"In that case, my son and I will take our leave, Your Highness," Orwin said as he stood.
Kael, sitting beside him, rose as well. Understanding Elina’s plan, they knew they had to act quickly to inform the people.
This way, the issue of poverty could be resolved swiftly.
"Good!" Elina smiled as she rose. "Thank you for coming. Don’t worry, this plan isn’t just empty talk. I’ll send a letter to the leader of Torosvia, and I hope we can start implementing it in two days."
Orwin and Kael held back their smiles. They bowed their heads in thanks before leaving the living room.
Rick promptly escorted them, leaving Elina alone in the room.
She sat back down, crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and sipped her coffee. In a calm, indifferent tone, she called out, "Come out. I know you’re here. I need your help."
There was no answer. Silence filled the room.
Elina opened one eye and spoke again. "Come out. I know you’re right beside me. Keep hiding, and don’t blame me if I report you to the Singularity of Chaos for slacking. Let’s see how he punishes you later."
Moments later, a black circle appeared beside her. Slowly, a figure rose from it, accompanied by an annoyed voice.
"Tsk! You’re really a pain. Threatening me is the same as asking for death. Aren’t you afraid?"
The shadow stared coldly and indifferently. Under that gaze, Elina’s hair rose, but she quickly composed herself.
"Afraid?" she chuckled softly. "How could I be? You’re here to protect me. Of course I’m not afraid."
She glanced at the shadow—its form made it unclear whether it was male or female, though the voice sounded female.
The shadow was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply.
"You really are just like him—so annoying," the shadow complained. "Enough small talk. Tell me what you want. But know this: I won’t fight for the throne or kill your enemies. My job is only to protect you, nothing more."
Elina understood immediately. The Singularity of Chaos had indeed assigned one of his subordinates to protect her, which explained her confidence when she called.
Straightening, her face turned serious. "I want you to kill every monster in Calvron Forest right now. I need a safe area to fortify the town of Virella. Can you do it?"
The shadow sounded surprised. "You called me only for that?"
"Yes—only for that," Elina replied. "If you can’t, fine. Apparently that’s all one of the Singularity of Chaos’s subordinates can do."
The shadow: "..."
The corner of its mouth twitched, and the urge to teach Elina a lesson was strong.
Still, it reminded itself that she was the little sister of that annoying man.
"Fine, I understand. That’s simple enough," the shadow snorted.
Without another word, it vanished from sight.
Watching it leave, Elina couldn’t help but laugh.
"So it’s true—the figure protecting me really exists. Even if it can’t be used to kill the princes, at least I’m safe from sneak attacks," she murmured excitedly.
If the shadow had seen her smile, it would have fallen silent—the expression was far too similar to Nolan’s.
***
A shadowy figure appeared outside the mansion. Slowly, its form became clear—Malverna.
"Tsk! Both the brother and sister are troublesome," she muttered with a sigh. "I thought Elina would be different, but she’s the same. At least she doesn’t possess her brother’s terrifying power. Otherwise, this world might have become their playground."
The mere thought sent shivers down her spine. Shoving it aside, she glanced toward the southeast of the town and whispered coldly, "Finish it quickly, so I can relax."
Then, just like that, her figure vanished, as swiftly as a gust of wind.
...
"Achoo!" Nolan sneezed suddenly, looking around in surprise.
"What’s wrong, my brother? Do you have the flu? How about wearing this winter coat? I brought it just in case," Sharon said worriedly, taking out a blue winter coat.
The coat was thick and lined with very soft bear fur.
Nolan shook his head politely. "It’s okay, Sister. I’m fine. Just now, it felt like someone was cursing me. Maybe it’s just my imagination."
"Cursing you?" Sharon raised her eyebrows slightly. "It’s understandable. Doesn’t everyone look at you with a certain kind of hatred and anger? So it makes sense that you feel that way."
Nolan: "..."
Can you not be so obvious? I’m human too, and I have feelings, you know.
"Hah..." He let out a small sigh, pushing aside his annoyance, then quickly changed the subject. "How much longer until we reach the port?"
Sharon put the winter coat back into her magic storage.
"It shouldn’t be long now. Probably a few more hours."
Nolan nodded slowly, saying nothing more. He rested the right side of his face against his sister’s shoulder, enjoying the soothing scent.
Sharon didn’t mind his closeness. She gently stroked his head, her touch affectionate.
Two hours later, the horse-drawn carriage slowed before coming to a stop.
"Your Highness Nolan and Your Highness Sharon, we have arrived at our destination," the coachman announced.
Nolan and Sharon exchanged glances before nodding slowly.
They stepped off the carriage, greeted by a strong gust of wind.
"What a boring journey. Don’t you agree, Your Highness?"
Draco’s playful voice came from behind them.
Nolan turned and saw Draco smiling, with Cassiopeia walking beside him.
"Yes, it was really boring. I feel like throwing up," Nolan replied honestly, shaking his head slightly.
"Hahaha!" Draco laughed heartily. "Exactly! I feel the same. If it weren’t for the rules, I would’ve used my dragon form to get here."
Nolan nodded. He could have opened a dimensional portal and arrived directly in the Kingdom of Kaldorian.
But that would mean revealing his identity as the Singularity of Chaos to everyone.
Of course, he didn’t want that.
While the two chatted, Cassiopeia and Sharon were also talking quietly.
"Has the ship arrived?" Sharon asked.
"Yes, Your Highness. But we must stop by the Anderson family first," Cassiopeia replied.
"The Anderson family?" Sharon raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, the Andersons. They are a viscount-level family controlling this port. Although we could leave immediately, Your Majesty ordered us to visit them first. In addition, the Andersons already know about our plan to depart for Kaldorian, so it’s better to stop by first."
"Since it’s Father’s order, I have no objections," Sharon said. "Let’s go there."
Cassiopeia nodded and led Sharon, Nolan, and Draco toward the Anderson family’s estate.