The moment the words fell, "Cole's" originally young and gentle face twisted into a snarl, and a terrifying, murderous glint burst from his eyes.
Then, his body violently shuddered, causing the two skeletons flanking him to tremble as well.
Immediately after, to Shane's astonishment, "Cole" spread his arms wide and forcefully flung back both skeletons. One of them even lost its entire arm, which fell and scattered across the sand.
This guy's strength...?
Almost instinctively, Shane took a half-step back.
But "Cole" was even faster. He reached for his waist, and a cold, gleaming blade appeared in his hand.
And his target was none other than Shane right in front of him.
Everything happened too quickly for Shane to dodge. He could only watch as "Cole" lunged straight at him.
At this critical juncture, Shane suddenly felt his collar tighten.
His body then moved backward uncontrollably, as if someone were dragging him.
“What a pity...”
Seeing his strike miss, "Cole" wore a look of regret. His dark, sinister gaze flicked over to Elon before locking onto Shane, who was standing beside the mentor.
“Stand steady.”
Elon said as he gave Shane a tug to help him regain his footing. After catching his breath, Shane quickly steadied himself and offered his sincere thanks. “Thanks.”
Thanks to Elon's help, Shane had escaped a fatal blow. The adrenaline of surviving a brush with death made his heart beat slightly faster.
But now was clearly not the time to calm down. The killing intent radiating from "Cole" in front of him was almost palpable.
“What a shame.”
"Cole" sighed once more, his eyes growing deep. “I was so close to finishing it. Then the mission would have...”
Shane paid no attention to "Cole's" words. He raised his hand and swiped lightly through the air. Instantly, eerie blue flames ignited in the eye sockets of the two skeletons behind "Cole."
One skeleton immediately leaped from the ground, lunging at "Cole" from behind. The other—the one with the missing arm—picked up its own arm bone from the sand and swung it at him.
Feeling the attacks coming from behind, "Cole" dodged with ease and raised his hand to block the strike from the skeletal hound Shane had summoned.
Yet, the attacks targeting him didn't stop there. With a flash of light, a pale blue phantom resembling an owl swept toward him from Elon's direction.
The wind blades it kicked up left tiny scratches on "Cole's" face.
While these obstacles slowed him down, they were not fatal.
Consequently, after dodging a few rounds of attacks, "Cole" actually lunged at Shane once again.
Seriously, you're just targeting me, aren't you?
Shane smiled wryly to himself. He actually understood "Cole's" train of thought, but he had no intention of dodging this time. Several of the princess's guards had already stepped forward to block the path.
Clearly, given the current situation and the sequence of events, the guards understood what was happening. Under the princess's command, protecting Shane Leynas had become a top priority.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ringing of clashing metal echoed continuously. Although "Cole" possessed incredible strength, the coordinated efforts of the guards kept him from getting even an inch closer to Shane.
Left with no choice, he was forced to retreat, only to find his path blocked by the skeletons. He was now like a trapped rat, surrounded on all sides.
"Cole" stood there, his chest heaving violently. His eyes never left Shane, filled with a hatred so intense it seemed capable of piercing right through him.
Just then, the princess's voice rang out. Standing beside her guards, she asked "Cole" in a clear, loud voice, “Speak. Who sent you, and what is your purpose?”
"Cole" slowly turned his head to look at the princess, remaining silent.
“If you are willing to confess, I can spare your life.”
Upon hearing this, "Cole's" body relaxed. He shook his head and looked at the princess with a smile, though it was filled with nothing but mockery. “Your Highness, I appreciate your kindness, but...”
As he spoke, his throat bobbed in a distinct swallowing motion. Before he could even finish his sentence, a stream of dark red blood trickled from his eye sockets.
Soon, the same blood began to seep from his nose, ears, and the corners of his mouth.
Thud!
With a soft thud, "Cole" collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Shane watched the scene with mixed emotions.
It looked like he had committed suicide using poison hidden in his mouth.
This was the kind of plot device he had only ever read about in novels, but he had just witnessed it with his own eyes.
“Tsk!”
A sharp click of the tongue sounded beside him. Shane turned to find it had come from Elon. Staring at "Cole's" corpse, the mentor muttered under his breath, “Why is it always these guys?”
Shane keenly caught the underlying implication.
At the same time, he noticed that Elon did not seem surprised at all by the way "Cole" died.
With this in mind, Shane looked at the princess standing behind the guards. Her expression was identical to Elon's, completely devoid of surprise.
But obviously, neither Elon nor the princess was going to give him an explanation. Therefore...
Shane looked at "Cole's" corpse and suggested to Elon, “Since he's already dead, how about I go take a look?”
Hearing this, Elon shook his head. “You can't touch him directly.”
Shane didn't quite understand what Elon meant, so he gave him a puzzled look. In response, Elon took a small round vial from his waist and threw it straight at "Cole's" body.
The vial shattered against the corpse, spilling a transparent liquid. Then, to Shane's astonishment, a flash of light washed over the body.
“Purification?”
Shane was surprised to see that the dark red blood leaking from "Cole's" body had turned a bright, fresh crimson after the purification.
Doesn't that mean...?
“We've encountered these guys back in the heart of the Empire,” Elon began to explain, making no effort to hide his disgust. “They're a bunch of zealots who disregard their own lives. Once their mission fails, they crush a poison capsule hidden between their teeth and die on the spot.”
“What's more insidious is that the poison saturates the corpse as well. If it isn't purified, anyone who tries to touch the body will be poisoned too.”
Desecrating and disregarding life were grave sins in the eyes of a druid, which explained why Elon reacted this way.
Still, now that it was purified, could he...?
Thus, Shane proposed once more, “So, can I take a look now?”
As expected, Elon did not object this time. “You may, but be careful.”
Knowing that caution was the parent of safety, Shane didn't use his own hands. Instead, he ordered the two skeletons to thoroughly search "Cole's" body.
Clothes, belt, shoes...
Finally, they discovered a slender bone spur in an inner pocket.
This discovery made his eyes light up, and he immediately had the skeleton bring the bone spur close for a detailed inspection.
It was about the length of a palm, barely thicker than a sewing needle, and roughly ten centimeters long. The entire body was off-white, with a mung-bean-sized magic stone embedded in the thicker end, pulsing with a faint red light.
There was a dried bloodstain on the shaft of the spur.
“This is it.”
Shane led the skeletons to bring the bone spur before the princess and Elon. “It's called a bone spur. Unlike our academic tools, this is a common gadget used by agile necromancers.”
“Its function is to disrupt the magic circuits of certain alchemical creations when activated with mana. At the same time, if human blood is poured into the grooves of the spur, it can briefly activate the soul fire of undead creatures.”
“Of course, this is completely different from directly granting them a tier. It only lasts for a very short duration.”
Shane looked at the princess. His meaning was clear: whether it was the Ashstone or the rampaging undead, it was all the work of this one person and had nothing to do with him.
Princess Alicia did not speak immediately, but stared at the bone spur for a long while.
Then, she looked up, her searching gaze drifting between Elon and Shane. “What, do you still not plan to give me a detailed explanation?”
“Your Highness.”
Elon walked over to Shane's side and placed a hand on his shoulder, a warm smile appearing on his face. “Allow me to explain.”
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