Hans grinned amusedly, apparently enjoying watching Eric getting angrier by the second.
Hans hummed, "What do you think, Your Highness?" He said in a mocking tone that made Eric's anger rise even more.
"Damn it!" Eric cursed as he tried to break free of his two friends' grip.
Noam and Zane looked at each other anxiously. It was the first time they had seen Eric so angry. It was also the first time they had heard him curse.
Normally, no matter how angry Eric was, he never swore. Noam especially knew this because he was the one who bullied his rival the most.
"Did I hear that someone is looking for this maid?"
The question in a cheerful tone made them all look at the source of the voice. A few meters behind Hans, Dean walking with a cheerful hum. Something hovered behind him and followed him.
Eric, Noam and Zane's expressions turned to horror. Not because of Dean's arrival, but because of what was behind Dean.
Behind Dean was Nova, pierced in several places by a thin thread that also bound her and carried her in the air under the control of Dean, the alleged creator of the thread. Nova had many small puncture wounds and some burn marks that they didn't know where they came from.
Nova was unconscious, but the wrinkles on her forehead and the low moans coming from her lips made it sound like she was in pain even in her unconscious state.
"Nova!" Eric shouted in a panic until he unconsciously jerked his two friends free. But since his body was still very weak, he fell to his knees after only taking one step forward.
"Eric!" Noam and Zane called worriedly, kneeling down beside their friend, who still had a look of disbelief and fear on his face.
To see Nova, the one who had taken care of the twins since childhood, looking so bad, not to mention unconscious, was something they had feared from the beginning.
Nova was the only adult with them. She was also the only one they could trust and rely on at the moment. To see her like that was a traumatic sight for them, especially for Eric.
Hana gasped as she heard Eric scream Nova's name in panic and then the voices of Noam and Zane calling her brother's name in alarm. Hana was afraid something was going to happen.
With the courage she suddenly gained, Hana tried to see what was happening, ignoring Rose's hisses telling her to stay hidden. What she saw would have made her scream in horror if Arion hadn't suddenly covered her mouth.
Arion's look became horrified, 'What the hell... That's too cruel!'
Arion looked at the presumed perpetrator of the threads and saw him humming happily, as if he wouldn't stab someone until he slowly lost blood.
Arion winced in disgust, 'From the beginning I thought he was the least calm and sane of the three. Now I take that thought back. He's the craziest of the three.'
Hana took Arion's small hand and removed it from his mouth. She swallowed in fear and held Arion's hand tighter. If it hadn't been for Arion, they would have caught her screaming.
Rose patted Hana on the shoulder, "Calm down. I know it's an unpleasant sight. But calm down. We can't let ourselves or the babies get caught."
Hana nodded slowly and took a shaky breath to calm herself. With all her strength, she held back the sob that was about to escape. Her eyes glazed over as she bit down hard on her lip, almost hurting it.
"Dean!" Herris shouted angrily as his other allies came into view. Why did they have to show up when the situation was like this? Herris was annoyed because he had the feeling that they did it on purpose.
Hans chuckled, "Finally decided to show up, Dean?"
Dean hummed happily in reply to Hans. Then he looked at Herris with an amused smile, "You look pathetic, Herris."
"Shut up! I haven't lost yet! Just wait until I can move again and I'll crush those kids!" Herris shouted angrily as he tried to move his body again.
"What did you do to her?" The yell made Dean turn his head to see one of the princes staring at him with vengeance.
Dean chuckled happily, "How's my work? She's getting prettier, isn't it?"
Noam and Zane cringed at the tone of Dean's voice. It felt so wrong and made them step back involuntarily, pulling Eric with them.
"Don't fuck with me! Let her go right now!" Eric shouted, his breath catching in his throat. His heart was beating so fast his ears were ringing.
Zane put his hand on Eric's chest again, frantically. His eyes widened in horror as he saw that his friend's heart was beating very fast again. If this continued, there was a possibility that Eric's magic would get out of control.
Noam, who also realized this, immediately grabbed Eric's shoulders and tried to wake him up, "Calm down, Eric. You're getting your magic out of control," He whispered firmly as he tried to get Eric to listen to him.
Dean paid no attention to the three as he looked at Herris enthusiastically, "So who beat you, Herris?"
Hans chuckled, "You won't believe me when I tell you that it was the dark-haired boy who defeated Herris."
Dean whistled in amazement, his eyes sparkling like a child who just got a toy, "That's great! His magic is lightning, right? No wonder Herris lost so badly," He said in awe, as if Eric was his ally and not Herris.
"Shut up! Shut up all of you! I can't lose! I'm not weak!" Herris roared angrily, his face flushed with rage.
Hans clicked his tongue in annoyance, "As usual. He doesn't want to admit his own weakness. How pathetic."
He looked at Herris, who was still not done with his angry screaming. Even the veins on his neck and forehead were starting to show, as he forced his body to move according to his anger.
Hans snorted before turning to Dean who was looking at the three kids with interest, "Why do we have to team up with this madman?"
Dean turned to Hans with an amused smile, "In case you forgot, we're all crazy."
Before Hans could answer, Dean continued, "Besides, you can't deny the fact that he's powerful. He's useful to us."
Hans snorted in annoyance, but didn't answer. He knew that what Dean had said was true. But he and Herris had never gotten along because the big man was always power crazy and thought he was the strongest. That irritated him a lot.
That's why it was very satisfying for Hans to see Herris in a helpless state. He kicked Herris' body and taunted him for not being able to retaliate, which was met with angry screams and curses from Herris that made Dean laugh.
"We have to save Nova!" Eric whispered in a hissing tone.
Noam pulled Eric's shoulder roughly, "I know, but don't be careless, Idiot! Look at the situation properly! Do you think we can beat both of them at the same time? We can barely beat one of them!" He whispered angrily.
Zane adding in a calmer tone, "Besides, it's likely that they both took the black pill as well. That thread must be the result. We can't be too hasty, Eric."
Eric gritted his teeth as his hands clenched into tight fists, "So what? If we don't act soon, Nova could die!"
Noam and Zane glanced at each other before giving small nods. Zane patted Eric's shoulder gently, "You believe in us, don't you, Eric?"
Eric wrinkled his forehead in exasperation, "Why are you still asking something that's obvious?"
"Then don't use your magic." Noam said sternly, making Eric pause immediately before hissing angrily again.
"Don't--"
"Listen to me to the end! Use your sword, but not your magic." Noam cut him off seriously.
Eric fell silent and tried to think about what Noam meant. Zane smiled when he saw Eric's eyes widen slightly in surprise when he finally understood what it meant.
"Cut the threads that bind Nova. Then take her away first. You can move, right?" Zane asked in a slightly worried tone.
Eric nodded slowly, "I can. But maybe not too fast."
In addition to his body still hurting, Eric also felt that his energy was drastically reduced. He felt very weak, but that didn't mean he couldn't fight at all. He could still do it as long as his determination was still there.
Zane nodded, "Noam and I will distract them," He said quietly as he looked at Dean and Hans who were still harassing Herris, which was met with angry shouts.
They had been doing this since the beginning until Zane wondered if they were doing it on purpose to catch their off guard or if they had a grudge against Herris.
Eric frowned disapprovingly. But before he could protest, Noam spoke first, "You said you would trust us, right?"
Seeing Eric speechless, Noam grinned broadly, "Then trust our abilities!"
"If you can sacrifice yourself to make lightning that powerful, we can do it."
Eric stared at them in disbelief, "You guys..."
Zane just smiled, "We have no choice, Eric. Like it or not, we have to use magic."
Eric snorted in annoyance and muttered, "I hate this plan."
Noam shrugged indifferently, "We know. We hate it too."
Zane shook his head resignedly before speaking seriously, "All we can do is survive with everything we've got."
"And get out of here with our numbers intact." Noam continued with a sharp smile that was met with a firm nod from Zane.
Eric paused before sighing, "I'll help if the situation gets more dangerous, whether you tell me not to or not."
Noam and Zane looked at each other before shrugging resignedly, "Fair enough."
Eric nodded in satisfaction before also grabbing his two friends' shoulders, "Let's do it again."
"Together."