Though he still wished to bask for a moment in the attention of the crowd, now was clearly not the time.That noble pig he had just crushed was but a minor aristocrat of White Bear City, with little real power.The true nobles—those who mattered—were not foes Lixuman could yet afford to confront.
Before attracting their notice, escape was paramount.
He unfurled the bone wings upon his back, channeling wind magic. Dust billowed into the air as he shot forward, a streak of pale light cutting toward the city's outer wall.The sharp crack of displaced air drew countless eyes upward.
Yet Lixuman had underestimated White Bear City.At the city's center, a vast and radiant magic circle ignited. From its heart, earthy-yellow mana surged, condensing into a colossal spear of stone.
At once, Lixuman felt its focus—an invisible lock that pinned him in place.A high-tier ranged spell!
"O Spirit of the Slumbering Earth, your faithful servant calls upon the miracle of stone—manifest as the spear of pursuit!"
"Tier Three Magic – Spear of the Earth Spirit!"
Lixuman twisted his body, gripping his wand tightly in both hands."Tier One Magic – Wind Wall!""Tier One Magic – Earth Wall!""Tier One Magic – Fire Wall!""Tier One Magic – Water Wall!"
The gem at the wand's tip gleamed with azure brilliance as four elemental circles unfolded, layer upon layer, shimmering like overlapping halos.
In the void, elemental energies surged—wind, stone, flame, and water—coalescing into four barriers before him.
"Whssht!"
The stone spear ripped through the air, striking the first barrier.One wall shattered, then the next, until only the final, rippling sheet of water remained.For a fleeting heartbeat it held—then burst apart as the spear tore through.
Its tip, still glowing with deadly momentum, streaked toward him.Lixuman raised his right hand; an earthen sigil bloomed in his palm, forming a circular shield of stone.
Clang!
The impact was deafening. The shield crumbled instantly—but the spear's momentum died as it lodged in his skeletal palm.
[Mighty Force Lv.2], [Hardened Bone Lv.1], and [Elemental Resistance Lv.1] all activated.With twenty-five points of Constitution—nearly equal to a heavy knight of his level—he stopped the spell cold.
He glanced back to see a fireball screaming toward him. With a flick of his wrist, still under the surge of Mighty Force, he hurled the broken spear forward.It collided midair with the fireball—
Boom!
A magnificent burst of molten stone and flame erupted, blooming into a dazzling flower of destruction over the city's rooftops.
Without so much as a backward glance, Lixuman sped on, his wings driving him toward the outer wall.It seemed he had escaped the range of the third-tier mage—no further spells pursued him.
Then—
Boom!
A golden pillar of divine light crashed from above.
Lixuman's instincts screamed; he rolled aside, narrowly avoiding annihilation.Though he possessed elemental resistance, he had no defense against the sacred attribute. For a skeleton, divine light was pure death.
Damn it. I need to find a way to fix this weakness, he thought grimly.
Two figures floated ahead—priests robed in gold.
[Light Priest Lv.24] and [Light Priest Lv.26].
"This might get rough," he muttered, tightening his grip on wand and bone blade.Annoying as this was, he had no doubt he could still escape.
"By the grace of the Goddess of Light, we cast judgment upon the heretic before us!""Tier Two Magic – Holy Judgment!"
Twin beams of sacred radiance lanced through the air toward him.Lixuman spun his wand to intercept, suppressing the primal dread his skeletal being felt toward the holy element.
But then—
A streak of violet light flashed before him.A slender hand rose, palm outstretched toward the divine beams.
The pillars of light ricocheted harmlessly aside—like sunlight reflected from a polished mirror.
The sheer display of power silenced everyone present.
"How infuriating," said a familiar voice.
Lixuman looked up.
It was Ilru.
But gone was her heavy violet armor.Now she wore a loose, androgynous white shirt tucked into form-fitting black riding pants, a pair of slim black boots completing the ensemble.The look was sharp, confident—yet the contours of her figure were unmistakably alluring.
"They framed me," Lixuman began, "I didn't have a cho—"
"I'm not angry about that," she interrupted, eyes narrowing. "I'm angry you stood me up."
That's what she's mad about?!
"I… lost the address you gave me," he said quickly.
"Is that so? Then I suppose I'll forgive you—this time."
Ilru turned her gaze toward the two priests."And you are?" one of them demanded stiffly.
"You're not qualified to know," she replied coolly. "Now, come with me. I'll see that justice is done."
Before Lixuman could protest, she moved as if to scoop him up.
He leapt back instantly.Was she serious? In front of all these people? My reputation as a fearsome skeleton would be ruined!
"I can walk on my own," he muttered.
"Suit yourself."
They entered the lord's fortress at the city's heart.Count Witt awaited them in the receiving hall.
"Count Witt greets Her Highness, the Princess," he said, bowing low.
Princess?
Lixuman froze. She's a princess?
He thought back to her in the dungeon—tearing into meat with both hands, wiping her mouth with her cloak.Nothing about her screamed royalty.
"Count," Ilru said coldly, "your domain reeks of corruption.Your nobles twist truth and falsehood, trampling the laws of the Lantis Union as they please."
The sheer weight of her presence pressed down upon the room, and even the air seemed to solidify.Cold sweat trickled down the count's neck.
"It is my failure, Your Highness," he stammered. "I allowed such vermin to fester among the nobility, forgetting their honor. I have already stripped the offender of his title, as a warning to others."
He bowed lower still."We are grateful for Your Highness's wisdom—and for this gentleman's courage in purging such filth from our ranks. As lord of this city, I shall reward him accordingly."
Lixuman almost laughed.What a ridiculous "truth."Molded and twisted by nobles however they pleased—truth had become a puppet for convenience.
A massacre turned into an act of "heroic purification."
"See that your nobles are kept in line," Ilru said curtly. "I won't tolerate another incident like this."
"Yes, Your Highness."
As she rose to leave, the count hurriedly added, "It is an honor to have Your Highness in White Bear City. Allow me to prepare a grand banquet in your name—perhaps—"
His tone was suddenly warm, eager to curry favor, as though none of the earlier bloodshed had ever occurred.
"Not interested," she cut him off. "And don't mistake me for some power-hungry noble. You'll get no political favors from me."
She turned to Lixuman. "Let's go."
As they left the castle, Lixuman walked in silence, unsure what to say.
A real princess… I've lived two lives and this is the first time I've met one.
"Your Highness—" he began.
"Don't call me that," Ilru said flatly.
At once, his mind conjured a full-blown royal melodrama—eighty episodes long.
"For the sake of the kingdom, you must marry him!""Father! You care only for the nation—when have you ever seen me as your daughter?""You are a princess! Fulfill your royal duty!""A princess is but a caged bird… How I long to be free…""Leave this castle—and never return!"