The Escort Disappeared Out of Thin Air

Having given up chasing the witches, Kold returned to the Holy Maiden’s side.

Facing the suddenly frantic attacks of the surrounding trees, he drew his sword and slashed, bisecting the incoming branches.

“Protect the Holy Maiden!”

Raising his long sword, Kold shouted the slogan, which was quickly echoed by the knights.

The knights who could still move quickly organized and built a defense line around the Holy Maiden.

“Holy Maiden, what should we do now? Do we need to break through?”

There were not many knights who still had the ability to move, and the defense line that was built was much more inward than it was at the beginning.

Kold watched the outer knights resisting the frenzied trees, and he wanted to take advantage of the team’s remaining fighting power to let the Holy Maiden decide the next course of action.

Hearing this, the blindfolded Holy Maiden shook her head; even though the situation on the scene had reached a critical juncture, she still maintained a calm and composed appearance.

“The witch is just making a final counterattack; let the knights stop, it’s enough with me here.”

Kold felt a familiar aura from the Holy Maiden, which he had once felt on the deceased Lord Uriel.

That was the unique aura of Sequence Five, and even the aura on the Holy Maiden was more oppressive to Kold, which also meant that she had entered Sequence Five longer than Uriel.

A golden light appeared on the Holy Maiden, more dazzling than the golden threads she had used just now, drawing a defense line in front of the knights, preventing the frenzied trees from entering even a bit.

After building the defense line, the Holy Maiden stretched contentedly, and her wide chest swayed along with it, with a Q-bounce like milk pudding.

All the knights on the scene were amazed by the strength of the Holy Maiden, and the sacred and inviolable defense she had built was firmly protecting everyone present.

Therefore, no one noticed the Holy Maiden’s big movements just now until she took the initiative to say, “Captain Kold, reinforcements will be here soon. With the protection I’ve built, everyone will not be injured. First, take me to see what we’re escorting.”

Being called by name, Kold nodded blankly in response; he didn’t expect Sequence Five to be so powerful.

It easily unfolded a defense that enveloped dozens of people, resisting attacks from all directions, and the Holy Maiden still looked at ease, as if she hadn’t used her full strength.

At this time, remembering the deceased Uriel, Kold’s whole heart sank.

‘What exactly did Lord Uriel encounter in Noda Forest?’

Seeing that Kold didn’t reply, the Holy Maiden repeated softly, “Captain Kold?”

This time, the Holy Maiden’s words finally pulled Kold back from his thoughts.

“Ah? Holy Maiden?”

“Just call me Yuffie.”

Looking at Kold, who was respectful to her, Yuffie said gently.

“Then Your Highness Yuffie, since it’s your order, then I’ll take you there!”

Kold saluted Yuffie, then turned and walked ahead to lead the way, but after only two steps, he heard Yuffie’s voice again.

“The witch who can control the trees should still be in the forest; now she should have exhausted her magic power and can’t maintain it. When the situation of the trees out of control is weakened, remember to order to capture the witch alive; we want to get the news of the Witch Society from their mouths.”

Yuffie, through the defense line she constructed, sensed the trees’ offensive and told Kold the approximate time point. After he had arranged the matter, he went with her to the carriage holding the escorted goods.

There was a crack running through the wall of the carriage, which Yuffie had broken through with holy light in a moment of desperation.

Seeing that the Holy Stone seal inside the box was intact and there was no sign of opening, Kold’s hanging heart was also relieved.

After all, the Holy Maiden was here, and she was the one who was supporting it, so he didn’t have to take too much pressure.

However, when Yuffie picked up the box, her brow furrowed. Then she used a special method to unlock the Holy Stone seal. Seeing the situation inside the box, her face turned ugly.

The box, which had heavy protection, was empty. The escorted things had disappeared without a trace.

“Lady Yuffie, this…”

When Kold saw the empty box, his mind went blank, and his face was drained of all color.

To think that the Church had secretly formed an escort team, only for the item inside to go missing; if punishment came down, he would surely not escape it.

“It’s not your problem. The opening methods we each master are different. This Holy Stone seal will record the traces of opening. I just sensed it with magic essence. The box has only been opened once by me, which means that the things were lost when they were sealed.”

Seeing Kold’s miserable expression, Yuffie shook her head and comforted him.

“I will send a message back to the Church first to see the next arrangement. Captain Kold, you go out first.”

Since the Holy Maiden had issued an order to leave, Kold could only obey her arrangements.

Under the protection of the holy light, the offensive of the trees outside gradually weakened, and Kold took this opportunity to organize his men and search the forest for the witch who was left behind.

When Yuffie stepped out of the carriage, she saw the knights escorting a black-robed woman. Her hands and legs were bound with shackles made of Holy Stone, and she was walking towards Yuffie with difficulty. If there was a slight delay, she would be hit by the knight next to her with the hilt of his sword.

If it wasn’t for Her Highness Yuffie’s request to capture her alive, Kold would have chosen to kill her on the spot as soon as he found the witch.

But even so, the witch was still stubborn when she was brought before Yuffie, even if her posture was forced to kneel by the knight, she raised her pale face and refused to bow her head.

“Name?”

Yuffie didn’t mind the other party’s attitude. She found a place to sit down and looked down at the witch in front of her from above.

“…”

Silence was her answer to Yuffie. Seeing that the witch didn’t speak, the knight behind her was about to kick her.

However, after noticing the Holy Maiden’s cold aura, the knight stopped his movements.

“You are knights, not rude mercenaries. The same applies even when treating witches.”

After warning these knights, Yuffie reached out and pinched the witch’s chin and stroked it twice.

“A pretty witch.” Yuffie commented, then continued: “Can you tell me, where did your Witch Society get the news from, knowing that we were escorting something?”

“Don’t even think about it!”

Seeing that the witch only uttered two words and then fell silent, Yuffie didn’t mind.

“You are very lucky. Under normal circumstances, witches who are not honest have no value now. However, this situation has just changed.”

Stroking the witch’s head, Yuffie got up to find Kold.

Because the team was attacked, after repelling the witches with the help of Her Highness Yuffie, when Yuffie found him, he was arranging for the knights to rest in turn.

And Yuffie directly told him the latest news: “The Church’s plan has changed. Go spread the word. The witch we caught will be sent back to Laita City for a public trial. We are going to catch more witches!”