Early morning.
Yao Xing, wanting to first observe the surroundings, wandered around the royal palace.
“Good morning, Hero—”
“Have you had your morning tea yet?”
The passing maids all hurriedly greeted her.
“I’ve eaten, I’ve eaten.”
After waving them away, Yao Xing continued to stroll.
Bang—
Crash.
Clatter—!
Suddenly, sounds of battle came from not far away.
Curious, Yao Xing quickly followed the noise.
“Sister! Sister! Sister!”
“Hahaha! Sister!”
In an open area within the palace, to her disbelief, the two princesses were actually fighting each other.
‘What?!’
The maids passing by only dared to lower their heads and leave, not daring to look twice.
One maid noticed Yao Xing’s bewildered expression and took the initiative to explain: “Hero, this is the princesses’ weekly combat training. It’s to train themselves so they can protect Lin Qi.”
“But… is it always this wild?”
“This is the princesses’ unrestrained spirit. They are role models for us servants!”
‘Ah…’
Without further words, the maid bowed and hurriedly left, following the others.
Yao Xing found a quiet spot, sat down, and silently watched the two princesses beat each other up—no, train themselves.
“Sister—Sister—!”
“Yue, you shouldn’t make noise during battle.”
“Mm-mm—Mm-mm—!”
‘What kind of dialogue is this…’
It was clear that the princesses had shed their usual formal gowns and changed into combat suits.
The second princess, Xing Cai Yue, held a long sword formed from a folded iron fan.
The first princess, Xing Cai Huan, firmly gripped a staff.
Yue moved like a hyena, constantly weaving along walls and corridors, launching pincer attacks from the air.
Huan showed a calm expression, her light-magic shield spinning around her body, blocking each of Yue’s slashes.
“Yue, you need to change your tactics. The battlefield won’t tolerate a fixed pattern.”
“Mm-mm—Mm-mm!”
‘Is she really not going to speak…?’
Yao Xing sat on a stone bench, chin resting on one hand, watching with great interest.
Though the scene was violent, compared to the suffocating one-sided slaughter in the cramped carriage last night, this evenly matched bout had a wild beauty.
The battle on the field grew fiercer.
Seeing that her flank attacks were ineffective, Yue suddenly halted her momentum.
Her toes pushed off a stone pillar in the corridor, rebounding, and her entire body arced through the air at an astonishing angle.
Instead of slashing, the long sword in her hand extended the folding mechanism to its limit, and the whole weapon emitted a piercing screech.
“Ha—!”
This time, Yue couldn’t hold back a low growl.
The long sword fell like a meteor, smashing into the center of Huan’s light shield.
Boom—!
The residual magic created a gust of wind, making the distant Yao Xing squint.
Just as the dust settled, Huan, who had been on the defensive, suddenly moved.
Instead of condensing a fireball or lightning, the tip of her staff extended a translucent optical blade.
Her footwork was elegant like a ballroom dance, but her figure ghostlike as she closed in on Yue.
The blade stopped steadily at Yue’s neck.
“It’s over,” Huan announced softly, her breath so steady not a single strand of hair was out of place.
“Ugh…”
Yue bit her lip in frustration, retracted the iron fan sword, and deflated like a punctured ball.
“Sister, again… you always see through my landing point.”
“Because your ‘impatience’ arrives before your ‘blade,’” Huan said, putting away her staff.
She was about to accept a towel from a maid when her peripheral vision caught Yao Xing sitting in the pavilion.
Her expression froze slightly, then she quickly concealed her embarrassment, revealing a warm smile and waving at Yao Xing.
“Hero, what brings you here? It seems Lin Qi’s morning tea hasn’t fully satisfied you, making you come all the way to observe our ‘crude’ skills.”
Yao Xing stood up and walked over, but her gaze involuntarily swept across Yue.
The second princess was drenched in sweat, her tight red combat suit fully displaying the girl’s violent aura.
But her eyes, when looking at Yao Xing, were still filled with the malice of someone wanting to devour her alive.
“What are you looking at!”
Yue snorted, throwing the towel onto the tray.
“What can you learn from watching us spar? Better go to your room, eat, and sleep!”
[Xing Cai Yue Affection -1]
‘This temper really hasn’t changed at all.’
Huan tapped Yue’s head as a warning.
Then she actively walked toward Yao Xing.
“I’m sorry, but I’m in no state to do anything right now… If possible, could you come find me at noon? I’ll be waiting in my room for you.”
Though she didn’t know why Huan wanted to see her, Yao Xing nodded blankly in agreement.
Watching the two princesses’ retreating figures, Yao Xing stood by the empty training ground.
The smell of burnt magic still lingered in her nose.
‘I might be able to take this chance to ask about Anuo’s sister.’
Yet before she could think further, the look in Second Princess Yue’s eyes before leaving—as if she would chew Yao Xing up and swallow her—reappeared in her mind.
‘The second princess’s affection is already near rock bottom… Good thing we’re not in the carriage now, or she might have conveniently swung that long sword at me.’
Yao Xing wandered aimlessly through the palace corridors, her mind full of what Anuo had said last night: “My sister was taken away.”
“The exploitation of weapons is merciless and without justice.”
It was now late morning, and the sunlight in the palace was excellent, shining on the white marble statues, making them look sacred and inviolable.
But with every step Yao Xing took, she felt like countless eyes were hidden in the shadows beneath her feet.
She passed a secluded library and thought about entering to look up information, but two guards crossed their halberds silently, blocking her path.
“Hero, this area is temporarily closed to the public.”
The guard’s voice was mechanical, as if without a soul.
Yao Xing shrugged and tactfully withdrew.
‘As expected, the so-called “freedom” only extends to the scope the royalty wants to monitor me within.’
Time ticked by.
Yao Xing returned to her room and changed into a fresh set of clothes.
Looking at her face in the mirror—slightly youthful but with determined eyes—she took a deep breath and adjusted her expression.
‘Since Huan asked to meet me in her room, this isn’t a formal audience. It’s an opportunity… a good chance to probe.’
Noon.
The eldest princess’s bedchamber.
The decor here was even more exquisite than Yao Xing’s room, with a faint scent of frost grass in the air.
Huan had already changed back into her signature layered gown, her long wet hair draped over her shoulders.
She held an ivory comb and was sitting lost in thought before the mirror.
Hearing the door open, she turned her head, her smile as perfect as ever: “You are astonishingly punctual, Hero.”
‘She’s really alone.’
Yao Xing looked around, even checking the ceiling.
Only after fully confirming she was alone did she dare sit on a guest chair far away.
Huan gently set down the ivory comb, stood up, and actively sat beside Yao Xing.
“Hero, you’ve been vaguely wanting to ask me something since this morning… Before we get to the main topic, why don’t you say it?”
‘She saw through my thoughts.’
Yao Xing didn’t hide anything and directly asked: “I want to ask—Lin Qi can’t have only me as a Hero. What happened to the previous Hero?”
Huan sighed.
“As expected, that child Anuo would definitely seek you out…”
‘Anuo is wanted, I can’t—’
“Don’t worry, I won’t reveal his location. After all, he’s also a pitiful person, single-mindedly trying to find his own Hero sister.”
At this, Huan’s expression clearly darkened.
“Actually, Anuo already knew the answer about his sister… He just refused to believe it.”
“His sister—”
“Mm… His sister was thrown to the frontlines as bait, luring the Demon King’s Army to hunt her. In the end… even her body couldn’t be found.”
‘Eaten…?’
Slap!
Slap!
Huan slapped her own cheeks hard, trying to regain her emotional balance.
“That’s why I’m very willing to send you away. I don’t want to see Lin Qi kill another innocent life!”
“A Hero is summoned into this world, and their mission is to join companions who also bear the same responsibility, to overcome the threat of the Demon King’s Army and bring peace to humanity.”
“Not to become a war weapon for kingdoms!”
“To lock a Hero tightly inside a cage (a nation), thinking that will make the country prosperous!”
“But that’s not right, is it? If the Hero never sets out, the Demon King’s Army will never be destroyed!”
‘Is that so…’
“But why should the Hero sacrifice herself for such humans?”
Yao Xing asked this question for the second time.
The same question as last time on the bell tower, but a different answer.
“You’re right. The Hero is not originally from this world, and shouldn’t have to sacrifice for us…”
Huan showed a hesitant expression for the first time.
“Sorry… I can’t seem to think of any reason… Maybe my ideals themselves are flawed… Maybe I’m too selfish.”
‘Why did you answer like that this time…’
Yao Xing remained silent.
‘Right, since last time, Huan hasn’t known how to answer this question.’
The atmosphere grew somewhat awkward.
Huan quickly changed the subject.
“Oh! I’ve actually thought of how to let you escape safely.”
Huan quickly stood up, rummaged through a pile of crumpled paper on her dressing table, and finally pulled out two sheets.
She accidentally knocked over a glass bottle on the table, but fortunately reacted fast enough to prevent it from shattering.
Then, Huan handed one of the sheets to Yao Xing.
On it were handwritten the words “Escape Plan,” with colorful fonts that looked childish yet neat.
“This escape plan is called ‘You and Me Safety Plan’! As the name implies, I’ll have Yue hide herself and escort you to escape.”
“Meanwhile, I’ll stall Father. Yue is very fast. As long as I and Yue are both present before Father notices, there won’t be any risk!”
Yao Xing listened and felt the plan was quite effective.
“So… I escape quietly… and you two remain safe…”
“This plan is feasible!”