“Huff… huff… huff…”
Just after barely escaping from Bohemia’s Lord’s Castle, Blood began to feel her heart race in the lingering deep fear.
Although her face was a complete mess, and she felt like her head was still ringing, at this moment, she couldn’t care less about such pain.
The important thing was… the fact that she was still alive and breathing.
Sighing in relief at that fact, she picked up her scattered wits and began to try to pull herself together.
But…
Even with her strong mental fortitude as a Rank 10 Mage, recovering from the shock she just received was no easy task.
‘That was dangerous… really…’
The hostility that the maid, whom she had happened to encounter inside the castle, had exuded was enough to give her quite the fright.
Moreover, knowing what her true identity was, Blood was well aware that it was not just a simple warning but a reaction filled with genuine intent.
‘If I had said something wrong there, I would have really died. In that sense, you could say I was lucky…’
Thinking that way, Blood could only focus on getting out of this place as fast as possible while anxiously waiting for her companion, Soul.
‘Damn it… she should come as soon as possible. I signaled her when I left the castle, so why isn’t she here yet?’
Of course, considering that Soul was responsible for luring as many enemies as possible to divert their attention, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think she might be struggling more than expected during that process.
On top of that, in the worst-case scenario, she might be getting beaten to a pulp by the enraged maid, just like Blood herself.
With those thoughts lingering, Blood was gripped by the anxiety of possibly having to abandon her in the worst-case scenario, while waiting for Soul, her heart tightening with every passing second.
Then…
“Sister!”
“Oh! You’re here!”
In the next moment, an incredibly welcome voice echoed in her ears.
In a somewhat panicked state, Blood turned her head toward the direction of the voice.
But…
“Thank goodness. I was so worried you were taking too long…?”
“I’m sorry, I got caught up with something…?”
In that moment, both of them were momentarily at a loss for words as they took in each other’s state.
“Uh… sister? Wh-what happened to your face…? And where’s that guy Santana?”
With Blood’s face covered in blood and bruises from a nosebleed, Soul was engulfed by deep concern and confusion at the sight.
Considering Blood’s current state, it was impossible to think that this mission was anything but a failure.
This realization was especially shocking for Soul, who had never experienced a failure while working with Blood until now.
Meanwhile, before Soul could answer, Blood, with a blank expression, asked the question that was sticking in her mind.
“Wha… What’s that beside you?”
In a situation where they both asked questions at the same time, Soul, being the younger sister, should have answered first.
With a voice filled with tension, Soul replied, referring to the human woman slumped over her shoulder.
“Um… actually, I thought I’d try something I’ve been considering all this time.”
“Something you’ve been thinking about… Wait, no, you’re not saying…?”
“Yes… that’s right. She was one of the soldiers, and her personality seems exactly to my liking. Plus, her abilities don’t seem too bad either…”
“No… you can’t be serious, planning to kidnap a foreign mage during a mission? If this goes wrong, it could lead to a diplomatic incident.”
“It’s fine! They don’t know who we are anyway! In that situation, they wouldn’t have a countermeasure for a missing young mage!”
“That’s… true, but still.”
Of course, they had tried their best to cover up the fact that they were involved in this matter, except for the maid who was hiding her identity.
Besides, that maid was technically their ally, and since she was on an “infiltration,” she wouldn’t carelessly reveal this incident.
However, no matter how they looked at it, taking one of the country’s key mages was unsettling on many levels.
Compared to ordinary soldiers, considering the value of a mage, there was plenty of room for issues to arise later on.
While Blood considered stopping Soul’s course of action, before she could think deeply about anything,
Soul, filled with urgency and concern, asked, “Then… it’s your turn now, sister. What happened? Could it be that you failed the mission? Was that Count Turun really that strong?”
“…No, this matter is on a different level than those trivialities.”
Recalling the existence of something, a sense of dread washed over Blood as her mind went blank.
Although Count Turun’s reputation was well-known, at most, his combat power was comparable to that of a Rank 7 advanced mage.
To begin with, he was not a rival for Blood, who sat at Rank 10.
But right now, the sight of Blood could only be described as someone who had just joyfully gotten beaten up.
“I saw him… I saw that person there… I was lucky this time, but if I had messed up, it wouldn’t have been a problem for you, but for me…”
At that moment.
“!”
“Huff!”
A sudden spine-chilling sensation washed over them.
It didn’t pose any actual threat, but…
The Circle of Magic…
A spell that allowed them to read almost all movements around them by spreading out their magic.
Although it didn’t carry any physical destructive power, nonetheless… at this moment, the two were gripped by a sense of dread and strength.
Feeling an overwhelming magical presence that could potentially engulf the entire city, their hearts raced uncontrollably.
With that, they had no time for idle chatter and quickly came to one conclusion.
“Uh… we should get out of here as soon as possible, right?”
“I think that’s the right choice. We can discuss more later…”
Without a moment to spare for lengthy explanations, the two fled Bohemia in panic.
As they ran, their bodies shivered in the vivid fear they felt.
‘We’ve been running this long, and the Circle of Magic still hasn’t ended. Just how wide can this be…’
‘Whatever the case, it’s clear that my sister must’ve gotten herself caught plucking the dragon’s nose hairs. But who the hell is that person?’
Thankful that their pursuer was showing no intent to follow them, the two continued to run without pause until they reached the border of the Rhapsody Region.
*
A storm-like uproar erupted late at night.
With the sudden attack of unknown enemies, Bohemia Castle was thrown into chaos.
The guards, stripped of their souls, were left simply fainted but fortunately none had died, and thanks to their tenacity, there were no signs of the invaders having entered the castle.
However…
Apart from that, at this moment, Count Turun of Bohemia was engulfed in a shocking surprise.
“W-what… what did you say? Who… who has been taken?!”
“Um… it is… that… Queen Andreas has…”
“Kidnapped by unknown individuals!”
“Th-this cannot be…”
A sudden bolt from the blue struck him.
Count Turun sat down weakly in a chair, his face as pale as a ghost.
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