Chapter 254

Human Kingdom, Southern Border — Near Truvale Checkpost

The air was heavy with the stench of blood and smoke. Soldiers moved stiffly, their faces pale as they lifted corpses from the ground and stacked them onto carriages. The grisly work of clearing the battlefield carried on in silence, broken only by the dull thud of bodies falling into wooden carts.

Prince Charles stood a short distance away, his arms folded tightly behind his back. Beside him was his ever-loyal bodyguard, Frecio. Both men’s gazes were fixed on the mangled corpses of elves scattered beyond the checkpost.

"Are you absolutely certain these bodies weren’t here the last time you checked?" Charles’ voice was sharp, his expression grave as his eyes narrowed at Frecio.

"I am sure, Your Majesty," Frecio replied without hesitation. "These bodies were not here before."

Charles’ jaw clenched. "What the fuck...? Then how did they get here?" His tone carried both confusion and dread as he stared at the elves’ bloodstained armor.

Frecio stepped forward cautiously. "Don’t worry, Your Highness. We will—"

"Don’t worry?" Charles’ voice cut like a blade, and his glare snapped toward his guard. "Did you just say that? Frecio... if my father hears about this, he’ll demand an explanation. And what do you expect me to say? ’Oh, Father, please give me time, I’ll figure it out’?"

The prince’s voice lowered, seething with frustration. "I want to become the next king, Frecio. I must have answers. I need to know what these elves were doing here. You have six hours. Bring me a reason I can present before my father, or don’t bother showing your face."

Frecio stiffened, bowing quickly. "I-I understand, Your Majesty." He departed at once, leaving Charles alone in the thickening tension.

The prince reached into his cloak and pulled out a small vial of shimmering blue powder. With a soft puk, he uncorked the bottle, tipped a measure onto his finger, and raised it to his nose.

Sniffffff

The powder burned cold as it entered his lungs. For an instant, his eyes glowed a piercing blue, then faded back to black. His breathing steadied, and his thoughts sharpened, cutting through the haze like blades.

’What were they doing here? Did they kill the humans? No... no, that doesn’t add up. The crest on that elf prince’s body—there’s no mistaking it, it belongs to that Wendigo.

If I assume they were trying to sneak into the kingdom through a weak point, why would he kill them? That doesn’t make sense. He slaughtered the humans to announce his return, to tell us he’s back for revenge. But the elves?

Does he carry some grudge against their kingdom as well? No... if that were the case, he wouldn’t have left their corpses here, in our territory.

Something else. Something deeper. There must be a reason... the strings have to connect somewhere. I just have to—’

"Your Majesty!"

The sharp voice shattered his focus. Charles’ head whipped around, his eyes blazing.

"WHAT!?" he snapped, his tone laced with fury.

The guard who approached dropped to one knee, trembling. "I-I apologize, Your Majesty... but something is approaching the kingdom from the south."

Charles’ eyes narrowed. "Something? What do you mean something?"

The guard pointed, breath uneven. "A... a black monster, rushing this way at incredible speed. And there are two humans riding on its back. Something else flies above them, but at this distance... I cannot tell what it is."

Charles strode out of the outpost, his gaze locking on the distant figure. Dust trailed in the wind as a massive shadow surged toward them. His jaw tightened.

"Ready your weapons!" Charles barked, his voice carrying across the checkpost. "If it’s a threat to the kingdom, we strike it down. If not, we capture it alive."

The Royal Knights obeyed instantly, stepping forward in perfect formation. Blades hissed from their sheaths. Bowstrings creaked as arrows were nocked, all eyes trained on the dark figure barreling toward them.

Meanwhile...

Chuuuuuuuuuuu

Leon sat astride Dusk’s broad back, utterly unconcerned with the world around him. His lips were locked with Enid’s, his tongue tangled with hers in a deep, heated kiss that had shown no signs of ending for five whole minutes.

Enid clung to him tightly, her legs wrapped firmly around his waist, her chest pressing against his with desperate lust.

"Mmmhh..."

Her muffled moans only spurred Leon further.

Then—

"Master," Dusk’s calm voice rumbled in his mind. "The prince of the Human Kingdom stands at the checkpost. His Royal Knights have drawn their weapons. Their bows and swords are aimed at us.

Should I keep moving ?" He asked.

"What?" Leon muttered, brows knitting in confusion as he immediately pulled his lips away from Enid’s.

"Ahhh~ Don’t do that, Master... I wasn’t done sucking on—"

"Shut up and let me see." His tone turned flat as he grabbed Enid’s chin, tilting her head aside. His eyes flicked past her, and sure enough, the scene ahead matched Dusk’s words perfectly—an entire checkpoint lined with soldiers, weapons already trained on them.

"Tch..." Leon exhaled, then glanced upward at the fluttering figure above him. "Hey. Can you do something about them?"

Before Mary could even respond, Enid let out a low laugh. Her arms tightened around Leon as her eyes glowed a dangerous crimson. "Master, why are you asking that bitch for help? Don’t you have me? I can erase them from existence in seconds." Her smile widened into something feral, eager.

Leon gave her a side glance, unamused. "Yeah, no. If I wanted to fight them, I’d handle it myself. I don’t want blood spilled if it can be avoided."

At that, Mary descended slowly until she was level with his eyes, her wings beating with a faint shimmer. Her voice was calm, detached. "I can control them. Make them forget everything from the last thirty minutes. If you wish, you can pass through without resistance. However..." She paused, her gaze sharp. "Some of the humans—mages—protect their minds with layered spells. They cannot be manipulated so easily. I count three of them standing behind that prince. You would have to deal with those yourself."

Enid’s red eyes flickered toward Leon, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "I mean... killing three mages isn’t that much blood, right?" Her tone dripped with delight, as if she were already imagining their screams.

"No." Leon’s voice was firm. "I have a better idea." He turned his attention between the two women. "Mary, don’t use your magic until I say so. Enid—stay put like this, but change your appearance. I don’t want them realizing you’re a demon if it can be helped. Switch back into a human girl."

Mary dipped her head obediently. "As you say." She rose into the air again, her wings carrying her above the group.

Enid licked her lips, her eyes softening slightly at his command. "As you wish, Master." Her snowy-white hair shimmered for a moment, then darkened into a rich black, her appearance folding seamlessly into that of a human maiden.

Meanwhile, Leon reached into his pocket, tugged out a folded handkerchief, and bound it securely around his face and nose.

"STOP AT ONCE, IF YOU COME CLOSER EVEN MORE STEP WEBWILL KILL YOU." Frecio shouted from distance.

"Dusk Stop." Leon commanded calmly.

"Yes Master." Dusk immediately came to a halt and all the soldiers immediately surrounded Leon from all sides.

"State your name right now or die." Charles spoke as he stepped forward and looked at Leon with a confident expression.

Leon immediately used his skill on him...

[Description: Charles is the third son of the Royal Lorence family and he was a very responsible person but when he got addicted to {Fermus} his life changed completely.

He was never able to let go of his addiction and started taking more and more Fermus everyday. Now in order to think properly, he needs to consume a very high dose of {Fermus}.]

’Ah... So he is a drug addicted rich kid.’ Leon thought with a neutral expression.

"I said state your name at onc-"

"My name is Michael Jackson." Leon replied while keeping a calm expression as he looked at Charles.

"Michael Jackson ? What kind of name is that ?" Charles asked with a confused expression.

"It’s a name given in the south... May I ask who you are ?" Leon asked with a neutral expression.

"I am Prince Charles... The prince of human kingdom." Charles replied with a neutral expression.

"I see, It’s a pleasure to meet you Charles. Now... I have to go or I will be late." Leon replied with a neutral expression as he looked at Charles.

"I am sorry but I can’t let you into my kingdom without knowing where you come from and where do you plan to go in the kingdom.

You will also have to get down from that Shadow Velmora and come with us." Charles replied with a serious expression.

"Oh my... So, you have so much attitude that you are going to stop the king in south ?" Leon asked with a smile as he stepped from from Dusk’s back and started walking towards Charles.