You Think I Can't?

In the middle of the day, four silhouettes approached the exit of the Heijo sewage tunnel. 

Leading the group was a man dressed like a servant. The man was none other than Gyo.

"Is this the place?" Gyo asked as he looked at the entrance of the sewage tunnel.

The tunnel had a diameter of about two and a half meters, allowing an adult to pass through.

One of the soldiers accompanying Gyo confirmed Gyo's question, stating that only the southern entrance of the tunnel was the possible way out for the prisoners.

After the massive fire attack by Kirana, around hundreds of people had met their end. 

Gyo himself was severely injured. His mutant abilities allowed him to heal faster, but even so, he still had internal injuries that prevented him from engaging in combat for the time being.

While Gyo was recovering, the General of the Ethyrian forces had ordered his troops to pursue the escaped prisoners. He specifically emphasized the capture of the three individuals—Gina, Logan, and Green.

Upon investigation, they had finally discovered how the prisoners had escaped through the underground sewage system. 

As they followed the path, there were only three possible exits from the underground tunnel, two of which were still blocked by iron grates. Only the southern section was open.

That's why Gyo and some of his associates were at the front of the southern entrance of the tunnel.

"Have you already investigated their escaped route?" 

One of the soldiers came to Gyo, pointing to signs of a group of people passing by. There were crushed grasses and broken plant stems.

All the signs pointed into the southeastern forest. The four of them followed the tracks and stopped in the middle of the forest, observing what seemed to be a resting place for a group of people. 

There were food bags and the remnants of a hastily extinguished campfire.

Gyo then looked to the south, where it appeared that the group of people, presumably the escaped prisoners, had gone.

"Ethyria?"

Looking in the direction the prisoners had taken, there was only the territory of Ethyria to the south. 

Gyo then thought about Gina. If the mysterious individual who wielded Fire Magic was no longer leading the prisoners, Gina might be the next in line as their leader. 

If it was Gina, going to Ethyria wouldn't be strange.

Gyo grinned broadly. "Kukuku, do you think going to Ethyria will be safe?"

Gyo immediately ordered the soldier beside him to relay a message to the General, instructing him to send people to Ethyria to search for the escaped criminals and distribute wanted posters for Gina, Logan, and Green.

Once the matter was settled, Gyo could only surrender and wait for good news from Ethyria. 

For now, he needed to focus on taking over Edenia and healing himself before the war began.

***

Elsewhere, perched in a tree and observing, Kirana watched as four people inspected the campsite that the prisoners had used earlier. 

She hid, keeping a close eye on Gyo and his companions.

Hearing Gyo's command to his subordinate brought a smile to Kirana's face. Her plan to create false tracks leading south had succeeded. 

Kirana needed Gyo and his troops in Heijo to forget about Gina and the others. This would buy time for Logan and Green to search for the First Prince on Mount Unsu.

After watching Gyo depart, Kirana began to move again. She returned to the city to locate the three children from the families she had promised to help. 

In addition to finding the children, she also kept a close watch on the situation in Heijo. 

She wanted to know the movements and intentions of the troops concerning the impending attack on Edenia.

It wasn't difficult for Kirana to locate the three children from the couples she had sent to Edenia. 

The challenge lay in getting them out because the city's security had tightened, even though they had forgotten about Gina and the other prisoners. 

They hadn't forgotten the figure in the white robe and mask. This limited Kirana's movements within the city.

Only when night fell did Kirana manage to escape the city, carrying three unconscious children-– two boys and one girl—on her shoulders. 

She had abducted them from two empty houses and one from a merchant's place, who likely intended to keep the child until the parents returned. 

Kirana had kidnapped the child and put them to sleep with Cien's homemade sleeping potion, which wasn't effective on fighters but worked well on regular people.

Kirana quickly leaped over the city walls and ran towards Mount Unsu. At their predetermined meeting place, she encountered Green and Logan.

"Commander!"

"Shh, don't shout so loudly."

Kirana urged Logan to lower his voice. The big man always spoke loudly as if he had a built-in megaphone in his throat.

"Tsk, tsk, not Commander anymore, Logan. It's Princess Kirana! Prin-cess!"

"Ah! Um, sorry, Your Highness."

Kirana could only give a faint smile, telling Logan not to worry about it.

"Besides, even though I'm a royalty now, I still hold the rank of Captain in the Arcadian military."

"Oh! In that case, can I join?"

Logan didn't hesitate; he immediately offered to join.

Logan was an orphan with no family or home, so he didn't have strong loyalty to Westya. His loyalty was to Kirana, who had been his superior for the past two years.

"Err, are you just going to move like that?" Green asked with a sour expression.

"Are you planning to return to Ethyria?"

"Huh? Return?! Of course I'll go back, but for revenge! Those dirty soldiers killed Paul and the others for no good reason."

"Sigh..."

Listening to the two men argue was starting to give her a headache. 

Kirana stopped their bickering and asked for their report on the search for the First Prince.

Unfortunately, after a whole day of searching, they hadn't found any clues about the Prince's whereabouts.

However, it couldn't be denied that there was something valuable on Mount Unsu. 

During their search, they had come across dozens of soldiers with the symbols of Ethyria and Rostgard passing through. 

They refrained from killing or capturing them as per Kirana's orders. Doing so could make the enemy alert and potentially increase the number of soldiers on Mount Unsu.

Green and Logan watched these soldiers, trying to determine their intentions and patrol routes on Mount Unsu. 

However, they found nothing. There was no base on Mount Unsu, and the soldiers seemed to wander aimlessly for four hours before being replaced by others.

Yet, the sheer number of these patrolling soldiers indicated that something of value was indeed present. The question was whether that something was the First Prince or something else.

Kirana thought for a moment. Eventually, she instructed Green and Logan to return to Edenia and reunite the children with their parents. 

Afterward, she told them to report to Lilinette and follow her orders in her absence.

"But, Your Highness, what about you?" Green asked.

"I will investigate what's hidden on Mount Unsu. Besides, when the war begins, I might launch a surprise attack from behind the enemy."

"Alone?!"

"Hm? Why not? Do you think I can't handle it?"

Green and Logan saw the steely determination in the eyes of the Arcadian Princess. They quickly shook their heads.

"No, no, not at all. On the contrary, hahaha, I feel sorry for those who have to face you," Green said, a little stiffly.

Kirana gave a small smile, causing both men to shiver at the sight of it. They couldn't help but imagine that Kirana was quietly mocking them in her heart.

Kirana instructed the two men once more to follow Lilinette's orders, along with Gina, and then watched their silhouettes as they left. 

After they had disappeared from her sight, Kirana took a deep breath. She looked up at the slightly overcast sky, obscuring the brightness of the moon.

"Hmm..."

While gazing at the cloudy sky and the stars, Kirana pondered the results of Green and Logan's search. 

Besides the numerous patrolling soldiers, they had mentioned the absence of any buildings, caves, or tunnels. 

In their rough search, they hadn't found any sign of underground chambers. It would take a considerable amount of time to thoroughly search every inch of the mountain for underground spaces, assuming they existed. If not, it would be a waste of time.

'But it's not possible that those soldiers are patrolling without a reason. There must be something there; I just need to figure out how to find it.'

As the question lingered in her mind, her gaze shifted back to the sky as the clouds began to obscure the moon, casting a darkness over the land.

"Clouds..."

Kirana remembered an important lesson from her father when he taught her water manipulation techniques. 

Cien had explained that every spell, even seemingly useless ones, could become highly valuable when performed in the right place.

Explaining the concept, Cien demonstrated it by creating a small puddle of water at his feet. 

He closed his eyes and instructed Kirana and Legia to attack him. Relying solely on sound, Cien was able to determine the direction of their attacks. 

However, sound alone was insufficient, given that Cien's eyes were closed at the moment. So, Cien manipulated the puddle of water as a sensor, effectively acting as his eyes.

He stomped his foot on the ground, causing the puddle of water to ripple and flow in different directions. 

With his manipulation, Cien was able to predict the nature of Kirana and Legia's attacks and easily evade them while launching counterattacks, defeating them.

This left Kirana and Legia quite stunned. Cien explained that the water puddle technique was primarily useful indoors. 

Outdoors, manipulating [Rain] would be more effective, as it could detect any movements affected by the falling raindrops.

Recalling this lesson, Kirana couldn't help but smile. 

"Thank you, Father. Let's see if we can find something. [Rain]."