Apolloniaâs words brought a glimmer of hope to Evangelineâs face. Apollonia rose from her chair and spoke briefly. There was no reason to delay any longer. âHow long will it take to find their exact location?â
âNo time is needed.â Evangeline replied shortly, her voice filled with certainty. âWhen His Highness went missing, it could have taken hours to receive a report.â
Adrian interjected with a puzzled expression. âBamel Mountain is vast. Even if they were at a specific location yesterday, it can change at any momentââââââ
âThe case of Caelion, His Highness, is different. I took measures for that.â Evangeline cut in sharply, gradually finding her composure.
âWhat does that mean?â Apollonia asked, and Evangelin smiled as if she were about to reveal something.
âDo you know about the one-eyed Raven?â
Apollonia nodded. There was a saying that once it marked an enemy, it would chase them to the ends of the earth just to torment them. She remembered Caelion complaining recently that he was marked by the creature.
âMy father, younger brother, and two sisters in Rajan were all marked by the one-eyed raven. I made it so.â
âWhat?â Apollonia asked, puzzled. Why did she do that? And what does it have to do with the current situation?
âPeople see demons as mere adversaries to be defeated. But with a slight change in perspective, they become valuable resources.â Evangeline continued with her enigmatic words.
Apolloniaâs brows furrowed slightly, trying to understand her meaning. Valuable resources⦠Resources?
âThink about it. What does it mean to have the ability to intuitively find a person wherever they are in the world?â
âYou donât meanâââââ
A simple yet astonishing thought came to her mind. Evangelin nodded as she saw Apolloniaâs expression.
âWhen searching for a missing person, there is no more capable guide than those creatures. Thatâs why I attach the Raven to my loved ones.â
Evangeline gave her answer. Apollonia felt like she had been hit on the head. Evangelineâs perspective was, indeed, novel. By observing and utilizing demons in ways no one else could, she had made a mistake, pretending that Caelion was marked by the one-eyed raven, to actually prepare for an unknown future. It was a simple shift in thinking, but it was a thought that ordinary people who only harbored hatred towards demons could never have. Of course, it was contingent upon Evangelineâs ability to summon them to her side.
âHe is with me, and if I release him, he will bring His Highness to him the fastest.â
Apollonia nodded in agreement.
âWhat is the situation there?â
Taking a deep breath, Evangeline proceeded to share everything she knew the moment Caelion entered the mountain, about what happened to Uriel, and the condition and size of the Queen of Croadins.
âShe had taken some hits, but it wasnât enough to kill her. The most surefire way to kill her is to feed her about a bottle of poison, but itâs almost impossible. Rather than capturing the demon, our goal should be to rescue the two of them.â
âAuntie has made a lot of preparations.â Apollonia muttered. The situation was not easy. It wasnât just Uriel and Caelion, but also the two guards who might still be alive. Even if she could command soldiers, there was no obvious way to rescue them, and there was also the question of whether they could arrive there quickly enough.
âOne thing, Your Highness. â Evangeline cautiously opened her mouth with an uncertain tone. âYou can reach that place within a few hours to a speed similar to the one-eyed raven finding its way. Since itâs night now, itâs possible to arrive accurately before dawn.â
Apolloniaâs head, which had been lost in thought, quickly turned towards Evangeline. âWhat is it?â
âWell, it can be a little dangerous for you, Your Highness, butâ¦â Evangeline chewed on her nails and added, âFreya is fast.â
âWhat?â Apollonia and Adrian asked simultaneously. Evangeline scratched her head and spoke again.
âThe fastest means of reaching that place before anything else is riding a Phoenix.âAfter a moment of silence, Apollonia nodded slowly. It was definitely a valid story. If she rode the giant, winged horse she had seen during the victory parade, it would be an instant arrival at Bamel Mountain. There seemed to be a glimmer of hope except for one major problem they were ignoring.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om