Volume 3, Chapter 20 – Escort Journey

As the important members of the Duke Family were arrested one after another by the Royal Knight Corps, Commander Aikino ordered the return to the imperial capital. Thus, the grand procession of the Royal Knight Corps led the Marquis and his wife, along with a group of relatives and servants regarded as accomplices, out of the city they had long protected under the complicated gazes of the countless citizens of Windward City.

Sitting in the prisoner carriage, Miss Yumo did not have much affection for the city, yet seeing the suspicious gazes of the commoners seeing them off, she could not help but feel a flicker of displeasure.

“Sigh…”

Left with no choice, Yumo let out a long sigh.

The reaction of the commoners was actually quite normal. People of this world, especially those from the Northern Frontier, possessed an incomparably intense hatred, fear, and rejection toward Abyssal Demons. When they learned that the daughter of the Marquis’s house had turned into a demon king tier Abyssal Demon, they naturally felt terror and were filled with unease toward the Duke Family.

Even if the Duke Family had protected them for a hundred years, this gratitude would dissipate in the face of such extreme fear. These Royal Knights were quite clever; before they acted, they had allowed the matter of Yuan’er becoming an Abyssal Demon and several rumors regarding Shadow Essence experiments to thoroughly ferment within Windward City. This caused the Duke Family to lose the trust of the people.

Deprived of popular support and heavily wounded, the Duke Family was utterly powerless against the aggressive Royal Knights and the Second Army Corps gathering in the distance.

‘The Marquis and his wife?’

Looking toward another prisoner carriage further ahead, Yumo revealed a complicated expression.

To protect the people, the Marquis and his wife had given up their resistance.

And the result?

The commoners repaid them with such suspicious eyes.

‘If I were the Marquis, my heart would probably be freezing cold right now.’

Moreover, the sensation of sitting in a prisoner carriage was rather novel…

For Miss Yumo, escaping would be an easy task. However, there were too many people nearby, including not only the Duke Family’s servants but also countless Royal Knights. If she released Shadow Essence to flee, the Duke Family would never be able to clear their name.

Two granddaughters? Both Abyssal Demons?

Heh.

Taking Marquis Xiumu’s family with her wouldn’t be a problem. However, the Marquis and his wife would likely find it hard to accept being saved by an Abyssal Demon. Besides, those two elders probably wanted to argue their case in the Capital Grand Court to preserve the family’s inherited glory.

Rеаⅾ οn КаtRеaԁіոgСаfe

Though the possibility was quite low…

Whatever, let it be.

‘Since I want to go see the Chosen Son in Sky Dome anyway, I might as well travel with them for now…’

With that thought, Yumo quietly lay down in the prisoner carriage. Since the journey was far too boring, Miss Yumo, who was bored to the point of growing mushrooms, naturally began to think of ways to pass the time. Consequently, she predictably entered building mode.

She lay on the floor, motionless.

While remaining still, Yumo’s perception gradually spread out, completely enveloping the nearby Royal Knights. Since those locked in the same carriage were just maids with no combat power, they couldn’t sense her strength.

Thus, Yumo began her observation of the Royal Knight Corps.

While she wasn’t sure of their specific combat experience, judging by their presence and the abundance of power within their bodies, this unit loyal to the Chosen Son was quite powerful. Their overall strength was a level higher than the Blizzard Knight Order, and some knights were on par with the members of Ashurmos’s elite squad.

Among the knights guarding her section of the prisoner carriages, there was a squad leader at the high sixth tier. Further ahead in the procession, there was even a seventh tier existence who, judging by the crest on his bracer, should be the Vice-Commander of the Royal Knight Corps.

Though he was only at the early seventh tier, the battle aura in his body was quite thick, making him much stronger than others of the same tier.

More importantly, he was young… his future was promising.

‘This Chosen Son has quite a few geniuses among his subordinates, doesn’t he?’

After careful observation, Yumo could not help but sigh in her heart.

She had heard Saibok and the Marquis couple mention that many people in this Royal Knight Corps were discovered by Xue Tian’ao among the commoners. To think he could find so many talents.

Was this Chosen Son perhaps a master of scouting talent?

In any case, Yumo felt a certain level of joy.

After all, if the Chosen Son possessed such talent, the forces around him would surely grow stronger and stronger. With her assistance, he should one day be able to unite with Mengxi and destroy her. That way, the trial could finally be declared over…

However, to be able to cultivate such a powerful knight corps…

Rеad оո ΚаtRеаdіոɡCafе

‘Just what kind of person is this Xue Tian’ao?’

Miss Yumo, drifting in her conscious space, could not help but think so.

Thus, while the Royal Knight Corps outside hurried toward the imperial capital, Sky Dome, Miss Yumo spent her time thinking while in building mode.

That is, until a sudden scent of blood pulled Miss Yumo out of her ‘statue’ mode.

Hmm?

This scent? Blood?

What’s going on?

Slowly opening her eyes, Miss Yumo glanced at the floor beside her with confusion. A bloodstain had appeared in her line of sight.

At the same time, a rough roar reached Yumo’s ears.

“You lowly commoner from the barbarian lands, get away from me!”

…

Following the voice, Yumo looked toward the front gate of the prisoner carriage in confusion.

‘What’s happened? Why is it so noisy?’

As night fell, the Royal Knights who had arrived at Albero Canyon halted their march and began preparing dinner. At that moment, a member of the Royal Knights slowly approached the carriage gate and threw some food inside.

Right then, taking advantage of the knight’s proximity, Duo’er, Xia’er’s personal maid, immediately seized the moment. she crawled forward and grabbed the knight’s wrist through the iron bars.

Reαⅾ οո ΚаtRеaԁiոɡCаfе

Using a pleading tone, she spoke.

“I beg of you, please find a doctor! Miss, the Miss has been unconscious for a long time, and no matter how I call her, she won’t wake up!”

As a maid, Duo’er felt a thick sense of unease growing in her heart after repeatedly failing to wake Yumo.

Although Yumo still showed signs of life, this motionless state truly made the maids anxious. The Miss had finally returned home only to experience the invasion of the Divine Punishment Holy Church, and she had already been exhausted lately. Now, traveling to the capital in such a poor environment…

‘What if she had caught some illness?!’

‘Was that why she was unconscious?’

At the thought of this, Duo’er and the other maids showed worried faces. Regardless of status, she directly grabbed the Royal Knight’s wrist, for if she didn’t, the knights outside wouldn’t listen to them at all.

“Please, Sir Knight, I beg you… Huh?!”

However, before Duo’er could finish her sentence, the Royal Knight whose wrist was grabbed immediately showed an expression of disgust. His gaze was as cold as if he were looking at a rat in a sewer.

“Disgusting…”

Seeing the dirty mud stains on Duo’er’s clothes and hands, the man ignored what she was saying and threw her hand off.

Upon seeing the dirty marks on his own wrist, the man’s face darkened with anger.

“Get away!”

Accompanied by a roar, a powerful fifth-tier battle aura erupted from the man’s body, slamming directly into Duo’er. Duo’er, who had barely cultivated and was only at the second tier, was sent flying by the force. Amidst the terrified screams of the other maids, she slammed hard against the iron bars on the other side.

An expression of pain appeared on Duo’er’s face.

But even so, Xia’er’s personal maid endured the intense pain and crawled toward the knight again.

“Please, Sir Knight, help me find a doctor! If we don’t find a doctor soon, I fear the Miss will…”

“A doctor? Heh.”

Rеad oո КatRеaԁіոɡСafе

With a cold laugh, the knight’s gaze locked onto the pink-haired girl behind Duo’er. Looking at the ‘unconscious’ Yumo, the knight revealed a look of disdain.

“What could possibly be wrong with her? She’s faking it, isn’t she? Heh, one of the daughters of your family has already turned into a demon king tier existence. This Miss must have also received the baptism of Shadow Essence, right? She faints after just this much travel? Who are you kidding! You probably want to launch a sneak attack when we open the door to let a doctor in.”

“No, the Miss is truly in a bad state!”

Under the stimulus of worry, Duo’er could not help but start crying.

The knight outside the bars remained indifferent, even sporting a look of amusement.

“Alright, Duo’er, I’m fine.”

Just then, Yumo’s words slowly reached Duo’er’s ears.

The moment she heard those words, Duo’er’s whole body trembled. She immediately showed a look of joy and ran back to Yumo’s side, asking with concern: “Miss Xia’er, you’re okay?! It’s good that you’re okay! You… you scared me to death!”

“I’m sorry, Duo’er. I was just… too tired and slept too deeply.”

“Miss, wahhh…”

As the heavy stone in her heart fell, Duo’er could not help but cry again, as did the other maids nearby who let out sighs of relief.

After patting Duo’er’s head with a hint of guilt, Yumo looked at the knight with a rather complicated mood.

“I recall the fifth rule of the Snownight Empire’s Royal Knights is to respect the elderly, the weak, the women, and the children. Your attitude seems somewhat inappropriate, doesn’t it?”

“Inappropriate?”

Upon hearing this, the knight let out a sneer. The other knights nearby who heard Yumo’s words also couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“You lowly commoners of the Northern Frontier have all violated the law by coming into contact with Shadow Essence, and yet you dare mention the Knight’s Code to us? The code requires us to protect the people! But you lot? Who knows if you aren’t just Abyssal Demons wearing human skin who haven’t gone mad yet?”

Yumo: …