Gustav was meditating with a Rong-Ja in his hands as he sat below the tree. It was already the start of the evening when the old man twitched and stood up from his place. He felt how the basic runes he placed to inform him about invasion activated. How his sparrow died when it noticed a group of quickly approaching figures in hoods as they galloped towards the village. At least one of such signs was enough for him to realize what was happening.

The old man instantly took his staff from his space ring when Tiona left the house and noticed his actions. The instincts that she polished in many battles told her everything in a blink as her heart missed a beat. She instantly touched her bracelet and took her sword as she rushed back into the house.

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As soon as Nero woke up and saw his mother who looked so worried, the boy quickly realized that something bad has happened. As if to prove his point, Tiona quickly finished taking some things into her bracelet and turned at her son.

“Get ready, we are leaving,” said the mother as Nero nodded and started his preparations. As if to prove the urgency of the situation, bangs and painful cries resounded from below the hill. Nero felt how his heart increased its beating when he heard those cries which were filled with pain and suffering.

When Nero and Tiona left the house, Gustav has already finished preparing his spells. The old man turned and looked at Tiona and his disciple.

“My lady, it’s Secret Service. They are after you. I will try to hold them as long as I can, please, escape deeper into the mountain. There is a tunnel which you can use to get on the other side of the mountain,” said Gustav as raised his staff and hundreds of icicles started pouring at the black figures in the village. He spoke in a rushed manner to inform them faster.

“Teacher,” said Nero as he looked at the back of his teacher, feeling something. Gustav only turned and looked at Nero with a kind smile he always showed when he was proud of him.

“Go, Nero. Stay strong and take care of your mother,” said the old man as icicles started falling at the village.

The boy nodded and sealed the image of his smiling teacher deep in his heart as he took his mother’s hand and followed her. As they moved further away from their house where Nero spent 7 years of his life and his teacher who taught him, a sadness appeared in his heart. But the boy dispersed such thoughts and sobered up, right when many cries resounded behind him, sending goosebumps on his spine. He paled when he realized it was the cries of the dying people. Those people were sleeping and resting after yesterday's celebration, but now they were dying and dying because of him and his mother. Scenes of different people flashed through his eyes as they continued to run.

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As soon as Gustav saw how Tiona and Nero disappeared into the forest, he released a sigh as he sent another spell at the black figures. Each spell he used killed dozens of them, but much more villagers died as collateral damage. The old man knew about it, but saving the lady and her son, the only legitimate heir to the throne, was much more important. So, he could only clench his staff as he killed those people with whom he lived for so many years. But he knew they won’t survive. Secret Service was too violent and would kill them, anyway. It was much better to take some of them, using defenseless villagers as bait. Besides, the position of the hill which was the highest here helped him a lot.

Half an hour later, after Gustav already killed over 2 dozen, they finally climbed the hill and surrounded him. A certain man stood right in front of Gustav as he pointed his sword at him.

“Counselor Gustav, I never expected to find you here,” said Robert with a smile on his lips. “One of the wisest members of the old guard was here. Counselor, why you didn’t return to the capital to serve the new king as others? Haven’t you heard about amnesty and many rewards given by the new king?”

Gustav only shook his head as he used more mana for his next spell.

“I have nothing to talk with traitors, especially with those who betrayed their vows and spat at their ancestors,” said the old man as he raised his staff and sent another wave of icicles at Robert and his people. Robert only gritted his teeth and swung his sword, destroying most of the icicles in the air.

“Too stubborn to accept the reality, old man. The time of griffons have ended, you old relic, can’t you see it?” asked Robert as he cried at him, releasing his aura which was much stronger than Gustav’s, “Tell me where is she, and I won’t take your life. My king will be glad to get such a wise man among his servants even if I deliver a crippled version of him.”

Gustav only smiled and started laughing, as if he heard a funny joke.

“Give up with that, Robert. You were still in your mother’s womb when I sent guys like you to their graves. My loyalty belongs only to one family. I won’t kneel before usurpers,” said the old man, as his rage intensified. Robert’s proposal was a real offense to his pride, and it was the one which he could never tolerate. To sacrifice his loyalty, honor, heart, personality, and future progress on his path just for saving his life. What a joke! Gustav wasn’t just like his other comrades, he would prefer to die than accept usurpers.

“Boy, even though you are stronger, you are nothing in my eyes, just another traitor who forgot about the vows. If you want to get something here. Pass through my dead body first,” said Gustav as he sent another spell that looked like a big glacier at the enemies.

Even though Robert once again dealt with most of the spell, some of his people ended up wounded or killed because the spell was just too strong and area orientated. He just couldn’t deal with it himself.

“Fine, I will kill you first, and find her next. Counselor, I can assure, she won’t escape this time,” said Robert with a wide smile on his lips. As if to prove his point, several distant bangs resounded from the forest's direction as smoke appeared there.

Gustav only gritted his teeth as he realized Robert expected Tiona to act that way and prepared a trap beforehand. He could only release a sigh and hope that they dealt with their obstacles while he will have to buy them as much time as he could. That’s why Gustav made his usual expression of the benevolent teacher when he praised them.

“Not bad, Robert. You are not so silly as you were in the past, you are no longer a newbie who just joined the Secret Service. Looks like years made you learn many things, but you are still too inexperienced. Do you really think that your subordinates there would be enough to stop her?” asked the old man as he smiled and raised his staff once again. He has already spent most of his mana and his inner energy won’t be of big use in battle against Robert. They will just exhaust and kill him if it continues. His quickly draining mana was the only thing that held Robert from approaching him. So, he had only one trick left. The one which would take them by surprise and which could help his disciple and his mother.

‘Disciple, sorry your teacher for leaving you so early.’ thought the old man as he started a chain of reactions in his mana heart and source.

Robert already wanted to retaliate his last phrase when he widened his eyes, realizing the old man’s intentions.

“Kill him!” His face paled as he ordered his people to attack while he started retreating. Even though they tried to get there as fast as they could, it was already late.

A lone, bitter tear fell before a big bang resounded at the top of the hill, annihilating everything on its way. A big ice wave appeared, engulfing both the hill and the burning and dead village. The battle ended as the silence fell on the hill. When the ice and snow settled, a heavily wounded man appeared, spitting a huge portion of his blood. There were many light wounds and one serious wound near his neck. It was Robert, but he no longer looked calm, as if he was in control. His clothes were torn apart, his body injured, and he used most of his inner energy for the energy shield to protect himself. He was no longer in his ideal shape. As he looked around and saw only ice and snow finding no trace of his people, huge hate and rage appeared in his heart. His most trusted subordinates, the ones who proved their loyalty solely to him, the ones on whom he spent so many resources just like his teacher many years ago, and now all of them except for two dozen, sent to the mountain were dead.

“Bastard,” said Robert as he gritted his teeth while his eyes shined with rage. “I wanted to go easy on you because of the respect I once had for you, but you tricked me and killed my people. Gustav, if that slut is so important for you, then I will make her suffer for your actions before making her follow you.”

Robert took several alchemical pills and swallowed them before taking a certain artifact and rushed to the forest with a blood-thirsty expression on his face.

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Nero followed his mother as they continued to move further into the forest. Painful cries have long ago quietened while bangs replaced them. As they continued to move further away from the village, those blasts became only stronger. Nero knew to whom those blasts belonged. It was his teacher who was buying them some time as they escaped.

They were at the edge of the forest when Tiona stopped and raised her sword before swinging it and several energy slashes flew in different directions. Before those who were there could react, their heads were already on the ground.

“Stay behind me,” said Tiona as she tightly gripped her sword and prepared to meet the enemy. She knew that there were much more of them who she didn’t kill with her attack, and it didn’t take long for figures in the black, raven-like uniform to appear attacking her.

“Secret Service,” said Tiona with a clear disgust and hate on her face. “The first traitors of the kingdom.”

As soon as she said that, a hooded man who was the leader of this group started laughing as he looked at Tiona.

“We came only after you but never expected to see a child. Looks like heavens blessed us with luck, guys,” said the leader as he laughed. “Let’s deal with her and take this griffon slut’s son to captain. He will know what to do with the last survivor of purple-eyed bastards.”

Other figures also laughed and smiled as they jumped at Tiona. There were ten people in total without counting three dead ones.

When they attacked, Tiona only smiled before rage, hate and many other emotions flashed through her eyes. It looked as if a sleeping beast was finally awake. Tiona just raised her sword as gathered her inner energy in her hands and legs.

“Looks like, you have already forgotten who I was before. Your captain must be a real idiot if he sent only one Great knight, leading a group of knights and several mages to hunt me down. I killed dozens like you when you were still inside the womb of your mothers,” said Tiona as she swung her sword and sent many sword slashes at the approaching enemies.

Nero could only see how most of the figures ended up dead when the dust settled with only a few who survived but were wounded. He widened his eyes in shock when he saw how strong his mother was. She just moved her sword, and they were already dead. Besides, her attack even dodged several fire spells right in the air. Tiona only threw her gaze at two knights who survived before raising her sword once again and finishing with all of them.

As soon as she finished, Tiona took Nero’s arm and looked at him with a smile on her face.

“We have to go,” said the mother, trying to calm him down. Nero only nodded and followed her.

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They met another group, which was stronger than the first one as they moved further to the mountain. But they also failed and both mother and son continued to move further. It was already night while they continued to move higher to the mountain. Though Nero was exhausted, he gritted his teeth and continued moving, understanding well what was on the stakes.

Soon, they reached their goal, the place which looked like a small canyon from which they could enter the tunnel. At first, starting from the evening, Tiona made a relieved expression on her face when she saw their destination and already wanted to rush there when suddenly something happened.

An energy technique appeared behind them, and Tiona grabbed Nero and jumped, evading a sudden attack, which continued moving further before it hit the entrance to the canyon, blocking the passage, and cutting their only escape route.

For the first time since the start of their escape, Tiona paled when she realized what happened. Turning around, she saw a quickly approaching male figure in torn clothes and many wounds on his body. His movements looked unsteady, but Tiona knew the truth. This man was stronger than her and stronger than Gustav. He was near his third transformation. She could have easily dealt with him if she was in her previous condition, but not now. She was weaker than him.