Chapter 27: The Arrival of the Leonheart Kingdom’s Army [bonus]

Kael stood with both feet firmly planted on the ground, maintaining a solid and balanced stance. Beads of fresh sweat dampened the simple brown clothes clinging to his athletic physique.

His powerful hands gripped the hilt of his training sword tightly, swinging the metal blade repeatedly with unrelenting precision.

He practiced each movement with discipline, having spent three full hours training his physical strength and basic techniques without a single break.

It had been far too long since Kael had seriously devoted time to honing his physique, having grown too comfortable with the peaceful days and leisurely moments he had enjoyed since deciding to live in the cabin.

Now, as he continued his steady swings, his breathing remained controlled, reflecting his sound fighting posture.

"Huff..." Kael let out a long breath, delivering one final slash before lowering his sword and wiping the sweat from his forehead. "It’s been five days since the bloody incident in the southern village. I’ve also sent an official letter to the royal palace by carrier pigeon. They should... be arriving around now."

Kael then recalled his recent conversation with Loyd. The young man had admitted that he originally came from another city and had deliberately moved from place to place after accidentally getting himself entangled in serious trouble with an influential official.

"?????? ??????????? ?????????? ???? ???????????????????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ???????????? ?????? ?????? ??????????????????. ???????? ?????? ???????????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???????????????? ??????????????????. ?????? ???????????? ???? ???????????????? ?? ?????????????????? ??????’?? ???? ??????, ????’???? ?????????????????????? ???????????? ???? ??????," Kael mused inwardly, although he understood his junior’s pragmatic nature.

For the time being, Loyd had decided to stay in Vex City, intending to rebuild his small business using the remaining savings from his hard work as a mercenary.

Over the past few days, Kael had also tried to set aside some time to approach Xavier and communicate with him privately. He suspected that, as an intelligent ancient creature, the Wolf Guardian might possess the ability to speak human languages.

However, let alone speaking, the wolf hadn’t uttered a single word. Whether the creature had genuinely lost the ability to speak or his magical energy was still at rock bottom because of his old injuries, there was no way to know for certain.

After all, Kael desperately wanted to learn more detailed information about Lizzy’s past from the wolf. He firmly believed that Xavier had been accompanying Lizzy for a long time, long before the woman became an assassin.

Thinking back to Lizzy’s account of her past, when she had managed to escape from a ruthless assassin organization and was relentlessly hunted wherever she went... how could a girl possibly escape and survive the pursuit of such a formidable syndicate so easily?

Of course, Kael wasn’t underestimating Lizzy’s deadly combat abilities in the slightest. However, escaping from an assassin organization without losing a single limb or suffering any permanent injuries seemed far too easy to be mere coincidence.

Especially when considering the enormous scale of that assassin organization.

"Hmm... I’m certain this wolf was secretly protecting Lizzy throughout her escape. Whether he managed to slaughter the entire organization by himself or not, it’s still hard to imagine fighting thousands of trained assassins all at once, even for a creature as powerful as him."

However, the biggest question that continued to trouble Kael was this: if the assassin organization still existed to this day, why had they suddenly abandoned their hunt and stopped pursuing Lizzy?

It was impossible for a secret syndicate to simply let a valuable fugitive go. A traitor not only threatened to leak confidential information about their headquarters but could also become a thorn in the side of their entire network’s security.

Kael’s expression grew complicated as he continued piecing together various logical possibilities in his mind.

"Could Lizzy have been presumed dead by them, causing them to call off the hunt? But... if they believed Lizzy was already dead, how had she managed to survive until now?"

"Perhaps the assumption that she was dead is a bit too far-fetched. The most plausible possibility is that Lizzy suffered severe injuries that nearly cost her life, whether from a deadly poison or an enemy’s sword. And it was during those critical moments that Xavier was forced to sacrifice most of his magical power to heal and save her."

There was one more thing that made Kael curious: Lizzy herself didn’t seem to be fully aware of Xavier’s true identity.

Kael let out a weary sigh. He had indeed been swamped with countless matters related to the city’s recovery and emergency bureaucracy over the past few days. As a result, Lizzy had sulked and flown into a furious rage because Kael had once again broken his promise to get complete rest, just as he had previously assured her he would.

Whenever he remembered Lizzy’s outbursts, Kael always found himself caught in a dilemma. On one hand, he felt touched by his wife’s concern for him. On the other, he was terrified that she might actually hurt herself in the midst of her possessive fury.

Lizzy’s anger wasn’t the kind of ordinary woman’s anger that simply involved staying silent or giving her husband the cold shoulder. Lizzy would undoubtedly brandish her dagger, fly into a rage, and do whatever it took to vent her emotions.

However, Kael had noticed something strange: for the past two days, Lizzy had suddenly begun acting differently. She seemed more absent-minded, restless, and increasingly inclined to spend time alone in silence.

"Could it be because we’ve had a little more free time together lately? Why has she suddenly started acting so strangely?"

Even more surprising than he could have predicted, Lizzy and Cherry, the two women who had once pulled each other’s hair and tried to kill one another, had somehow suddenly become much more amicable and were frequently spending time together wherever they went.

"?????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ???????????? ???? ???????????" Kael wondered in confusion.

Sometimes, he would see the two of them walking side by side toward a local restaurant in the city center or simply stopping by shops selling women’s clothing and jewelry.

Kael slowly shook his head and let out a resigned sigh.

"Haah... Women, as expected. They’re truly complicated creatures to understand, yet they always demand to be understood."

"Senior! Senior Kael, hurry to the northern gate!"

Suddenly, Loyd’s panicked voice shattered the silence of the courtyard. The young man came sprinting toward Kael, panting heavily, with sweat covering his forehead. Naturally, his sudden appearance left Kael bewildered.

Kael straightened up and calmly looked at his junior.

"What’s wrong, Loyd? Why do you look so rushed and panicked?"

Loyd frantically pointed toward the city’s main gate, swallowing hard.

"It’s... The kingdom’s official army has finally arrived!"

Kael froze in place. He turned his gaze in the direction Loyd was pointing. In the distance, a magnificent golden lion banner fluttered proudly in the air, the symbol of the Leonheart Kingdom’s pride.

They had finally arrived. Yet, for some reason, the moment he saw the procession of gleaming armor entering the city gates, a faint sense of foreboding stirred within his chest, leaving him with an inexplicable uneasiness.

It wasn’t just because the army had arrived a little later than he had expected. A few seconds later, Loyd added one crucial piece of information in a trembling voice: the procession wasn’t led by an ordinary war general.

The princess of the Leonheart Kingdom herself had personally joined the expedition.