Ian's group gradually moved further away, but the path cleared for them remained untouched, as no one dared to step onto it.
Watching their retreating figures, along with the young girl still immersed in the aftermath of survival and immense shock, was Saint Shalria.
She never once glanced at her unconscious brother, nor did she pay attention to her father, whose face was ashen with rage.
In her infatuated eyes, there was only the man who was gradually disappearing from view.
It wasn't until Ian's figure was about to vanish around the street corner that Saint Shalria finally withdrew her gaze.
She slowly walked up to the young girl, who was still bowing deeply towards Ian's retreating back.
"You truly are a lowly ant who got incredibly lucky."
Saint Shalria's voice was cold, yet carried a hint of jealousy that even she didn't detect. "To actually gain the favor of Saint Ian."
Hearing Saint Shalria's voice, the girl's body trembled violently, instinctively wanting to kneel again.
"What are you doing?"
Saint Shalria sharply rebuked, "Are you trying to frame I? Damn it, stand up straight!"
"You are now under the protection of Saint Ian; you no longer need to kneel to anyone."
The girl looked up blankly, her tear-filled eyes full of confusion, and cautiously asked, "S-sir... what does that mean?"
"It means that from now on, your life Is worth far more than that of my idiotic brother."
Saint Shalria was too lazy to waste any more words. After coldly dropping that statement, she disregarded the dignified image of a Celestial Dragon and quickened her pace, chasing after Ian in the direction he had left.
She ran somewhat clumsily, her breathing beneath the astronaut helmet becoming rapid. As she ran, she shouted in her delicate voice.
"Saint Ian! Young Master Ian!"
"Wait for me! I am Saint Shalria!"
Saint Shalria's action caused the commoners, who had just mustered the courage to get up from the ground, to instantly drop to their knees again, uniformly.
In the restaurants and bars lining the street, chaos erupted instantly.
"What's going on? Isn't that Saint Shalria? The most noble Celestial Dragon, chasing a man in the street?"
"My goodness, what day Is it today? First a Celestial Dragon gets beaten up, and now a Celestial Dragon Is chasing after someone?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! Didn't you see who that was in front?" An intelligence peddler who had just rushed in lowered his voice, his face filled with excitement and fear.
"If you were a woman, you'd chase him too! No! Even if you were a man, you'd want to follow him!"
"That Is the most powerful Crown Prince of the Holy Land, the sole heir of the Nerona Family—Neirona Ian Saint!"
"Exactly, exactly!" Another pirate who had just returned nodded repeatedly. "I saw it with my own eyes! Lord Ian Saint taught that Charloss idiot a lesson right in the street, just to save a commoner girl!"
"What? The Crown Prince of the Holy Land? Saved a commoner?"
"This... Is this right? Don't Celestial Dragons look down on us 'lower-worlders' the most?"
"And when did a crown prince appear in the Holy Land? Why would he help a commoner and punish Saint Charloss, who Is also a Celestial Dragon?"
The entire restaurant and bar completely erupted, and everyone's worldview was impacted as never before.
"A bunch of fools!"
A self-proclaimed expert wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood up, scanning the crowd with a look of disdain.
"Do you even understand the true value of 'the most powerful Crown Prince of the Holy Land'?"
"In our eyes, Celestial Dragons are all lofty World Nobles. But in the eyes of that crown prince, trash like Saint Charloss Is no different from those commoners kneeling on the ground!"
"He can beat them if he wants, kill them if he wants, just like we step on an ant. Does he need a reason?"
The expert pushed up his glasses, his voice filled with a fanatical admiration.
"This, Is the pinnacle of power!"
...Saint Shalria finally caught up with Ian's group at the street corner.
She completely ignored Anna, Nami, and the other beauties behind Ian, and rushed straight to Ian's left side.
Then, to everyone's astonished gaze, she extended both hands and rudely pushed Hancock, who was intimately holding Ian's arm, to the side.
"Young Master Ian!"
Saint Shalria, with her bubble helmet, practically pressed herself against Ian, her eyes gleaming with a morbid excitement and infatuation.
"Do you remember me? I am Saint Shalria!"
Before Ian could speak, Hancock, who had been roughly pushed away, instantly turned cold.
"Where did this crazy woman come from?"
"How dare she try to snatch Young Master from I?"
Upon hearing this, Saint Shalria immediately bristled, "You lowly woman, do you know who I am?"
"I am a Celestial Dragon who enjoys all privileges! If it weren't for Saint Ian's sake, a single glance from I could make you die without a burial place!"
No sooner had Saint Shalria finished speaking...
"Slap!"
A slap, even louder than the one on Charloss's face moments ago, suddenly rang out.
Gunzogū, who had been standing on Ian's right, had appeared before her at some point and directly shattered her bubble helmet with a single slap.
Saint Shalria was spun half a circle by the slap, completely stunned.
She froze for a full two seconds before covering her face in disbelief and angrily questioning Gunzogū, "Gunzogū! You... you actually hit me for a lowly woman?"
"Don't forget, we are both Celestial Dragons!"
Gunzogū shook her hand as if she had touched something dirty, her eyes full of disdain, "Even among Celestial Dragons, there are different ranks."
"In I's eyes, you and these women beside Young Master are no different."
—