On man-built mine not far from the city, miners with their tools were left out in the open space.
The mineral resources under the city were rich, but because of the Mineral Spirits roaming the cave, they could only mine a few hundred meters from the surface and couldn't go any deeper.
It would be a disaster if they stepped into the Mineral Spirits' territory.
But today, a strong man had come to bring the group of miners down the mine.
Three knights were standing outside the mine. Aside from the two knights wearing white armor, a knight was also donned in a golden cloak.
The head of the dragon emblem imprinted on the cloak represented his identity.
The Emperor's Knight!
The knight in the golden cloak didn't wear a helmet. It was a middle-aged man with a rugged beard. His name was Kensel.
More precisely, Kensel Dodran. The step-brother of the current Emperor, Dodran XXI.
The royal blood flowing in his veins gave him the privilege to ascend as the Head of the Knight's Order under the Emperor's direct authority!
There were countless knights in this world. Excluding those who work in a mercenary group, around a hundred thousand knights were affiliated with the Empire.
The Empire's Knights sounded noble, and they were truly noble. Their fighting power, especially the ten best knights, was extraordinary.
After promoting the ten knights, Kensel knew exactly the power of his subordinates. As the exclusive Knights among the Emperor's Order, their status was far more superior than the other knights.
They don't mingle in simple things like dealing with bandits or monsters.
Every battlefield they descended turned to a legend.
Kensel understood; their world was too peaceful.
The peace that makes one felt terrified!
The peace that made one's skill turned rusty!
Ever since the Empire was unified and the Court of the Gods descended upon this world, there hadn't been a major war in the past few hundred years!
The people have succumbed to the fear brought by the Court of Gods and indulged in the faith brought by the gods.
It's been too long since mankind last engaged in a war.
A world without war and conflict seemed wonderful.
But Kensel was worried. For some reason, the anxiety kept piling up in his chest.
This wonderful peace was as fragile as a flower.
Once it burned, it would go up in flames.
Humans had forgotten how to swing a sword, how to kill enemies…
"What matters now is finishing my job." Kensel cast away his thoughts and focused again.
One would always think a lot as one got older. Probably, one of the most important missions that the knights had taken was the capture of a saint.
A task that's given by the Court of Gods themselves!
Since the Court of Gods had promised them that the task only requires a handful of men to finish the task, Kensel only sent a squad to the appointed location.
Until now, they hadn't returned yet.
Glancing at his back, Kensel looked at the dense forest inhabited by the creature mankind was afraid of the most, the beasts… it seemed those beasts were also immersed in world peace.
As long as the humans didn't bother them, their presence wasn't threatening to humans. It was as if the world had truly gained peace at the moment the Court of Gods descended upon this world.
But next, Kensel gazed at the entrance of the cave. The second task of the Emperor's Order knights was to bring out the Empire's only surviving Imperial Highness back safely to the Capital!
Kensel was unsure why the Emperor suddenly had a daughter that he, as an uncle, never found out about and suddenly crowned her as the Heiress to the throne.
But after the most respected Grand Seer of the Church of the Dragon declared that the Emperor's words were true and predicted that 'her presence would change the world.'
Thus, the commoners' agitation throughout the Empire slightly subsided. Their beliefs in the Dragon God had taken the roots deep inside their heart. They will never deny what the Church of the Dragon God had declared.
Kensel even suspected that if there was no Court of God, the Church of the Dragon would have the absolute power to declare war.
Because of the commoners, their faith was even more important than the imperial power and the Emperor and his knights.
Kensel quietly waited as the City Major responsible for the mining volunteered to enter the mines.
In the prophecy, Her Royal Highness was deep underground.
That was pretty strange. The underground world was filled with Mineral Spirits. No living creature could have escaped alive from them.
Could it be that Her Royal Highness also possessed the potion that made the Mineral Spirits ignoring her?
But the raw materials were valuable. No one could refine them, except for the alchemist of the Dragon God Church.
Just as questions began to fill his mind, finally, there was some movement from the cave entrance.
"Lord Commander…"
The voice was incredibly weak and full of exhaustion. When the figure stepped into the sunlight, his appearance no longer resembled a human. Both his armor and body were corroded with Mineral Spirit saliva.
"MEDICS!!!"
Kensel immediately called for the medics, but then the knight fell to his knee after walking a few steps out of the sunlight, dead.
He should have died a few minutes ago.
"......"
Once he saw this scene, Kensel knew the situation was bad. When he was going to rush inside the cave, he felt a shadow fly out of the cave entrance. Because it was too fast, Kensel couldn't see what it was.
When he reached the cave entrance, he finally saw what's happening.
The knights corroded by the Mineral Spirits' acid fell to the ground. They struggled to reach the surface with the last bit of their strength, but the acid was too powerful.
Once it touched human flesh, it won't go away unless the part was cut off. If it was left untreated, it was practically a death sentence.
"Damn it!" Kensel pounded the rock wall. The fragile wall was shattered by Kensel's tremendous strength. "Guards?!! Let's go find the survivors and bring the bodies of our fallen comrades back to their families…"
It was the first time in years that a knight from the Emperor's Order was dead…
A knight was respectable. They were heroes who galloped across the bloody battlefield and shed their blood to protect the country.
However, the last hundred years' peace had gradually changed the knight's image to aristocrats that only indulge in pleasure.
A knight was not an aristocrat.
Kensel understood that. He sighed as he silently watched the new recruits who were too speechless and frightened to see those hideous corpses on the ground.
What he had feared most finally happened! These people were all fleeing to save their lives, but there's no sign of Her Royal Highness.
But when he raised his head, a pair of scarlet eyes stared at him. Coming from a striking young woman who stood among these corpses, silently gazing at them. Her body was unscathed.
"They're all dead." Naiya gazed at the stranger and spoke with a cold voice.
"Your Royal Highness… it's really Your Royal Highness!"
Kensel immediately recognized the young woman's appearance. Naiya's portrait was distributed all across the Empire.
As the head of the rescue team's mission, how could he not know the face of the one he was searching for?
"They didn't die in vain!"
Kensel suddenly felt this was like the legend… the knight that saved the Princess... that's how a knight should die!
Even though it was the first time they ever saw the Princess. The first time they heard this country had an Heiress.
Right now, Naiya was unharmed. Except for her torn clothing, especially on her left arm.
In Kensel's mind, those cowards who escaped from the Mineral Spirits to save themselves suddenly became a hero that saved the Princess.
It would make such a good story, right? At least they died in honor.
But Naiya understood that these men were already dead from the beginning. They were killed a few minutes earlier and became Lucius' puppets.
"Your Royal Highness. At the moment, I cannot explain to you the reason for all of this. But would you please leave this mine first? We will be no threat to you."
Despite being the Emperor's half brother, Kensel's status was just a knight. Even when facing his niece, Her Royal Highness, he should bow down to his knees.
Naiya's expression was cold. She no longer had the emotion called 'trust' towards humans.
Now that her life was in the hands of a human, she had no choice but to follow the human's request.
She looked at the knight who seemed to respect her so much and didn't know what to do.
'What should I do?'
Vampires had special ways to communicate with each other. Naiya quietly asked the man who had changed her life and given her a new identity.
'What should you do?'
A dark creature that resembles a bat was on top of the forest branch near the mine. But the bat wasn't hanging upside down from the tree like a normal bat.
It's mainly because Lucius had been standing upright for years and wasn't used to being upside down anyway.
As a True Vampire, turning into a bat was an easy task for Lucius. He had rushed out of the cave to sit on the tree branch to observe the situation.
Only to find his junior was confused and presented with overwhelming questions.
Afterthought carefully, Lucius told her what to do with a mocking smile.
'Just smile.'
She was originally a girl with an arrogant personality. But now, she was forced to smile. But it was just a disguise. Before, Naiya's expressionless face was a disguise to protect herself.
"Where is this? Who are they?"
But Naiya's acting wasn't convincing enough. There was still a deep caution in the tone of her voice.
"I will tell you everything, Your Highness." Kensel stood up and made a gesture of invitation to the girl.