It was only natural for someone to get even more curious when they were told something like that. Mary Ann’s eyes glistened. "I want to know. Could you give me a hint? I’ll keep it a secret, of course!"
He laughed. "I don’t want to put you in danger, Lady Mary Ann.”
Bea had been quiet all this time, but she spoke up just then, clearly irritated. "Speaking of missions... aren’t you supposed to be my escort for the day? You’re being awfully neglectful of your duties by getting involved in our conversations like this. And you’re flirting around, at that.”
Victor flinched. "Whoa! I’m attending to my duties, Your Highness,” he calmly assured her. "Don't worry about it."
In response to his brazen answer, Bea glared at him and huffed. I smiled at their interaction for a moment. Then, I glanced at the empty seat next to me. My dad was taking longer to get back than I thought he would.
Duke Floyen stepped into the basement underneath the arena. This was a location people rarely visited.
He was sure he felt it here. Where was it? He frowned. The peculiar aura he felt while sitting at the stadium was closer to that of a wild beast than a human. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered with it, but he couldn't leave it be when it might put his daughter in danger. His little Jubel was here. He couldn’t risk it.
Regis concentrated once again before reading the atmosphere around him. It was extremely subtle, but he could pinpoint where the menacing aura was coming from. Was it coming from that cage over there? The basement was originally used as an arena before the aboveground stadium was built, so there was a huge cage in it meant to lock up large beasts.
Regis approached the iron bars. What he found astonished him.
A magical beast. A dire wolf, even. What was happening here?
He began to contemplate who could have gone to such lengths to capture the beast and leave it here. Then, he quickly decided on a course of action: he needed to kill it. The dire wolf was no match for a transcendent being like him, but it posed an obvious threat to normal people.
He unsheathed his blade and a bright blue light surrounded the sharp metal, demonstrating that its owner had transcended. His eyes were full of compassion as he gazed at the beast laying helplessly on the floor of the cage. It was immobilized by the silver flowers that surrounded it.
Tightly gripping the hilt of his sword, he silently apologized for what he was about to do.
I know you didn’t want this, he thought to the poor beast, and I'm sorry.
Just as he was about to cut down the iron bars and end the dire wolf's life, Regis felt something nearby. He turned around. This energy... It was definitely the emperor.
The crimson aura convinced Regis to flee. However, he couldn't move. He cursed silently—did the emperor use the ring already? Regis stood rooted in place, paralyzed. From inside the cage, the dire wolf growled.
The emperor soon appeared, smiling with his eyes. “You’re rather sensitive to have found your way here,” he said. "Although I could expect that from an unruly dog like you."
An ominous red light shone from the ring on the emperor's left hand.
The animal most feared by the people differed depending on the region. In the south of the empire, it was the fierce fire tiger. In the wetter areas of the west, it was the cunning swamp leopard.
"Shoot it!"
Cutting through the wind, an arrow escaped its hold and rushed toward its target. The beast, however, had already grasped the projectile’s trajectory, raising its claws to block the blow.
It was more advantageous to use ranged attacks on wild beasts as opposed to hunting them up close. Arrows didn’t prove useful, however.
"Everyone, raise your spears—" Dennis shouted sharply, but before he could finish giving the order, a spear of unknown origin rapidly flew toward the beast.
The leopard moved swiftly to avoid it but another one pierced it in the back. It growled and a familiar voice arose through the clamor. "Put up your shields and surround the beast to keep it from escaping!"
Dennis gritted his teeth. Frederich Elios. Why did they have to run into him?! The two squads must have crossed each other’s paths by chance while searching for their prey. They agreed to go in different directions, but the leopard had attacked at that very moment, causing this situation to unfold.
They’ll end up stealing our game! Dennis thought, furious. He brainstormed, looking to gain the upper hand.
"You idiots." He pushed away the knights guarding themselves with shields and entered the enclosed area where the leopard was.
"Black armor?” the Elios knights asked. Then, they jolted. "Y-Your Highness!"
Their eyes widened in astonishment as they watched the crown prince recklessly approach the wild beast. What was he trying to do? Swamp leopards had fangs and claws that were known to be sharp enough to tear apart crocodile skin as tough as iron.
The leopard yelped once more. Even a rat could be driven to bite its hunter when it was cornered. The beast leaped back, ready to pounce at the crown prince. Since it was surrounded by a circle of shields, it had grown extremely aggravated. It would not miss the seemingly defenseless prey standing before it.
Taken aback by the unexpected situation, Frederich shouted, "Protect His Highness at all costs!"
Nonetheless, the swamp leopard was already approaching the crown prince.
Fredrich cursed. His family might be held accountable if the crown prince got hurt. Of course, the prince would be found at fault for behaving rashly, and since this was an urgent situation, Frederich would receive compensation for helping, but helping the prince at this moment would likely lessen his chances of winning the Flower of the Underworld's Goddess.
How annoying. The unanticipated event distressed him.
At that moment, however, the crown prince's blade drew a crimson arc through the air. It was a single swing, but its elegance prompted Frederich to gape in awe.
Thud!
The beast's massive body fell to the ground with a loud thump. Shouts soon erupted from the crown prince's knights.
"As expected of His Highness!"
"Truly amazing!"
Frederich, who had been staring blankly ahead of him, frowned. He didn't approve of the prince's impulsive behavior. Still, he had no choice but to admit genuine admiration for the man's swordsmanship. He now understood why the prince had been called a war hero.
Just then, a low voice called out to him. "Frederich Elios."
The crown prince resembled a thug more than a member of the royal family. Still, social rankings couldn’t be ignored. Frederich slowly bowed. "Yes, Your Highness,” he answered.