Most of the assassins were already dead.
A few had managed to escape, slipping away before anyone could stop them. Kael didn't chase them. He didn't even care.
Seraphina was on the ground.
He dropped to one knee beside her and checked her quickly. Her breathing was uneven, her face pale, but her pulse was steady.
"She's unconscious," he said quietly. "Just shock."
Relief hit him harder than he expected.
He slid one arm under her and lifted her up carefully. As he stood, he heard shouting in the distance—guards. Their voices were getting louder with every second.
Good. They were coming.
He was about to call out—
Something felt wrong.
The shadow beneath him moved.
Kael reacted fast.
Grand Mirror of Total Reflection.
Metal struck something unseen with a sharp clang. The dagger bounced back instantly.
The sound of metal slicing through flesh followed.
Kael turned his head just enough to see the assassin collapse behind him, his own blade buried deep in his leg.
Low mastery… low accuracy, Kael thought. I get it now.Still… I should be glad it hit him back, right?
He pulled Seraphina closer against his shoulder, holding her steady with one arm. With the other, he picked up the dagger from the ground and looked at the fallen assassin.
Of course, he didn't die.A wound to the leg wouldn't kill anyone.
But then… who was he?
If he belonged to that group, he should have attacked with them. Or did he stay behind, waiting for a chance to strike me from behind—right when I lowered my guard?
I remembered seeing him when I used Corrupting Gaze. I tried to drain the assassins' mana and take control of them, but it didn't work. They only staggered. Still, I learned something important—I could absorb people's mana very fast, fast enough to stop them before they could activate their skills. That was why most of the assassins never used their abilities.
But this man was different.
He had a lot of mana. And that shadow skill of his…
I thought he was only observing, ready to interfere if needed. I didn't expect him to attack. His shadow skill caught me off guard—but I used Grand Mirror at the right moment.
Kael looked at the assassin under his foot, who was trying to run even though it was very painful. The dagger struck his right knee, the joint of the bones. Poor fellow, Kael thought.
He squatted down after putting Seraphina down again. The dagger was in one hand as he looked at the assassin, whose face was covered in a black mask and who wore black clothing, and said, "Who are you?"
The assassin did not answer and tried to use his shadow skill again to sink back into Kael's shadow, which Kael had created by blocking the morning sunlight.
Kael didn't ask a second time and sunk his dagger into the assassin's hand, pinning him to the ground. The dagger went all the way in, and the man screamed again.
"Who are you? I asked! Don't you hear me? Or don't you have ears? People with good manners must answer questions, don't you think?"
The assassin did not answer again.
Kael didn't wait. With all his might, he struck the man in the head with his right hand. The man lost consciousness and fainted.
Kael reached for his mask. "Let's see what kind of face you have behind that mask. And who wears a mask in the daytime? You need to learn assassination work again," he started nagging the man.
Unfortunately, the man did not answer.
Kael didn't bother to repeat himself. He removed the mask and saw the face behind it. It was an elf, looking about his late thirties by human standards, with green hair and grey eyes—very handsome.
Kael's face was unreadable at that moment, but his mind was different. As he was about to shout, Why the heck are elves after me? but the guards came at that moment.
"Young Master, what happened?""Young Master, are you all right?""Where is Miss Seraphina, Young Master?"
"Check around the training grounds. See if there are any others. If there are, arrest them immediately."
"Sir, I found the princess."
"Good. Take her to the healers, fast."
"Sorry, Young Master. We need to take you to the healers right away."
"Elf… what is an elf doing here? He lost a lot of blood, but he's still alive. Take him to the healers as well, but put soldiers around him. After his wounds are clothed, take him to the prison. He must be one of the assassins."
"Check the others. If they are still alive, do the same as with the elf."
"Sorry, Young Master Kael."
After shouting orders and not giving Kael a moment to speak, the castle guards lifted him in a princess carry and ran after the guards who were carrying Seraphina, heading toward the healer mages' unit in the center of the castle.
Kael stood there, lifted by one guard. Bandages were being applied to his wounds, and one guard was even singing his favorite song—all while they were still running.
He was speechless. He didn't know what to say.
They came to the healers' ground, where ten or more healers worked inside the castle.
They put him on the bed beside Seraphina and immediately started casting spells. Some of them were using their skills. They didn't ask, Are you all right? Are you hurt? They just began, casting whatever they had and giving Kael whatever helped with healing.
Then they wrapped bandages over his body like a mummy and placed wooden sticks along his limbs.
At that moment, his mind caught up with what was happening, and he shouted,
"What the fuck are you doing?! I'm not hurt anywhere! What is with these bandages around my body?!"
Before he could continue, the senior healer looked him in the eyes. There was no fear there, not even a hint—like she wasn't afraid of the son of her lord, no matter what. Somehow, her expression upset him further.
"Young Master Kael," she said, "I don't care if you have wounds or not. This is my work. I need to do it, even if you just fall over two meters or stumble."
Kael's eyes widened. "Who said that? Tell me! It's my mother, right? My mother?" he asked.
At the mention of Madam Selara, everyone in the room shivered. Their hands moved faster, applying more spells and bandages at a quicker pace. They even used a gag to silence Kael and continued their work without pause.
After some time, Kael and Seraphina were left alone in the room. Outside, elite guards filled the hallway.
Kael was wrapped in bandages all over his body. His belly looked like he had been eating nonstop for weeks without any exercise, making him look like an overweight noble kid. He couldn't move at all—the only thing he could move was his head.
He looked at Seraphina, who was sleeping soundly on the bed to his right. Then he glanced toward the guards standing at the entrance, trying their best not to laugh at his appearance.
Kael finally gave up.
He swore to himself that he would take revenge on them someday, all while wondering why the hell an elf had come to take his head.
If you enjoyed this chapter and want to show your support, please add it to your collection and give it Power Stones! bye until tomorrow