~~~十一~~~

~~~浪的忠诚~~~

After staying for one more day in Wǔyè, the team of seven finally returned back to the academy only to be greeted by the emperor himself. At his side were his first three children who took immediate notice of their sister's limp, her shattered bones had yet to fully heal. This was especially concerning since none of the other students seemed injured in the slightest.

Xuělián's eyes widened as she leaned on the blue haired male to keep weight off of her injured limb. There was a smile on her face, but she avoided their stares while thinking, 'No! Why do they have to be waiting for me right here?!' She barely took notice of the emperor shaking his head and addressing the entire group. 'I'm definitely going to get lectured for this!'

It wasn't long before the five imperial family members found themselves sitting in the headmistress' office. The ravenette awkwardly sat in the corner of one of the couches, sipping on her peach tea, as her elder siblings ranted about her use of Chaos Magic. They knew it would damage her body by using it and therefore didn't condone it’s usage unless absolutely necessary.

"Honestly, what were you thinking?!" the second princess exclaimed as she began pacing back and forth in front of the couches. Luckily, the walls of the office were soundproof so no one outside could hear her bluster. "You should have just waited for back up to appear instead of jumping in head first!"

"That's right, Qī-mei. You usually aren't this impulsive with your actions," the headmistress spoke in a stern tone, much like a mother would be when scolding her children. This earned a raised brow from the youngest, but she remained silent. "What happened this time to make you lose your head?"

Before the crown prince could speak, Yín Akuma held his hand up, interfering, "Alright, that's enough. Your Qī-mei went out to level up her spiritual power and that's exactly what she did.” He then gestured towards the Seventh Princess. "She has broken through to level ninety and now has an eight-tailed Silver Fox Astral Spirit, so let's not pester her about this anymore."

"Thank you for your words, Holy Father, but might I ask why you're here?" the ravenette questioned after bowing her head for a moment. It was rare that she ever met the ruler when she didn't go back to visit the palace and even more so that he would come out to visit her.

"While you were absent the Castro Academy of Magic invited your exchange students to participate in their annual school festival," he replied with a small chuckle before lifting his own tea cup to his face. Much like his adopted daughter, he had an affinity towards fruity teas and took a sip of the same brew she held before continuing, "I came here to ask your thoughts on it."

"Really, that's all? Well... I think it would be a good idea for them to go," answered the youngest in the room. From what she heard of the magic academy in their southern region, it was decent enough and had a fairly good reputation. "It would give the students a chance to see more of the empire and give them a taste of how a different school functions while seeing more of our culture."

The imperial head's lips quirked upward into a smirk as he looked to his older children before saying, "I thought you might respond that way, so I have a request for you." His scarlet eyes flicked back to the Soul Maiden. "Would you represent the imperial family and act as their chaperone for this trip?"

"With all due respect, Holy Father, I don't believe it would be beneficial for Qī-mei to go in her current condition," Ōritsu interjected from his spot on the couch. There was a small frown on his face as his eyes flicked down to her bandaged knee. "She has just returned from a mission and sustained injury from it."

"San-gē, I'm fine. Honestly, it's not that big of a deal," the ravenette spoke in a softer tone of voice. She let out a sigh as she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. "I just need to inform the students a day or two ahead of time to pack and I can use magic to accelerate the healing process in my knee."

The woman appreciated the concern being shown by her older siblings, but it honestly felt like she was being coddled at times. Out of all thirteen of the princes and princesses of the Yín Empire, she was considered to be the fourth strongest when it came to magic. The only ones who stood above her were the crown prince, first princess, and second princess. Now, she was on their level, but they still treated her as if she were made of glass.

It was absolutely frustrating.

'It's understandable that they're concerned about me being hurt with my Chaos Magic, but it's not like I use it often,' Xuělián thought as she nodded along to the emperor's explanation of what they would be doing at the other school. She took mental notes on what she considered major points. 'I know my own limits, they don't have to treat me like a child. They know I'm capable of handling myself.'

After the brief explanation, the ruler of the Yín Empire dismissed the ravenette before the other royal children. This was so she could get some rest before getting ready for the trip, but she didn't plan on it. As she teleported to the entrance of Spirit Tower, she was determined to get all of the work out of the way immediately so she could have more free time.

Upon returning to her flat, she met the gaze of her roommate who was entertaining the miniature Iron-Throated Devil on the couch. He gave her a small smile and was about to greet her when he noticed her walking straight to her desk.

"Lián-mei, you should really take a break," Dàoyì said as he stood up and made his way over to her work space. His eyes narrowed slightly when she reached across her desk to pull out a sheet of paper before she began writing some mission notices. "We just got back today and you're already working again."

"It won't take me long, Dào-gē," the woman replied with a chuckle. She paused her writing for a moment to look over her shoulder and give her companion a reassuring smile, "As soon as I finish writing these, I plan on doing nothing for the rest of the day."

"Who's being sent out?" the male questioned as he shook his head. It was always relaxing for him to watch his sworn sister write with the cleanest penmanship he had ever seen. She wrote quickly compared to most people, able to fill an entire page in under three minutes if she really wanted to.

Without stopping her pen, the female looked up and said, "Us. Well, more specifically, the exchange students with me as a chaperone." She then looked back down before handing him the mission notice with his name written in the top left corner. "You were invited to participate in another school's anniversary festival and I thought it would be a good experience for you all."

"Ah, when are we going?" questioned the blue haired student, his matching eyes scanning over the information listed on the piece of paper. He was interested in going, but the idea of going so soon after returning from a mission was not ideal.

"The school is in the empire's southern regions, but I'm not planning on having us leave until at least three days have passed," the Soul Maiden replied before signing her name on the last paper. She then cracked her spine over the back of the chair before placing them in her enchanted outbox. "I don't want to overwork anyone and I'm honestly a bit tired. Going out on missions is nice, but I need a break in between."

"Alright, but make sure to take care of yourself," the older individual instructed as she stood up. He then took a gentle hold on her upper arm, helping her over to the couch where the black serpent was waiting for them. "Okay?"

A soft chuckle left the female's lips as Nana slithered over her stomach and up to her face. She gently tapped the snake's nose before looking up to say, "I do my best given my circumstances, Dào-gē, but I should honestly be saying the same thing to you." As her right hand ran up and down the reptile's spine, her left reached out for her human companion's closest hand.

"From what I can tell, you'd be willing to do literally anything for me, but that's not what I want," she continued her normally relaxed tone shifting into something more serious. Soft hands gave his hand a light squeeze as he crouched down to look her in the eyes. "I want the both of us to be alive and well together, but that can't happen if you disregard your safety for my own. I will take care of myself. Promise me you’ll do the same."

"That is what we promised before, but what happened when you went to confront those demons?" Dàoyì retorted while standing up. He didn't ignore the nervous chuckle he got in return as he lifted the female's head up so he could sit down, letting it rest back on his lap once he was situated. "Tsukiyo and Ageha told us that you came back completely battered."

"Even if you know the largest secret in my existence, I can't just divulge all of my battle tactics to you just yet," she mused while reaching up to tap his nose. There was a mischievous smile on her face as she did. "I have to keep you on your toes, otherwise life would be boring."

The male shook his head, but the corners of his lips were still curved upwards. He then brought his hand up to run through her hair before asking, "Was your previous life boring to you?" Soft purrs left her as she nuzzled closer into his hand. "From what you've said before, it seemed like you didn't enjoy it."

"I really didn't," Xuělián replied with a sarcastic chuckle. Just thinking about her life as Mina Von Astra made her want to punch herself in the throat. "The only things I had to look forward to were my friends and I couldn't even leave them with some peaceful words... The last thing we talked about was how pissed I was getting dragged to a party I didn't even want to go to."

"I...I'm sorry, Lián-mei," her sworn brother whispered in return. He didn't know why he even tried to bring up her previous life. Almost everything she had to say about it seemed negative, but at the same time, he wanted to know about it. He wanted to get to know how she came to be through it, and she let him. She was always honest with him, and this was no exception.

Despite having multiple negative views on her past life, the woman would always answer his questions and describe things for him if he was curious. She would hold nothing back from him as he was the only one that she truly trusted in this world. Anything that he asked of her, she would do. Maybe not in the exact moment, but she would do it eventually.

The user of the Azure Dragon Vine was soon brought back to reality by the princess saying, "You know, that life would have been so much better if you were there with me, Dào-gē." Her eyes were half lidded as she looked straight up into his blue orbs with a small, blissful smile on her lips. "I'm sure my friends would have loved you as well. They're extremely chaotic, but they're really nice people."

Over the next few days, the adopted princess was dismissed from her normal duties as a Soul Maiden and they were passed to another. She felt a little bad, but took that time to slowly accelerate the healing process of her knee. By the time she was supposed to chaperone the exchange students, the bones had healed completely and she would only start to feel a little sore if she put pressure on it for too long.

Since the emperor was the one who arranged everything for the trip, there were about four carriages and ten imperial guards waiting for them at the outer city. This earned a sigh from the ravenette as she shook her head. 'This is so extra,' she thought while getting into one of the middle carriages with Dàoyì, Kāihuā and Tiě. 'We would have been fine with three carriages at most.'

"Emperor Yín is pretty generous, isn't he?" chuckled the common born female upon seeing the Soul Maiden’s reaction. There was an amused grin on her face as she sat with the pink haired female right across from the other two.

"He is, but he could have been a little more... practical," Xuělián chuckled while tucking her non-injured leg under herself, into the silky plush of the cushioned seat. She had decided to bring Nana with them for this trip, so the reptile was draped over her shoulders comfortably. "It's nice he gave us these things, but the Castro Academy of Magic is only a week away. He gave us enough to last almost two months."

"The emperor seems to dote on you quite a bit, Your Highness," the smallest of the group said in a flat tone. She didn't even try to hide her glare at this point, but it earned no reaction. "In fact, all of the imperial family seems to keep in good contact with you."

Purple eyes flicked away from the windows for a moment with a raised brow before she said, "That's true, I get along well with most of the imperial family." The only male looked in between the two carefully, momentarily locking eyes with Tiě who was doing the same. "Which is honestly surprising, given my background and personality."

"Oh? What would your background have anything to do with it?" Kāihuā questioned with an exaggerated tone of innocence. She ignored the warning glare coming from her left and directly in front of her as her pink irises focused on the woman in black. "Dàoyì-gēgē said that you were friends before, but he hasn't told us much other than that."

The female with orange hair sat straight up and looked down at her classmate while saying, "Kāihuā, you're still doing this?" She would have continued to scold the younger one, but was quickly interrupted by another female voice.

"No, it's fine, I can tell you," chuckled the Seventh Princess as she looked at the others. There was a smile on her face, but her eyes were sharper than normal. "We're all friends here anyway so I would have told you sooner or later. What's wrong with doing it now?"

She then proceeded to explain that she came from a small family with a healer as a mother and a flute maker as a father; How she lived a simple life with them in the small village they called home and how friendly everyone was. Her expression stayed neutral the entire time, even when she described how her parents were murdered and that she watched the one responsible get killed right in front of her.

Everyone else was silent as she continued to share her story with almost no emotion. The female was simply giving them a timeline of what happened through her eyes as she spoke. She went on to describe her years in the orphanage with Dàoyì until she was picked up by Skall, the leader of an adventurer's guild. She described her training, the missions she went on, and how all of them were slaughtered in the span of a day.

By the time the woman was finished, the male with blue hair reached over to take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. She squeezed back before looking over at the user of the Heart-Eating Swallowtail to ask, "Is that enough to satisfy your curiosity?"

Before she could answer, Tiě covered the smaller female's mouth and said, "That's enough out of you, Kāihuā." Even as she struggled against her hold, the user of the Flame Lion kept her grip. "When we get back, I'm going to have Shīmāo request for you to be sent back home."

"What?! You can't do that!" Kāihuā exclaimed, finally able to remove the hand from her mouth. Her eyes were wide and it wasn't hard to tell that she was panicking. "I was specifically chosen by our emperor to come here! You can't change that!"

"That's true, but if you can't uphold your position as an ambassador through your behavior, then you will be sent back and most likely punished," explained the blue haired male. His eyes were narrowed at his classmate, feeling nothing when he was met with a look of betrayal. "This is a matter of peace between empires, after all. There is no room for mistakes."

"Dàoyì-gēgē," the female started in a soft tone as her lip started to quiver. Her eyes were glassy as they started to fill up with tears. "So you're even taking her side now?"

A sigh left his lips as he shook his head and looked out the window on his side. His fingers were still intertwined with his sworn sister's and he didn't plan on letting go anytime soon. The warmth she gave off was comforting and it helped to soothe the frustration he was feeling. It was as if the other female only heard what she wanted to hear so he didn't want to waste his breath when she wouldn't even listen.

The pink haired female continued to complain for the next hour or so until both the Iron-Throated Devil and her owner perked up. This earned a few questioning stares, but she didn't answer and ordered their entire caravan to stop.

“Help me! Please!”

Before their vehicle could come to a full stop, the ravenette was already out the window with her eight tails flicking behind her as she sprinted off. Nana was following close behind in her true form, letting out a loud hiss as she slithered off into the woods with her friend and owner.

As the others were left in a panicked state of confusion, the Seventh Princess of the Yín Empire followed the tug in her chest and the cry for help that humans couldn't hear. 'Hold on for just a little while longer,' she thought while weaving through trees and jumping over fallen logs. 'I'll be there soon!'

The scent of iron soon registered in the woman's head and it got stronger as she traveled deeper. This urged her to go faster as her heart pounded in her chest, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Soon enough, she found the source of what called to her, lying limp underneath a tree. The bloodied form was surrounded by a bunch of wild animals that were quickly scared off by the giant serpent that stood up to display her hood and fangs.

Xuělián immediately knelt down next to the form to see that it looked like a human woman, but she knew it wasn't. Humans weren't capable of communicating in the way that she heard in the carriage. It was too hard to pick up on scent due to all the blood, but she knew that lying before her was a magical beast of some sort as many of them were known to shape shift.

Purple eyes scanned over the stranger's alarmingly pale form as her fingers went to their neck. There were multiple, deep, wounds that littered their body. Their pulse was weak, but by sending a small stream of her own spiritual energy through them, the ravenette was able to see that no vital organs had been hit. Despite this, she knew it would be crucial to get the figure immediate medical attention so they wouldn't bleed out or get any infections.

The princess proceeded to use her arms to support the woman's shoulders and knees. She didn't care about the mess the blood would cause. Her clothes were black and she knew her skin wouldn't be stained.

After shifting so that the stranger's head rested on her shoulder, Xuělián let out a sharp whistle that prompted Nana to shrink back down and slither up to her shoulders. She then allowed her flowing energy to change, the ears and tails shifting into a large pair of sleek purple wings that sprouted from her back.

The wings extended before beating down to lift the female into the air with little to no sound before rocketing back in the direction of the carriages. The wind against her face did not bother her in the slightest, but she looked down every few seconds to make sure that her passengers were okay.

Upon landing next to her caravan, the ravenette instructed everyone to leave her alone as she treated the stranger. Completely taking care of her wounds was the easy part, taking just under two hours to clean and heal them; however, it was the being's soul that was concerning.

Even after being healed and having some spiritual energy transferred, the beast had still not woken up. The flow of spiritual energy throughout her being was slow and the general presence of her soul was very weak.

"Lián-mei, is everything alright?" Dàoyì asked as soon as she came out of the carriage where she was treating the stranger. He immediately handed her a wet towel to clean off some of the blood as they walked over to where the others had set up camp.

By the time the ravenette had ordered them to stop, it was already late in the afternoon. They decided to just stop for the night when they saw the injured woman as they were actually ahead of schedule by about two days.

"I honestly don't know. Physically, she's fine but it seems like her soul is giving up," the adopted royal replied with a sigh. She then shook her head before taking a seat by the fire. "I'll eat first and try one more thing to wake her up after that."

"Your Highness, if I might ask, who is that woman?" questioned the white haired mage as he sat across from the two orphans. There was no outward expression on his face, but he was curious. "Is she someone that you know?"

"No. Not in the slightest," she replied without missing a beat. She lifted a cup of hot tea up to her lips and let the liquid warm up her entire being. "But we do share something in common and I can't just leave someone to rot that way."

Upon hearing this, the charm specializing support mage let out a very audible scoff. Her pink eyes looked down at her nails as she asked, "So we're just wasting our time here for this?" She didn't let anyone have a chance to speak as she continued, "We were invited to another school's event and it's rude to keep them waiting. Isn't it?"

'You cheeky piece of shit,' the ravenette internally snarled as the blue haired male reached out to grasp her hand. There was a small smile on her face, but it looked strained as she aimed her gaze down at the floor. 'You're really stepping out of line, but you'll get what comes to you. I don't have time for this.'

She cracked her neck and knuckles before standing up to turn back to the carriage. The others glared at their classmate whilst some of the imperial guards began scolding the foreign girl, but the princess ignored them as she gently shut the door behind her.

Nana, who was left in the carriage to watch over the guest, let out a polite hiss and lifted her head to greet her friend. Red eyes glowing in the dark until the lantern hanging above their heads was lit and soft orange flames illuminated the small space.

Xuělián took a deep breath after making sure that there was no one else in or near the carriage. She then took hold of one of the woman's hands and began to 'speak' in a language that could not reach the ears of humans.

"Hello?" she asked, her lips unmoving as she looked down at the woman. When she saw no sign of movement, she allowed some of her spiritual energy to flow through the unconscious body. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

There was silence for a moment before the twenty-year-old saw the woman's face twitch. She let out a soft groan before responding in the same call. "Hello? Who... are you?"

"My name is Yín Xuělián, I heard you calling out and found you injured in the nearby woods," the transmigrator replied with a sigh of relief. Her shoulders lost some of their tension and a small smile crept onto her face. "Whatever happened, you're safe now. Do you think you can sit up?"

The stranger's face twitched for a moment before her eyes opened to reveal one blue eye and one golden eye. It took some effort and help to sit up, but once she did her eyes scanned over the young woman in front of her to come to one conclusion.

"You're a fox," she spoke without moving her lips. Her expression was flat when she made her statement, earning a small chuckle from the other that accompanied her.

"Almost," the ravenette replied with a chuckle, lifting a hand to cover her smile. She let her spiritual energy flow once more to allow her ears and tail to condense into their translucent state. "One of my parents was a Silver Fox Beast while the other was a human."

"Ah, then that makes you the same as my son," the woman spoke with a wistful smile, before her eyes widened. She then grasped at the younger being's arm while looking around frantically. "Láng-er and my husband! Have you seen them?"

The ravenette's eyes softened when she heard and saw the woman's reaction. Her eyes were full of worry, hope, and desperation that only a mother could carry. It physically hurt the younger being to shake her head and see the other's face fall; however, her sadness didn't last long.

The woman's sadness soon morphed into rage as her pupils pinned and her face morphed into a scowl. A deep growl left her lips as she came to a realization. "They took them... Those bastards took them!"

"Ah! Hey, hey, hey! You shouldn't be moving around too much yet!" the adopted princess cried in the continent's common tongue as she reached over to keep the woman seated. "You've just recovered physically and you're not doing too well spiritually either!"

"I have to go! They have Láng-er! They-"

The woman cut herself off abruptly as her hand immediately came up to clutch her chest. She fell into a coughing fit and the female with purple eyes leaned over to help only for blood to spill from the mother's lips.

Heterochromatic eyes narrowed before her hands clutched at her saviors once more. There was nothing but desperation left in her being when she looked up and said, "Dingkun. My son is being held in Dingkun. Please, rescue him." Her eyes turned bloodshot as the crimson liquid began to stream down her cheeks. "Don't let him suffer the same fate as his parents."

Before another word could be spoken, Xuělián and Nana were pushed back by a large burst of energy. They were shoved back to the walls of the carriage as it filled with a bright white light. When it died down, there was no longer a woman laying in front of them, but a large black wolf with white markings in between her eyes.

The female’s eyes softened as she stared at the lifeless body in front of her and she clasped her hands together. Small prayers to the old gods and spirits fell from her lips, wishing the departed soul a safe trip through the astral realm as a heaviness settled in her chest.

Outside of the vehicle, everyone had immediately jumped up into battle stances upon feeling the sudden surge in energy. They were all prepared to fight, they did not expect to see the ravenette walk out of the carriage carrying a magical beast almost twice her size.

“Lián-mei, what happened?” asked her sworn brother with wide eyes. He was the first one to rush over and look her over before noticing that the carriage was now empty. “What happened to that woman you brought back?”

“I’m carrying her. This Spirit Wolf is the one that I brought back,” she replied before turning to some of the servants that had tagged along in the third carriage. She ordered them to dig up a grave for the wolf before turning back to the group that had surrounded her.

Everyone wore varying looks of confusion as they looked between the beast and the princess before comparing what they saw to her words. Hǎiyáng was the first one to vocalize his thoughts on the situation as he asked, “How is that possible?” His left hand came up to his chin. “Spirit Wolves aren’t able to take on human forms. Right?”

“Wrong. All spirits and magical beasts, even those who can’t normally shape shift, can take on human form if they meet certain conditions,” the Soul Maiden corrected as she gently laid the body down by the fire. Her hand rested on the canine’s side, absentmindedly petting the fur in a comforting manner. “For all, they would first have to reach Century Millennium ranking in order to live in a human form; however, there is a condition for Spirit Wolves that can allow them to change sooner.”

“And what would that condition be?” Shīmāo questioned with a raised brow. His interest in the situation grew as it turned into a newfound opportunity to expand his knowledge on magical beasts.

“As you might know, Spirit Wolves, like many other magical beasts, will only mate with one being for the entire span of their lives but it doesn’t necessarily have to be with one of their kind,” the woman replied without looking up. The revelation earned various shocked reactions but she ignored them. “Once they have chosen a mate, they can willingly flip back and forth between their original selves and a form that is most compatible for their mate. If their mate happens to be human, they can take on a human form.”

After a few moments of silence, the twin with her hair up in two buns spoke, “So what you’re saying is...” There wasn’t even a second delay as her sibling finished, “This Spirit Wolf’s mate was a human.”

“But... but then what happened?” Tiě questioned as she stood up and gestured to the large corpse. The servants were digging the grave behind them and were about halfway done. “How did she end up like this?”

“From what she told me before dying, I would have to guess that her husband was killed in order to get to their son,” answered the younger female. Her eyes were still focused down on the wolf and she barely registered the hand on her shoulder. “When magical beasts choose a mate and it is reciprocated, their hearts become connected. They can feel how far away the other is and when the other dies. Depending on how deep the connection runs, the surviving partner might die on the spot out of heartbreak.”

The user of the Star-Wing Sparrow nodded along with the information before asking, “That all makes sense, but why would someone target their son?” His statement earned small murmurs of agreement before he continued, “If she was able to take on human form, then they should have lived normally.”

“If only that were the case,” Xuělián muttered, no one noticing the way her pupils narrowed for a split second before she closed her eyes. She then shook her head before taking the corpse into her arms once more. “Unfortunately, many people would pay a high price to get their hands on a slave that looked human with the strength and durability of a magical beast, so they are frequently hunted down to be sold illegally and these so-called ‘hybrid hunters’ are good at their jobs.”

She then walked over to the now finished grave before lowering the wolf into the hole before continuing, “If both the beast parent and part beast child can’t completely hide their spiritual pressures, then it’s pretty much over for them.” She gave the canine one last prayer before allowing the grave to be filled. “Those hunters can pick up on the slightest mixed aura even from miles away.”

The students exchanged solemn glances before the blue haired noble asked, “So... What do we do now?” His statement earned a small chuckle from their chaperone before she stood up and turned to face them with a determined smile.

“I’m going to get that kid back.”

~~~Fin. Chapter 11~~~