She could see a woman with long silver hair hugging Sylus, and very closely at that.
To think she had killed as many bandits as she could with optimal speed, just so she could come back and assist Sylus. And there he was, hooking up with a woman.
"Z-Zani, what’s up..." Sylus greeted.
He was stylishly trying to push Sophia away from him, but she wouldn’t let go.
"I came to report that all members of the Red Vipers have been exterminated. A few have been apprehended, and some escaped."
"They are waiting in the main town, helping the citizens return to their homes."
"Is that so... Well, I should go make sure everything is good, just in case. Inform them they can head back to the Upper City once they are done."
"Understood." Zani’s voice was as cold as the expression on her face.
Slowly, she turned away, about to exit the door.
When all of a sudden, she stopped.
Without any warning, she advanced towards Sylus, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him away from Sophia.
With a single pull, Zani made sure to keep Sylus behind her, though her face was beet red.
Actually, she herself didn’t understand why she did that.
She was only his mystero. Whoever her prince decided to hug was of no concern to her, at least, not in this sense.
Not to mention, there was also the chance the lady was a civilian, scared and simply finding comfort in her prince.
That said, the aching feeling in Zani’s chest was still there. For some reason, she couldn’t stand the thought of this lady hugging him.
There was only one conclusion she could think of as to why that was—
"My lord, please stand behind me; I do not trust this person to wish you well," Zani voiced with seriousness.
"Eh?" Sylus was speechless—more so from the fact that he knew Sophia would be the last person to ever think of hurting him.
Not long after, Sophia turned her gaze toward Zani, her eyes glowing a faint red.
"How dare you take my master from me? Do you wish to die? Master, please tell me I can kill this girl."
Taking a closer look, Zani was sure she had seen this face somewhere, though at that moment she couldn’t tell where.
All she could feel was the growing death intent radiating from Sophia’s body.
"My lord, this is not a human; I knew it. My suspicion was right."
Sylus was shocked by this.
’She can see her? Is this part of the evolution?’
"Give him back." Sophia took a step forward. "I don’t like you holding him like that; he is not yours."
That single step she took sent a wave of fear settling within Zani.
However, Zani was quite used to fear from a young age.
Looking at Sophia, she could tell it was not going to be an easy fight. Nevertheless, she was willing to partake in it.
While her reason was to protect Sylus, there was also another reason—a reason even she had not yet discovered.
"Prince Sylus is not yours to own. If you wish for a fight, then I will—"
Sylus was now standing between them, slamming the side of his hand on their heads.
Zani used her hands to cover the front of her forehead where she was hit, while Sophia quickly grabbed Sylus’s hand, keeping it for herself.
With a sigh, Sylus spoke.
"You two need to relax a bit. Perhaps it is my fault for not introducing you two earlier." He pointed at Sophia. "This is Sophia, my summon and also my bodyguard."
Hearing herself being introduced, Sophia took the chance to hug Sylus’s arm from behind and began making death faces at Zani.
Of course, Zani ignored it, focusing on the fact that the prince was able to summon a human of all things.
"My lord, are you... even human?"
Sylus felt those words stab his chest.
"Why would you ask that?"
"This is the first time I have heard of anyone summoning a human. It’s quite weird... and honestly, worrisome."
Sylus sighed, "Regardless, she is my summon, so you have to be nice to her."
Zani turned her gaze to the fight, firstly picking up on the sigil at the back of Sophia’s fist and then toward the nasty expression she was making.
True, Zani didn’t like her, but if this woman was indeed Sylus’s subordinate, as he said, then she already had the upper hand.
Instantly, a sadistic grin appeared on her face, causing both Sylus and Sophia to stare in shock.
A few hours later, the Lower City had its people back inside.
The announcement of the Red Viper extermination spread like wildfire; people came out celebrating, hailing the prince for his intervention in their lives. The horror they had endured for years had finally come to an end.
Some were so happy, they even went as far as to send gifts to Zani’s mother, giving her the name Mother of the People, as she was the mother of Zani, the mystero of the prince.
To make the night even more memorable, Sylus made a huge decision to bring down the walls and gate separating the Upper City from the Lower City. All it took was the collective effort of Aria and Sylus’s new summon, Fabi.
With their help, taking down the walls and gate was too easy.
The people from the Lower City rejoiced, as not once had they seen what lay beyond the gates leading to the Upper City.
In order to cross the gate, you’d need to buy either a temporary or a permanent pass, two of which no one could afford.
And now, these very same people were free to wander the city, as they had always wanted to.
However, the happiness didn’t spread to the nobles living in the Upper City.
And Sylus was fully aware of this, which was why he had a plan in place.