Arthur tore open a Levitation scroll.
Pale green light surged out of the scroll, wrapping around his ankles and lifting his body slowly into the air.
The night wind rushed past his ears, causing his mage robe to flap loudly.
He closed his eyes. Within his soul vision, a slender thread of light snaked through the darkness like a fleeing silver fish.
The other end of that thread of light was connected to the fleeing woman.
The corners of Arthur's lips curled slightly. His figure carved an arc across the night sky, giving chase in the direction of the light thread.
Dead wood retrograded rapidly beneath his feet as the moonlight cast a ghastly white glow over the wasteland.
He traversed dead forest after dead forest and crossed gully after gully.
Along the way, he encountered many demons with powerful auras, all of which he bypassed using Edwin's concealment magic scrolls.
He was somewhat surprised.
That woman, who was merely of High-tier High Rank, was actually still alive.
He had assumed she would have long since been torn to shreds by some passing demon.
Yet that soul thread remained distinct, still in motion.
Though her speed had slowed considerably, she was indeed still moving.
A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Arthur's mouth.
A lucky fool.
His field of view suddenly opened up.
The dead wood thinned out, and the moonlight poured down unobstructed, illuminating a clearing strewn with rugged rocks.
In the clearing, a figure stood motionless.
And the soul thread Arthur was tracking was connected precisely to her.
Arthur was somewhat surprised that she had stopped running.
His gaze swept past the clearing toward the dense forest in the distance.
It was a pitch-black forest through which no moonlight could penetrate.
Deep within that dense forest, a spine-chilling sense of oppression faintly emanated outward.
A High-tier Legendary demon.
Arthur's soul perception lingered on that aura for a split second, and he immediately understood.
That woman wasn't choosing to stop running; she simply had nowhere left to run.
She was trapped.
Arthur withdrew his gaze from the depths of the dense forest, letting it fall onto the center of the clearing.
Elvia stood there.
Her long golden hair gave off a dim luster under the moonlight. Her armor was shattered, her skirt armor tattered, and her cheeks were stained with blood and dirt.
Arthur hovered more than ten meters off the ground, looking down at her from above.
His mage robe fluttered in the night wind while the three demi-artifact tools revolved slowly around his body, emitting a cold, eerie glow under the moonlight.
The distance between them was close enough for Arthur to tear open a Transcendent magic scroll and blow her—along with the entire clearing—into dust.
Yet Arthur did not do so.
If it ended so easily, wouldn't all his efforts along the way be wasted?
He sneered, drifting forward to face Elvia in the clearing, and mocked:
"Keep running."
His voice was not loud, but every word carried a playful, cat-and-mouse composure.
"Why'd you stop?"
Elvia stood there, her golden eyes looking at him. Her lips twitched slightly, but she didn't speak.
Arthur's gaze swept over her shattered armor, then landed on the dark, impenetrable forest behind her where no moonlight could reach.
"And here I thought you'd actually manage to run somewhere."
His tone carried unvarnished derision.
"Turns out you just ran out of places to run."
"So you stopped to wait for death?"
Elvia didn't respond.
She merely stood there, her golden eyes quietly watching him.
Arthur let out a chuckling laugh, gazing down at Elvia, his mage robe snapping in the night wind.
"I heard from Edwin that you lot came from Avalon beyond the Wall of Sighs."
His tone carried a casual, condescending air.
"When he mentioned you, his tone carried a hint of wariness."
"Wariness toward the so-called... Demon Kings inside."
Arthur emphasized the words "Demon King," the corners of his mouth curling slightly as if savoring something amusing.
"He said that if any mage could surpass him in concealment, it could only be Avalon's Demon King Gusion."
His gaze settled on Elvia's face, carrying the playful amusement of examining prey.
"So, that High-tier Legendary who came to rescue those half-demons is Gusion, isn't it?"
Elvia froze.
Gusion?
Demon King?
High-tier Legendary?
A string of question marks popped into her head.
When the hell did Avalon's Gusion start doing something like this?
Besides, anyone bearing the title of Demon King couldn't possibly be below the Epic rank.
A High-tier Legendary couldn't possibly be a Demon King.
What the hell is this guy babbling about?
She lifted her eyes, looking at the young man before her who had fallen into some bizarre delusion of his own making.
Squinting her eyes, she felt from him...
...an atmosphere of long-absent yet intimately familiar stupidity washing over her.
Like a nouveau riche from the lower layers trying to fit into high society, flaunting their riddled-with-flaws noble knowledge everywhere.
This guy seems like an idiot. I can play along with him to stall for time.
The corners of Elvia's lips twitched upward, and she chimed in with a light chuckle:
"You're so right, my lord."
Her voice carried just the right blend of humility and worship.
"That esteemed lord... is indeed incredible."
"You've seen him?"
Arthur's eyes sharpened.
"I have, I have!"
Elvia nodded repeatedly, her face plastered with a flattering smile.
"His concealment techniques are... simply divine and unpredictable."
"We didn't encounter any powerful demons along the way, all thanks to him."
As she spoke, she lowered her head slightly, putting on an act of deep reverence.
Yet her eyes peeked out from beneath her lowered eyelids, quickly scanning Arthur's gear.
The three demi-artifacts revolved slowly around his body—deep blue, dark silver, and golden yellow—exuding an extraordinary presence.
A deep blue crystal.
A dark silver pocket watch.
A golden yellow badge.
Elvia's gaze passed over the three demi-artifacts and finally settled on Arthur's hip.
A luxurious small pouch hung at his side.
The leather was finest dragon-lizard skin, the seams embroidered with intricate patterns in silver thread, and the pure gold clasp was inlaid with a dark red gem.
Suspicion grew in Elvia's heart.
Shadow Blade Lynn had told her that he cast spells using magic scrolls.
However, the size of this pouch didn't look like it could hold very many scrolls.
The higher the rank of a magic scroll, the larger its size.
Elvia was at least aware of this common knowledge.
She subconsciously reached toward her own spacious messenger bag at her waist, feeling perplexed.
That pouch opposite her could hold at most four magic scrolls...
What was going on?
Just as Elvia sank into thought—
—a gaze locked tightly onto her.
Elvia hurriedly pulled back her thoughts, plastering the flattering smile back onto her face.
"My lord, please continue. I'm listening."
Arthur didn't respond.
Elvia paused, raising her head.
Arthur's eyes were still fixed on her.
Yet that probing gaze had changed.
It had become... soft.
His voice was no longer sharp either, carrying a deliberate, feigned depth of gentleness.
"You certainly... know how to talk."
His gaze slid from her face to her collarbones, then returned to her eyes.
Moonlight cascaded from above, illuminating Elvia's features with vivid clarity.
Even with bloodstains, sweat, and dirt on her face, they could not obscure her exquisite features and fair skin.
Her long golden hair gave off a dim sheen in the moonlight, while her shattered armor exposed her slender shoulders and collarbones.
Arthur's voice grew even softer.
"What is your name?"
Elvia found this completely bizarre.
The topic had shifted far too quickly.
Yet she still answered obediently.
"Elvia."
"Elvia..."
Arthur repeated the name, as if savoring it.
"What a wonderful name."
He floated forward a meter, coming closer.
"Is a woman as beautiful as you not aggrieved to suffer in the wilderness just to save those vile races?"
Elvia's eyelids twitched.
She understood.
Another long-absent, familiar... hit-on.
A subtle trace of annoyance flickered across her golden eyes, yet the smile on her face remained obedient.
"You're right, my lord... It really is quite aggrieved..."
"Then why not come back with me to the City of a Thousand Towers?"
Arthur's voice carried a bestowal-like generosity.
"Even the maids in my manor look more decent than you do right now."
"Follow me, and you'll live in luxury. You won't have to run through the wilderness anymore, nor wear this broken armor."
His gaze swept over her body, carrying a naked, unvarnished sizing-up.
The smile on Elvia's face almost faltered.
She swore in her head, but outwardly continued to play along.
"My lord is truly kindhearted... I... I'm overwhelmed by your favor..."
Seeing her like this, the curl of Arthur's lips widened even further.
He began boasting about how massive his estate in the City of a Thousand Towers was, how many maids he had, and how precious his collected treasures were.
Elvia listened, responding half-heartedly.
"My lord is truly amazing..."
"Really? That's so incredible..."
"My lord is simply extraordinary..."
"How could someone as humble as me ever be worthy of entering your household?"
In her heart, however, she was counting the seconds.
Soon.
Lin Gui should be returning soon.
Just stall for a little longer...
That bastard, teamed up with Low-tier Transcendent Theia, was able to cripple a Legendary archer.
Paired with a Legendary assassin, wouldn't he kick other Legendaries around like balls?
And right at this moment—
—Arthur's voice came to a sudden halt.
Elvia blinked in surprise, looking up.
Arthur's eyes were staring intently in her direction.
He was not looking at her face, but at her chest.
Beneath her collarbone, a thread of light as thin as a strand of silk extended outward, plunging into the darkness of the north.
The Thread of Affection.
Arthur's expression turned grim instantly.
Just now, he had bragged to Elvia about his wealth and recounted how noble heiresses competed to get into his manor.
He had casually named a few prominent family names, and her reaction had been impeccably flawless.
Her eyes widened slightly, her face filled with shock and longing.
She had murmured "My lord is amazing" and "You're so right, my lord," her tone practically overflowing with worship.
He thought he had conquered her.
He thought this female knight—far surpassing all his other women in beauty—had been captivated by his wealth and charm, becoming his.
And then he saw the Thread of Affection.
She already had a man.
Everything she had said—admiring his wealth, respecting his ability, claiming she was forced into joining Avalon—was all a lie.
She had never been conquered from the very beginning; she was simply treating him like a laughable fool.
Inside Arthur's chest, a rage born of shattered self-esteem surged violently.
His voice grated out from his throat, dark and razor-sharp.
"What is that?"
Arthur's voice sank low, sounding as if ground out from his throat.
Elvia's smile froze.
"What... what is what?"
"Don't play dumb."
Arthur's voice was cold as ice.
"That Thread of Affection on you."
"Who are you bound to?"
Elvia parted her lips, her brain spinning rapidly.
"Oh, that... That's... probably a family member I've never met."
"A lover?"
Arthur's lip twitched, and his sneer reappeared—no longer frivolous, but hideous.
"Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"
"That IS a Thread of Affection!! I locked onto that lowborn trash using it!!"
His voice spiked high, laced with the fury of being duped.
"That is something bound exclusively between husbands and wives!"
"You already have a man, yet you had the nerve to tell me you admired me!"
His gaze turned razor-sharp, scraping across Elvia's face like a blade.
"So you were playing me this whole time?"
"A lowborn knight like you dares to play ME?"
His voice grew louder and increasingly shrill.
"Do you have any idea how many noble ladies beg to climb into my bed?"
"What the hell are you?"
"A used slut dares to act pure in front of me?!"
Arthur's voice overflowed with humiliation-fueled rage.
He glared at Elvia, waiting for her to beg for mercy, waiting for her to cry, waiting for her to get down on her knees and explain.
Elvia's expression shifted.
That timid, worshipful, smitten-maiden demeanor peeled away from her face bit by bit like a shell.
The corners of her lips curled up slightly, and her golden eyes no longer held fear, but rather... contempt and disdain.
"Finished?" Her voice was cool, carrying a hint of casual indifference.
"What if I am?!" Arthur's voice remained shrill.
Elvia tilted her head slightly, looking at him as if looking at a complete moron.
"Then did you ever consider..."
"...that I was just messing with you from the very beginning?"
"With a face like yours, you actually thought you could hit on me?"
Elvia raised her head, staring haughtily up at Arthur in midair, her voice turning icy cold:
"Piss on the ground and look at your reflection! With that boar-like face, go find a sow to mate with!"
Arthur's pupils constricted violently.
"You!!"
"You damn bitch!"
His fingers abruptly tore open a scroll.
The instant the scroll tore apart, blinding blue light detonated from within like an unleashed beast.
A massive magic circle abruptly materialized before him. Cyan-purple light swirled along its edges, arcs of electricity crackling loudly in the air.
【Lightning-element Transcendent Magic—Azure Thunder】
The energy condensing at the center of the circle grew stronger and stronger. The surrounding air trembled as withered leaves were swept up by the air currents, swirling and dancing around the circle.
Elvia raised her head and stared intently at the magic circle, her golden eyes reflecting the cyan-purple glow.
She did not step back.
Her body sank slightly, lowering her center of gravity as her toes gripped the ground firmly.
The moment the spell attack launched, cyan-purple lightning poured out from the center of the circle, swooping down toward her like a roaring lightning dragon.
Elvia's body abruptly rolled to the side.
Her movements were as swift as a flash of lightning. Shoulder hitting the ground, rolling, pushing off—her figure carved an arc under the moonlight.
The lightning blasted into the spot where she had been standing moments before, detonating a pit half a meter deep into the ground.
Shattered rocks and dirt sprayed outward; dead grass was scorched to cinder, and a pungent burnt odor filled the air.
Dust swirled, and grey smoke billowed.
Rate on N.U.
