The caretaker saw that they were at a disadvantage and knew they were going to be in trouble. The guards and caretaker took the chance to circle Ray and Alice. Both of them were panicking and didn't know what to do.
The assassins were five bronze-stage cultivators. They were all there to kill Alice. Their orders were specific: the target must die—no need to capture her. If they completed the task, they would be handsomely rewarded.
The assassins didn't give them any chance to run. Three of them attacked the guards while two charged at the caretaker. Although the caretaker was a bit old, she was actually a peak bronze-stage cultivator. The three guards, on the other hand, were only at the third stage of bronze cultivation.
Ray saw an opening, grabbed Alice's hand, and started running toward the king's palace. The caretaker smiled upon seeing Ray's quick thinking. With them running to safety, she could fight freely without having to worry about protecting them.
But her relief came too early. One of the assassins chuckled and said, "Who said we're the only members here? You're happy too soon."
Out of nowhere, a shadow dashed toward Ray and Alice. The caretaker panicked—this new assassin was an iron-stage cultivator, and Ray and Alice were non-cultivators.
The assassin sneered and said, "We kept him low-level on purpose. If he were at our level, he would've been detected. But as a low-stage cultivator, no one saw him as a threat. Now, let's see how you protect your princess, heh! heh! ha!"
Ray ran into the king's palace, looking for anyone who could help. The assassin, knowing the urgency of the mission, followed them immediately. As they sprinted through the corridor, Ray shoved Alice ahead and turned to block the assassin—but he was no match. The assassin punched Ray into a pillar. Ray hit the ground hard. The assassin turned to Alice and tried to grab her arm.
Alice was terrified and couldn't dodge in time. The assassin chuckled. "Don't hold grudges, princess. You were always the target. We're here to kill you."
As he raised his knife to strike, a sudden pain surged through his body.
Ray had punched him with full force—right between the legs—and used earth-element runes to boost the blow. He didn't stop there. As the assassin bent over in pain, Ray landed two punches to his face.
Then, without hesitation, he grabbed Alice's hand and ran again. Alice hadn't seen the runes Ray used—she had been too scared to look. But when she saw Ray, bleeding from the head and still helping her, her heart trembled.
The assassin tried to stand, but he struggled. That punch had landed perfectly, and it felt like his eggs had cracked. He got up awkwardly, chasing them with an ugly expression, full of murderous intent. His rage was now directed at Ray.
Even though he was running awkwardly, he was catching up fast. The moment he reached out to grab Ray, he suddenly froze. An overwhelming aura engulfed the area—a hundred times stronger than the leader's.
Before he could react, he felt himself being grabbed by a terrifying force. He couldn't move. Sweat poured from his body.
"I knew this would happen. My husband should've listened to me," said a woman's voice. "Sigh… this palace is like a maze. Took me hours to find my son."
Diana walked calmly toward the assassin. The moment she appeared, Ray breathed a sigh of relief. Alice did too.
The instant Diana activated her aura, every cultivator above the silver stage rushed toward the commotion. They saw Diana capturing the assassin who had tried to kill Princess Alice.
The remaining five assassins realized their time was up and tried to flee. But escaping wasn't so easy. A fierce battle broke out. Two of the assassins were killed before the last three managed to escape.
The caretaker, Rena, rushed toward Ray and Alice. When she saw that the princess was unharmed, she finally allowed herself to breathe.
The king arrived shortly after and asked Rena, "What is going on? Didn't I assign three guards to protect Alice? Why is she still being attacked?"
Rena replied, "Your Highness, five assassins ambushed us. All of us were fully engaged in dealing with them. The last one… he was like a shadow. We didn't sense him until it was too late. He ran straight for the princess. If little Ray hadn't thought to run to the palace, they could've been caught in the crossfire of our battle."
The king turned to Ray, who was bleeding from his head, and said, "Thank you, little Ray. You'll be rewarded once this is over."
Then he looked at the captured assassin and said, "Now, tell me—who sent you?"
But before he could continue the interrogation, the assassin bit down on something hidden in his mouth. Poison. He died on the spot.
Everyone was shocked. The king's face darkened with fury. Their only lead had killed himself.
The king turned to the crowd and announced, "My dear guests, your presence has been a great joy, but circumstances now require us to bring this event to a close. Please depart in peace and with grace."
One by one, the guests left the palace.
Ray was taken to the healer, accompanied by his mother and father. Once the healer treated his wounds, he was called into a room for questioning. His parents, Robert and Diana, were already seated inside.
Ray explained everything he had seen and experienced.
Just as the king was about to let them go, Robert spoke to his wife, sparking the king's interest. "Why don't you tell the king your theory, Diana? About how the neighboring country might be targeting the princess?"
Diana smiled and explained, "It started when my son asked me, 'Why is the king showing off his daughter to the world before she's strong enough to defend herself?' I told him, 'Because no one would dare attack a royal from this kingdom.' But then little Ray said something that struck me—he said, 'The neighboring kingdom.'"
She continued, "I reassured him, telling him there were guards to protect the princess. But I didn't say that there might be people strong enough to overpower those guards. That's why I went looking for Ray in the backyard. Luckily, I found him. Otherwise, who knows what that assassin would've done to him?"
Both Robert and the king nodded thoughtfully. The king said, "I've overlooked that possibility… But it doesn't rule out the chance that someone from inside the kingdom is involved."
Then he turned to Robert and said, "Investigate which assassin sect sent these men. I want to know everything."
Robert nodded and prepared to leave with Diana and Ray.
Just then, Alice came to say goodbye.
"Ray… Will we meet again?" she asked.
Ray smiled and waved. "It was a tragic event, Princess. You're being targeted, so it won't be easy to see you again. Maybe, after two years, we can meet on Awakening Day. If we both enter the academy, we might cross paths again."
Alice looked heartbroken. She had truly enjoyed Ray's company. It felt like she had found her first real friend. She wanted more time to talk about formations and spend time together. But now, she'd have to wait two long years.
The king noticed her sadness. Everyone around felt the same. Then he said, "Weren't we supposed to reward Ray? Let's invite him to pick a reward from the Qi-stage vault—in two weeks."
Alice's face lit up with joy. She nodded again and again, as if she had been brought back to life. The butler, who had overheard, bowed and confirmed that he would ensure it happened.
Ray then said farewell to Alice and the king. As they boarded the carriage to return home, Diana began teasing her son about his little "hero moment."