Extended Thought

Leading the group was Crown Prince Zorzal, with the elegantly dressed young noble by his side. Behind them followed a group of brawny men clad in light armor.

All together, fifty-two riders on tall warhorses thundered down the street in formation.

Even though the people walking in this noble district were mostly aristocrats themselves, they instinctively lowered their heads upon seeing Zorzal, showing their deference to the crown prince.

Some of the nobles, however, looked toward Zorzal with eager, flattering expressions, clearly hoping to curry favor and improve their own standing.

Still, the intimidating presence of the fifty mounted guards kept anyone from acting rashly.

As for Eriri and Rory, they briefly turned their heads at the commotion, but not even a second later, they went back to eating, occasionally laughing and feeding each other, completely disregarding Zorzal and his cavalry.

...

The young noble raised his right hand and pointed excitedly in Eriri and Rory's direction. "Your Highness, there they are."

His eyes couldn't hide their infatuation as he looked at Eriri. The thought of her soon becoming Zorzal's plaything made a twinge of regret stir in his heart—regret that he'd reported her to the prince.

Still, he knew that even if he hadn't, someone else would have. Zorzal had more than one sycophant under his wing. The regret quickly vanished.

"Hmph, I saw them myself. You didn't need to point," Zorzal said impatiently, his gaze fixed on Eriri. His excitement was written all over his face.

Though the young noble had led them here, most of their accuracy came from asking passersby for directions.

"You did well this time. I'm pleased," Zorzal said, not even glancing at the man.

Then, his tone shifted. His eyes burned with obsession. "To think such beauty exists in this world. I must have her for myself!"

Normally, he would send his men to forcibly seize the women he desired, but in Eriri's case, he didn't mind introducing himself personally.

As for Rory standing beside her? He had completely dismissed her.

Eager, he nudged his horse forward, approaching Eriri's position. The fawning noble and fifty mounted guards followed close behind.

Even the guards were struck by Eriri's beauty, though they knew better than to entertain such thoughts given their station.

As Zorzal drew closer—within five meters of Eriri—he suddenly slammed into an invisible wall of air. His horse stopped in its tracks, unable to move another step.

The unexpected obstruction stunned him. His once-excited expression froze.

Only then did he remember that Eriri was accompanied by Emroy's apostle.

He instinctively assumed the barrier had been created by Rory.

Zorzal didn't bother trying to approach Eriri directly anymore. Instead, from five meters away, he raised his voice and said to Eriri and Rory, "I am Crown Prince Zorzal El Caesar of the Empire. My lady, and Your Holiness, I have the finest chefs in the world at my palace. Their dishes are hundreds of times better than what you're eating now. Would you do me the honor of visiting my palace as my guests?"

Rather than giving a direct order to seize them, Zorzal decided to be polite first.

But the result of his invitation was not what he had hoped.

Eriri glanced at him with a calm expression and replied offhandedly, "Crown Prince, was it? I'll give you a chance—take your people and leave now, and I'll pretend nothing happened. Otherwise... bear the consequences~"

She smiled lightly as she spoke. Though the words were an open threat, her tone was as casual as if she were simply chatting, without a hint of menace.

Zorzal's expression instantly darkened.

For someone like him, even offering a polite invitation was already a huge concession.

If the girl before him weren't Eriri but just a random pretty face, he would've ordered her seized on the spot without another word.

"Hmph. You refuse a toast and choose punishment instead? You think having a demigod beside you gives you the right to act lawlessly?!" Zorzal snorted coldly, shooting a disdainful glance at Rory beside Eriri, who blinked her big eyes innocently.

A cruel smile spread across Zorzal's face as he raised his hand and commanded his cavalry, "Take her. Bring the beauty to me."

Just then, an urgent voice called out from not far away.

"Brother! Stop right now!"

Alongside the voice came the sound of hurried hoofbeats. A young woman under twenty, clad in light armor with striking red hair, galloped toward Zorzal on a warhorse.

She was none other than the Empire's Third Princess, Pina Co Lada.

Six other girls followed closely behind her, all also mounted and dressed in identical light armor, clearly part of the same organization.

That organization was the Rose Knights, founded by Pina herself—an all-female knighthood.

Though Pina had departed later than Zorzal and his group, their swift pace meant they were only slightly behind.

They had already heard snippets of the situation from bystanders along the way, learning that Zorzal was after an exceptionally beautiful girl.

So as she shouted, Pina also felt relieved that she had arrived just in time—hopefully before her brother ordered anything reckless.

However, what happened next stunned her and the six women behind her into complete silence. Even their horses skidded to a stop in fear.

...

Of course, Zorzal heard Pina's shout loud and clear, but he completely ignored it, still ordering his fifty elite cavalry to move in on Eriri and Rory.

But just as the cavalry began to move into formation, Zorzal, whose eyes had never left Eriri, saw her casually raise her right hand and wave it dismissively toward them.

Her face showed a look of distaste, as if she were shooing away some annoying bugs.

Before Zorzal could even process the meaning of Eriri's wave, an intense, indescribable pain suddenly flooded his mind. He instinctively tried to scream, but quickly realized he couldn't move—nor could he make a sound.

Then he saw his body slowly disintegrating, at an excruciatingly slow pace. The overwhelming pain that enveloped him stemmed directly from this disintegration.

After what felt like a full day of agony, only one of his legs had dissolved up to the knee.

Despair consumed him. If half a leg caused such unbearable torment, how much suffering would the rest of his body bring?

At this point, he could no longer think clearly. The searing pain had blurred his thoughts to the point that he could feel nothing else—only pain and despair.

Though it felt like an eternity to Zorzal, in reality, only a moment had passed.

With a casual wave from Eriri, Zorzal, the young man beside him, and the fifty cavalrymen behind them all turned to ash, vanishing completely.

Eriri had extended their perception of time within their minds, stretching out that single instant into what felt like endless suffering.

Of course, how long this mental time dilation lasted depended on the severity of their misdeeds.

Given the vile actions of Zorzal and his lackey, they weren't going to be granted an easy end.

...

Seeing the Crown Prince vanish before their very eyes, all the bystanders who had witnessed the scene were struck with panic.

The sheer strangeness of it terrified them—no one dared linger, afraid they'd share the same fate.

They scattered like frightened birds, quickly fleeing the street.

Soon, the only ones left were Eriri and Rory, who looked as if nothing had happened, and the stunned Pina and the six members of her Rose Knights.

"Brother..." Pina murmured, staring blankly at the spot where Zorzal had disappeared.

Though Zorzal had always been a terrible person, he was still her brother—and his death dealt her a heavy blow.

What she didn't know was that familial ties meant nothing to Zorzal.

If achieving his goals meant sacrificing her, he would've done so without hesitation.

Unlike the grief-stricken Pina, the six Rose Knights quickly recovered, regrouping around her to shield her.

Though fear still lingered in their hearts, they weren't like the commoners who had fled.

They would willingly lay down their lives to protect Pina.

"Your Highness..."

One of them, a blonde knight with ringlet curls, called out to Pina in concern. The others stayed alert, scanning their surroundings.

One silver-haired knight, spotting Eriri and Rory, shouted urgently, "You two over there—this place is dangerous! You should leave at once!"

Because they had arrived a bit late and the cavalry had blocked their view, they hadn't seen Eriri wave her hand.

Thus, they didn't associate Zorzal's disappearance with Eriri or Rory.

However, judging by Eriri's looks, they immediately realized she must have been Zorzal's target.

But that wasn't their concern. At most, they were just stunned by Eriri's beauty.

"Eh? Dangerous? What danger? I don't know anything about that," Eriri said, placing her right index finger against her chin and tilting her head with a look of innocent curiosity.

Her response made several of the knights pause, their expressions turning slightly odd.

Eriri's acting was flawless. To an outsider, she looked like a pure, innocent girl without a single malicious bone in her body.

But to say such a thing right after a whole group of people vanished in front of her—it made the knights feel an uncanny sense of dissonance.

Still, the silver-haired knight replied, "Just now, Crown Prince Zorzal was struck by an unknown force. We don't know if that force is still active, so this area is extremely dangerous. I advise you both to leave quickly."

Then she turned her attention to Rory: "Lady Rory Mercury, I believe you understand the danger of such a force better than I do. A power capable of erasing a large group in an instant—even as a demigod, you couldn't defend against it, could you? So please, for your safety, take your companion and leave this place."

Since Rory had appeared at imperial festivals before, the Rose Knights, like the general populace, recognized her.

However, they did not treat her with any special reverence just because she was a divine apostle.

Rory simply smiled at the knight's words and replied casually, "Thank you for your concern, but I don't think there's anything here that could hurt me~"

Right as she finished speaking, Eriri suddenly balled her right hand into a fist and lightly tapped her left palm.

Feigning sudden realization, she said, "Oh~ so that's what you were talking about? I thought you meant something else. Actually... that was me, you know~"

A bright smile spread across her face, as if eagerly anticipating the knights' reaction to her revelation.

And sure enough, the members of the Rose Knights did not disappoint.

They all froze in place. Even Pina, who had just been brought out of her stunned state by the blonde knight with the golden ringlets, fell back into shock upon hearing Eriri's words.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon: 

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven