Pursuit (2)

Under the moonlight, the girl stood at the front of the carriage, leaning on her ornate longsword with both hands.

She looked at Fitch Garnet, who had his head lowered, her expression as cold as ever.

"Are you talking to me?"

Fitch's face turned ugly, and he managed to force a slight smile.

"I am naturally greeting Your Highness."

"Before was fine, but not now, Fitch... From the moment your Garnet family participated in the coup, you were no longer a subject, and I was no longer your ruler."

"A coup? Where did that come from? Your Highness, this... there is no evidence for this. You cannot easily believe rumors!"

Fitch suddenly looked startled, appearing as if he were truly surprised.

"Enough, Fitch. You do not need to act for me anymore."

I slowly looked down. Even at this moment, he was still wasting my time.

He was clearly on the brink of death. I had two thousand skysoar dragons behind me, along with Ligeia, a powerful mage.

Yet they only had about a hundred people. With such a massive gap, why was he still saying these things?

If he truly felt there was no hope, would he still be acting like this?

"Fitch, I am curious. What are you trying to achieve by stalling for time?"

Fitch's expression changed, and he suddenly looked up, staring at me with a face full of disbelief.

"What? Did you think I could not guess what was in your heart?"

I let out a cold sneer.

"Heh... Fitch, I will give you two choices now. One, kneel and surrender. Two, die here."

Just a moment ago, because of a brief lapse in caution, I was nearly pierced through the forehead by an arrow. Now he still wanted to play this game with me? Sorry, I am not buying it!

"Ligeia, ten seconds. If he does not give any answer, just burn them all. Oh, that is right, leave those carriages for me. There should be plenty of treasures inside."

The Garnet family was one of the four major noble families, those thousand year old parasites. After sucking so much blood from my Kingdom of the Moon for so many years, it is time for you to pay the bill!

"Your Highness, you cannot do this! You..."

I ignored him and turned to go back into the carriage. To be honest, I did not want to see people being roasted alive with my own eyes.

Burning to death is ranked very high among the most painful ways for a human to die.

It can be described as a situation of extreme cruelty.

I did not want to witness that scene.

Therefore, I paid them no more attention and went straight back into the carriage.

Looking at Astrid, who followed closely behind me, I had to admit this little fellow was the greatest hero of the night. Otherwise... I might not have seen tomorrow's sun.

I patted her large head and let out a laugh.

"I will give you extra food when we get back."

"Ya?"

Astrid's large eyes went wide, seemingly trying hard to understand what I was saying.

Unfortunately, Astrid was only in her infancy right now. Her intelligence was basically no different from that of a puppy, and she could not understand normal human language at all.

Even for dragon language, she could only understand a little.

Just as I was thinking about how to gradually teach the little fellow human language in the future, Ligeia's countdown came from outside.

She seemed to be tracking the time with her pocket watch.

"Ten... nine..."

I did not know what kind of face Fitch had outside right now, nor did I know how his heart was racing as someone who had lived a life of wealth only to face the end as a prisoner.

None of that had anything to do with me. When the Garnet family decided to do this, they should have been prepared to pay the ultimate price.

Throughout history, the investment with the greatest return has always been rebellion.

If you lose, you lose everything.

If you win, you gain everything.

There was no reason for him not to understand something that even a child knows.

But the countdown had begun, and yet there was dead silence outside.

Aside from the sound of Ligeia's countdown, even the sound of breathing was almost clearly audible.

Clearly, he hesitated when it came to this final step, but hesitation was useless now.

In this moment, he was like a drowning person. Even if it was just for one more breath, he would struggle desperately.

So I believed he would not give up.

"Three... two..."

"Do it—!"

Suddenly, a furious shout came from the distance.

A whistling sound of wind tearing through the air approached from far to near!

Like a sharp, long howl piercing the night sky, it headed straight for the Saint's Carriage!

This sound... reminded me of the firework rockets launched during the New Year.

"Barrier! Reinforce! Strengthen!"

Ligeia's three sharp shouts instantly formed a visible blue barrier outside the carriage.

As that long howl vanished in an instant, a burst of white light projected in from the window!

'Boom—!'

Even the Saint's Carriage, which had its shock absorption maximized, began to shake violently at this moment. Simultaneously, Ligeia's pained groan came from outside.

"Ugh!"

I could clearly feel the entire carriage suddenly lurch backward by more than ten meters. At the same time, the startled cries and pained shouts of the knights came from all around!

As expected, Fitch had no intention of surrendering at all!

I barely managed to steady myself against the bed. It took a lot of effort to stabilize my body. Astrid, on the other hand, with her chubby body, had turned into a literal ball at this moment, rolling back and forth inside the carriage.

"Ligeia!!"

I shouted, and her response immediately came from outside.

"Your Highness, that person has appeared!"

He finally showed up.

When we were ambushed by an arrow in front of the Garnet family estate earlier, I already knew there was a master archer among the Garnet family.

And it seemed to be an elf.

After knowing this, I had been on guard against an ambush from the start and had no intention of stepping out of the carriage.

I did not even plan to leave the three meter radius around Ligeia.

After all... if I strayed too far, I was not sure if I would be killed instantly!

Recalling that scene in front of the Garnet family estate, I still felt a lingering fear in my heart.

The strongest moment for an archer is the instant before the arrow is released.

And an archer hidden in the shadows is an unparalleled threat.

Especially in this world filled with fantasy magic.

Just like that arrow aimed at me, it was filled with magical power. Its destructive force was likely no less than that of a sniper rifle!

If it were not for Astrid's special race and her powerful physical defense, she probably would have been pierced through as well.

The carriage gradually stabilized. I did not have time to check on the dizzy Astrid, who was seeing stars. I rushed out of the carriage in two steps and reached out to grip the Moon Banner tightly.

At this stage, only this banner could bring me a sense of security.

However, just as I stepped out of the carriage, I saw Ligeia raise her hand to wipe a trace of blood from the corner of her mouth.

"Ligeia, are you injured?"

"It is no matter."

Ligeia gave a slight smile. At this moment, she seemed to have returned to how she was when we first met, her entire being carrying an air of elegance.

She turned her gaze toward the eleven o'clock position to the front left of the carriage.

"He is over there."

I also instinctively followed her gaze, looking up and down and searching carefully for a long time, but I saw nothing but empty space.

"I cannot see him."

Ligeia was startled for a moment but then let out a light laugh.

"I forgot that Your Highness is human. Your vision is far inferior to that of the elven race."

The staff in her hand turned toward me, tapping lightly in the air.

A flowing blue light gathered before my eyes. There was no discomfort.

Instead, a cool sensation surged into my eyes, and my field of vision suddenly became wide and bright.

In this moment, even the veins on the leaves of trees hundreds of meters away under the moonlight were clearly visible.

The elven race... is truly terrifying. To think they have such vision even at night?

This time, I followed Ligeia's gaze toward the eleven o'clock direction again. Finally, at a distance of nearly a thousand meters, I faintly saw a male figure.

He held a longbow as tall as a person, standing there on the plains. He seemed to be looking toward my side as well, and I could faintly feel the illusion of being observed.

"I never thought... it would be him?"

"Do you know this person?"

"Yes, I have met him a few times."

Ligeia smiled.

"After all, meeting someone in human society who is of the elven race and has a similar level leaves quite an impression."

A similar level!?

Holy crap!

I remembered that Ligeia was level 58 and 60%!

If they are similar, that means... that elven man with the longbow is also a super powerhouse above level 55 and below level 60!?

No wonder he could make Ligeia spit blood. A fully charged strike from an archer is their most powerful attack, and it was a sneak attack to boot.

And although Ligeia had been on guard, she could not dodge because she had to protect the Saint's Carriage behind her. Forced to take it head on, she ultimately suffered for it.

Mages are better at research than direct combat!

An archer is the exact opposite; what they excel at most is ambushes and combat.

I slowly looked down. After Ligeia's clash with that arrow just now, a massive crater several meters deep and over ten meters in diameter had been left on the ground.

The attacks of the two were not directed at each other but were one attacking and one defending, and the force was parallel rather than directed at the ground.

Even so, they were able to leave such a massive hole in the ground.

I fear only a naval gun could achieve such power.

"It is fine. During the ambush just now, I did not have time to determine his direction. Now that I have, he and I are on the same starting line. The difference in classes is no longer that significant."

Ligeia spoke calmly. Although she made it sound easy, I could still hear an unusual note in her tone.

She did not have a guaranteed chance of victory!

A difference in classes??

Those words flashed through my mind, and memories of a few books I had read instinctively surfaced.

This was not a game world, but there were still some clear counters.

Among them, warriors counter archers, archers counter mages, and mages counter warriors.

This had almost become common knowledge for many people.

Compared to a warrior's keen insight, powerful neural reflexes, and mobility, it was very difficult for an archer to aim.

Even when an archer fought, they usually had to retreat while fighting, using guerrilla tactics and attrition to face a warrior.

Yet even so, at the same level, it was very easy for a warrior to catch up to an archer.

But mages were different.

A mage's attack had an absolute intensity range. Once within this range, a mage's attacks were usually large area coverage and extremely powerful.

Trying to break through this line of defense was too difficult for a warrior.

Even if they did break through and reached the mage, they would likely be at low health. Most importantly, mages... can fly~

But an archer could attack from outside a mage's absolute intensity range, and their movement speed was still quite a bit faster than a mage's.

After all, most of what a mage could use were spells. Even if they could move quickly, they could not have the agility of a warrior and were more easily caught by an archer.

And... because an archer could attack from a distance, they were not afraid of a mage's ability to float.

In short, that was the general situation.

Clearly, Ligeia was at a disadvantage facing an archer of the same level.

"Ligeia, can you capture him alive?"

Looking at that guy in the distance holding the longbow, who looked exceptionally handsome even from a glance, I suddenly wanted to bring him under my command!

Ligeia turned her head back and looked at me as if I were a lunatic.

"Your Highness, have you gone mad? I will be lucky if I can even beat him, and you want me to capture him alive? Do you really think I am the Elven Queen descended to earth?"

I rolled my eyes at Ligeia. This girl really had no backbone at all. Even if I knew you could not catch him, you could at least bolster my courage and brag a little.

To say such things at a time like this really deflated our own morale while boosting the enemy's.

"Ligeia Astaria, long time no see."

A man's voice, mature with a hint of raspiness yet also carrying a trace of reckless abandon, reached my ears along with the breeze.

Such a magnetic, smoky voice would make any ordinary woman's heart skip a beat upon hearing it.

Did they not say that the elven race was born with beautiful voices?

How did it turn out like this for this person?

What kind of elf was this? This voice sounded like it could compete with that idiot Sake.

"It has been a long time. I wondered what you were up to, but I did not expect you to degrade yourself by joining human nobles. Is this still the Nader Rossetti I know?"

Ligeia replied directly. Although she still had a smile like a spring breeze, I could sense that there were blades hidden within that breeze.

"I also did not expect that you would become a subordinate of a human Saintess. What is it that would make someone like you help a human? I am curious."

Nader Rossetti. It seemed that was the name of this elf.

It was a pretty good name.

I became more and more interested.

Now, Kevin has sworn loyalty to me as a warrior, and Ligeia here is a mage who has also sworn loyalty to me.

I have both a warrior and a mage; I am only missing an archer. Now that this archer is right before my eyes, how could I not be tempted?

Furthermore, judging by Ligeia's response and alertness, this archer's strength should be very formidable.

"Ligeia."

"Hmm?"

"Tell him that if he swears loyalty to me, I will let bygones be bygones regarding his previous attempt to assassinate me."

Ligeia was stunned upon hearing this and turned her head to look at me blankly.

"Your Highness... are you... alright?"

"What could be wrong with me?"

"Did you... fall and hit your head just now??"

"Ligeia... I am not joking."

I turned to look at that figure in the distance and took a deep breath.

"Ligeia, help me relay the message."

As I spoke, I faced Nader and slowly opened my mouth.

"Nader Rossetti, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am the Saintess of the Moon, Luo Li Saint Sariel."

Ligeia glanced at me and helplessly raised her staff, carrying my words over with the wind.

Soon, a voice was also sent back from the other side.

However, at the same time, a blue speck of light also lit up over there.

That longbow as tall as a person had already been notched with an arrow, and it was aimed directly at me!

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I like your appearance very much, but due to a promise, I will still treat you as an enemy. If you do not want to die, it is best for you to hide behind Ligeia."

I did not move, only planting the banner into the ground as I faced Nader.

"Nader, I am giving you a chance to let bygones be bygones."

"Oh? I did not expect a human Saintess to have such a large heart. It has certainly made me look at you in a new light. Then I might as well hear what kind of chance you plan to give me?"

The wind carried his voice over, but that blue light grew thicker and thicker, having already entered the charging phase.

At the same time, Ligeia beside me also became alert, the gemstone on her staff emitting a faint radiance.

The girl's voice echoed across the plains at this moment, lingering for a long time.

"I am still missing an archer among my subordinates. Are you interested?"

"Huh?"

Ligeia's eyes went wide.

"Hmm?"

Nader showed a look of bewilderment.

Everyone present stared at the girl standing on the Saint's Carriage, and a thought could not help but flash through their minds.

Her Highness the Saintess... has surely gone mad!