The princess noticed that Mina seemed to be not as cheerful as before. As a friend, she usually a talkative type. She talks about that and this...but right now, she seemed to have something that bugged her.

Even though she still conversing with her properly but not the usual cheerful her. Right now, she even was wearing a dress that she usually hated to wear. A perfume that she usually snubbed.

But all of these were present in her right now.

She looks more stunning than before.

The princess was feeling suspicious but decided not to point it. She felt tired of a sudden. Looks like that fight awhile ago consumed her stamina.

Mina also noticed something with the princess.

She asked her if why she looks exhausted. The princess told her that she encountered a weird magician.

That their mission last night was a failure because of him.

Mina also a member of Assassin Guild but she joined only for fun. And most youngster from 13 families, they joined guilds in another identity.

They usually not revealed their real identity. In this empire, killing was not uncommon especially from 13 families who secretly engaging themselves in a battle.

So she was not surprised if the princess of the empire did also. After all, she was the type of princess who was hard to control.

Mina only felt sorry for the personal guards of the princess. They had a hard time following her.

She was a little curious about the mysterious magician the princess mentioned but decided not to delve deeper into it. She told her to sleep first as she was going to continue her training.

She needed to control her fire magic well. Not only the ranking month that was nearing. Also the competition in the academy. This was her chance to prove herself.

She took a rectangular object in her pocket and checked on it. After she fed it with magic energy, the device lit up and some letters appeared on it.

It read as,

Name: Hemina Skyblaze

Clan: Skyblaze

Race: Human

Profession: Assassin(Assassin's Guild)

Rank: Silver-Grade II Magician

Strength

•55

Sense

•55

Vitality

•45

Agility

•80

Dexterity

•70

Her development was higher than a normal magician. So she could only nod at her attributes.

Mina changed her dress into a training suit of fitted black, then she went into one of the training rooms. The inside was about 200 square meters. The height of the ceiling from the slab floor was about 25 meters. The room was illuminated by crystal lamps embedded on the ceiling.

In front of her, there were three closed doors.

"My lady, are you ready?" She heard a female voice asking her. Mina breathed and twisted her fingers and neck to ready herself which followed by bone-crackling sounds.

"Okay, I'm ready Miss Lao, please start right away." Mina beckoned on her trusted aid to start.

The three doors opened simultaneously. And three human-shaped dolls emerged from it. These dolls had magic essence in each of them. These magic essence usually extracted from a magic beast.

Every magic beast had different ranks. It depends on their rank if how high the magic essence. If the magicians have magic seeds, then the magic beast had magic essence.

Inside these three dolls were the magic essence from a rank C magic beast. Which also as strong as a Silver-Grade magician.

With the help of an artifact, the dolls able to attack and behave like the real magic beast. The skill and fighting capability defend on what kind of magic beast the former owner of the magic essence embedded in these dolls.

The three dolls immediately neared her. Gripping her favorite weapons of two daggers. She rushed at them without fear.

The two daggers were drawing lines in the air when Mina leaped towards the doll located in the middle among the three.

Two arms flew and detached from its body. It was a sudden leaped attack while slashing the dagger from below then climbed upward.

Mina didn't stop after that, she jumped and used the doll's head as a foothold.

The other two dolls fired at her. One used earth attack while the other one uses wind blades in the form of a crescent moon.

She narrowed her eyes and threw her dagger to the upcoming attacks. Then she jumps while flipping her body in the air.

The daggers successfully did their purpose as they collided with the enemy's attacks.

While in the air, Mina's two hands created fires.

Two blazing fires were taking shapes into circles.

Before her feet landed on the floor, she fired it simultaneously at the direction that opposites to each other. Which followed by a loud bang!

"Good job, My lady..."

Mina nodded but still dissatisfied.

"Next!"

She called out and the door opened again. Then another batch of training dolls appeared.

...

<><><>

Around the time that Mina was in training, Yeman and his sister were traveling in the carriage.

They would be going to the market of the Main City to buy some materials and also to check the academy.

He glanced at Eina and saw her excited face. It looks like, it was not always that her brother Eman brings her into the Main City.

The two of them was wearing ordinary clothes. Eina was wearing a faded color white dress and a pink ribbon headdress on her head. Paired with pink shoes.

Yeman was wearing black long sleeves, paired with fitted trousers and black shoes. And a mask to cover his mouth and nose to avoid some assassins to recognize him. And a scarf to hide the burn mark on his neck.

He was staring at his sister when a breeze of wind passed into the carriage window and caused her hair to dance in the air. Yeman caught a glimpse of something on her neck.

He touched her hair and gently lifted it.

"Big bro?" Eina was puzzled when she noticed her brother's face furrowed.

"Eina..." he called her softly.

"Yes, Big bro?"

"Why there is a burn mark on your neck?" He asked her as he gently touched the burn mark on her.

Eina was seemingly felt tickled as she closed an eye from her brother's gentle touched on her neck.

Yeman was very surprised to see this. This burn mark was the same as the burn mark on his neck!

"Hm, I don't know what's the cause of it. But it was already there before I know it," she said. He could feel that she was telling the truth.

He nodded and smiled at her. Then, patted her head.

Yeman felt that these burn marks were not ordinary marks.

He thought that it might lead to something big.

Suddenly, he felt something was going on outside. A second later, the carriage made a sudden stop.

"Coachman?" Yeman called.

"There are bandits ahead! They are blocking the road." The coachman replied in unease.

Yeman felt the coachman's uneasiness.

Outside the carriage, he could perceive about 15 presence. He could also feel their strength.

Eina anxiously tugged his sleeve.

He smiled at her to calm her down, "Eina, stay here for a minute. I will be going to check if what is going on."

He said at her while embracing her smooth face with his hand.

"Wait bro, don't, if you go, I go too!" She said with a face that was about to cry and pleaded to her brother.

He smiled at her. Yeman thought that she might be afraid to be left behind again. It was troublesome if her trauma kicks in.

"Hmm, okay, but if there is a fight, you stand a little further okay?" In the end he agreed to bring her.

"Mhm," she nodded. It's better than leaving her alone inside the carriage.

The two of them went down the carriage. The coachman seemed surprised to see them. Yeman took off the mask. It made him looks like a bandit also.

"Hey kid, where are you going?"

He asked.

"Just going to check. We will come back shortly, wait for us, Mr. Coachman." Yeman answered.

"Kid, are you going for a suicide? Look, there are ten of them. Let just turn back!" He shouted to Yeman.

The coachman could not believe that he was even bringing the little girl. It was common knowledge in the empire that these bandits were savage rapists.

If only he did not overuse his magic before. He was supposed to be a strong magician soldier in the empire.

But he retired after his magician seed was damaged on his last mission. Maybe he could deal 3 or five of these bandits at the same time in his prime.

But now, he was only an ordinary coachman who could not use magic anymore.

"No way, I won't let someone bother the date I have with my sister. I will be going to punish them for hindering us. hehe."

Yeman replied with a serious face.

"Hehe. Thank you bro. But I think Mr. Coachman is right also, what if — we just go back, then come back later?"

Eina giggled. She really was scared that something might happen to her brother.

"Did my sister forgot how I killed many monsters?" Yeman was boosting himself to assure her that it would be fine. Also to lessen her fear.

"Oh!" Eina exclaimed when she remembered what her uncle Ronny said before.

Ahead of them, about 70 steps away, they saw 10 people in rough clothing which Yeman presumed as bandits, they were surrounding the carriage that was parking on the other lane of the road.

One of them was rushing towards their direction.

Yeman smirked.

He looked ahead and saw a round man with a long beard that was wearing a jumper suit with a coat that tied on his waist, and he held a hammer in his hands.

He was currently arguing with the bandits.

"Hehe, beardy, I will give you a chance, leave that woman and girl, and also the carriage if you wanted to live."

One of the bandits urged.

Hehehehe!

Then other members also were laughing together with him.

Their sinister laughs were sending a chill down the spines of their targets.

The bearded man knitted his brows and gritted his teeth. He never thought that these bandits would show up today.

They were the notorious group who robbed, raped and killed their victims. They were already in the wanted list all around the empire.

There was even a mission to hunt them in some of the guilds. But this group suddenly went one day. Everyone thought that they were in hiding and some said that they were dead already.

If only he knew that this group would show up now, he would get protection from the guardian guild.

"Hehehe, beardy! Scram or I will kill you together with them!"

One of the bandits said while licking the blood on the sword that he was holding.

It was the blood from their coachman, although he was still alive. But breathing heavily while lying on the road.

The bearded man glanced inside the carriage. He saw his wife and daughter hugging each other and was trembling in fear. With faces that about to cry any moment from now.

On the other hand, his two subordinates also were in staring contest with other bandits.

"No way! Don't listen to them Mr. Klaus! I'm sure many soldiers were already on their way here!" One of his subordinates exclaimed after hearing the bandit's words.

His shortsword in hand was glowing in a bluish color. It was not an ordinary sword.

"Kekeke, you dumb! Did you really think that they come for you, huh?"

The bandit swung his curvaceous sword towards the subordinate.

Ting!

Piercing noise followed when their swords met each other.

The two continued clashing...

Ting! Ting! Ting...

"Ahhhhh!" His other subordinates cried out.

The bearded man named Klaus looked to his direction. His face grimed when he noticed a dagger pierced on his subordinate's shoulder.

"Boy!" Klaus called out.

"Niel!" The later subordinates shouted as well while blocking the incoming attack.

Ting!

The two of them were like brothers who joined with Mr. Klaus at the same time. After they failed to join the empire's soldier recruitment, Mr. Klaus recruited them as his aid in business.

"I - I'm fine Mr. Klaus," Niel replied in difficulty.

"Hehehehe..." the bandit laughed at Niel.

Tsk! Klaus clicked his tongue. The situation was getting worse every second. This place they currently in now, was a place which seldom that people would pass by.

He noticed a carriage not far from them.

It suddenly stops. He guessed that they noticed the bandits. He wishes for them to turn around so that no more additional victims for these bandits and hopefully they would call for help.

He was not afraid to die. If only his wife and daughter was not with him today. He would choose to abandon all his treasure inside the carriage. But things were different. For sure these bandits would not let his wife and daughter escape.

Ting!

Thud!

Ugh!

Klaus glanced briefly and saw his other subordinate was laying on the ground.

"Hal! Are you okay?" He asked him.

"Y-yes, Mr. Klaus, don't worry," Hal replied while trying to get up.

"Come jerk, ehehe!"

The bandit playfully said at Hal while gesturing him to attack.

"You're dead!" He attacked once again after getting up.

Ting!

Ting!

Their swords clash again and again. Hal gritted his teeth. He knows that only a matter of time that he would lose. He snatched a glance at the girl inside the carriage and regretted it. He doesn't even have the courage to say his feelings. And now, he could not protect her. In any case, he would die for her.

"Heyaaaah!!" He shouted and brandished his sword towards the bandit.

The bandit who was talking to Klaus glanced at the other carriage with a wide grin.

He saw a young man and a cute girl climbed down on it. One of his men already was approaching them.

Klaus was having an ashen face. 'Did they not see the situation here?' He asked himself.

He could not believe that the young man was so careless. He was even bringing a girl with him. Did he not know who these people right here?

Shit! Klaus was cursing.

"Hey, kid, you two, run! Fast!" He shouted at them. But the young man did not seem to hear him. And it's already too late. That bandit who approached them already neared them. He saw the girl hugged the young man which he believes his brother because they looked identical.

Klaus saw the bandit stopped in front of those two.

'This, shit!' He exclaimed rude words inwardly.

He just wanted them to escape. But it looks like too late. Now other victims fell to these people.

He saw the bandit lifted his arm with a sword. He lifted it above his head. Klaus doesn't want to see their gruesome fate.

But after he lifted his arm, the bandit seemed...he...

'Paused?'