Kael finally decided to pursue the woman by ascending to the cliff's summit above the road.
After the woman rode, pushing her horse to its limits for a few more hours, the animal was utterly exhausted. The woman calmly dismounted and began stroking the horse's head. The horse adopted a look of remorse, as if apologizing to her.
"You did your best. You fulfilled your duty by bringing me this far. Now, you may rest."
Upon hearing these words, the horse lay down on the ground with a look of contentment and settled down to rest. The woman continued her journey on foot.
She had not walked for more than an hour and a half when approximately ten Elf knights on horseback approached her from behind. When the knights reached the woman, they stopped their horses and respectfully dismounted. They then bowed slightly, and the man leading the knights began to speak.
"My Lady, please return to the palace. Your father is quite angry."
"Inform my father that I will not marry anyone, especially not that Fenric bastard, never."
"My Lady, please do not make things difficult for us."
"As I said, I will not return to the palace until the wedding is canceled. Furthermore, I never expected you would resort to seeking help from a human to stop me."
The knights' initially calm and remorseful demeanor suddenly shifted to one of anxiety and protectiveness.
"My Lady, are you alright? Please tell us in detail what happened."
"What do you mean? Was that human not one of you?"
"We have no knowledge of this, My Lady. Please, do not give us any further trouble."
"As I said, I have no intention of returning. You may now leave me be and continue on your way."
"Madam, we will be forced to use force. This is our final warning."
"Go on, try it. See what happens."
The guards began walking toward the princess. When the princess raised her hand again to cast a spell, one of the guards pulled out a talisman that destabilizes and blocks mana. The princess was now defenseless.
"The whole situation makes sense now; that's why she was so furious. Well, I guess helping myself is what I have to do now."
Kael used Mana Reinforcement to leap into the midst of the guards to rescue the princess. The guards were briefly surprised by the sudden attack but immediately collected themselves. As Kael entered the range of the anti-mana talisman, his Mana Reinforcement failed, leaving him defenseless.
"Stay where you are, don't move, you cursed human."
"Is that so? Who said I take orders from you?"
The guards were enraged by Kael's attitude and moved to strike him, but Kael managed to escape their grasp by quickly jumping back a few steps. He was now right next to the princess, with the guards he could not defeat in front of him and the cliff behind.
Princess: "How did you get here? You were not supposed to escape those vines until tomorrow."
"This is not the time for that. Do you want to get out of here or not?"
"Of course, I do."
"Then trust me."
"What, trust you—"
Before the princess could finish her sentence, Kael grabbed her by the waist and jumped off the cliff. Though the guards immediately ran to the edge, it was too late; Kael and the princess were plummeting downward.
After falling for a short distance, Kael finally exited the range of the anti-mana talisman. Using Mana Reinforcement, they safely landed on a tree branch below. From that branch, they descended into the thick forest and vanished from sight.
The guards quickly dispersed to look for a way down the cliff, while Kael and the princess successfully reached the ground unharmed. As they landed, the princess was trembling with fear. At the same time, the hood covering her head had slipped off, revealing her blonde hair, green eyes, and the pointed ears of an Elf. Kael was then certain that the person before him was an Elf princess, and he felt a sensation he had never experienced before. As he looked at the princess's face, his heartbeat quickened, and his limbs trembled.