Chapter 65: Emergency Call

  “Princess Pailin, I believe we have guarded this place for over two weeks now. It should be safe by now,” Leader Mei said in the middle of the night, her voice tinged with a sigh.

  It had been over two weeks since they had been stranded in the FlameFrost Village. Princess Pailin always found reasons to keep them there—for reassurance, to help clear out Devil beasts, or even because the village needed reconstruction—the end result was that they never got to return to Ratana City.

  “I don’t doubt Your Highness’s decision, but I think we should return to the capital. After all, Your Highness still has many duties there,” Napha said hesitantly. Although he respected Princess Pailin, being confined here for two weeks was certainly not pleasant.

  “We are deeply grateful for Your Highness’s kindness. However, I still support your return to Ratana City. The FlameFrost Village has received too much from you,” the village chief said with a sorrowful expression. Throughout the time Princess Pailin's group stayed in the FlameFrost Village, the happiest were undoubtedly the villagers themselves. She helped improve their living conditions, eliminated Devil beasts, and much more.

  Of course, they weren't so greedy as to expect Princess Pailin to keep helping them indefinitely. Her presence for over two weeks was already far beyond their expectations.

  The members of Unit 3 were in a difficult position. They wanted to return to the Ratana City, but if Princess Pailin continued to stay in the village, as her guard, they couldn't simply leave.

  “But I think this village still needs some attention for a while longer. I think I won't be able to relax until the end of the month at the earliest,” Princess Pailin smiled faintly, sipping her tea nonchalantly.

  Everyone's faces fell upon hearing this. If they were to stay like that, the consequences would be severe. After all, they were the City Guard. They had many duties to fulfill, not only as City Guard but also as family and loved ones. Being forced into such a long mission is not good at all.

  “Princess Pailin, I notice that the soldiers who came with us are beginning to show some displeasure. I think…” Tawan said.

  “Hmm, let them go back first. Unit 3 is more than enough for protection,” Princess Pailin replied without even looking up at them.

  Hearing this, Tawan smiled wryly. No matter how much he tried to persuade her, Princess Pailin refused to return to Ratana City.

  This escalating situation even worried the villagers. If Princess stayed here and refused to leave, the responsibility of caring for her would be far too great for their small village to handle.

  In another corner of the room, while everyone was trying to persuade Princess Pailin, Nitaan picked up a glowing, shimmering transmitter stone. When he channeled his spiritual energy into it, a voice echoed out:

  ‘Unit 3, bring Princess Pailin back to Ratana City as quickly as possible. The royal family has entrusted her with the task of establishing relations with the Tail race.’ The voice of Colonel Lalanta rang out.

  Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at the transmitter stone in Nitaan's hand. Colonel Lalanta's voice was clearly tinged with a hint of anger. It seemed she was clearly displeased with their delay.

  Princess Pailin raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this, unlike the other members of Unit 3, whose faces brightened instantly. They all gazed at Princess Pailin, awaiting her answer.

  "But I haven't dug another well yet. Can't we tell Colonel Lalanta that I need another three days?" Princess Pailin frowned.

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  "She emphasized that it's urgent. We need to return to Ratana City immediately." Nitaan shook his head, his face filled with helplessness.

  "But…" Princess Pailin puffed out her cheeks.

  "Princess Pailin, since it's Colonel Lalanta's order, we must return as quickly as possible," Leader Mei replied.

  "Then Unit 3 can go back first. If you're concerned about my safety, have a couple of people stay with me," Princess Pailin suggested, lowering her head in thought, rather stubbornly.

  "Forgive me, Your Highness, but the mission doesn't permit such a thing," Leader Mei replied. She understood perfectly well that such an action was far too risky. Though she spoke resignedly, her eyes betrayed her face. The joy of being able to return home can be seen.

  Princess's face clouded over. She looked around the room. Everyone's eyes were filled with anticipation. They all longed to return home.

  Seeing this, Princess Pailin sighed. She carefully wrote a long, rambling letter. When she finished, she handed it to the village chief.

  The village chief received it, bewildered. The lengthy letter contained instructions on maintaining the village walls, constructing an irrigation system, improving the quality of life for livestock, and much more.

  "These are the village development plans. I must entrust them to you, chief," she said, sighing regretfully that she wouldn't get to see the improved quality of life for her village, Flame of Winter.

  Hearing this, the chief's eyes lit up. He bowed deeply in gratitude.

  Unit 3 watched helplessly. No matter what, Princess Pailin remained Princess Pailin, the princess who loved her people.

  "We will depart tomorrow morning. Inform the soldiers to prepare," Princess Pailin said, sighing again. She glanced wistfully at the FlameFrost Village.

  “I must go say goodbye to the children,” she said softly.

  As her words faded, enthusiasm reappeared in the eyes of the members of Unit 3. They happily accepted the orders and dispersed to pack their belongings, each returning to their own rooms. The sounds of commotion from each room echoed as people packed up, and the village chief announced the news to the villagers.

  Only Nitaan glanced at Princess Pailin's sorrowful face with an impassive expression.

  That evening, a simple farewell party was held at the chief's house. Many villagers came to greet, thank, and bid farewell. Several village children had made flower-shaped ornaments for Unit 3, which they accepted with smiles.

  The saddest of all was Kiita. For the past two weeks, he had been constantly surrounded by children playing with him. Now that he was leaving, many children climbed on top of him, hugging him sadly.

  When morning arrived, the sun shone brightly, providing light and warmth to all living things. The temperature in the FlameFrost Village was higher than usual. Hundreds of villagers crowded at the village gates. Everyone bid farewell to Princess Pailin with a mixture of bright smiles and sadness. Princess Pailin had truly helped them in many ways, not only by defeating Devil beasts but also by improving their quality of life.

  However, they understood that Princess Pailin still had many things to do.

  Even as the carriage moved away, the cheers and praises continued unabated.

  “Long live Princess Pailin!”

  “Long live Princess Pailin!”

  “O’Flame, who lightens up the world, O’Flame, who cleanses the Evernight!”

  “O’Flame, who lightens up the world, O’Flame, who cleanses the Evernight!”

  The cheers continued until the carriage disappeared from sight.

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  “Finally, I can go back. I thought I would have to risk hiding from that old woman’s watch and going hunting.” A voice murmured to itself from the shadows. In the distance, Princess Pailin’s carriage procession moved far beyond the village of FlameFrost.

  “It will probably be tomorrow before they return to Ratana City. Then it'll be the day after tomorrow before the report of the successful mission reaches the people," the dark figure murmured happily.

  "I wonder how the people will view Princess Pailin after receiving the joyful news that she went to subdue the Devil beasts and save a remote village from danger, only to have that village utterly devastated by another Devil beasts later." The dark figure chuckled to himself as he watched the carriage disappear from sight.

  Behind the dark figure, the Vaira Locust reappeared. This figure looked exactly like the dead Vaira Locust before.

  With a single wave of his hand, the mysterious man enveloped the Vaira Locust in thick black mist. A rustling sound came from within the mist, like something being chewed, crushed, and squeezed.

  The dark figure gently picked up a small black bottle in his hand. His spiritual energy was transferred into the bottle, causing it to tremble slightly.

  The dark figure carefully opened the cork. A dark, ominous mass floated out of the bottle, drawn by the spiritual energy of the black shadow into the black mist behind it.

  He clenched his fist, turning towards the black mist. The mist began to dissipate.

  When the mist cleared, the Vaira Locust vanished, replaced by the figure of a Devil beast with a bright red body. Where there should have been arms, three pairs of large wings sprouted. It stood on two legs, its massive mouth gaping open as if roaring. No sound came out, yet the shockwaves that struck the soul spread once again.

  The mysterious man and the bright red beast stared at the FlameFrost Village. His eyes glowed brightly, and the corners of their mouths curved into smiles.

  “Tonight, we will hunt again.” With that, the figure vanished without a trace. Nothing remained—no footprints, no scent. Everything vanished even more than when the Vaira Locust was pursued.

  Only the red beast remained, its eyes devoid of any sparkle. Its body sank into the earth, motionless, silently lurking in the forest.