Chapter 85

That day, when they set out to rescue Elina. Under Alvis's command, Rex and the others finally reached their destination. However, there was an invisible wall-like barrier blocking their path. As the surroundings grew anxious, Alvis, who had placed his hand on the wall, easily passed through it. It was a critical situation, and they had no choice but to let Alvis go ahead.

"Was it right to let Alvis go?"

"…I don't know. But in that situation, we couldn't have held the prince back."

Normally, they shouldn't have allowed anyone to act alone. Alvis must have been hesitant too; the fact that he didn't immediately rush forward was proof of that. However, in this situation, ensuring Elina's safety as a hostage took priority. Rex and Dain agreed on this. They wished at least one more person could have broken through.

"Right now, we must believe in the safety of the prince and the princess. Breaking through this barrier is our top priority. If this is a trap to isolate the prince, there must be another trap waiting for us ahead…"

"Alvis…"

"Let's do our best with what we can do right now."

With that, everyone present readied their weapons. Even a small opening would do; once they had a foothold, they could expand it. No one in the group could manipulate mana like Alvis, but they were still a collection of top-tier experts from the Ruberia Kingdom. Some of them were even better at sword skills than Alvis. They couldn't afford to lose.

"Let's go!"

"“Yes!”"

With Dain's shout, a coordinated attack was launched.

Finally, Rex broke through and saw a room filled with smoke. In the center were Alvis and Elina.

"Alvis!"

He shouted, and for a moment, their eyes met. Alvis smiled with relief and then collapsed.

"Prince Alvis! Prince Alvis!"

"Alvis!"

Rushing over with Dain, they were speechless at the sight. Alvis's back was drenched in blood, having been slashed from the shoulder down.

"Princess, please excuse me."

Dain immediately pulled Alvis away from Elina and placed his hand on Alvis's back. A faint light appeared around Dain's hand.

"Dain, sir."

"This is just a temporary measure. I can only do this much, but if we don't, it could be fatal."

The bleeding hadn't stopped. Rex felt his blood run cold. The situation was worse than during the birthday celebration. At that time, they had immediately received treatment from the special physician Foran, but there was no such physician here.

"I will take the prince. You and Roubluk, go with the others to apprehend the kidnappers."

"Y-Yes."

Dain easily picked up Alvis and gave orders, then left with Elina and a few others. Still in shock, Rex shook his head to clear his thoughts. There was no time to be dazed.

Rex approached a man leaning against the wall. Blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth, indicating he had been slammed against the wall. This unknown man was likely the culprit. Rex grabbed the collar of his shirt and forced him to stand.

"Did you target the prince…?"

"…If you can see anything else in this situation, you must be a naive guard."

"Damn you!"

"Stop."

He stopped the guard next to him from lunging. The man was still smiling, even in this situation, showing no signs of trying to escape despite being surrounded by the royal guards and security forces.

"Why the prince?"

"…That's none of your business. Just kill him quickly. If you don't like it, throw him away. That's what you are."

"…"

The man seemed to welcome death. Killing him now would be wrong, especially if that was what he wanted.

"Deputy Commander Roubluk."

"…We have a garrison in this city. We'll put him in the jail there."

"Thank you."

"There must be others involved. Veda is not a small organization."

"Hah, not small, indeed. You nobles only see what suits you."

The man, who was being restrained, interrupted Rex and Deputy Commander Roubluk. He laughed, finding the situation amusing, and Rex frowned.

"You did this to us, yet you act like it's none of your business. You really only see the pretty world, don't you?"

"…"

"Do you really think Alvis is a clean and honest person? No way. He's a killer. No, that's not right. All of you nobles are the same. You kill us without even knowing it."

Rex tried to tighten his grip on the man's shirt to argue, but Deputy Commander Roubluk stopped him. Let him speak. That was the message.

"We are always used to hold you back. We are convenient. When we are no longer needed, we are thrown away. If we are about to be exposed, we are killed."

"So that's why you did this?"

"Well, I just wanted to see him suffer. I couldn't let him be the only one happy. I couldn't stand the thought of anyone other than his sister being by his side… So he should die. If things continued as they were, that would happen. It would be better for his sister too."

Rex felt a chill at the man's words. He was insane. At that moment, a wave of killing intent came from the surrounding guards. It seemed they had talked too much. But this situation was advantageous for them as well.

"Deputy Commander Roubluk."

"No problem. We can handle this easily."

"We are prepared for that. Before that…"

Rex delivered a chop to the man's neck, and he collapsed, unconscious. He then handed him over to the other guards and readied his sword. As a royal guard, he couldn't afford to lose to such people.

"You hurt Alvis, so don't think you can die easily."

Rex kicked off the ground and charged.