcane space, Ketia tossed it over.
The Leading Knight caught the token, scrutinized it for a few moments, then tossed it back.
“Well, well? He really is a subject of that Novas fellow!”
Sheathing his lance, the Leading Knight sneered.
“…Hey, Ailin.”
From the watching cage behind them, Qi Lin tapped Ailin’s arm.
“What is it?” Ailin looked at Qi Lin, puzzled.
“Novas is their Emperor, isn’t he? They’re calling their Emperor by name like that. Are you sure they won’t get beaten by… um, that Ketia fellow?”
Hearing Qi Lin’s question, Ailin paused, recalling the lessons of his elders.
After carefully choosing his words, he replied,
“No, they won’t. These men are soldiers of the Prince, Novas’s younger brother. Because Novas granted his brother many privileges, some significant and some trivial, Ketia wouldn’t dare do anything. That’s why they act so brazenly.”
“Huh? Privileges?”
Ailin’s words left Qi Lin utterly dumbfounded.
‘Just how extensive must these privileges be? The Emperor’s own brother’s subordinates can call him by name without facing execution?’
‘Then again, Ailin’s unhesitating act of taking out and drinking the potion just now couldn’t have been because of them, could it?’
‘It might very well have been!’
Qi Lin pondered.
“May we pass now?”
Catching the returned token and placing it back into his arcane space, Ketia took a deep breath before asking.
“No.”
The Shorter Knight, one of the three, spoke up instead of the Leading Knight.
“Why?”
Ketia’s gaze sharpened, fixing directly on the Knight who had just spoken.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down the forehead of the Knight under Ketia’s piercing stare.
“Ahem, ahem, we need to inspect the prisoners behind you,” the Knight stammered, clearing his throat a few times while enduring Ketia’s gaze.
‘Just as I expected…’
Ketia pursed his lips, then, without a word, gestured for them to proceed.
Seeing Ketia’s signal, the three Knights immediately spurred their steeds, flying to the side of the cage.
“Two Orcs and a Maiden who appears to be an Elf?”
The Leading Knight gazed into the cage, softly murmuring as he observed Ailin and Nia, who had upright ears and tails, and Qi Lin, whose ears were slightly pointed.
“Big Brother, should we check their arcane spaces? They might have some good treasures,” the Shorter Knight chuckled, addressing the Leading Knight.
“Exactly! If there’s anything valuable, we’ll hit the jackpot. They’re criminals anyway, so His Majesty won’t blame us,” the Buck-toothed Knight chimed in, his buck teeth visible at the corners of his mouth.
‘Just as I thought! No wonder Ketia warned Ailin to drink the arcane potion quickly if they had any. And it seems these so-called Prince’s soldiers are habitual offenders!’
Inside the cage, Qi Lin, upon hearing the Knight’s words, suddenly understood.
“Very well, then, have it your way!” the Leading Knight declared, a feigned expression of struggle on his face, though inwardly he was ecstatic.
“Big Brother, leave it to me,” the Buck-toothed Knight announced, then hastily dismounted his horse and, gripping the bars, effortlessly landed atop the cage.
As the Buck-toothed Knight landed above them, a slight twitch played at the corners of the three prisoners’ mouths.
The Buck-toothed Knight, after testing the sturdiness of the cage floor beneath his feet, began to trace a magical array with his hands.
Soon, a circular array, five meters in diameter and glowing with red light, materialized above Qi Lin and the other two.
“Descend!”
The Buck-toothed Knight commanded, and the array began to slide downwards from above.
The array, much like a scanner, passed over Qi Lin and the other two a few times before dissipating.
Receiving the results from the vanished array, the Buck-toothed Knight fell silent.
“Third Brother, what’s wrong? What’s the situation?” the Shorter Knight asked, looking at the silent Buck-toothed Knight with a hint of anxiety.
“…Second Brother, these fellows have absolutely nothing!”
Spreading his hands, the Buck-toothed Knight voiced his disappointment.
Hearing this, the Shorter Knight and the Leading Knight exchanged glances, then spat fiercely towards the sky.
‘More littering from a height, and spit this time. Truly uncouth…’
Qi Lin clicked her tongue, observing their actions.
“Second Brother, Third Brother, let’s go! Let them pass.”
The Leading Knight tugged on his reins, muttered a curse about their bad luck, and rode off without another word.
“Wait for me, Big Brother.”
The Shorter Knight quickly followed the Leading Knight.
Seeing that both Big Brother and Second Brother had departed, the Buck-toothed Knight immediately mounted his horse and galloped in their wake.
Once the three Knights had gone, Qi Lin, Nia, and Ailin exchanged glances.
“…Alright, let’s go!”
Ketia broke his silence after a moment, kicking his horse’s flank.
The horse neighed, then beat its wings.
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