After walking down the mountain for weeks, Zane didn’t realize that the direction he was heading toward was where Sofia and her army were camping and defending against the monster waves.
"Everyone be on guard! Someone powerful is coming!" Sofia shouted, pulling her sword from the monster she had just slain.
The shadow in the mist started drawing closer, and one of the archers fired.
FWOOOSH!
Zane did not dodge, and the arrows struck him, leaving no injuries whatsoever.
"WHAT.... " The guards stood in total shock.
"It’s been a while, Sister... Maria, Joshua."
A familiar voice echoed from the shadowy mist as it cleared, revealing Zane’s face.
"A.... Zane? You... You are still alive!" Sofia gasped. Tears burst from her eyes as she ran toward him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.
"I am. But why are you crying?" Zane asked gently, wiping away her tears.
"Why wouldn’t I?! I’ve been searching for you in Demon Mountain for three years!" she sobbed, beating her fists lightly against Zane’s chest.
"Sorry, Sister. I won’t make you cry again, okay?" he said, hugging her back.
He glanced over at Joshua and Maria. "And you guys are still alive? Where is Mariana?"
"Mariana went back to Ironcliff City to defend it from the monster waves," Joshua replied.
"I see. At least you guys are safe," Zane said.
Whispers immediately broke out among the surrounding guards.
"What’s going on? Did she say Zane? As in... the Young Prince?"
The archer who had fired at him stepped forward nervously. "Young Master, I am so sorry for attacking you!"
"It’s fine. Honestly, I was impressed you didn’t miss a single arrow," Zane said with a warm smile. "What’s your name?"
"Gloria, my Prince," she answered, bowing her head.
"I see."
"Nice to meet you. By the way, I’m starving. Can you guys make me some hot food? I haven’t eaten a proper meal in three years," Zane said as his stomach let out a loud rumble.
"Right away, Zane!" Maria replied cheerfully.
"Did I just hear ’Zane’ come out of your mouth?" Sofia snapped, her expression turning dead serious.
"I am so sorry, my Princess! Forgive my disrespect, Prince Zane!" Maria panicked, dropping straight to her knees and pressing her forehead to the ground.
The surrounding soldiers instantly stiffened, sweating nervously at the sudden shift in atmosphere.
A short while later, Maria prepared a feast. Knowing Zane’s appetite, she cooked a massive quantity.
"Hey, Maria... Why did you serve this absurd amount of food?" Sofia asked, staring bewildered at the mountain of dishes crowding the table inside the main tent.
"It’s for Prince Zane, my Princess."
"What?! All of this? This is way too much to remove some of these plates," Sofia said, pointing at the overflowing table.
"No~ No, no! It’s completely fine, I can finish all of it. I really haven’t eaten food like this for three years," Zane protested, reaching for a plate.
Sofia sighed. "Fine. By the way... what actually happened inside the dungeon?"
"Nothing much, just fought a few demons. Sister, about that war you mentioned before... Does it involve demons?" Zane asked, stuffing a piece of meat into his mouth.
"Mmm... ! How do you know about that? That’s top-secret information!" Sofia said, recoiling in shock.
"I see... so what that demon said was true," Zane muttered softly.
"What truth? What did it say?" Sofia demanded. She turned toward the entrance. "Maria, Joshua make sure no one comes anywhere near this tent."
"Yes, my Princess!" Both bowed and immediately stepped outside to secure the perimeter.
Sofia turned back to him, her eyes sharp. "Tell me, Zane. What did they say?!"
"Not much," Zane said, casually chewing as he looked up at the ceiling. "It said they’re going around capturing the dragons guarding each kingdom so they can bring back their God."
Sofia stood up abruptly, slamming her hands onto the table. "Hunting dragons?! That means a human is leading them and whoever it is must hold a very high rank to even have that kind of information!"
"What do you mean by that, Sister?"
"I mean only the Royal Families and highest-ranking officials across the different kingdoms even know those dragons exist!" Sofia explained.
"If what you’re saying is true, then this leader must have spies everywhere," Zane said, picking up a cup of water. "Because how else would they know there was a dragon inside Demon Mountain?" Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping . com.
"What?! Demon Mountain had a dragon?!" Sofia gasped, slamming her hands down again. "How could they possibly know that? Even Father doesn’t know about a dragon there!"
She took a breath, processing the horror of the situation. "If what you’re saying is true... the entire world is in grave danger."
"Of course... "
"What do you mean, Zane?"
"What I mean is, whoever is leading them has intelligence on every single dragon, commands demons, and those demons can devour monsters or humans to get exponentially stronger. That means this leader is ridiculously powerful and controls a massive army we know nothing about."
"This is terrible... I need to report this to Father immediately," Sofia said, pacing back and forth. "Will you come with me?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"You already know the reason."
"Going to the Academy without using your title as a prince?"
"Yeah."
"Fine," Sofia conceded with a sigh.
"And remember don’t tell anyone except Father. And make sure there’s absolutely no one else in the room when you tell him."
"Why?"
"There might be a spy high up in the ranks... maybe even among the Princes and Princesses. So be careful, Sister."
Sofia nodded grimly. "So what are you going to do after leaving here?"
"I’m going to visit Ironcliff."
"Why?"
"Because if I don’t, Mariana and the others will keep blaming themselves for what happened to me. After that, I’ll visit the old castle, and then head straight to the Academy," Zane said.
Sofia looked at him in confusion. "What’s the point of going to the Academy when you’re already this strong?"
"Knowledge is power," Zane said, standing up and gazing out the tent window. "I need that power to achieve what I want."
Sofia smiled gently. "If that’s what you want, then go for it. But Arthur and Fraya will definitely want to see you, so expect them when you return six months from now along with everyone else, okay?"