Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

When Elena Sasan got up, the sun was already high in the sky.

She rubbed her eyes, then her lower back, and grimaced as she stretched her stiff neck.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."

Looking down,

The traveler's clothes he had carefully prepared were wrinkled like a rag, and his face was covered in who knows how much dust.

"Looking like this, surely no one would recognize me as a princess now, right?"

Elena thought to herself with delight.

She took out some dry rations and a map from her dimensional bag and started eating as she walked.

After walking for about an hour, we heard the sound of horses' hooves behind us.

Elena looked back and saw another troop of cavalry.

This cavalry unit was larger than yesterday's, numbering about thirty or so. They were all wearing black cloaks and had the Sassanid royal emblem—a black eagle with outstretched wings—embroidered on their chests.

Elena's heart skipped a beat.

Royal cavalry?

Royal Cavalry is a branch of the royal guard, loyal to the royal family and familiar with every member of the royal family.

She instinctively shrank to the side of the road, lowering her head and pretending to look at the ground.

The cavalry passed by her, kicking up a cloud of dust. Elena covered her mouth and nose, and when the dust settled, she found that the cavalry had returned.

The lead knight reined in his horse and looked back at her.

He was a man in his thirties with a scar on his face and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

He stared at Elena for a few seconds, then suddenly dismounted and strode over.

Elena's heart was in her throat.

"No way, no way, no way..."

The knight walked up to her and looked her up and down.

Then he knelt on one knee.

"Your Highness."

Elena: "..."

She looked down at her outfit.

She was covered in dirt, her face looked like that of an ordinary peasant woman, and her clothes were also of ordinary style.

How could you recognize that?!

"You..." She opened her mouth, "How did you recognize me?"

The knight raised his head, his expression indescribable.

"Your Highness, the scabbard of the short sword hanging at your waist is painted with the royal crest."

Elena looked down.

"Oh right, how could I forget that?"

The knight continued, "Moreover, the eyes of royalty are different from those of ordinary people... but that's not important. Your Highness, His Majesty has sent us to bring you back. He is very worried about your unauthorized departure from the palace."

Elena took a step back.

"I'm not going back."

The knight stood up, his tone respectful yet firm: "Your Highness, this is His Majesty's order. Please do not make things difficult for us."

Elena took another step back.

"I told you, I'm not going back."

The knight took a step forward.

"Your Highness..."

"If you dare take another step forward, your entire family will be beheaded!"

knight:"……"

"This is a chaotic order; His Majesty will not obey it."

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to make his tone and demeanor humble:

"Your Highness, the front lines are dangerous. There's a war going on there, and many people are dying every day. Although you are a level three soldier, a level three soldier on the battlefield... is really nothing."

"Why does this sound so familiar? Oh right, my brother said something similar."

"Then you..."

"Who do you think you are, daring to say the same things as my brother? Are you trying to take his place?!"

knight:"?"

"Your Highness, you don't need to accuse me. His Majesty would never blame me for this."

Elena reached into her bosom and pulled out a crystal ball the size of a fist.

The crystal ball was completely transparent, with faint shimmering light inside; it was clearly no ordinary object.

The knight's expression changed the moment he saw the crystal ball.

"Your Highness, could it be...?"

"A teleportation crystal," Elena said with a smile. "If you crush it, you can be teleported fifty miles away. I found it in my brother's drawer."

The knight's expression became even more interesting.

Elena held the crystal ball up to her eyes and examined it in the sunlight.

"Tell me, what would happen if I crushed it right now?"

The knight swallowed hard.

"So, you now have two choices."

She held up one finger.

"First, take me back. I'll crush the teleportation crystal on the spot, you won't be able to stop me, and my brother will definitely blame you for not protecting me when he finds out."

"Next time, you won't find out."

She held up her second finger.

"Secondly, you will protect me as I go to the front lines."

The knight's face turned pale again.

The two options are both incredibly difficult.

He was silent for a long time.

The cavalrymen behind them exchanged glances, not daring to breathe.

Elena wasn't in a hurry; she just smiled and looked at him, the teleportation crystal in her hand dangling back and forth.

The knight stared at the crystal ball, his heart pounding.

"This princess..."

"Your Highness, you have won."

Elena's eyes lit up.

"so?"

The knight knelt on one knee, head bowed, his tone filled with deep helplessness.

"We are willing to escort Your Highness to the front lines."

Elena was so happy she almost jumped for joy.

She put away the teleportation crystal and patted the knight on the shoulder.

"Great! Very energetic!"

The knight raised his head, his expression indescribable.

"Your Highness, are you sure you want to go to the front lines?"

"Sure!"

"It's really dangerous there."

"I know, otherwise I wouldn't have gone!"

knight:"……"

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just sighed.

Never mind... never mind...

He stood up and waved to the cavalry behind him.

"Make way for His Highness's horse."

The cavalrymen immediately gave way to a more docile mare.

Elena mounted her horse with clean, swift movements—after all, she was a level three warrior, so she knew how to ride.

She sat on her horse, looking down at the thirty-odd knights, feeling quite pleased with herself.

"When this princess leaves the palace, she is escorted by dozens of cavalrymen; that's more like it."

Elena smiled with satisfaction.

"Let's go then!"

More than thirty warhorses kicked up dust and galloped southwards, while another rider went to the kingdom to deliver a message.

……

On the way, Elena rode her horse, facing the wind, in an extremely good mood.

"Hey, what's your name?" she asked the knight next to her.

"This humble general's name is Reis."

"Reis? What a good name!" Elena nodded. "Reis, what's the situation at the front lines?"

Reis paused for a moment.

"Your Highness, the situation at the front... is not good."

"How so?"

"I've heard there's a very powerful mage," Reiss said, his voice heavy. "General Redmond was killed in action, the cavalry suffered heavy losses, and the logistics were almost completely wiped out."

Elena's eyes lit up as she listened.

"That's amazing?!"

"Yes."

"What does he look like?"

"I don't know," Rhys shook his head. "No one has ever seen his face clearly."

Elena was even more excited.

She urged her horse to go a few steps faster, wishing she could fly to the front line in the next second.

Looking at her excited expression, Reese felt a mix of emotions.

He sighed and urged his horse to catch up.

Oh well, we're already on this ship, there's no getting off now.

Let's take it one step at a time.