A beautiful white horse raced in the barren land where no obstruction existed. Even though Rowan wasn't a good fighter, despite being a Prince, he was second to none when it came to horse riding.
He was known as the weakest Prince but the strongest rider.
As the horse raced, the distance between Azekiel and the entourage of the Empire of Dark Mages kept decreasing.
Unlike Azekiel, the Dark Mages weren't in any hurry. They had so much confidence in them that they knew they didn't need to hurry. No one was a threat to them.
There were twenty people in the group of Dark Mages, each having a horse of their own.
Almost all the dark mages appeared to be in their thirties and forties except one... The man who was leading the team.
The captain of this small yet skillful team of twenty was a young man who was only in his early twenties. Despite such a young age, he was already a captain rank in the army of the Dark Empire. No one questioned his authority either since they knew that the man wasn't any ordinary man! He was the son of the King of the Empire of Dark Magic!
The only reason he had joined the army was so he could have some fun. Otherwise, he didn't even need to do it. He could just command the army without having a title.
He was the only one who wasn't alone on the horse. There was a beautiful girl who appeared to be eighteen years old.
The hands and the legs of the girl were tied as she was carried on the horse like she was a sack of rice.
"You have been awfully silent this entire journey. Aren't you going to say anything? Or you have already given in to your destiny?" the young man asked, smiling.
His dark hair waved with the wind as the house moved. The man was the third prince of the Empire of Dark Magic, Weiss. Even though he was third in line to the throne, it didn't mean he didn't have any influence in the Empire.
He was the favorite son of the Emperor after all, despite all his shenanigans. As he was the youngest, he was also loved the most. Not only did his parents spoil him but also his Elder brothers. There was no enmity in the Royal Family.
The Eldest was going to have the throne, and everyone accepted that. The other two brothers were instead happy with the decision. That was the bond between the three brothers.
"This won't end well for you! My father will make your life a living hell!" The girl retorted fiercely.
"Hahahaha, you can be a really good comedian. You do have some good jokes. Your father can't even touch a hair on my head. As for what your Empire is capable of, we already saw that. You didn't see how your cowardly brother gave up and let us take you? Even your father won't dare to invade the Empire of Darkness over you!" Weiss declared. "He will simply come begging!"
"However, I don't think I'll release you, no matter how much he begs. I've started to like your feisty nature. You're much braver than that cowardly brother of yours. He was truly a disgrace! I would keep you with me. And who knows, if you're lucky, I might agree to make you my concubine." The Third Prince burst into laughter.
"Ah, Captain!"
Weiss' laughter only stopped as he heard one of his men call him.
"What?" he asked.
"Someone seems to be following us." The soldier answered.
"Who dares? The army of the Estia Empire arrived so fast?" Weiss exclaimed in surprise.
Hearing his words, the girl's eyes lit up. "I told you my father will come!"
Weiss glanced back with a deep frown.
As soon as he looked back, he burst into even louder laughter. "Hahahahaha! So that's your army, one man riding on a horse? And that man is none other than your cowardly brother? Maybe he's coming to ask us to take him as a slave as well."
As soon as the girl heard who was following them, her eyes also dimmed. She couldn't believe she was happy for no reason.
'Why is he coming here? He was left alive; he should've run to inform father. Instead, he's coming here alone. Has he gone crazy?' she thought.
Weiss raised his right hand, gesturing to his men to stop where they were. All the horses slowed down, including his own. All twenty of them turned their horses around as if waiting for Rowan to arrive to them.
As Azekiel sat behind tall Rowan, they couldn't see his figure for quite some time.
"They stopped," Rowan let out as he stopped the horse five meters away from the enemies.
"That's better." Azekiel smiled. "Since you brought me here, that already covers the first part of the quest, giving you the courage. Now leave the next part to me... Helping you recover your sister."
Azekiel jumped down the horse, surprising Weiss. Rowan wasn't alone? Who was this guy that he brought? He wasn't one of the guards in the entourage. Who was he then?
With the confidence that Azekiel stood before then, something didn't seem right. Azekiel didn't even have a weapon in his hand.
There were only five meters of distance between the two sides.
"There are twenty of you. It should be enough experience. However, I still wish there were more." Azekiel let out a deep sigh as if he was really disappointed that there were only so few of them. "I guess we can't always get what we want. I'll have to settle with you."
His words were confusing to Weiss. He didn't understand them clearly, but for some reason, he felt as if Azekiel was insulting them.
"Who are you? Are you from the Estia Empire?" Weiss asked.
Azekiel shook his head.
"Then which Empire are you from?" Weiss asked again.
"I'm not from any Empire. I'm from hell... Also known as the Tower of Sin, sent here to send you to hell as well."
"You... You really have a death wish, it seems." Weiss gestured to one of his men to go and finish Azekiel. He felt that one of them was about to kill this crazy man.
"You have enough Soul Energy for Spiritual Summon inside your body. Do it. Let me handle them!" Raphael suggested as he watched one of the Dark Mages jump down the house, carrying his staff.
"No need. Today, I want to do some things myself." Azekiel smiled as he stretched his arms. "I need to learn to fight myself. I can't always rely on you, after all. Today, it'll be Azekiel who will fight."
