Guards begin to rush into every single alley, screaming at the people. They barge into every open inn.
"For anyone who tells us where the Princess is, we shall grant you a hundred silver coins!" One of the guards declares in the streets.
Magi drones have begun scurrying along the air also. The two extra generals in the castle fly across the skies above the city with crossed arms, gazing down at every person in the alleys. They are strong. They can fly.
But they are merely humans. Not a dark elf like the one I killed hours before.
All of my baggage is with Nelly, whom I've put in a stable far away from the Hollow Lodgings. Everything is ready for me to head out of the city, next thing in the morning.
Right now, I am not wearing my invisible cloak. I'm wearing something even better.
It's a [Ghost Cloak] that the princess possesses. There is no way in hell these weak-level magi knights would notice me now. I can run through walls. All I have to do is avoid the mana scan light that the magi drones shine upon the road. That is the only thing I can't escape with the [Ghost Cloak]. It's easier than I thought.
"Ha… ha… ha…" In mere minutes, I reached the castle gates without even getting spotted once. At the gateway, more magi knights are pouring into the city.
Amidst this discord, I pass through their bodies. They don't sense anything. They don't even catch a whiff of my being there.
I'm a Ghost.
I pass through the thick walls of the castle and enter the king's territory.
In my hand, the princess sleeps like a babe. She wouldn't wake up to anything now.
"Ah! Did you find her!?" A furious cry resounds across the royal alleys. The knights of Muri shift their heads in fear as the King stomps through the crowd.
"Idiots! Find her! What are you bloody doing scurrying around like little rats!" He screams at the guards.
The King's on foot, wearing his armor. He's in the field, ready to kill anything that would harm his daughter.
'He loves her, after all? A bond between a dad and his only daughter should certainly be strong,' I think to myself as I leap into the rooftop of a building with the princess in my arms.
Taking off my cloak in the middle of that crowd of knights would only get me killed. I need to approach them safe and sound, making sure that I would not get surrounded by these men. If I don't, it's game over for me.
With the Princess still atop my shoulder, I walk to the other side of the roof to peek into the alleyway beneath me. It's dark in there. Two knights are scurrying within it like rats with mana torches in their hands.
"Princess? Where are you?"
"Here here, Princess. Dad's looking for you~" The other guard calls out to her like a dog.
"Jason shut up. She is going to tell her dad to behead you if you keep doing that shit, you know."
"Come on, Ray. The Princess is not here. We can all agree on that much, can't we? Who in their right mind would ever hide in a dark alley like this, out in the open. The King's going crazy, man. The Princess is going crazy. Everything's going crazy," the knight rants away, giving up on calling out to Reya.
'There aren't many knights here,' I observe, gazing down at the dark alleyway with the two knights. 'It would be better if I just drop the Princess here, but – I have to make sure that she is returned to the King.'
With this ghost cloak on, what are the options for safely returning the Princess to the King? I ponder.
'Ghosts… spirits?'
An idea clicks in my ear. A grin draws on my lips.
'These dumb motherfuckers will believe it even if I say this to them.'
I lean against the roof, closer to the alley. The two knights stand there, gazing at each other with the magic torches in their hands.
"Shall we take a short break here?"
"Yeah." The second guard replies.
"Jason. Ray. Do you hear me?" I speak in a murmur. Alerted, the two suddenly shift their heads to the top of the roof where I stand.
"Who said that!?" One of them calls out to me.
They sense no mana from me, even at that close distance. The ghost cloak hides me perfectly well.
"I am a spirit from a distant land. And I have your Princess in my arms, right now. So, listen to me very carefully." I continue with my lies.
"What? Don't fuck with us, Eren. I know it's you!" The second guard raises his torch further, trying to catch a glimpse of what lies above them. Even the light passes through me. Ghosts don't have shadows, after all.
"Do you two not trust me?" I ask them, making my tone even more serious.
"No, you fucker! We are not going to believe it, Eren. Get yourself out here before I report you to the commander!" The first one loses his temper.
"I am a spirit, you filth," I reply coarsely.
I raise my hand and chant the words 'Wind Storm' in my mind.
A great wind lashes at them out of nowhere, sending them tumbling to their feet.
"Argh! God, what the hell!"
"ARGH!" The second knight screams, slamming against the wooden wall of the building nearby.
On top of being stupid, these two are weak also. I've targeted the perfect idiots for the job.
"Who are you?" The knights finally decide to listen to me.
'Seize,' I chant in my mind again, seizing the [Wind Storm] spell.
Without descending to the alleyway, I perch at the edge of the roof to tell my story.
"A spirit from a distant land. It seems you are smart enough to believe me, after all," I pamper them. "Listen closely, you lowlives. I came here to take the Princess as my bride, but after being with her, I realized that she isn't meant to be with me. So… I now return to you with the Princess. I am invisible. Unseen by eyes such as yours. So, you must notice the King for me. And do tell him to lower all weapons. If he means any harm to me, I shall make sure he has no children by the time the sun rises."
"What – where is the Princess? You're lying~ you are…"
I cut a single strand of hair from the Princess's long hair and let it float down for the knights to see. Her silver hair could be noticed by anyone.
One knight grabs it and examines it well. After 5 seconds of examining it, he gulps.
"Jason, he's telling the truth."
"...oh God. The Princess is in real danger."
My plan is successful.