Chapter 20: The Invasion of Arcane (1)

The three students had already changed into suitable clothes for a stroll around the city of Arcane. Magnus slowly opened the window of their room and invited the other two to climb out through it.

One by one, they carefully climbed out of the window and made their way toward the academy’s outer gates.

They ran as fast as they could to avoid being spotted by other students and to keep Vila from waiting too long.

From a distance, Haruki spotted Vila waiting for them outside the gates, dressed entirely in brown.

"Have you been waiting long, Vila?" Haruki asked, taking a deep breath.

"Not really."

"Yosh, let’s go!"

Magnus quickly covered Philip’s mouth to prevent him from making any noise that might attract the attention of other students. After that, they finally began their journey to explore the city.

"Is it really okay for us to go out like this?" Vila asked. "Haruki and Philip have already caused trouble at the palace before."

Philip casually replied that nothing would happen to them. Magnus and Haruki did not pay much attention to Vila’s concerns either, causing her to eventually stop worrying about it.

They then boarded a horse-drawn carriage to speed up their journey.

Throughout the ride, the old man driving the carriage grew increasingly annoyed as Philip and Magnus kept blaming each other for the lack of space on their seats.

These two really are idiots...

That was what Haruki thought to himself.

Eventually, they arrived in the middle of the city, where the carriage came to a stop.

"Thank you."

Haruki thanked the old man before he departed with the payment Haruki had given him.

"Oi, you two brats! Don’t cause any trouble around here."

"Brats?" Philip and Magnus exclaimed simultaneously.

The four of them walked through the city as usual. Fortunately, none of the nobles recognized them, much to Haruki’s relief. He had been worried that something unpleasant might happen because of their earlier attack on King Arcane.

Thank goodness nobody here recognizes us...

"So, where should we go fir—"

"Huh? They’re already gone?"

Philip and Magnus had run off after spotting an apple pie shop in the distance. That left only Haruki and Vila behind.

"Just go if you want to," Haruki said.

"N-No, I’ll follow you, Haruki..."

Haruki simply accepted Vila’s company, and the two continued strolling through the city, leaving Philip and Magnus at the pie shop.

Haruki and Vila tried to think of interesting places to visit, but they couldn’t find many places that particularly caught their attention.

I’m alone with Haruki...

Vila’s face gradually turned red without her realizing it. Suddenly, Haruki noticed her flushed expression.

"Vila, are you sick?"

His question reached Vila’s ears, and she instinctively covered her face with both hands.

Haruki scratched his head before continuing his stroll with Vila.

Suddenly, an ice arrow shot toward Haruki from behind.

[WARNING: INCOMING ATTACK]

Haruki quickly ducked, bringing Vila down with him. He immediately looked around, trying to determine where the attack had come from.

When he finally turned around, he saw three people riding white horses, each wearing a cloak of the same color as their mounts.

None of them revealed their faces—or, more precisely, their heads were completely concealed beneath their hoods.

"Who are these people?" Haruki asked curiously.

Gradually, more hooded figures riding identical white horses appeared, gathering in great numbers like a flock of ravens.

Vila could only crouch down in fear, clutching her head with both hands.

Some of the townspeople fled in terror, while others attempted to fight back using magic. However, the barrage of arrows alone was enough to bring many of them down.

"Who the hell are all these people?!"

Another volley of arrows was launched toward Haruki. Just as they hurtled toward him, a blue-haired young man appeared and stylishly caught one of the arrows.

"Are you seriously trying to get yourself killed, Haruki?"

"Ah, Philip! Lucky you managed to catch that arrow~"

The voice was familiar—not just familiar, but one Haruki heard all the time.

Standing before him was Philip, who had caught the arrow with his right hand.

Meanwhile, Magnus stood in front of Vila, protecting her in case another attack came her way.

"Sorry I let my guard down, and thanks," Haruki said with a smile.

"Haruki, Philip... there’s something fluttering on a flag behind them," Magnus said.

The group of mysterious figures began moving closer, and the flag they carried gradually became clearer.

Its design was now unmistakable.

"What kind of flag is that, Magnus?" Haruki asked, looking at him in panic.

"I-I don’t know! I can’t tell which kingdom that flag belongs to!"

"Whatever. Attacking people without warning is unacceptable," Philip declared as he drew his dagger.

Haruki also summoned his dagger from the system, while Magnus retreated with Vila to keep her out of the fight.

[INVASION OF THE KINGDOM OF ARCANE HAS BEGUN]

"Oh? So this kingdom is being invaded?"

Philip couldn’t help but think that the kingdom deserved to be invaded. However, he sensed an aura far more sinister than King Arcane’s emanating from the invaders.

That feeling made him realize he needed to act quickly and give the enemy no opportunity to gain the upper hand.

"In that case... let’s go, Haruki!"

Philip charged toward the enemy soldiers, ready to attack them.

The soldiers drew their bows simultaneously and unleashed a barrage of arrows that flew rapidly toward him.

However, with Haruki’s help, the situation changed.

Haruki cast his Gravity Magic on the incoming arrows, forcing them to fall to the ground and creating an opening for Philip to attack.

One by one, the invading soldiers fell, their bodies covered in blood from Philip’s relentless assault.

"Just where the hell are Arcane’s royal soldiers?!" Philip shouted, his voice filled with frustration.

"So, you’re the one who knocked down our soldiers’ arrows?"

A black-haired man with brown eyes suddenly appeared and launched a swift attack against Haruki. Using his Metal Magic, he shaped metal into a sword and swung it at him.

"Ugh!!"

Philip, who had been cutting down the soldiers, immediately turned toward Haruki.

The man had run his sword through Haruki’s abdomen before pulling the blade back out.

"Haruki!"

Philip immediately rushed toward the man, attempting to strike him down. However, the man effortlessly blocked every attack Philip launched at him.

"Too slow..."

Suddenly, the man appeared behind Philip, preparing to attack him from the rear.

...

Without warning, a plant burst out of the ground and ensnared the man’s arm, preventing him from delivering his attack.

Philip quickly leaped away from the man.

Then, the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention.

A woman with purple hair and red eyes emerged.

Haruki’s vision was growing blurry, but he could still make out the woman’s figure.

He recognized her.

And he recognized whose magic it was.

"A-Aelin... Greenleaf..."