Uh oh.

It barely took twenty seconds to make it to the camp, and once I did I immediately woke everyone up.

"What's happening?" Diayu asked while holding the sleeping Jiayi in her arms.

Before I could respond, however, Simon and Diayu both looked towards the treeline, where I assume Cephi and those two figures were fighting.

"I suppose we need to leave?" Simon asked while turning to look at me.

I simply nodded.

It barely took two minutes to prepare to leave, and once we were done we immediately left, not bothering to wait for Cephi.

I wasn't particularly worried about them either, as far I knew, Cephi was strong enough to deal with them with their eyes closed.

I stood on the roof of the carriage, and kept my hand on the grips of my daggers, prepared to throw them in case someone followed us.

The carriage quickly left the area, speeding down the roadway.

Once we were far enough away, I heaved a sigh of relief and lowered my hands.

I went towards the front of the carriage and stepped down next to the coachman.

The carriage had a little hatch that could be used to talk to the coachman from within the compartment, but since I was able to, for non-height-related reasons, I crawled through it and entered the compartment.

Jiayi was still asleep in her mother's arms, and Simon was holding a sword that he had retrieved from somewhere, which he kept sheathed.

"What's happening?" Diayu asked in a surprisingly calm tone.

Err...cloaked figures came to assassinate me (I assume), because I'm actually the crown prince of this empire?

"I'm not sure," I say while gazing out the window, avoiding their gazes, Diayu's in particular.

I'm not sure why, but she scared me a lot, maybe it was because she had the same basic vibe as my mother.

She was about to speak but suddenly closed her mouth, looking towards the hatch I had just crawled through.

It wasn't just her, but Simon and I had looked in that direction as well.

After all, why was the carriage...stopping?

----------

The Praetorian Guard were only a few hundred metres from the prince's location.

In total, there were 40 guardsmen, and they all wore cloaks with similar enchantments to Adam's, except their cloaks also gave them the ability to be pseudo-invisible.

Unless someone was aware of their existence, they would not be noticed and could move around largely unimpeded.

Of course, the enchantment did not work on those who were powerful enough, but realistically, why would they encounter anyone of that level?

Naturally, they were aware of the Intelligence Service's and the Empress' plans in using Adam as a form of bait, but they never considered that they'd have to fight.

They had a man on the inside after all, and once the I.S. got confirmation that they were going to be attacked, the I.S. and a detachment of the Empress' guardsmen would wipe out the enemy before they even had a chance to leave their hideout.

Of course, that was the plan, but as with most plans, something, somewhere, had gone evidently wrong.

This was Lieutenant Salvador's thoughts as he gazed at the number of enemies currently encircling him and his men.

There were about 300 cloaked figures, each with a weapon unsheathed, surrounding the guardsmen.

This alone was not worrying for Salvador, as he was certain that he and his men could wipe them out without issue.

However, directly in front of him, separated by only a few dozen metres, was someone who remained uncloaked.

It was a burly man, about 7 and a half feet tall, carrying a giant battle axe in his left hand.

The man wore a suit of armour that was incredibly similar to the guardsmen's own, except it was covered entirely with strange carvings, and there was no helmet to protect their head.

In fact, it wasn't just similar, but an exact copy of their armour.

Though, Salvador knew that it was not just a mere copy, but the real deal.

"Sergeant Salvador! No, I heard that it's Lieutenent Salvador now? Congratulations on the promotion!" the burly man said with a hearty laugh.

Salvador's eyes narrowed before he sighed and responded.

"Former-Captain Librada, I see you have recovered from your injuries?" he said in a monotone voice.

Librada laughed again before smiling broadly, "As fit as a fiddle! I didn't expect that runt Elric to be so close to surpassing me so soon!", he said, before sighing and putting his battle axe over his shoulder.

"I suppose asking you to surrender nicely won't work? It hurts my heart, but I suppose I'll have to be a bit rough with my former subordinates!"

But contrary to his words, Librada was grinning, his smile stretching from one ear to the other.

Sighing, Salvador raised his sword, but his main focus was not on fighting the enemy.

Even with the monster that is Former Captain Librada Angelos present, winning was not out of the question.

However, how long it would take was Salvador's concern, as his main priority was the prince's safety.

He knew that these guys were only here to stall for time, while their main force was likely trying to get to the prince.

Clenching his jaw, Salvador pointed his sword forward.

"Come."

Laughing, Labrada shrugged, "If you insist!"

---------

Elric was currently standing on an open field.

In front of him was only a single person, and yet the pressure that he felt from them almost caused his knees to buckle.

The air around him was frigid, and ice was beginning to form in the spaces of his armour, despite its many enchantments.

Behind him were many pillars of ice, except if you looked closely, you could see that there were people frozen within them.

They were the members of the Intelligence Service that was monitoring the Prince.

Channelling his mana to warm his body, Elric raised his head and looked at the figure in front of him.

Adorned in an intricate suit of silvery-blue armour that seemed to glow in the moonlight, in her hands, she wielded a weapon of elegance and precision.

A slender, silvery rapier, etched with delicate engravings, gleamed under the moonlight with captivating radiance.

A voluminous cloak draped over her shoulders, crafted from deep indigo fabric with silver trimmings. It billowed behind her as the wind blew accentuating her already regal presence.

She had a pair of mismatched eyes, one a deep shade of silver, and the other a shade of crimson that resembled coagulated blood.

Her eyes were cold and uninvolved which mirrored the freezing nature of the air.

But what Elric focused most on was her crimson hair, which cascaded down her back like a fiery waterfall, its vibrant hue catching the light and adding to her an aura of strength and intensity.

Crimson hair, the trait of those with imperial blood.

"I see that you've been doing well, Elric." the woman said, her voice completely devoid of emotion.

Lowering his gaze, Elric responded.

"Indeed, I am glad to see that your health is in order, Princess Aurora," he said, a conflicting swirl of emotions evident in his voice.

She nodded slightly, before shifting her gaze. Far into the distance that she was looking towards, lay the Imperial Capital.

"How is my sister?" She asked.

"Her Majesty has recovered after her pregnancy If that is what you wish to know," Elric said.

Nodding, Aurora turned her gaze back to Elric.

"And my nephew, Adam was it? How is he?" she asked.

"He's...fine. His talents are incredible, and his mentality is oddly mature."

"He'll make a fine Emperor," Adam added.

"Is that so?" Aurora said.

Knowing that there were no more words to be spoken, Elric readied himself.