Chapter 549 – Coincidence

Do not presume to speculate on fate, for it can play far too many tricks… and far too few – Grand Arcanist “Fate Researcher” Mignafis-Teed-Clavie.

Punk engaged in a nearly one-sided, crushing battle with Audreylinda on the Tar Tundra. Within five minutes, the fight, whose outcome was never in doubt, concluded with Punk’s absolute victory, completely unscathed.

However, what Punk didn’t know was that while he was locked in fierce combat with Audreylinda, and while Kane was tracking the “Third Godchild” across nearly half the Tar Tundra, in an inconspicuous grove on the tundra, “Smile”—who had been quietly waiting for her two “bodyguards” to return—encountered a completely unexpected enemy: Claire!

Yes, Claire, having left Audreylinda, had quite coincidentally walked directly into the grove where Smile was hiding.

Originally, under Audreylinda’s cover, Claire—who had left the battlefield earlier than Kaisa—was adhering to his principle of “saving the innocent” by preparing to rendezvous with Little Keisha. After all, even if she had successfully fled, Little Keisha, not being a professional, getting lost was no trivial matter.

Of course, even Claire couldn’t possibly find Kaisa, who had used a Master-Level spell to flee far away, in the desolate and vast tundra. His means of locating Kaisa was actually a scroll in his possession, inscribed with a Master-Level Divination Spell. By using this Divination Scroll in conjunction with the Soul Mark Audreylinda had placed on Kaisa, even a novice knight like Claire could find Kaisa, who had been carried off to who-knows-where by the “Beast of Gallop.”

According to Audreylinda’s highly idealized plan, Kaisa was supposed to successfully escape the terrifying battlefield. Then Claire would find the lost Little Keisha, and finally, after achieving victory, the three of them—herself, Claire, and Kaisa—would reunite at a prearranged location. Even if she perished along with the enemy, Claire could still protect Kaisa and ensure her safe arrival at the nearest town.

However… Audreylinda’s beautiful “fantasy” was clearly overly optimistic. In fact, almost none of the Female Knight’s assumptions unfolded as she had taken for granted.

For instance… she believed she could successfully defeat the “evil,” or at the very least, perish together with the enemy. But in reality, her strength was no match for Punk, who was invincible at the Master-Level, and she was thoroughly dominated, failing to even graze her opponent’s clothing by the time of her death.

Another example: Audreylinda assumed Kaisa would successfully escape, since the enemies she faced were Master-Level powerhouses. Two Master-Level experts had no reason to waste time and effort pursuing an “ordinary” little girl. But Audreylinda failed to realize that the girl she considered “ordinary,” Kaisa, was actually a “Godchild”—the true core target of both Kane and Punk. In comparison, she herself was merely the “obstacle” eliminated incidentally!Finally, something that Audreylinda, Claire, and even Punk and Kane never anticipated was that Claire would use a Prophecy Scroll inscribed with a Divination Spell to locate Kaisa’s position. Then, through a twist of fate both incredibly coincidental and utterly inevitable… Claire’s Divination Spell once again “accidentally” developed a “minor deviation.” As a result, Claire, who had been tracking Kaisa all along, charged directly into the grove where “Smile” was hiding…

“This is truly… most astonishing to me…”

Watching the Apprentice-Level knight in armor with lifeless eyes suddenly appear before her, “Smile”—who had just been leisurely enjoying the night breeze with a blade of grass in her mouth—jumped up in fright. Staring at the Apprentice-Level knight who seemed lost in thought, the first thought that abruptly surged in “Smile’s” mind was…

“Run, I must run now”!

With no extra time to ponder why this knight apprentice was here, “Smile” immediately realized her earlier daze had already wasted precious seconds. Without hesitation, she turned and fled.

There was no other choice—she had to run. “Smile” was a clever person, and precisely because she was clever, she could clearly recognize her own limitations!

“Smile” understood well: although both she and Claire were Apprentice-Level professionals, Claire was a genuine orthodox knight who had reached the peak of Apprentice-Level and was nearly ready to break through to Formal-Level. Having followed the Female Knight through countless battles, Claire was undoubtedly among the top contenders at the Apprentice-Level. Moreover, the Greatsword in Claire’s hands was even a Formal-Level Magic Equipment!

And what about her, “Smile”?

Equipment? Sadly, none.

Combat experience? Sorry, none.

Cultivation level? Miserably, “Smile” had just entered Apprentice-Level, and even that was only achieved through various drugs provided by Kane.

Shadow skills? Ironically, the poorly-talented “Smile” had barely learned any. The skills she did “learn” were merely theoretical—even in practice, they often failed, let alone in actual combat.

Thus, Smile had to run, could only run, and could only pray that the somewhat dazed knight apprentice Claire would remain stunned a little longer, or that either Kane or Punk would return quickly. Otherwise… engaging Claire head-on would clearly be a hopeless battle.

However, whether due to “Smile’s” sheer misfortune or Claire’s good luck, the moment Claire saw the girl before him, he abruptly recalled what he had witnessed in Red Roy City…

Behind that cold-eyed spellcaster, a girl with pink twin tails stood calmly within a blue-purple magical defense. When Bartos descended from the sky, the first reaction of that terrifyingly powerful spellcaster was to throw the girl behind him to safety.

A professional’s memory is remarkably sharp. Even though Claire had only glimpsed “Smile” from a distance back then, when needed, he could instantly recall all information about the girl before him.Therefore, in a sense, Claire—who was considerably smarter than Audreylinda—immediately realized that the girl who seemed about to flee was absolutely crucial!

“No, I must catch her. If she is innocent, I must rescue her from the clutches of evil. If she is evil… then I must eradicate the evil before me!”

With this thought, Claire’s gaze instantly hardened. Seeing the girl not far away already using shadow energy to dart away swiftly in a zigzag pattern like a nimble cat, Claire, having made a decision, unhesitatingly unleashed his Combat Skill.

“Apprentice-Level Lightning-Type Combat Skill—Lightning Acceleration!”

(End of Chapter)