After mastering the resurrection technique, they begged me to extend their lives.

The incident happened suddenly.

When Hino realized the dire situation outside and tried to rush out, it was already too late.

The dull thud of a sharp object piercing skin was deafening, and the girl's painful groan was fleeting.

Immediately, the angry man started cursing outside the door, the soldiers panicked, and the whole scene descended into chaos.

Behind her, An Xiao rushed forward and grabbed her arm.

"Let go! I'm going out to kill that guy!! He... he took Princess Airi..."

Xinuo's mind was buzzing. The situation she least wanted to face had still happened, and it was right in front of her, just a door away.

For her, whether the empire prospers or declines is unimportant; only Airi, only the girl who pulled her out of the abyss, must not be harmed.

It was all her own carelessness. She carelessly trusted unfamiliar teammates, carelessly fell into the schemers' trap, and carelessly got ambushed, ultimately exposing Airi to danger.

The princess was driven to her death by the evil man; it was entirely her own fault.

"Let me go! Let me go!!"

The more she thought about it, the more frantic she became. She forcefully shook off An Xiao and gritted her teeth as she turned the doorknob.

"Calm down, there's nothing you can do right now. Even if you get out, you're no match for that Flying Dragon Cavalry General."

An Xiao looked directly into her eyes and said earnestly.

"I know Volta's fighting strength. Even at your peak, you could probably only slightly surpass him. Now, in your resurrected state, you can't even hold your own against him for a single round. Am I right?"

"you……"

Upon hearing this, Xinuo's delicate body trembled slightly. "How do you know all this?"

"That's not important. I just want to tell you that we still have a chance, but it's not the right time yet."

An Xiao rubbed her sore shoulders and neck, her eyes filled with certainty.

Upon hearing the name Volta, he instantly recalled the man's general situation—

[The commander of the Imperial Winged Dragon Knights, a lustful, manic, arrogant, and unruly individual, plotted against the princess for many years due to the existence of the Wind Sword Maiden. Later, he decided to follow the second prince in betraying the country and assassinating the emperor. He possessed immense strength but lacked strategy, and slew countless loyal ministers and generals.]...

This was done by a junior member of the design team. An Xiao was sitting to her left at the time, reviewing her draft by hand, so she has a vivid memory of this character design.

He knew that Xino had deep feelings for the princess, and that there was a complicated bond between them, which was why he was so grief-stricken, and that he would want to rush out and fight Volta even if it meant dying again.

However, from his perspective, Fiora's impulsive behavior would not only be futile, but would also lead to her being discovered, thus exacerbating the situation.

Putting everything else aside, how would Volta react if he, an outsider, suddenly appeared inside the castle, especially with the "deceased Wind Sword Princess"?

First, kill the Fiora as if she were a monster, then capture her and torture her for interrogation. Skinning and cutting off her fingers are definitely part of the punishment. You won't have an easy time dying.

An Xiao doesn't care what the Sword Maiden does, but you can't implicate the person who resurrected you; that's neither reasonable nor ethical.

"Do you...do you have any ideas?"

His words seemed to bring Hino back to some sense.

The princess's death was still heartbreaking. Even though she knew she couldn't defeat Volta, she couldn't just do nothing.

"Don't forget what kind of magic I'm good at."

"Huh...?"

"Think carefully, use your brain, and think about it."

"!"

A few casual words suddenly made her eyes widen, and she was stunned on the spot.

Yes, the one who resurrected me is this seemingly delicate and frail young man right before my eyes.

Although I didn't get to see exactly how he cast the spell, the facts are undeniable—

He does indeed possess that ability.

"The Thirteenth Forbidden Curse of the Goddess of Death, Aledesdina"—Resurrection.

For a moment, Xinuo's mind went blank, and in a daze, he seemed to grasp a glimmer of light.

Sure enough, before she could react, she heard Volta outside the door say angrily:

"Keep today's events a secret. Anyone who dares to tell anyone will have their tongue cut out! Do you understand?"

"Understood, Commander. But... what should we do with Her Highness's body...?" the soldier asked cautiously.

"The body? Of course, we'll move it directly to the underground freezer. Then, you guys, search her room for the old king's last will and testament. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you absolutely must find it!!"

"yes!"

...

-

Inside the door, An Xiao listened to the heavy footsteps gradually fading away, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"As expected, Volta wouldn't bother cleaning up the mess himself. Being naturally arrogant, he wouldn't have any interest in the princess's corpse. Heh, that makes things easier."

"What...what should we do?"

Unconsciously, Xinuo had come to regard him as the center of her world. Although he looked weak and young, the mysterious power hidden in his body and his calmness in critical moments made her subconsciously want to listen to his opinions.

"No rush. Once Volta is out of sight, the soldiers will split into two groups: one will search the rooms next door, and the other will clean up the traces in the corridor and move the body."

He glanced back at the secret passage, and then clearly gave his answer:

"You don't need to do anything else. Wait for me to count to three, then rush out and attract the soldiers' attention. Kill them all if you can, since they are all villains who rebelled against their superiors and deserve to die."

My job was to carry the princess's body and run in the opposite direction into the secret passage.

"Huh?!"

Upon hearing this, Xinuo's mouth opened slightly, her simple mind somewhat overloaded.

"Don't you understand? Obtaining the princess's corpse is like obtaining you; it will give me ample room to maneuver."

This secret passage serves as our best escape route. After you've dealt with those guys, you can reverse the flow, destroy the switch, and buy yourself a considerable amount of time.

Even if Volta arrived after hearing the sound, it wouldn't be possible to discover the mechanism in the room instantly. It would take some effort to break through it.

Didn't you say that no one except you and the head maid knew of its existence?

Upon hearing this, Xinuo finally understood An Xiao's plan. Surprised, a hint of something else flickered in her eyes.

Is this guy really not as simple as he seems?

She had now completely calmed down and was repeatedly analyzing the feasibility of his plan—no matter how she thought about it, the probability of success was very high.

At the same time, this is probably the only solution in the world that can bring Princess Airi back to his side.

"Are you ready?"

An Xiao tossed her staff aside and asked.

"Um."

Hino took a step back and nodded.

"three,"

He reached out and gripped the doorknob tightly.

"two,"

She leaned forward and pressed down, making a sword-drawing gesture.

"one."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door was forcefully pulled open—

A gentle breeze suddenly brushed against her face, and she, like a green shadow, burst forth from the doorway into the blinding white light.

……

……