Lina, standing beside me, followed my gaze. Her eyes flickered with unease. "So… what's the plan? Are we just going to wait until they show up?"

Her tone was casual, but I could hear the tension behind it.

Waiting sounded simple enough—just let the attack happen, then step in. But that wasn't an option. Even if the princess had elite knights guarding her, a sudden ambush could still leave casualties.

The logical move would be to warn them.

But the moment we did, the question would arise—how did we know about the attack?

And that was the problem.

I couldn't expose Lina as the source.

I'd already made her a promise. In exchange for her information, I wouldn't hand her over to the guards.

And breaking a promise, especially one made in that kind of situation, wasn't something I could live with.

My jaw tightened as I weighed the options.

Of course, if she were some heartless villain who had committed unforgivable crimes, that would be different.

But everything Lina had done so far… had only helped me.

To me, Lina wasn't an enemy.

No matter how I looked at it, she'd risked herself more than once to give me critical information.

"Hehe. So, can I go now?" she said, tilting her head with that mischievous smile of hers. "You've confirmed that what I said wasn't a lie."

Her intel about the Imperial Princess moving to the palace tonight had been dead-on. Which meant everything else she'd said probably wasn't far from the truth either.

Besides, Lina was completely drained—she didn't have a drop of magic (or blood) left in her.

Keeping her around now would only slow me down.

"Do as you please," I said finally.

What mattered was that she wasn't an enemy.

At least, not to me.

As soon as I undid the rope around her arms, she bolted. Her figure vanished into the night in seconds.

Verno—no, Berno—watched her go, his brow furrowing. "Is it really alright to just let her leave like that?"

"It'll be fine," I said, eyes still on the road ahead. "We have bigger things to worry about."

Right now, Lina wasn't my concern. The princess was.

I crouched slightly, scanning the street beyond the carriages—and froze.

"…!"

There.

A group of men lurked in the shadows just ahead, waiting along the route. Their movements were too precise, too intentional to be coincidence.

And then I saw it—the mark on one of their arms.

A red wolf tattoo.

So it really was them.

I exhaled quietly, my grip tightening around my sword's hilt.

A confrontation was unavoidable now.

But just as I prepared to move forward, a thought crossed my mind.

'If I get involved again… my identity might get exposed.'

That would be trouble.

Getting tangled in something like this could easily draw attention from people I didn't want noticing me—especially those at the top.

A student saving the Imperial Princess twice?

That would spread like wildfire through the academy—and the palace.

And if the rumors reached her ears again…

I grimaced, imagining Anna's smile. The kind of smile that said, You're interesting. I want you on my side as my knight.

Yeah. That would definitely be annoying.

Me, a knight?

Yeah, no. Absolutely not happening.

That idea alone was ridiculous enough to make me grimace. But if I couldn't show my face and still needed to help, then…

'Ah. I've still got that!'

Reaching into my spatial storage, I rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a familiar object. A dull gleam caught the light—a steel helmet.

The same one I'd worn when rescuing Elena. I'd tossed it into storage afterward, thinking it was just a piece of junk. But right now, it was exactly what I needed.

"This'll do," I muttered.

Without a second thought, I slipped the helmet over my head. The metal felt cold against my skin, a little uncomfortable, but it did the job of covering my face.

Next, I drew in a slow breath and focused. Mana flowed down into my shoes, gathering at the soles before spreading upward like rippling water.

The world around me shimmered faintly—and then my body began to fade from sight, dissolving into the air until there was nothing left to see.

Stealth mode: complete.

I glanced down at my now-invisible hands and nodded in satisfaction. "Perfect."

At least now, I wouldn't be recognized—or dragged into something messy.

Keeping my mana steady, I sprinted toward the carriage, my footsteps light and silent. The air shimmered slightly as I passed, but to anyone else, it would look as if nothing was there.

A shadow moving unseen through the streets.

"Alright," I whispered under my breath. "Let's get this done."

*****

Anna leaned back against the cushioned seat, the carriage jolting rhythmically as it rolled through the dimly lit streets of the capital.

Outside the window, the night was painted in silver and shadow. Streetlamps flickered faintly against the cobblestones, and the faint hum of magic-powered lamps floated through the air. The city was quiet, almost eerily so—most citizens were asleep by now.

Yet here she was, traveling through the night toward the Imperial Palace.

The monthly council meeting waited for no one.

Even after the chaos of the academy attack and the attempted kidnapping, protocol demanded her attendance. The Emperor, ever protective, had urged her to rest, to recover—but Anna knew better.

'Those greedy old foxes would love nothing more than to twist my absence into weakness,' she thought bitterly.

If she didn't show up, the nobles would take it as a sign that she'd lost her composure. That the princess, symbol of the Empire's pride, was shaken.

She couldn't allow that.

Her reflection in the window stared back at her—poised, composed, but with a flicker of exhaustion behind her eyes.

'How did it come to this?'

The once-mighty imperial family, whose authority had once stood unquestioned across the continent, was now shackled by the very nobles who had sworn fealty to it. The court had turned into a viper's nest, filled with flattering smiles hiding venomous tongues.

Every meeting was a battlefield of words and hidden agendas.

Their eyes were always on her. Not with respect—but with greed.

'Disgusting.'

Just remembering those conniving smiles made her temples throb. The old men with their flowery speeches, pretending to serve the Empire while carving pieces of it for themselves.

'I need power.'

Not the hollow kind that came with her title, but real, unshakable power—both political and magical. Enough to silence every whisper, crush every schemer, and restore order to the throne her ancestors had built.

To do that, she needed allies. Loyal ones. Strong ones. Talented enough to stand beside her when the storm came.

The nobles were too far gone, their loyalty bought and sold like coin.

Justice… true justice… had long vanished from the Empire.

So if no one else would rebuild it—she would.

Anna's eyes hardened, glowing faintly under the lamplight.

'I'll tear down the rot and rebuild the Empire from the ground up. Even if I have to stain my hands to do it.'

The carriage rattled as it turned a corner, the faint hum of the mana-powered wheels echoing against the cobblestone road.

And then—

BANG!

The entire carriage lurched violently, nearly throwing her from her seat. Horses screamed, metal clanged, and the sound of shattering glass filled the air.

Anna's heart clenched as the world tilted sideways.

Her guards shouted from outside—then the unmistakable clash of steel rang out.

Her composure snapped into focus in an instant.

'An ambush?'

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.