The Gray Robe had just stepped out of the cabin when he realized that something was terribly wrong; the route to the Sea of Instability was completely blocked by the enemy.
As expected, the smooth journey had all been a ruse; the intelligence had long been leaked, and the internal situation of Castidia had already turned into a sieve.
“Protect the Little Princess!”
After the Gray Robe finished speaking, he climbed to the bow of the ship. Before he could begin casting his spell, a cannonball landed solidly next to the flagship.
This looked very much like the cannons used in areas where the magical environment had been disrupted, yet it was different—seemingly powered by magic.
Did Avar have such things as well? Watching the continuous barrage, the Gray Robe suddenly felt desperate. He could open a protective shield to defend, but for how long could he hold it?
However, it was far too early to give up; the enemy’s ships began to flicker in and out of visibility, and suddenly another round of cannon fire thundered, shaking the sea.
“Fill the sails, quickly!”
With the Gray Robe’s command, the sails of the fleet were fully deployed, and he also waved his wand.
Dying in this Sea of Instability meant there wouldn’t even be anyone to collect the bodies. The hastily recruited sailors were doing their utmost to carry out the orders.
A powerful wind pressure descended with the incantation, roaring as it propelled the fleet forward at full speed.
Fortunately, the enemy’s cannons were clearly designed for use on land and had been transported to the ship without any modifications; moreover, it appeared the enemy gunners were not very skilled, with concerning accuracy.
But looking at the enemy’s continuous bursts of flame, the Gray Robe couldn’t help but mutter darkly—how could these cannons be even more exaggerated than those used by Avar on the Solun Continent?
Using foresight magic, the Gray Robe could clearly see that the enemy gunners not only aimed and fired with considerable stiffness, but they also paused to adjust their positions after every shot; it was obvious that the enemy’s cannons were of poor quality.
But even poor quality did not diminish the power of this weapon.
In an instant, the Gray Robe found himself somewhat dazed. Even if these weapons could not be used in a non-magical land, they could certainly determine how the battlefield shifted. Faced with such an Avar, did Castidia really have a future?
“National Master!”
Seeing Rosalind hurriedly run out of the cabin, the Gray Robe immediately came to his senses and scolded, “Your Highness, return to the cabin and protect yourself!”
“Only you can represent our Castidia. No matter what, we will ensure that Your Majesty reaches M Continent!”
Just as he finished speaking, the enemy’s cannon suddenly seemed to jam, giving the Castidia fleet a moment to breathe. The Gray Robe instantly poured all of his remaining magic power into enhancing the wind pressure.
At this moment, the Gray Robe prayed for a storm in the Sea of Instability to descend quickly; only then would Castidia’s fleet have a chance to break through in the chaos and approach the coastline that was already within reach.
Just then, the most despairing event occurred. Although the enemy’s cannons seemed to be malfunctioning for some reason, firing with much diminished strength than before, a dragon descended.
Although the dragon was nominally an ally of Avar, it was actually rather neutral, as dragons treated every nation with equal malice, demanding tribute from all.
However, with the development of the M Continent shipping routes, the dragons had grown increasingly close to the Avar Kingdom, more like true allies.
A single breath of fire from the dragon had already caused severe damage to Castidia’s fleet.
It’s over, it’s all over; this was the only thought in the Gray Robe’s mind. It was a pity that little princess Rosalind would accompany him to the depths of the sea.
Even though he could see the coastline of M Continent, the Gray Robe was now unable to figure out where that coastline was. The worst-case scenario was that the coastline here was full of Avar outposts.
Moreover, the dragon above seemed to be deliberately driving the Castidia fleet toward a certain point, and with his foresight magic, the Gray Robe could clearly see Avar soldiers gathering not far on the shore.
Thinking of the Avar Kingdom, the Gray Robe felt that sinking to the sea with the little princess could indeed be a better choice.
But looking at his little princess through the cabin window, who was worriedly gazing at him, the Gray Robe gritted his teeth. He was, after all, a high-level professional. Even with a dragon watching, he might still have a chance to break through after landing with a group of Avar soldiers.
The Gray Robe made up his mind and steered the fleet in the direction indicated by the dragon.
Despairing clouds enveloped the entire sea area, and the view of the shore became increasingly clear. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be an Avar outpost. After all, Avar should have only obtained general news and could not control where Castidia’s fleet would land; they could only have the dragon drive the fleet toward the closest direction.
However, similarly, the Avar soldiers were also continually gathering at that landing point, clearly aware that there was a high-level professional among the crew. Those Avar soldiers were fully armed and on high alert.
The Gray Robe sighed heavily. He might be able to escape, but could he take the princess with him? Or wait until he escaped to find the elves to rescue her? By then, it would surely be too late.
Seeing the cannon fire stop, Rosalind also stepped out of the cabin. The young Rosalind seemed to have realized that something had gone awry, coming to the Gray Robe’s side, gripping his clothing tightly, watching as he and the Castidia fleet headed toward the nearest shoreline.
No, that wasn’t the shoreline, but the abyss of hell. According to Castidia’s accounts, those captured by Avar rarely had a good outcome.
“National Master, will the King ransom me?”
Rosalind seemed to grasp her fate, her grip tightening around the Gray Robe’s hand unconsciously.
“Of course, it will just take some more money, Your Majesty cares deeply for you, so he will.”
The Gray Robe knew that from the moment they set sail, the little princess was already a dead person on Castidia’s royal list.
The Gray Robe didn’t know what His Majesty was thinking, but those nobles would never help pay for a ransom—after all, what sense did it make to ransom a dead person?
As the first captured member of the Castidia royal family, those nobles would probably only blame the princess for not committing suicide before being captured, which was also what the Gray Robe was thinking now.
The princess was still young; she surely didn’t have the heart to take her own life. If so, it would be better for him to do it himself.
After all, the Gray Robe, as a high-level mage, would find it difficult for Avar to capture him unless they gave their all. As long as he could escape and find the elves for help, upon returning, he would be not only the National Master but also a hero of the Kingdom. No one would care about a dead person who was the first to be eliminated in a power struggle; no one would.
The Gray Robe pulled a dagger from his sleeve.
Would no one really care?
No, the Gray Robe himself cared; there were more than one person who had been kicked out of the political struggle and ended up dead.
The Gray Robe retracted the dagger and gently patted the little princess, who trembled in fear.
“Everything will be fine, Your Highness; everything will be fine. Pray to the elves; there will be miracles.”
“National Master, really?”
“Absolutely. Just as the records say, the elves will deliver miracles at the most critical moment to save the noble warriors.”
While such fairytale stories might never come true, the Gray Robe had already decided he would get the princess out, no matter what.
