"Halt."
His heart skipped a beat for reasons he couldn't explain.
Ignoring the voice, he resumed his stride.
However, the voice called out again.
"Yes, you. The boy in the black robe with the silver trim."
Adrian let out a deep sigh in an attempt to calm his racing heart and stopped walking.
"Turn around."
Heeding his order, Adrian faced him and ten Knights could be seen surrounding the black-haired boy on foot.
"..."
Nathaniel watched the boy before him intently, feeling a sense of familiarity upon seeing him.
"Lift your hood."
The boy raised his hand, however, a tall earthen wall suddenly soared in front of Nathaniel, causing his horse to whinny and rear up in a panic.
—Neigh!
Nathaniel immediately grasped the reins, struggling to regain control of his mount.
"Your Highness!"
—Drrrtt
As a shadow fell upon him, Nathaniel looked up and saw the earthen wall looming over him.
"Tsk."
Nathaniel clicked his tongue in annoyance.
He drew his sword and sent a horizontal crescent of light toward the wall.
—Boom!
"!"
To his surprise, Nathaniel found that his attack had barely scratched the earthen wall and it continued to lurch towards him.
Fortunately, just in time, several earth pillars emerged and supported the wall, preventing it from mushing the Prince.
Wasting no more time, Nathaniel quickly moved out of range of the wall.
In mere moments, the pillars crumbled and the wall collapsed with a deafening boom, enveloping the surroundings in a thick cloud of dust.
Nathaniel clenched the reins tightly while gazing at the earth wall lying below.
Only one person could make an earth wall as hard as mirthil at such a young age.
Now Nathaniel understood why he felt a sense of familiarity with the boy.
·ƈθm Switching his attention to the Knights, he shouted.
"Where did that kid go?!"
The knights exchanged nervous glances.
They were too preoccupied with saving the Prince and failed to notice their surroundings.
As rage flickered within his heart, Nathaniel billowed angrily.
"Inform the city guard and conduct a thorough search of the entire city! We cannot allow him to escape!"
"Understood!"
Upon receiving the order, the knights dispersed in search of the black-robed boy.
.
.
.
—Piii —Piii —Piii
"Tsk."
Adrian clucked his tongue in annoyance after hearing the whistle being blown as he ran.
He knew what it meant—the city would now be swarming with knights, all searching for him.
Adrian didn't understand.
Nathaniel hadn't seen his face and neither had the Knights around him.
How could he have known it was him?
Perhaps it was because he attempted to attack Nathaniel?
Well, regardless of the cause, the most important thing was for him to leave the city as soon as possible.
Turning sideways, Adrian cautiously entered the residential area and took cover behind a house.
"Haa… haa…"
Adrian clutched his chest and panted heavily, his heart felt tight.
Leaning his back against the rough brick wall, he closed his eyes and focused on slowing his racing heart.
"Haa… haa.."
After catching his breath, Adrian removed his robe and placed it in his Magical Sphere; then he pulled out another robe, this one in a light blue color.
"Stupid Nate!"
Adrian cursed under his breath whilst putting on his new robe.
If he hadn't met his very very very dear brother, he wouldn't have run like a madman.
Wearing a new robe, Adrian stepped out of the alley and walked leisurely down the street, trying to look as casual as possible.
—Rattle —Rattle —Rattle
The clattering sound of armor pricked his ears and three knights approached him.
"Excuse me, we're under investigation for a wanted person, could you lift your hood?"
One of the knights asked.
Adrian hesitated for a moment but then lifted his hood without much thought.
The knights looked at his face and exchanged glances with each other before shaking their heads, confirming that he was not the person for whom they were searching.
The person they were looking for was a young man of around 12 years old, with white hair and a pair of cerulean eyes.
Yet the person in front of them was a blonde young man.
"Thank you so much for your cooperation."
The knight said and Adrian nodded his head.
"You're welcome."
With that, the knights began to move and Adrian couldn't help but stretch out a smile and continued his way.
However, his step came to an abrupt halt and his smile vanished without a trace.
There he saw a black-haired boy galloping in his direction.
The boy's feral eyes were fixated on him and his expression was similar to that of a wild beast.
Adrian immediately turned away and sprinted as fast as he could.
Soon, a deafening roar echoed behind him, causing his heart to race with fear.
"Ian!! Stop right there!!"
Ignoring the desperate shouts behind him, Adrian bolted away.
—Piii —Piii —Piii
As the whistle echoed through the air, a group of soldiers in clamoring armor began to gather around him.
"Halt!"
Adrian peeked behind his shoulder and saw numerous Knights chasing him.
"Haa…"
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Adrian chanted inwardly.
Shortly, a powerful gust of wind slammed the Knights, sending them flying like leaves in a storm.
Their armor clanked loudly the moment they crashed to the ground and groaned in pain.
"Arrghh!"
"Ugh!"
Nathaniel clucked his tongue in annoyance upon watching his men fall to the ground.
He spurred his horse forward, jumping over the fallen knights.
However, right after he landed, the ground beneath him suddenly rose, causing his horse to stumble.
Nathaniel leaped off the horse before it fell and rolled athletically, landing perfectly on the ground.
Raising his head, Adrian was seen going upstairs leading to the battlement.
"What the hell Adrian."
Nathaniel cursed and quickly got to his feet, dashing towards the fort.
As he ran, he could hear the sound of swords clashing and men shouting.
—Bang! —Bang! —Bang!
It seemed Adrian was battling with some of the knights on the stairs.
"Urg!!"
"Arrghh!!"
Knights could be seen falling off the stairs one by one.
"Tsk."
Adrian clucked his tongue in frustration upon arriving at the parapet, realizing that the Knights were already waiting for him.
He was surrounded from both sides, giving him no room to escape.
Wasting no more time, Adrian recited a spell and soon, two fires imitating Naga appeared and swirled around him.
With a flick of his wrist, a rush of fire engulfed the knights on both sides, sweeping them away with a loud crash when they landed on the ground.
"Aaarghhh!!"
"Urrghh!!
Amidst the knights' wailing, a shout resounded.
"IAN STOP THIS IN AN INSTANT!!"
Adrian darted at the voice.
There, he saw a black-haired boy standing not too far away from him, his feral golden eyes fixated on him with an intense gaze.
Everyone who saw him could sense the seething anger bubbling just beneath the surface.
Adrian paused what he was doing and turned to face his brother.
Sweat glistened on Adrian's face and his breath was ragged.
"Haa… haa…"
Sighing to alleviate his rage, Nathaniel spoke in a gentle tone.
"Ian, let's return."
"I won't."
Adrian shook his head and took a step back, his voice laced with defiance.
"Ian—"
Nathaniel shut his mouth when a sword appeared in Adrian's grip.
"Ian—"
"If you want to stop me, try with your sword."