Chapter 142 --142
Elara cut in before he could build up more steam. "Oh, were you about to use magic?" Her tone was flat, dismissive.
"Forget it. This circle was made by my mother. The whole Duke estate is trapped inside it right now. Your magic power?" She paused, letting it sink in.
"It’s already gone."
His hand shot up, black ice forming—but it sputtered, flickering weak before dying completely. He stared at his palm like it had betrayed him.
Elara watched without emotion. "Welcome to Mother’s trap. Fifteen years in the making."
Suddenly, the emperor shouted, "Come!"
As the word left his lips, the wall behind the door slid open seamlessly, revealing a hidden compartment like a secret gate. From within emerged at least fifty knights, their armor gleaming under the torchlight—Elara couldn’t help but marvel silently at the ingenuity; even modern tech paled against this ancient engineering that concealed an entire force within stone. Half were human knights in polished plate, the other half beast knights with twitching ears and swishing tails, their collars humming faintly.
The beast knights surged forward but halted at Elara and Ileana, bound by ancient wards that prevented them from harming royal blood; they could fell demoted guards, rival beastmen, administrators, or any lesser foes without hesitation. Elara observed the chaos unfolding, sighed in quiet assessment, then turned to her administrator.
"Administrator," she commanded coolly, "back out—now."
Elara watched calmly as the administrators heard her order and took three quick steps back. It wasn’t that they couldn’t fight—they were sharp magicians, after all, specialists in new spells. Three of them handled rare poisons; even Dimtri could suck in toxins and heal through the pain, surviving what would kill others outright.
After all that was the main reason Elara let him.easily taste that river water without stopping.
They weren’t frontline brawlers, but they were no pushovers.