Shao screamed on stage. For some reason, she hadn’t fallen yet.

“Is it because she is standing on that formation?” I wondered out loud.

“Save her!” Eliana cried as desperately to her brother.

The Prince’s confidence was lost and he looked away angrily. “This… the death mark isn’t connected to a slave mark. It’s not a bond. It’s a kill switch. They’re illegal in this country, so I never would have expected someone to use it in front of me. All we can do is watch her die…”

“No…”

“I’m sorry…” He looked up at the stage painfully. “I’m so sorry…”

“You… liar!” She screamed one last time as she collapsed to the floor like her string had been cut. “I hate… everything!”

The prince turned away guiltily, no longer able to watch as her body stopped moving. Why it took so much longer than the other two was anyone’s guess. Despite the Prince’s words, perhaps the formation did have an effect. Or, perhaps it had to do with being level ?? of some unknown job. Either way, the guards dragged the still laughing slave master over to the prince.

I wanted to run up and try to heal her, but before I could take a step, the girls stopped me. They shook their heads at me tearfully. I knew it too. Somehow, I knew, deep down, that none of my current spells was sufficient to reverse this. There was nothing I could do to save her. She was already dead.

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“You will face the death penalty for this!” The Prince snarled at the Slave Master.

“Hehe… I don’t think so…” He pulled out something from his robe.

The guards tightened their grips on the swords, but the man ignored them with confidence, showing the Prince a small plaque. His face turned white as he looked at it.

“You… that’s the seal of the Imperial Cloud Palace!”

“That’s right. I said I knew powerful people, didn’t I?” He chuckled. “Now, I had come here for a gift for the imperial party. The last living elf, as It were. Considering the inconveniences, you’ve provided me, I think taking this elf as my slave is only suiting.”

“You…” The Prince lowered his head helplessly.

“Hehehe… don’t feel bad. I’ll put in a good word to the Emperor when I hand him the slave. He does like exotic toys. He’ll play with her for a while, and your country will have good relations. Isn’t that worth a few measly coins?”

“No..” The Princess protested from her box, but her words were incredibly weak.

“Come, kneel. I will reapply your slave mark, elf.”

“N-no!” Faeyna took a step back, glancing over at the prince, “I’m free… I refuse! Prince?”

The Prince lowered his head. “This is a decision I can’t make. It could start a war, and the Imperial Cloud Meadow could destroy this country easily. We’ll go to the King and…”

“Hmph! You want to wait for daddy to make your decisions for you?” The Slave Master’s face turned cruel. “Here, I’ll make it easy for you. I don’t feel like dragging a slave halfway across the continent. I already have a return spell for one. Since you can’t decide what to do with her, I’ll bring her back as a corpse and resurrect her when I get home!”

A crossbow suddenly appeared in his hand, appearing from his storage ring. He aimed it at Faeyna and pulled the trigger.