Celia skidded to a halt, hiding herself in a dense thicket above a forest clearing.
One side consisted of knights clad in bright silver armor, the rose crest engraved on their breastplates clearly visible even in the twilight.
They were knights of the Tiliano Empire’s Rose Family; Celia could never mistake them.
The Rose Family’s territory bordered the Elven Empire, and her kin often crossed the border to their markets to purchase human ironware, fabrics, and spices.
She was all too familiar with that ornate, thorny crest.
Their opponents also wore armor, surcoats with a plain white base, their collars and cuffs embroidered with golden sun and olive branch emblems.
‘I’ve seen this symbol somewhere before.’
‘Right, the missionaries from the Church of Light I met a few years ago had that same pattern.’
‘This is the Holy Kingdom! They’re the Holy Kingdom’s Protector Guards!’
Her mind buzzed.
‘Why would Tiliano knights and Holy Kingdom guards be at each other’s throats here, in the heart of the secluded Elven Empire? Have I started hallucinating from the rush?’
‘No, now isn’t the time to wonder about hallucinations. It’s a matter of which side I should help — who’s good and who’s bad?’
While she was lost in thought, the situation on the battlefield took a turn for the worse.
Although the Holy Kingdom guards were brave, the Rose Knights’ martial arts were more refined and experienced, and their coordination was seamless.
Amidst the clashing silver light, the white-robed figures fell one after another.
Every stroke of the Rose Knights’ swords was lethal, showing no mercy, more like they were executing a cleanup order.
Meanwhile, the Holy Kingdom guards desperately protected the center, their scattered formation revealing a desperate resolve.
Just as the Rose Knights formed an encirclement, a warm and pure ripple triggered her perception.
She couldn’t mistake this feeling: it was high-level healing or shielding Light Magic!
In this world of gods, the ironclad rule for using Light Magic was known to everyone: only those with a pure heart and flawless faith could draw a response from the Light.
Celia’s pupils constricted suddenly as her gaze snapped toward the source of the ripple — the very center of the encirclement.
‘It seems obvious now who is good and who is evil.’
She didn’t hesitate.
“ELEMENTAL SPIRITS WANDERING BETWEEN WIND AND LEAF, HEED MY CALL — “
An emerald-colored glow shimmered in the air as countless glimmers gathered at her fingertips.
” — IN THE NAME OF THE ANCIENT COVENANT, MANIFEST AS THE THORN SHAPE AND BIND MY ENEMIES!”
The moment the last syllable fell, the ground trembled.
Countless vines shimmering with green light burst from the ground, surging toward the Rose Knights!
The first few knights didn’t even have time to raise their swords before their ankles and arms were ensnared by the tough vines, leaving them unable to move.
The battlefield suddenly fell silent as all eyes turned toward the dense forest where the spell had originated.
The branches and leaves rustled apart.
Celia walked out.
The dying light of the setting sun flowed over her silver hair and light armor.
She gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist with a reverse grip.
“A Dark Elf?”
The leading Rose Knight said, his voice echoing through his visor with anger as he steadied his startled warhorse.
Celia didn’t answer.
Her gaze quickly swept across the battlefield — the knights bound by vines, the dead in white robes scattered on the ground, and the center of the encirclement.
Protected to the death by the last few scarred Holy Kingdom guards was a blonde girl who looked no more than 16 or 17 years old.
The girl’s face was pale, her hands tightly clasped in front of her chest, with wisps of golden light that had yet to dissipate leaking through her fingers.
“Don’t just stand there!”
The knight leader barked, cutting through the brief silence.
He pointed his heavy sword at Celia.
“It’s just one Dark Elf and a few remnants. Make it quick. Kill them.”
She hadn’t wanted to cause a slaughter, but this only solidified her resolve.
No sooner had the words been spoken than several Rose Knights rushed toward her.
When the fastest knight swung his sword in a vertical strike aimed straight at Celia’s head, she quickly stepped sideways and forward, launching her own attack at the same time.
Her movements were swift; before the knight could react, the tip of her blade had already pierced his forehead, passing clean through his skull.
Celia spun using the momentum of withdrawing her sword, her toe tapping on the shoulder armor of the collapsing corpse as she leaped into the air.
The heavy wind of a sword strike practically brushed the soles of her boots.
By the time she reached the highest point of her leap, she had finished her chant.
Her empty left hand suddenly clenched in the air, and blinding crimson light particles surged wildly from all directions, bursting into furnace-like flames between her fingers.
She hadn’t even landed yet.
“INCINERATE.”
The short syllable escaped her lips like a fuse.
A brilliant white fireball flew from her hand, trailing a distorted heatwave through the mid-air as it smashed into the knights closing in on her.
*BOOM!*
A towering blast of fire erupted, instantly swallowing the knight’s figure.
Shrill screams were drowned out by the explosive roar of the flames, and the pungent smell of charred flesh filled the air.
Almost at the same moment, after Celia landed, her left hand made a grasping motion.
The vines that had been binding the first few knights suddenly constricted!
Accompanied by the loud crunch of twisting armor, the trapped knights couldn’t even manage a final struggle before they went limp, their lives vanishing along with their crushed plate.
The center of the battlefield was cleared out.
A command exploded from behind the smoke and dust.
“Forget the elf! Complete the mission first! It doesn’t matter if we die — just kill them first!”
The remaining Rose Knights reacted instantly, ignoring Celia as their heavy lances and longswords suddenly changed direction.
“PROTECT YOUR HIGHNESS!!”
The three surviving guards let out a desperate roar, dragging their battered bodies in an attempt to build a wall of flesh and blood.
But in the face of a charge by fully armored knights, it was like a joke.
The last guard’s sword didn’t even touch a knight’s armor before he fell to the ground.
Only the blonde girl was left.
But their interference wasn’t useless.
Celia turned into a shadow, and just as the swords were about to fall, she scooped the girl up by the waist, shielding her firmly against her chest.
Celia didn’t flee far; she only ran a few steps sideways while holding the blonde girl, then nimbly spun and used the momentum to leap onto a low, thick horizontal branch.
She settled the girl steadily into a natural hollow formed by the trunk and branches.
Here, the leaves and branches provided cover, shielding them from the view below.
“Stay here,” she said quickly, her voice hushed.
“Don’t move, and don’t make a sound. I’ll be right back.”
Before the words had fully left her lips, she had already slid down the trunk and rushed toward the Rose Knights.
**[Title “First Victory” Acquired]**
***
A few minutes later, the faint sound of rustling leaves could be heard.
Celia’s figure reappeared beneath the tree, and she nimbly flipped herself up.
She crouched in front of the girl, her gaze quickly scanning her.
The blonde girl was still curled up, though her face was even paler than before, the blood practically drained from it.
Even her lips had lost their color.
Only her pale gold eyes, wide with tension and lingering shock, reflected Celia’s figure.
It seemed the child was quite frightened.
Celia patted her head.
“It’s all right now. I’ve taken care of them.”
**[Title “Heroine Rescuing Beauty” Acquired]**