Ignatius’s movements paused.
He slowly turned his head, his pale grey eyes landing on Setis in this remote corner, before sweeping over the wounded behind her. His expression shifted from the displeasure of being interrupted to a cold, utter impatience.
“Quite the surprise. There are still a few little bugs here.”
He raised his staff, and a mass of wind mana compressed to the extreme condensed at its tip—the larger and more violent 【Wind-Rending Slash】, a wind-element spell specifically designed for clearing groups. The wind blade expanded in the air into an arc of light nearly two meters wide, sweeping toward Setis and everyone behind her with a piercing howl.
It was too fast—so fast that no one had time to react.
A Rank 7 mage striking in anger left no room for mercy. Setis had no time to dodge, nor even enough time to fully raise her staff. The mana in her body had been drained to nearly nothing by the barrier, but even at full strength, she likely wouldn’t have been able to block this strike. In that moment, she felt a genuine chill—the aura of death—yet she still instinctively held her staff in front of her.
At the instant the magic was about to strike her, a brilliant golden light suddenly erupted from her body.
The sweeping wind blade shattered against an invisible barrier. Golden light continued to burst from Setis’s chest as a peace talisman slid out from the inner side of her collar, hovering before her. The runes on the paper lit up one by one, and the resulting golden glow enveloped her entire person.
The light condensed into a translucent spherical shield, sheltering Setis and those behind her. The wind blade struck it and vanished instantly, failing to create even a single ripple.
The entire area fell into an eerie silence.
Setis looked down at the hovering peace talisman in front of her, completely stunned. She had bought this item from Li Yuan for fifty gold coins; she had purchased five in total, originally just buying them on a whim because they looked nice. She had only ever considered them interesting little trinkets.
Ignatius was also stunned. He frowned as he looked at the golden shield. He hadn’t held back on that wind blade; even a Rank 7 peer’s defensive magic shouldn't have been able to block it so effortlessly. That layer of golden light lacked any mana fluctuations; it didn’t even seem like any known form of defensive magic.
He lowered his staff, then raised it again.
“Interesting,” he said, his voice tinged with a hint of curiosity.
His staff lit up once more—but this time, a dense sound of footsteps and mana fluctuations approaching interrupted his second strike.
Adrian emerged from around the corner with his team. Tyris and Fielding were at his side, followed by a dense crowd of over three hundred students, teachers, and soldiers.
Everyone’s gaze immediately fell on the blood-soaked figure kneeling on one knee, currently pushing himself back up. The grey robe, the four-colored mana halos that had yet to fully dissipate, and that young yet weathered face—there wasn't a single teacher or student present who didn't recognize him.
The Heroic Spirit rank mage, the Royal Preceptor, and one of the strongest men on the continent—Hogg!
He slowly stood straight, his right hand regripping the staff that had rolled away nearby. His left arm still hung uselessly, and the wound on his back was still seeping blood. An unreadable expression crossed his blood-stained face as he looked at the Second Prince who had arrived.
“How did you get in?”
His gaze bypassed Ignatius and landed directly on Adrian.
His tone held no surprise. Hogg was not a stranger to this Second Prince; as the Royal Preceptor, he had seen this prince’s composed demeanor many times during palace meetings. But right now, his main concern wasn't the sudden reinforcements, but how they had entered.
The barrier was still perfectly intact, as evidenced by the continuous drain of mana. Forcing a way through from the outside would require at least Legend-level power, and Adrian did not possess such a capability.
Napa and Angela were still nowhere to be seen, likely still dealing with matters in the Outer City... and anyone else capable of such a feat would almost certainly not leave the palace.
Adrian met Hogg’s gaze and nodded calmly in greeting. “Royal Preceptor, we naturally came through the front door.”
He spoke the words “front door” very lightly, as if providing a reminder or a demonstration. Hogg didn’t press further, simply shifting his gaze back to Ignatius.
Adrian also turned his attention forward. Behind him, the three hundred people simultaneously entered a combat stance, the sound of unsheathing weapons ringing out as one.
Ignatius scanned the dense crowd before him, then looked at the royal flag faintly visible behind Adrian.
His expression remained composed, without even a flicker of change. On the contrary, he slowly lowered his staff and gave the crowd a mysterious smile.
That smile was identical to the one he had worn while clapping and walking toward Hogg—the look of someone seeing an opponent finally make a long-awaited move on a chessboard.
“So, you’ve finally arrived...”
His voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard him clearly.
Ignatius continued to study the high-spirited group, his gaze sweeping over them one by one as if confirming their numbers.
“A bit faster than expected, but no matter—the right people are in place. The Second Prince personally leading a charge into the academy, heroic and fearless, saving the people from peril—it’s a truly moving scene. I originally thought someone else would come... Lanqiu, for instance.”
When Ignatius spoke Lanqiu’s name, most people present felt it was strange, but they didn't give it much thought.
Ignatius took a step back, and the tall mage followed his lead.
He gave Hogg one last look, then one to Adrian, before turning around. The figures of the two men vanished into the shadows of the building ruins within a few breaths.
No one chose to pursue. Everyone knew in their hearts that if a Rank 7 mage truly wanted to flee, no one here could catch them.
The crowd erupted into long-suppressed cheers. Some shouted “Long live the Second Prince,” while others collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. Some rushed over to surround Hogg, frantically pulling out their remaining bandages and potions. Even more people kept their eyes fixed on Adrian, their gaze overflowing with reverence.
Hogg ignored the people crowding around to bandage him. He looked in the direction where Ignatius had vanished, then at Adrian’s calm, rippleless face. Ultimately, he said nothing and walked over to Setis.
The peace talisman had already fallen back into her palm. The golden light had faded and the runes had dimmed, leaving only a trace of warmth on the paper’s surface. Setis looked up at him, a mountain of questions in her mind, but her mouth moved only to squeeze out two words.
“Royal Preceptor—”
Hogg looked at the peace talisman in her palm and remained silent for a moment.
“...That amulet, where did it come from?”
Setis opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, the surrounding teachers and students swarmed forward, surrounding Hogg. A legendary figure normally never seen was standing right here; even if his appearance was somewhat ragged, no one wanted to miss the chance to see him with their own eyes.
Rate on N.U.
