"What is the meaning of this?!"
Navia was stunned, but one thing remained crystal clear: she had to rescue her Teacher!
"Miss Navia, the situation is complicated. We can explain, but you can't go over there."
Just as Navia was about to move, Lynette stepped in front of her again, her calm, unwavering eyes fixed on Navia.
"That man called Grett is dangerous," Lynette said.
"Get out of my way!" Navia swung her claymore, trying to force Lynette to dodge. But Lynette didn't budge, instead raising her one-handed sword to parry the blow head-on, ultimately blocking Navia's attack completely.
Though Lynette looked strained, the feat stunned Navia.
After obtaining her Geo Vision, Navia's strength had surged dramatically. Coupled with her recent combat experience in multiple wars, she now ranked among the most powerful Vision holders.
Even though she hadn't unleashed her full power, how could this seemingly frail young girl possibly block her strike head-on? Navia's surprise lingered only momentarily before a powerful wave of Geo Elemental Power erupted from her body.
"Are you going to move or not?!"
"My older brother told me to stop you from getting near Grett," Lynette said, her expression unchanging despite the intimidating aura emanating from Navia.
At that moment, Navia's patience snapped. She would not tolerate anyone who dared to threaten Lofan in her presence!
This time, Lynette didn't force herself to withstand Navia's attacks head-on. Instead, she relied on her agility, engaging Navia in a relentless dance of dodges and feints.
Still, Lynette was under immense pressure. Her mission was to restrain Navia, and if she created too much distance, Navia would undoubtedly break through her defenses without hesitation.
Fortunately, Charlotte finally reached Navia's side. After catching her breath, she quickly explained, "Miss Navia, please calm down! We're trying to save you!"
"Do you realize Grett was about to attack you?"
Upon hearing Charlotte's words, Navia's gaze turned icy. She glared furiously at Charlotte.
"Enough! I don't know what's going on with you two, but I'm warning you—if you dare insult my Teacher again, I won't let you get away with it!"
"Get out of my way, all of you!"
Navia couldn't possibly believe Lofan would harm her. Watching him lying unconscious in the distance, her heart ached. Finally, she stopped holding back.
Charlotte didn't dare stand in Navia's path, and Lynette alone had little hope of stopping her.
Lyney, who had been lurking in the shadows, ready to strike Lofan again, immediately changed his plans. He revealed himself and joined Lynette in trying to restrain Navia.
They had risked everything to rescue Navia from Lofan's clutches; they couldn't let her fall back into the tiger's den.
As for Lofan, Lyney doubted his earlier tricks had seriously injured him. After all, Lofan might wield two Elemental Powers simultaneously, making him incredibly powerful.
To be honest, Lyney had little confidence that even the four of them—himself, Lynette, Charlotte, and Navia—could defeat Lofan together. But they had no choice but to try.
Before coming here, Lyney had instructed Lynette to send a message via her cat to House of the Hearth. If Arlecchino happened to be there, she would receive his warning. The rest was up to fate.
Seeing Lyney suddenly reappear alongside Lynette to block her path back to Lofan, Navia's anxiety surged to a fever pitch. She was even considering abandoning her defense and charging through their blockade at any cost.
This sudden escalation intensified the pressure on Lynette and Lyney. Their goal was merely to restrain Navia, not defeat her, which made them even more hesitant to act. Moreover, if Navia were injured, she wouldn't be in fighting condition for the upcoming confrontation with Grett.
Unable to participate in the fight herself, Charlotte grew increasingly frantic. She repeatedly urged Navia to calm down, then tried to explain their reasons, but Navia refused to believe her.
At that moment, the group was positioned at the edge of the encampment, a relatively deserted area. However, the commotion had alerted those who hadn't been poisoned, leading them to believe the nobles were launching an attack.
Now, the entire group, armed to the teeth, converged on the scene. The vast majority were ordinary elderly folk, with a handful of wounded individuals among them. Those still capable of fighting lay poisoned on the ground.
Yet when they risked their lives to reach the scene, they were stunned by what they found.
It doesn't seem to be the nobles' men after all?
Most of them didn't recognize Lyney and Lynette, though they were vaguely familiar with Charlotte. The situation was utterly perplexing.
"Monsieur Grett!"
"Monsieur Grett, are you alright?!"
Suddenly, someone spotted Lofan lying on the ground and rushed over, their voice filled with concern. Seeing this, a grave expression settled on the faces of the trio.
We can't let those civilians get near Lofan. The consequences would be unimaginable!
But without convincing Navia, they had no way to stop them.
That's when Charlotte revealed something truly chilling.
"Miss Navia, do you realize this entire area is riddled with explosives? If you don't calm down, everything here will be reduced to ashes in an instant!"
Charlotte's revelation worked perfectly. Navia froze mid-action, and everyone else stared at Charlotte in horror.
"...Is that true?!"
Seeing Charlotte's utterly serious expression, Navia gasped, her face twisting with fury.
"Those damned nobles!"
"Miss Navia, while the nobles are involved, there's someone else responsible too."
Realizing Navia was now rational enough to listen, Charlotte wasted no time. "Grett."
"Silence! Don't insult Monsieur Grett!"
"Monsieur Grett would never do such a thing!"
"Everyone, calm down. Miss Charlotte, isn't there some misunderstanding here?"
Charlotte's words successfully enraged the crowd, each of whom regarded Lofan as the embodiment of their deepest beliefs.
"Miss Charlotte," Navia said, her gaze growing increasingly icy, "I believe I made it clear that anyone who dares insult my Teacher again will face my wrath, didn't I?"
Realizing the danger, Charlotte quickly pulled out the photographs she had taken and shouted to the crowd, "We have proof!"