Chapter 160: This Isn't It

Twitch.

As the anesthesia wore off, Ian’s mother’s eyebrows twitched lightly.

Ian shouted without realizing it.

“Mother!”

From his previous life to the present. Ian never imagined he’d see his mother again, whom he assumed was long deceased.

His eyes welled up with tears of overwhelming emotion.

But it was at that very moment.

“There’s a problem with the hostage!”

“The enemy! Hurry up and let him know!”

People rushed down from the top of the basement.

The sight of people running heavily, armed with various weapons, was definitely not the appearance of an ordinary citizen.

Ian coldly assessed the enemy’s presence.

“Sir Galon and Sir Hite.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“No need for prisoners.”

No more words were needed.

Chuck!

The two knights saluted Ian briefly. Then they started running towards the enemy.

The enemy shouted at them.

“They’re knights! Attack from a distance; don’t get too close!”

“Fire the crossbows!”

The enemies quickly took a two-row shooting position.

Their well-trained appearance indicated they were not mere guards.

They started firing crossbows towards the two knights.

Thump!

A dozen bolts flew toward the knights.

It was Galon who stepped forward at that time.

[I shall never fall nor surrender.]

His body, strengthened by the oath of invisibility, deflected the bolts that could pierce through walls.

Ping!

The sight left the enemies greatly bewildered.

“W-What… is that?!”

“Oath of Invisibility? That is Galon the Invincible! Crossbows can’t stop him!”

“Tie his feet! Even if he’s invincible, he’s just a slightly tougher meat shield. He won’t move if his feet are bound!”

Thick ropes and iron bars to bind his feet popped out from among the enemies.

It seemed they had prepared quite well, thinking they were up against Galon or Nathan.

Whirr!

In a flash, the ropes were tied around Galon’s body.

But it wasn’t enough to stop Galon.

“Hah!”

Galon’s oath had grown stronger since he had Ian as his master.

It wasn’t just about blocking attacks.

‘Never surrender.’

His physical body began to strengthen.

Dozens of people were restraining him with ropes, but he was able to pull them down at the same time.

A giant-like force pulled them all down at once.

That was the moment.

[Protecting my family, I will tear apart the enemies.]

A flash of light, like a wolf’s teeth, shot out from behind Galon.

The flash tore through the enemies.

Crunch!

In an instant, there was a pool of blood.

It was none other than Hite, the leader of the Blue Wolf.

Known as the Oath of the Wolf.

“Arghhh!”

The enemies died in an instant, soaked in their own blood.

Death rushed into the basement with a harsh wind of blood.

It was then.

“Kill that woman first.”

“No trace must be left behind.”

The enemy changed direction.

Instead of dealing with Galon, they were trying to kill Ian and his mother.

Explosive devices could be seen on their bodies.

Galon unleashed his momentum.

“How dare you…”

Simultaneously, he blocked the path like a solid wall.

Hite also positioned himself sharply behind him.

But besides the enemies they were fighting, a door seemed to open from the opposite side.

Grrrrrr.

The wall on the side where Ian and his mother were.

They’d created a secret passage on that side as well.

Galon was stunned.

However, the enemies rushed towards Ian much faster.

“Strike!”

Hite shouted in surprise, “Sir Galon! The prince is in danger!”

But Galon no longer looked back.

Instead, as if his business lay here, he swung his sword towards the enemies in front of him.

“Sir Galon?” Hite was genuinely perplexed

“The prince is okay.”

“What? Even so…”

The reason was simple.

Because Ian didn’t need help.

That was actually the case.

Swish!

The royal sword cut three men horizontally in an instant.

Ian looked very angry.

“You bastards—those who harmed my mother and sister.”

He didn’t hold back.

He utilized Faith and the accumulated knights’ oaths to the fullest.

Galon’s Invincibility.

Nathan’s Swift.

Reluctantly…

“Ignore the brat! Deal with the woman first!”

“I will take care of him. Hurry…”

Ian stretched out his hand towards the enemies, trying to get past him.

[As long as I don’t fall first, no one can surpass me.]

The Iron Wall, the oath of Fiosen, was activated.

Although it was slightly inferior to the two men’s oaths, it didn’t matter.

Thud! Thud!

“Captain! We can’t get past!”

“It feels like something is blocking our way!”

The enemies couldn’t get past Ian, so they just kept pounding on the wall.

Eventually, Galon and Hite join him, having cleared out the enemies.

Ian spoke as grimly as ever.

“There are still survivors.”

“I’ll take care of them immediately.”

The swords of Galon and Hite eliminated the enemies in an instant.

It was that time.

“Umm…”

Startled by his mother’s groans, Ian rushed over.

At first, his mother barely opened her eyes due to the anesthesia.

But now, it seemed like she was fully regaining consciousness.

She was not only making sounds but also slowly moving her body.

“Ian…”

It was only natural for tears to well up in Ian’s eyes at the faint call from her, where her lips were barely moving.

No, it wasn’t just tears welling up.

Drip… Drip…

Tears even fell from one of his eyes.

Galon couldn’t help but be surprised by this sight.

‘He sheds tears…’

Ian had been too nonchalant and composed all this time, so it was natural.

Ian was still young.

It was a moment when Galon thought he looked like a kid his age.

Creak.

Ian’s mother slowly got up from the coffin.

And then she gave Ian a warm hug.

Galon turned his head at the sight, and Hite, holding the tip of his nose, looked up.

“Cough…”

“Sir Galon, why are you reacting that way?”

“It’s nothing.”

As if on cue, the two of them pretended not to notice and turned away.

But it was just for a moment.

“We need to leave this place quickly. It’s about to collapse.”

“!?”

The words of Ian’s mother surprised all three of them.

It was as if she could see the future.

Because she was like a saintess.

Instead of the dazed Ian, Galon quickly ran forward.

“I will escort you.”

“Thank you, Sir Galon.”

“!?”

There was no time to ask how she knew his name. That was obvious.

Thud! Thud!

As she had said, the building was indeed collapsing.

It seemed like it would sink into the basement at any moment.

“We need to hurry.”

“Yes. We will leave now.”

Upon her mother’s words, Galon and Hite hurriedly tried to escort her out.

Ian also tried to go outside.

But that was then.

“Oh, before that.”

“!”

“Sir Hite, please bring that to me.”

“Yes? That thing?”

Ian tilted his head at his mother’s gesture.

What she pointed at was none other than the crystal ball.

Covered in blood, it was the most horrific item the torturer had used to show her daughter the torture she endured.

But Ian could only nod his head without hesitation.

“Since I received something, I must return it with interest.”

Galon and Hite could only gape at this sight.

‘I was wondering who on earth that personality came from.’

No way.

But that thought was momentary.

With the sound of the ceiling collapsing, they hastily went outside.

***

The saintess could read the fate of others by touching them.

What she was reading now was the fate of Duke Lavaltor’s butler.

That was why she could see.

It was a scene of people talking in front of the collapsing mansion of the Duke of Lavaltor.

[What on earth happened here?]

[Not only the duke’s house, but also several houses on the outskirts of the royal capital collapsed.]

[The Seventh Prince was also injured in the vicinity.]

[There have been continuous reports of dead bodies being discovered, right?]

It was hazy, like a dream, but Elaira was sure.

The house her mother was trapped in must have collapsed.

She also knew how hard her brother Ian had worked to save their mother.

But she didn’t know the rest of the story.

The reason was simple.

[Why did you betray me?]

[I… I betrayed…]

[Shut up!]

Because the butler’s fate ended here.

It was his fate to die at the hands of Duke Lavaltor.

But that was then.

Shudder.

Elaira’s eyebrows twitched.

‘Has something changed?’

The butler’s absolute fate—death—had not changed.

But something had changed.

This had never happened before in her life.

“Saintess?” Nathan exclaimed, puzzled by the sight.

Because she stumbled as if she had been struck by lightning.

But Elaira smiled and said, “It seems that fate has changed. I think we should hurry back to my brother.”

It meant a stroke of good luck.

But even with that statement, Nathan could not muster a smile.

Rather, he broke out in a cold sweat and looked somewhere.

“Uh, well, I mean, I can go quickly, but now it seems like that’s not the issue.”

“What do you mean?”

Elaira’s eyes widened.

She sees it now.

The sight of Nathan restraining the butler as if he were going to break his arm.

And the sight of the other person watching, glaring at Nathan with murderous intent.

Kung.

It was Duke Lavaltor.

“Nathan Adelas. Are you the one who touched my servants in my mansion?”

He was emitting a strong aura that seemed capable of bringing down the mansion.

It was only natural.

Elaira and Nathan had been hiding in his mansion under his protection.

But those who should have remained hidden…

“Not only the butler but also the servants. What do you think you’re doing in front of me?”

There were even maids among them.

To kill a woman in front of him who was hailed as a true knight.

It was an unforgivable act.

Nathan, who felt like he was about to die, hurriedly raised his hands.

He was already hated by the Duke of Lavaltor, both by his family and by his past.

It was obvious what the Duke would think after seeing this situation.

“Wait, there’s a misunderstanding! I will explain everything. The truth is…”

“No, there’s no need. Blood repays blood. I’ll cut your throat and place it in front of my ancestors’ graves.”

Duke Lavaltor was adamant.

His Oath of Tempest began to swirl around him.

It was only natural for Nathan, who had tried to handle things secretly, to break out in a cold sweat.

“Um… Saintess? Will we be okay? You said you saw the future… Can we at least survive here?”

“Um… well… that…”

Of course, Elaira read his fate.

How Nathan would live and die—everything.

“Will I survive?”

“Yes! You’re safe, but I don’t know how you survive in this situation!”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“What?! What do you mean? How am I supposed to fight against the human weapon of Kaistein?”

“I’m sure you’ll get married and live happily ever after… Hehe.”

“What? Marriage? With whom?”

Nathan shouted in disbelief.

But that was a mistake.

Duke Lavaltor was extremely dissatisfied with their playful banter.

“It seems you don’t grasp the current situation. Laughing and chatting with a woman in this situation?”

“Yes? Um… it’s not like that. You misunderstood. It’s a genuine misunderstanding!”

As if there was no point in answering, a massive storm flew towards Nathan.

“Well, I can’t help it.”

Nathan had no choice but to grip his sword tightly, despite his confusion.

Because Elaira was behind him.

“Hold on tight! If you fall, we’ll be in trouble!”

“Yes!”

Elaira grabbed Nathan’s back.

And…

Bang!

A tremendous impact struck the two of them.