Magic Power may have been weak and stubborn, but he was already nearly seven years old and had learned to ride a horse.
A group of people headed towards a side gate.
By the time they reached the gate, Burns had already opened it.
Behind the white gate was a brick road that wasn't very wide, barely accommodating a carriage to pass through at a time, with high walls on both sides and some man-made indentations for vehicles to pull over.
"Run, Burns, go scout ahead!" Polly urged.
There were only four horses, and as a Great Knight, Burns could match the speed of a galloping horse for a short time; in her view, he obviously didn't need to ride.
Feeling the pain in his left leg, Burns remained silent and quietly moved forward.
In his mind, there were still four horses in the stables, and Prince Gallagher was only seven years old, naturally smaller and weaker than his peers...
The best choice now would seem to be for Gallagher and his mother Polly to share a horse, then let him, the only combatant present, mount and rest for a while...
"Polly, ride with Gallagher, and give a horse to Burns!"
Delaisi frowned and said in a deep voice.
He had witnessed Burns' left leg being stabbed by a sword...
Before Polly could respond.
Whoosh!
An arrow suddenly shot from behind, hitting the wooden door behind them.
Delaisi's pupils contracted slightly.
"The pursuers are here!!" Polly cried out in alarm.
Swoosh!
Several more arrows followed.
Most of them missed, but a few landed on the horse that Gallagher was riding!
"Ah!" Gallagher exclaimed.
The black horse beneath him neighed miserably, rearing up and throwing him to the ground before crazily bolting forward.
Gallagher fell to the ground heavily... but fortunately, he was not seriously hurt.
"Mommy, save me..." he reached out his arms.
"My child!" Polly called out urgently, pulling on the reins to reach Gallagher's side and quickly pulled him up onto the horse.
Once Gallagher was mounted, Polly felt slightly relieved and shouted at the knight ahead:
"Burns, cover our retreat!"
Then she turned to Delaisi and said, "Your Majesty, hurry and escape!!"
She whipped the horse.
The brown horse beneath her carried them forward in their escape.
"Eliel, go!" Delaisi also called out softly, urging his horse forward.
But Eliel hesitated as she watched the silent Burns walking towards the rear.
Clang!!
Some knights from the Qi'an Kingdom emerged from behind the door, and Burns drew his Giant Sword to face them, attacking as he said:
"Princess Eliel, leave quickly!"
"I'll handle the pursuers..."
He hadn't finished speaking.
The clear sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out!
Polly and the others, who had initially fled, had turned back around.
Looking up, a troop of knights had unexpectedly appeared on the road ahead.
Burns' heart sank, he raised his Giant Sword and disengaged from the fight, moving to Eliel and the others' side.
The knights of the Qi'an Kingdom silently pushed forward, steadily closing the encirclement.
Burns and the others retreated step by step, drawing back into the square indentation intentionally left in the road's surrounding wall.
Breathing out lightly, Burns gripped the solid and rough handle of the Giant Sword in his hand.
The situation seemed a haunting repeat of the previous standoff in the palace.
Only this time... his own condition was much worse.
He swung the Giant Sword slightly.
His muscles, once reliable as hardened steel, now sent sharp pains from excessive strain, almost causing him to lose grip on the Giant Sword in his hand.
...Perhaps today would be the day when the Yili Royal Family met their demise.
Delaisi and the others behind him also wore faces of despair.
Just as Burns was prepared to fight to the death.
Swoosh!!
A figure descended from the sky, landing between them and the knights of the Qi'an Kingdom.
An invisible Force Field suddenly expanded from this person outwards!
Boom!!
The knights surrounding Delaisi and his group were knocked to the ground like wheat in the wind by the tremendous force, with some at the front being flung high into the air and then crashing heavily to the ground, their fate unknown.
"Wizard... Mister Wizard?!" Delaisi exclaimed in shock.
The Holy Flame Kingdom was just a trivial little country; it was very rare to see a wizard there.
"Are you the King of the Holy Flame Kingdom— Delaisi?" Colin asked for confirmation.
The Holy Flame Palace was no small place; it had taken him quite some effort to find Delaisi and his party.
"Yes," Delaisi nodded, his heart feeling uneasy.
"Uh huh." Colin looked him over carefully, comparing him with the last description he had of the king by Erica.
"I will explain the specifics later. For now, all you need to know is that I'm here to help you escape."
"Mount up, follow me!"
Colin raised his hand and cast several Swift Skills on their horses.
Delaisi exchanged a glance with Polly and, without further hesitation, remounted his horse.
"Knight Burns, mount up," Eliel suddenly said, gesturing for Burns to ride with her.
"Princess Eliel..." Burns looked up in surprise, having prepared himself to follow on foot.
But he didn't overthink it and quickly approached and swung himself onto the horse.
They were waiting for the mysterious wizard ahead; this was undeniably their real chance at survival, and he didn't want to provoke the wizard's impatience with petty delays.
"What's your name?"
But Colin, who was in front, suddenly asked, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He had not paid much attention to the girl in front of him at the beginning, but now that she lifted her head, he noticed.
Whether it was her amber-like green eyes or her dazzling ear-length blonde hair, he couldn't help but be reminded of an old friend who had passed away— Erica.
The resemblance was uncanny!
"Eliel... Mister Wizard, my name is Eliel Saint Flame," Eliel said, nervously smoothing her hair behind her ear as she answered.
"Erica is your...?"
"My sister."
"Uh huh." Colin withdrew his gaze.
So that's why they looked so alike... but why had he never heard Erica mention she had a sister?
But he didn't dwell on it.
"Let's go, follow me." He spoke in a deep voice, moving ahead to lead the way.
It seemed they had already passed through the encirclement; on the road ahead, they didn't encounter any large groups of enemies.
Only a few knights guarding the palace entrance posed a challenge, but Colin dealt with them swiftly.
In this way, they smoothly and unhindered, Colin led Delaisi and his party to a successful escape from the palace.
For him, as a wizard, the most difficult part wasn't taking Delaisi and the others out but finding them.
Now that they had been found, the rest was naturally a clear path.
A few minutes later,
Outside the western city gate of the Royal Capital Lane, by Holy Flame Capital.
A forest area.
"Master." Renee came out, delighted.
She had been waiting there for a long time with Demi and a few horses.
"Uh huh." Colin responded with a smile, then turned to Delaisi and the others, "Change horses, continue on!"
The stamina of horses was inherently limited, and without magic power, the Swift Skill would further accelerate their exhaustion.
This was knowledge he had acquired when learning the Swift Skill.
That's why he had Renee waiting here with several horses, ready to swap out when needed for the Royal Family of the Holy Flame to continue riding.
This way they could leave the area as quickly as possible.
He shouldn't have been worried about pursuers from the Qi'an Kingdom, and he honestly didn't need to go through these motions.
But the words of the white-robed wizard from the Flying Airship had not been forgotten.
The regulation laid down by the Wizard Alliance's Supreme Council that prohibited interference in mortal wars had limits he wasn't exactly clear on.
So, to reduce impact and avoid complications, he chose a quick in-and-out approach, like lightning streaking across the sky, taking the Royal Family away before anyone could react.
Moreover...
Colin waited for Delaisi and the others to change their horses while looking in the direction of Lane.
The ancient city walls were mottled, with some smoke still rising from within the city.
He wondered if it was just an illusion,
But he always felt that there was another wizard's presence in the Ryan Palace...
Taking a light breath, Colin looked away and mounted his horse as well.
Delaisi and the others had finished changing their mounts.
Dappled with light and shade,
They continued riding along the forest path.