One after another, muffled thuds echoed along the silent path outside the city.
Lin Gui weighed the fairly handy brick in his hand.
Then, without a hint of mercy, he brought it down upon the Holy Saintess Eve, who was holy beyond description.
After several muffled thuds, Eve's purple eyes, which seemed to hold the stars and the sea, finally lost their focus as she slumped over softly.
On her smooth forehead, several fresh red marks were slowly swelling, appearing particularly glaring.
Lin Gui nimbly hung her onto his oak staff, like a piece of luggage that wasn't too heavy.
He then manipulated the staff to hover close to the ground, slowly flying toward the city gates of the Royal Capital.
With Elvia behind them, the city gate guards didn't dare block their path and allowed them to leave the Royal Capital.
Sitting behind him, Elvia watched the Saintess hanging from the middle of the staff, swaying slightly with the flight, and couldn't help but speak up.
"I say... do you really plan on saving this woman?"
The words felt strange even as they left her mouth.
Even now, she still found it hard to believe that Caesar and his group of rebels actually had the ability to assassinate a Holy Saintess who was so heavily protected.
Could there be... a force they couldn't see that had joined this assassination attempt?
At the thought, Elvia's heart couldn't help but sink.
Had she been too reckless, following Lin Gui into this mess?
But on second thought, if Lin Gui died, she probably wouldn't survive either.
And with that broken 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 of his, there shouldn't... be any problem, right?
Lin Gui didn't answer her question, focusing solely on controlling the flight of the staff.
The speed at which he flew was very slow—eerily slow.
Compared to the lightning-fast speed from when he crossed the Whispering Forest.
Now, it was practically like he was crawling on the ground.
Elvia looked strangely at the soil and weeds slowly passing beneath them.
She looked at their direction of travel; they clearly weren't heading toward the active mines of the Royal Capital.
This direction... the abandoned mine?
Leaning close to Lin Gui's ear, she lowered her voice.
"Hey, are you flying so slowly because you want to lure Caesar and the others out of the city and into the mine, then work with Theia to catch them all in one fell swoop?"
Lin Gui remained silent, as if he hadn't heard her.
Elvia pouted, feeling ignored.
But for some reason, that feeling of unease in her heart grew stronger and stronger.
"How about..." she suggested again.
"You just activate the 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 and run with her into the depths of the wilderness?"
"With that almost perverted concealment ability of yours, you're invincible in the wilderness. Who could possibly find you?"
This time, Lin Gui finally spoke, his voice calm.
"Running won't work."
"Why?"
Lin Gui looked straight ahead and said plainly.
"The enemy's concealment ability is about the same as mine."
Elvia's pupils constricted suddenly. "What did you say?!"
"I said, the enemy's concealment ability is not inferior to mine."
Lin Gui repeated himself and added even worse news.
"Furthermore... the other side has likely placed some kind of soul-level tracking mark on the Saintess. No matter where we run, we'll be found."
Elvia was so shocked she could barely speak.
"The... the enemy you're talking about, is it Caesar and the others?"
Upon hearing this, a faint trace of mockery curled the corner of Lin Gui's mouth.
"That group of rebels without even a single Legendary? Are you joking?"
"Elvia, weren't you cooperating with them?"
"Do you truly believe that group of theirs can break through an ironclad defense of two Mid-tier Legendary Disciplinary Knights, a Legendary Priest, and forty-five High-tier Transcendents to directly threaten the Saintess?"
He cast a sidelong glance at Elvia. "Where is your judgment?"
Elvia was stunned by his sharp retort, but then she argued back defiantly.
"Does it even fit common sense for a Transcendent to defeat a Legendary?"
She was clearly referring to the incident where Theia had crippled Gorn.
Lin Gui was taken aback and rubbed his nose.
"Well... alright, I'll give you that one."
"Perhaps Caesar's group really does have some kind of trump card we don't know about that could create a miracle."
Lin Gui's words only made the unease in Elvia's heart grow stronger.
She quickly sifted through the known information and found that the entire Saintess Assassination Plan was riddled with contradictions.
The Saintess's guard detail was powerful enough to stand against the Royal Capital itself, yet Caesar was still executing this suicide mission.
More terrifyingly, the Saintess had foreseen her own death, which meant Caesar and the others had succeeded.
But what were they relying on?
And what made the Saintess—knowing the danger—abandon the protection of the Disciplinary Knights to instead seek help from Lin Gui, a Mid-tier High Rank mage?
And after learning of the plan, Lin Gui had asserted that Caesar wasn't the real threat.
He also mentioned that the Saintess was marked with soul tracking and that the other party's concealment ability was equal to his own.
This was simply absurd!
Lin Gui's 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】 was something even a group of Legendary demons couldn't see through.
Within the Royal Capital, who else could compete with him in that regard?
In an instant, a figure flashed through Elvia's mind, making her face turn deathly pale.
But she immediately dismissed the conclusion.
No, that's not right. That person theoretically could not be the one to assassinate the Saintess.
Because if the Saintess were assassinated, the prince he supported would also find it difficult to escape the purge by the Crusaders.
But... if it wasn't him, who else in the Royal Capital had concealment abilities comparable to Lin Gui's?
A transport team??
The Saintess's own guard detail?
An apparently simple assassination was shrouded in thick fog.
It plunged Elvia into a bottomless pit of suspicion.
"I say, we can take our time searching for the matters in Avalon."
"I really don't think it's necessary for you to get involved in such obviously strange danger. Or could it be..."
Elvia's tone suddenly became a bit subtle as her gaze shifted between Lin Gui and the unconscious Saintess.
"...Have you fallen for this Saintess?"
"Captivated by her looks, her status, and that holy aura? Did it awaken a desire to conquer her?"
Lin Gui replied speechlessly, "How is that possible?"
His gaze drifted into the distance, toward the towering mountain range encircling the Carter Royal Capital like a giant's spine.
"Until that matter is settled," Lin Gui's voice was very soft, yet it carried an unquestionable resolve.
"I won't get too deeply involved with any woman."
He paused for a moment and then added.
"And that includes you, Elvia."
"Even if you slept with me and were carrying my child, I wouldn't let myself be used by you for it."
Elvia shrugged, showing no surprise on her face.
"I knew the matter of drugging you at the hotel that night couldn't be kept from you. How did you find out?"
"Theia told me."
"That big-mouthed half-demon!" Elvia facepalmed, looking helpless.
She tucked the golden hair that had drifted onto her cheek behind her ear and hesitated for a moment before asking anyway.
"Can you tell me... exactly what is 'that matter' you keep mentioning?"
Lin Gui answered plainly, "No. What if you turned around and reported me?"
Elvia laughed helplessly.
"There really isn't even a trace of trust between companions for us, is there?"
She sighed softly, her gaze also fixed on the distant mountains as her tone became somewhat ethereal.
Rate on N.U.
