"What is your name, sir?"
Despite clutching his severed arm in pain, the man stared intently at the gray-haired old man before him.
Though his own rank wasn't the highest, he was still a Gold Rank Awakener, particularly skilled in stealth and concealment.
Even Platinum Rank Awakeners would often fail to notice him when he hid.
Yet this old man had spotted him with ease—
and had moved with such terrifying speed that he hadn't even been able to react.
Worse, he had the gut-wrenching sense that if this old man had truly intended to kill him,
his head would already be separated from his body, not just his arm!
Facing the man's cautious question,
the elder casually wiped his simple wooden sword clean and replied slowly,
"You may call me Mad Blade of Gold."
Mad Blade of Gold?!
Hearing that thunderous name,
the man's face immediately turned grim.
Then, as if recalling something, he exclaimed in disbelief:
"Impossible!
Mad Blade of Gold died years ago during the Great Uprising!
You can't be him—who are you, really?!"
Old Jaque chuckled, his wrinkled eyes narrowing slightly.
"I rarely show myself these days.
It seems someone started a rumor about my death.
How amusing."
He continued nonchalantly,
"Believe it or not, it makes no difference.
Now, tell me—who sent you to follow us?"
To Old Jaque, the past held little meaning.
What mattered now was uncovering who had set their sights on him and Celia.
However, the wounded man said nothing.
Instead, with a sharp flick of his wrist, he released a burst of black, poisonous mist that surged forward with a hissing noise upon contact with the air.
The thick, corrosive Deadly Toxin Mist rushed toward Old Jaque—
But the old man simply swung his wooden sword lightly.
In an instant, a dazzling arc of swordlight erupted forth,
slicing through the approaching toxic fog like a raging river,
shattering it into countless harmless wisps.
At the same time, the man performed a secret technique, burning the blood and elemental energy within his body.
In a flash, he turned and fled into the distance.
Old Jaque watched calmly without giving chase.
"A ruthless one,"
he muttered.
"Burning the very essence of his body to escape... he won't live long."
There was no need to waste time pursuing a dead man walking.
Such assassins were little more than disposable tools.
At that moment, Celia approached, her golden hair swaying gently in the breeze.
She frowned as she watched the fleeing figure disappear.
"A Gold Rank Awakener… Looks like a ninja-type, specializing in stealth and tracking."
Old Jaque nodded.
"Rare to find one of that caliber.
Seems like whoever's targeting you is willing to invest heavily."
Celia nodded in agreement, piecing the puzzle together quickly.
She understood now—the attempt on her life was not because of her identity, but because of a special scroll she had once possessed.
Unfortunately for her enemies, that scroll had already been burned.
"Let's head to the Imperial Capital,"
Celia said after a moment of thought.
"That's the heart of the Macedonian Kingdom.
They wouldn't dare act so openly there."
Old Jaque studied her carefully, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Celia… you don't seem like an ordinary girl.
Your background must be extraordinary, am I right?"
He could tell—
not only was her strength far above average for her age,
but her knowledge and bearing were clearly the result of an exceptional upbringing.
Celia smiled lightly.
"It's nothing special.
It's just that my good-for-nothing father happens to be the High Minister of the Macedonian Kingdom."
Old Jaque's eyebrows lifted slightly, an amused grin tugging at his lips.
"High Minister, huh?
Interesting."
He had already suspected she wasn't ordinary—
but the daughter of the High Minister,
second only to the King himself?
Now that was unexpected.
Especially now, with King Arnaud IV's health deteriorating,
the High Minister's influence was growing stronger by the day.
"But," Celia added,
"the people chasing me aren't after me because of my family.
It's all about that scroll I mentioned.
I burned it, but they clearly don't believe me.
That scroll must be extremely important."
"If they knew who I really was,
they wouldn't have just sent a few low-level assassins after me."
Old Jaque grew curious.
"Did you ever open the scroll to see what was inside?"
Celia shook her head.
"No.
Who knows what kind of trap it might have contained?
Still… seeing how desperate they were,
I am curious now.
Too bad it's ash by now."
A tinge of regret colored her voice.
Old Jaque gazed into the distance, the road ahead stretching endlessly under the morning sun.
"They won't give up easily.
The journey to the Capital won't be peaceful."
Celia blinked her bright eyes mischievously.
"But with a powerhouse like you protecting me, surely there's nothing to worry about, right?"
Old Jaque chuckled.
"You sure know how to flatter, kid.
If it's just small fry like that,
we'll be fine."
Despite his words,
a flicker of excitement stirred deep in his blood.
It had been a long time since he'd tasted the thrill of the battlefield.
A wild, dormant part of him was beginning to awaken.
"Speaking of which..."
Celia suddenly turned her head, glancing back toward Winterhold.
"I wonder how that reckless guy is doing."
Old Jaque smirked.
"Don't worry about that lunatic.
He may act brash, but he's sly as a fox.
Even if Winterhold falls,
he'll slither out alive somehow."
He still remembered how John had humiliated him with those bizarre, infuriating tricks.
Every time he recalled it,
his teeth itched with frustration.
There was no way someone as cunning and resilient as John would die so easily.
"Let's go.
There's a small town not far ahead.
We'll rest there for the night before continuing on."
Hearing this, Celia finally relaxed.
The shadow in her heart began to fade.
Thinking back to her time with John,
though they hadn't spent long together,
he had left a deep impression—
always unpredictable,
always full of strange, inexplicable tricks.
Someone like that…
he would survive.
—
Meanwhile…
"Hey, have you guys heard the news?"
A boisterous bard cried out to a group of villagers.
"Heard what?
Something major happening?"
"You seriously haven't heard?
The Nascent Duchy sent an army of one hundred thousand to invade!
It was terrifying!
The sky went dark with their numbers,
the earth shook under their march—
it was like the end of the world!"
"The border fortresses that protected us for decades…
gone, overrun overnight!"
By the time Celia and Old Jaque entered the small town,
rumors were already spreading like wildfire.
Many townspeople, upon hearing this,
turned pale with fear.
They lived close to the border;
if the defenses had truly fallen,
their town would surely be next!
"Relax, everyone!"
another bard interjected confidently.
"Yes, the hundred-thousand-strong army was terrifying.
But a mysterious powerhouse appeared—
and wiped them all out!
We're safe now!"
The town square erupted into confused, relieved murmurs.
No one knew who this hero was—
only that he had saved them all from disaster.