Chapter 959: Vague Familiarity
One of the protective treasures Ranazera kept on her was called the Mystic Cleansing Charm. It cleansed the effects of poisons and illusions while helping its owner recover some of their stamina and life force.
Could he have known that there was an ambush set up here? But if that were the case, why did he willingly walk into it a trap? These were the questions that flashed through Ranazera's mind.
Ranazera's gaze wandered over to Izroth.
"As long as this item restricts my power, there's nothing I can do. This guy—he may seem alright, but we've been moving without rest. Is he just that confident in his own skills or arrogant? No, more importantly, that attack just now... I was only able to catch the end of it; however, I'm certain—it was aiming for me." Ranazera furrowed her brows with a troubled expression.
Ranazera's eyes did not fool her. And needless to say, she was not alone in uncovering this glaring detail.
'They hid it rather well but not well enough. There was a clear level of killing intent behind that attack just now. As for those responsible... How strange. Was I mistaken?'
Naturally, Izroth had long since discovered the ambush waiting up ahead. However, he was sure that their target was him—not the sixth princess.
That's because he recognized a vaguely familiar aura when he used his Energy Vision Sense earlier.
'Whether they're after me or the one under my protection, it does not matter. What has to be done does not change.'
"How much longer do you plan on hiding? Or, is it that even with your advantage of numbers, you are afraid of one person?" Izroth said calmly to seemingly no one.
At first, Izroth was met with a lingering silence. But, in less than half a breath, the sound of rapid movement could be heard coming from some of the larger black stones nearby.
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
In the blink of an eye, a group of five individuals appeared before Izroth and Ranazera.
Each individual wore a black cloak that hid their physical appearance and released a heavy aura of intimidation. Additionally, based on their organized movement and how they positioned themselves to block off any paths of escape, Izroth determined that they possessed a strong degree of teamwork.
"Follow us quietly, and your life may be spared. If you insist on putting up a fight, then do not blame us for being inhospitable." One of the cloaked individuals said as they stepped forward.
"If you wish to spare my life, it must first belong to you. However, since I have somewhere important to be, I will extend a similar offer. Leave now, and I am willing to spare your lives." Izroth responded with a carefree expression.
Spare him? Even if he took their words at face value, Izroth understood the type of people these assailants were from their willingness to eliminate Ranazera without hesitation.
How would they willingly let a potential witness walk away with their lives, let alone him?
If Izroth accepted their offer just now and went quietly, they would not hesitate to stab him in the back. And, even if they did allow Ranazera to run away, it would not be long before they chased after her to tie up loose ends.
"What an arrogant man. Very well, since you insist on doing things the hard way, we shall merely have to respond in kind. Do it." The person at the head of the group ordered.
The instant they gave the order, the other four cloaked individuals sped forward at incredible speeds toward Izroth and Ranazera.
"Hey, remove this thing, and let me help you!" Ranazera said hastily.
Just now, those guys definitely aimed to take her life! If something happened to Izroth and she was left powerless, wouldn't she be at their complete mercy?
"That won't be necessary," Izroth replied as the sword intent around his Sword of the Storm sharpened.
Just as Izroth was about to make his move, a strong gust of wind blew through the surroundings.
"Gah!"
"Ah!"
Without warning, the four individuals that charged at Izroth were blown back by the gust of wind before they could reach him.
However, surprisingly, this wind did not come from Izroth or his Sword of the Storm.
"Attacking a princess of our Tempest kingdom—you must be tired of living!" A thunderous voice echoed as a miniature twister formed in between Izroth and the group of assailants.
"This wind, that voice—it's him...!" Ranazera's eyes widened in shock as she immediately recognized the new arrival.
Boom!
The twister dispersed as a single person emerged from its center. It was the Prime Eques that oversaw the Gates of Aegis located at the Tempest border, Aurelius Windstorm.
The four men sent out to attack earlier retreated back to the side of their group's leader.
The person at the group's head muttered to themselves, "Aurelius Windstorm... What is he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be guarding the Gates of Aegis? A rather troublesome man has appeared..."
"We're retreating." The group's head ordered.
"But, the contract-" One of the subordinates spoke up.
Swoosh!
In a flash, the subordinate who spoke out had their head cleanly separated from their body. Simultaneously, they were engulfed in dark green flames as every last trace of their existence was erased.
'Those flames...'
Izroth noticed something rather interesting about the flames used to incinerate the cloaked assailant.
'That familiar aura I felt earlier... Although it's vague, they certainly share some similarities. But, if it is them, what are they doing here? More importantly, why are they after me?'
"Hmph, you want to leave after your offense? You first have to ask this young lord's permission!" Aurelius stated with a cold gaze as he snapped his fingers.
When he performed this action, the weather in the atmosphere underwent a dramatic shift as the temperature dropped by several degrees.
The winds soon became chaotic as a light breeze rapidly morphed into a full-blown gale. Soon after, eight violent twisters roughly ten meters high materialized and raced around the assailants.
The wind speeds were so fierce that anything that came into contact with the mana-infused outer layer of the twisters was quickly shredded to pieces.
Before the group could retreat, they were encircled by the twisters as they closed in on their position. But, right as the twisters were about to collapse upon one another, a brilliant light flashed.
...BOOOOM!
An ear-ringing explosion sounded at the outskirts of the Netherly Shadow Fields as the twisters disappeared.
As for the group of assailants, they were no longer anywhere to be found.
"Tch... A bunch of slippery bastards." Aurelius muttered to himself.
He then turned to face Izroth as he walked up and stopped right in front of his face.
Izroth, however, remained unmoved and calm as Aurelius approached him.
"I've been looking all over for you, you snake-like bastard. I have to admit, that little act you pulled back at the Gates of Aegis was amusing. But, let's see how you slither past me this time." Aurelius stated as a look of rage could clearly be seen in his eyes.
For him, rescuing the princess was just a bonus. Right now, Aurelius wanted nothing more than to tear apart the person who deceived him.
"You talk about acts, but... You seem to be doing quite well yourself. For a moment, I almost believed you actually cared for the well-being of your kingdom's princess." Izroth responded.
As Aurelius confronted Izroth, Ranazera was left shocked to see Aurelius away from the Gates of Aegis.
"Could it be that he realized something was wrong back then and followed after us?" Ranazera thought to herself.
However, it was strange. The Aurelius she knew was not so diligent in his duties. More importantly, since when did that narcissistic guy who only cared about himself suddenly start to take an interest in how she was treated by others?
"Princess, you should have said something back at the Gates of Aegis. I would have cut this guy down right then and there if I knew what was going on. Don't tell me you've actually gone and fallen for your captor?" Aurelius said without adverting his gaze from Izroth.
"Aurelius, watch your words!" Ranazera snapped back.
"Hey, now, is that any way to talk to your savior? I'll start to feel really hurt, you know?" Aurelius grinned.
"Young lord! You should have let one of us go ahead first!" A voice sounded from the near distance as a new group of people arrived on the scene.
In total, there were ten individuals. The one who spoke just now was Aurelius' most trusted aide, Vincent.
Vincent was at the forefront of the group as he stopped a few meters away from Izroth and Aurelius. His actions caused those with him to follow suit as they also halted their steps.
"Young lord, should we-"
"Shut up. I know what you want to say. But, this bastard is mine. Got it? None of you are allowed to interrupt."
"Understood, young lord," Vincent replied with a helpless sigh.
He then looked over at Ranazera and bowed politely, "Princess Ranazera, we have done the unforgivable and allowed you to suffer. Please, rest assured, we shall return you home to Tempest safe and sound."