The room fell into a dead silence, and all three people were stunned by this insane statement.
Armat looked at Tiran with a gaze that seemed to be looking at a monster, wondering what kind of relationship this guy had with the Elf deity, to the extent that it could cause a clash between the divine beings and the Goddess of the Light. Although it hadn't escalated to a full-scale war yet, it would undoubtedly come at a cost for the Goddess of the Light to give up a representative of the rank of a glowing angel.
Could it be that this Elf deity is the illegitimate daughter of the Divine Elf? A thought flashed through Armat's mind, but it was immediately extinguished by his strong belief in the deity. No, no, no, how can I speculate about the Divine Being like this? It's too sinful. But after hearing the two statements from the Divine Being, Armat truly felt that his pure heart of faith had been tainted...
"Regarding the Angel, you guys should take care of her for now. After all, she is the representative of the goddess's will, and it would be best not to let her be harmed, well, that's it."
Having made up his mind, Armat turned around and picked up the unconscious Angel and put her in Aya's arms. Taking advantage of the others' lack of response, he pushed them out of the Elf palace.
"Take care and goodbye."
Before Aya and Tiran could react, King Elf had already slammed the palace gate shut, causing more than ten leaves to fall from the hanging vine.
The two looked at each other, completely baffled.
"So...we're really taking her home?" Aya tentatively asked.
"For now, let's do that. We can't just abandon her, and as long as she's sealed, there shouldn't be too much trouble," Tiran said, staring at the Angel girl in Aya's arms, wearing only a white shirt and panties. Well, isn't this even more tempting than being naked?!
...
The night grew darker, the sky was covered with thick clouds, and the stars and moon were dimmed. The cold wind howled, carrying tiny snowflakes, indicating an impending snowstorm.
Giliast Castle, a thousand miles away from Frost Forest, was quiet, even a bit deserted when the castle owner was not around, with only a few main towers lit up.
Just a few days ago, a neighboring country that had been in territorial disputes with Milanía deployed two corps less than 500 meters from the border, adding pressure to the already tense situation. War King immediately dispatched three corps to guard the border fortress, making the smell of gunpowder in the air even thicker.
However, all of this had little to do with Mimi. All she needed to do was take care of the prince's home until he returned.
Carrying a portable magic lamp, Mimi walked through the long suspended corridor between two main towers, preparing to check the rooms in the next building.
She was dressed in her usual maid outfit, with a holster tied to the edge of her white knee-high socks, securing her silver whip, which she used during battles.
She was doing her daily patrol. With the arrival of the new year, most of the maids and guards were allowed to go home and reunite with their families, leaving only the minimal staff to keep the castle running. Therefore, the task of night patrol had to be taken on by Miss Mimi herself.
For an ordinary girl, walking alone in the dark castle corridor at night might be a bit scary, but Mimi was not an ordinary girl. As a Demon, she did not resist the darkness. Instead, she felt a sense of tranquility, like a fish in water.
Contrary to the image of "scary," "dangerous," and "old aunt" in Aya's eyes, in the eyes of most ordinary maids, this housekeeper was an outwardly cold but internally warm and understanding older sister figure. It was only when it came to matters involving the princess that she occasionally became terrifying.
"Your Highness..." as she entered the opposite building, Mimi sighed and stopped by a bed.
Mimi now regretted why she didn't stick to Tiran's side tightly when they were still in the capital city. On the day of the coup, she left the palace alone, entrusting everything to Justice, and claimed to be looking for the prince, but did nothing to help, leaving the prince to face dangerous enemies alone. It was torturous to feel so helpless.
Of course, what Miss Mimi cared about even more was the fact that after successfully escaping from the capital city, Tiran left with Aya to escape the pursuit of the Angel...not to mention being hunted, this was an opportunity to travel with the prince! And it was just given away to that dumb dragon for no reason! How unfair!
However, guarding this castle is also my way of contributing to His Highness, and...chirp chirp. Pinching the hastily left letter from Tiran tucked in her bosom, Mimi's mood improved slightly. The fact that His Highness entrusted Mimi with taking care of Chirp, showed that His Highness trusted her.
"Your Highness, Your Highness..."
Murmuring softly while holding the letter in front of her, the steward's cheeks flushed slightly when she felt Tiran's presence. She wore a satisfied expression, treasuring the folded letter carefully and putting it back into the pocket of her close-fitting clothes.
Hmm, after finishing my inspection of this area, I'll go and take a look at Chirp's room. By this time, Chirp would already be asleep, but even just a glance at that adorable sleeping face would be enough to soothe the exhaustion of a day's work.
In the warm orange light of the lamps, Mimi suddenly noticed an open window ahead. It was perhaps left open by a maid responsible for checking the windows in the evening, or maybe it was blown open by the strong wind. The long window pane danced in the snow breeze, and tiny snowflakes drifted into the castle, landing on the smooth marble floor, reflecting a faint glow.
Mimi took a few steps forward and approached the open window, braving the cold wind to close it. The sound of the heels of her small boots tapping against the ground echoed hollowly in the corridor.
Just then, the keen senses of the fire demon suddenly sensed something.
The sound of something breaking.
Mimi suddenly looked up, and in the sky where the snowflakes were falling, the previously invisible barrier that should have been there had disappeared.
...
Outside the Gilias Castle, a figure hidden under a robe lightly stepped past the invisible barrier that should have been constructed by the protective barrier and stood in the castle.
"What an eerie character!"
Although it was the New Year holiday, there were still some guards in the castle. A patrol soldier from a squad responsible for guarding the barrier immediately noticed the intruder and rushed over, pointing their spears at the audacious intruder.
"Good evening, everyone." The person under the robe chuckled lightly and scanned the soldiers surrounding them, their bright eyes hidden beneath the hood. Then, they spoke softly.
Their voice was a bit husky but magnetic, sounding like a mature handsome man who had been through hardships, sitting in a bar and being able to captivate many young girls with a glass of alcohol.
But the soldiers were not young girls, so they would naturally not be captivated by him. Twenty spears emitting a cold glow were pointed at him, exerting great pressure. The guards of the Gilias Castle were all elites, and this squad alone had at least the title of a Level 3 Knight. Their strength would be even stronger when they formed a coordinated battle formation.
"Don't be nervous, I am just here to retrieve my personal belongings. If you all would kindly step aside, I would be very grateful." The figure under the robe smiled lightly and bowed slightly, revealing their right hand adorned with various-colored gemstone rings on all fingers except the thumb.
When the captain noticed the hand adorned with rings, his expression changed, and he pointed his spear forward. "Everyone, take him down! This guy is a Magic User!"
Everyone knows the power of a Magic User, and the only way to deal with such a dangerous person is to get close and assassinate them before they can create distance!
"Quite knowledgeable, but...the methods used against Magic Users won't work on me." The figure in the robe still had a smiling expression as they looked at the soldiers charging towards them. Suddenly, the gemstone rings on their hands emitted a dazzling light.
...
Mimi immediately noticed the light and shouting from the side of the castle.
Without hesitation, the steward jumped out of the window and descended, using a whip to grab onto a protruding section of the eaves below, allowing her to safely land. Hurrying towards the site of the battle, she shot a burst of exploding fireball in the sky as a signal to Justice. Although the knight who wielded the Sword of Growth was still injured and not fully recovered, his combat power was second only to Mimi in the castle. With him guarding the interior of the castle, Mimi would feel a bit more at ease.
"What kind of person dares to invade Gilias..."
Thinking quickly, the steward's cerulean eyes turned crimson, and her long legs swiftly crossed the courtyard lawn.
From the sound of the battle, she could tell that they had encountered the outer guards. The combat power of the castle guards was not weak, and if it were just ordinary intruders, they wouldn't have caused such a commotion. In other words, they must have encountered a formidable opponent.
The Temple Church? A rebel group led by Crown Prince? Infiltrators from other countries?
None of this seems right. Why would these forces invade the city of Giliasht Castle when Prince Tiran is not there?
No, there's no need to think so much. All she needs to do is to fulfill the invaders' goal.
"What...?"
Stopping in her tracks, Mimi tightly gripped her silver whip and couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her. Surprise was revealed in her crimson eyes.
A total of twenty elite soldiers, knights above level three, were all defeated within a minute before she arrived. Spears and sword blades were scattered on the ground, and among the fallen soldiers and broken weapons, a figure in a robe stood tall in the center, the hem of the robe fluttering in the snowy wind.
There's no need for further words. The enemy is already clear. Mimi flicked her whip, its metallic form slashing like a sword towards that figure, tearing through the air with a howl.
Not immediately using the large-scale fire attack favored by the Flame Demon was out of consideration for the friendly soldiers still alive near the invader. As long as she could force him back with a whip strike, she could unleash a flame barrage.
But the invader didn't retreat. Instead, he stood in place and reached out his hand to grab the split silver whip!
He wants to catch it with his bare hands?!
Mimi's pupils contracted, and the next moment something even more surprising happened.
A huge metal arm appeared out of thin air in front of the invader, using its sturdy skeletal structure to block her whip strike, and then grabbed the maid's silver whip with force, pulling it back.
"Forgot to introduce myself. My name is Hermes," the man spoke softly from under his hood.
