Inside the artificial cave, now reduced to ruins, Celine and her two companions remained safe under Celine's mana dome, which had turned green. Celine was startled and pulled her left hand away from the wall, causing the dome to slowly fade away.
The white cubes began to shift, ready to fall if the dome completely disappeared, and Celine placed her palm back on the wall, which emitted a dim green light.
Rayven and Rio remained unconscious, lying weakly without showing any signs of awakening. Celine struggled to maintain control over herself, knowing that if she lost control, she and her two companions would surely die.
Celine took a deep breath, calming her mind that was now showing Zent's face, evoking a sense of longing. Finally, she whispered softly,
"Zent..."
.
.
Zent woke up, panting and drenched in cold sweat. Somehow, he felt restless ever since the three knights left, and now, that feeling multiplied exponentially, leaving him soaked as he was now.
He stood up, examining his reflection in the mirror in front of him, then walked towards the window, where he could see the city alive with various activities.
Downstairs, there were only a few servants and soldiers walking towards their respective destinations. I waited until there were only a few of them left, then opened the window and was about to jump when a loud voice echoed from below.
"Lucy! Lucy! Have they returned?" the princess asked with hope in her voice. However, the sparkle in her beautiful eyes instantly disappeared, replaced by sadness upon hearing the servant's response.
"I'm sure they will return very soon, Miss Luna. So, how about we prepare a welcoming party for them?" the servant continued, smiling with enthusiasm, which was reciprocated by the princess with a wide smile, proud of herself.
"I have prepared a special party in my chamber to welcome them!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "I just need to prepare a cake, and we'll be done!"
The servant clapped her hands and continued, "Well then, let's go to the kitchen. I'm sure Chef Eduardo is ready to assist you, Miss Luna."
The princess nodded in agreement and followed the servant towards the distant kitchen of the mansion.
Once they were no longer in sight, I finally stepped onto the windowsill, took a deep breath to suppress my fear, and then jumped down, rolling forward as I landed to prevent my legs from breaking after leaping from the second floor.
I then ran towards the location where the Hoverbike was stored, grabbing one of the keys hanging on the key rack after making sure the area was clear. I quickly mounted the HB, one used by the soldiers, intending to catch up with the three knights who had made me feel uneasy.
However, just as I was about to turn and exit through the gate, Mr. Anderson stood there, folding his arms with a sharp gaze.
Quickly, I hit the brakes while tilting the Hoverbike to avoid collision, and fortunately, the Hoverbike stopped one meter in front of the mansion owner. I let out a sigh of relief and then turned to face Mr. Anderson, who approached while holding a beautiful blue and silver insignia in his hand.
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"I know I can't stop you, even though you should be resting after using Tier 6 magic without any mana. But..." He handed me the insignia with a warm smile.
"I also know that you can't just leave them like that. Go, I'm sure they need your help." Mr. Anderson took my hand, placed it there, and observed the insignia for a moment before pulling his hand back.
"Where's Papa?"
In that instant, our eyes widened as Mr. Anderson hurriedly went towards the source of the voice. "Quick! Don't let Luna see you!" he shouted, then disappeared behind the same turn. "Ahh, Papa's daughter! Does Luna need—"
I stepped on the gas, no longer able to hear their voices that made me smile.
Why did Mr. Anderson give me the insignia?
I asked myself.
It didn't take long to reach the edge of the forest, where three unmanned Hoverbikes were hidden behind bushes and foliage.
They were undoubtedly theirs, the three of them.
Seeing that, I quickened my pace, traversing the forest while trying to spot their tracks, which shouldn't be too difficult to find since they were only retrieving a doll and had no need to conceal their traces.
It didn't take long until I found the first clue, a marking carved into a tree trunk with the letter 'R.'
I didn't know if this 'R' stood for Rayven or Rio, but I was certain that one of them left these marks as a trail for me to follow, assuming I had regained consciousness.
I continued running deeper into the forest, searching for more carvings, and soon enough, I discovered several others.
As I was about to continue my journey from the fifth marking, I had to hide behind the bushes upon hearing the voices of two individuals speaking in a slightly high-pitched tone, reminiscent of young children.
However, when I looked in the direction of the sound through the gaps in the foliage, I realized they were not children but three goblins. They were adorned with armor made from scraps of iron and wielded rusty swords.
Two of the goblins were small in size, resembling 12-year-old children.
The goblin in the middle, who appeared to be their leader, was larger in size, almost resembling a muscular adult male. This goblin wore slightly better armor, carried a spear in their right hand, and held a wooden shield with iron edges in their left hand.
Could I fight them with my current strength?
But I didn't know if I could unleash the same magic as before, and what if I faint again?
The three goblins in front of me seemed unwilling to leave, and it would took me longer to turn around and find an alternative path.
The uncomfortable feeling in my chest grew stronger, as if it was telling me something bad had happened to the three of them, so I needed to move quickly or I could lose...
No, no, no.
Stop thinking about that. Focus on the present situation.
Ah! Didn't I have additional power when jumping away from the car?
Perhaps I can use it again...
Suddenly, my body surged forward at a high speed, catching the three goblins off guard. Fortunately, I stopped before crashing into them. However, the element of surprise was gone from my hands, and now I could only fight back.
As I thought about jumping high, my body was once again in the air.
The goblins were surprised, pointing towards me while tightly gripping their weapons.
Not knowing what else to do, I followed my instincts and directed my palm towards the three goblins.
A loud booming sound echoed, accompanied by a powerful surge of energy and a strong gust of wind, making the two goblins behind become even more alert.
The large goblin parried my blue shield with his own shield and swung his spear from the side, sending me flying and crashing into a tree.
Pain, that's all I felt.
It was so painful that it blurred my vision, and the energy that had surged within me disappeared in an instant, making it difficult for me to stand up. I stumbled, resembling a drunken person.
I stared at him as he slowly approached, with the large goblin spinning his spear.
He smiled.
From those yellow eyes, he was challenging me.
"Hey, he's challenging you. Will you accept it? I suggest you run and find another way-"
"What? Run? Someone is challenging me, and I should run?" I snorted amusedly. "I may often run away from my own feelings, but when someone comes to challenge me, that's a different story!"
In a split second, I was already in front of them, jumping and spinning my body, delivering a powerful kick to the goblin's temple, sending him flying to the side.
Not stopping there, I charged forward, catching the two other goblins off guard.
I kicked one of them in the ribs, feeling several bones break, causing my eyes to widen. Then, I followed up with a kick using the back of my heel, striking the face of the third goblin.
I turned around, facing the big goblin who was now trying to get up, using his spear as a support.
I raised my right hand in front of me and wiggled my index finger and middle finger, taunting him to come closer.