Chapter 178: Elise, Seeking the Prince, the Jade of the Northern Frontier

Black Wolf Domain, Langbao.

Library.

At dawn, on a wicker hanging bed, a silver-haired girl as exquisitely crafted as a doll pushed aside the book covering her face and slowly stretched out.

She wore a pink nightgown, its hem swaying gently with her movement, accentuating her skin’s pure, dreamlike whiteness.

Most striking of all were her heterochromatic eyes—left eye crimson as blood, right eye ashen as ash, two utterly distinct hues intertwining in her gaze, radiating a heart-stopping allure.

“I fell asleep reading again without realizing.”

Elise gazed at the soft morning light filtering through the sheer curtains and murmured to herself.

She looked around the vast library, at the empty space before her, and a flicker of loneliness crossed her delicate face.

Months had passed since the Prince and her father left the Black Wolf Domain; the girl had barely broken through her self-imposed isolation, only to be separated again from those she cherished.

This loneliness often tormented Elise in the dead of night, forcing her to waste time with books.

The only silver lining was that during this time, her relationship with her stepmother gradually mended.

Knock knock knock.

The wooden door of the library was gently knocked upon.

“Coming.”

Elise slipped her small feet into the slippers beneath the hanging bed and ran over to open the door.

Outside stood a noblewoman pushing a baby carriage, her violet hair cascading like a waterfall, her loose attire unable to conceal her full, curvaceous figure.

Inside the carriage sat a charming child with blue hair and purple eyes, porcelain-skinned and adorable, staring at her with innocent, childlike eyes.

“Good morning, little Elise,” Lady Danielle smiled, her face—renowned as the Flower of the South—radiating gentle warmth.

“Good morning,” Elise returned with a smile.

Though she had initially been unaccustomed to the sudden, complete shift in the woman’s attitude, time had taught her to handle it effortlessly.

After all, the woman was one of her few remaining family—provided no conflict of interest arose between them.

“Sister! Sister!”

The child in the carriage waved his snow-white hands, calling out cheerfully.

At the sound, Elise’s smile became genuinely warm; she stepped closer to the carriage and gently pinched the child’s tender, egg-white-soft cheek.

“No wonder he’s the Prince’s godson—only a few months old, and he’s already surpassed the development of a normal infant by years.”

As Elise gazed at the deep blue blessing above little Hayden’s head—“Royal Godchild”—she sighed inwardly.

Born into nobility, with the Fourteen-Earth Prince as godfather, grandmother the Lord of the South, and carrying a divine boon at birth. Good heavens, even bards wouldn’t dare write such a tale.

The girl sincerely envied this half-brother of hers.

“Little Elise, come along, it’s time for breakfast. I made your favorite fried fish steak and Hayden’s favorite fruit pie,” Danielle said gently.

Elise was about to reply when she suddenly felt her magic surge uncontrollably within her.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

A tidal wave of blank magic erupted from her petite frame, causing the air around her to tremble, an invisible shockwave blasting outward in all directions.

Books on the shelves fluttered like startled birds, dozens crashing to the floor in a cacophony.

Danielle gripped the carriage handles with all her strength, tendons bulging in her slender wrists, barely keeping it from being swept away.

Inside the carriage, Hayden remained unfazed, clapping his hands happily.

After a long while, Elise finally regained control of her magic, leaving the entire library in ruins.

“I’m sorry, Danielle Lady, it’s been a burden. Is Hayden alright?”

Looking at the noblewoman, breathless and disheveled, clutching the carriage, Elise’s face filled with guilt.

“It’s nothing—consider it morning exercise.” Danielle brushed aside her disheveled hair, unconcerned.

“As for Hayden, he bears the noble blessing granted by the Prince. Not even a gust of wind can harm him, let alone ordinary blades!”

Even as her cheeks still flushed from exertion, a look of pride spread across her face.

What a perfect child!

He is destined to become a great hero like his grandfather, forever etched in glowing glory upon history’s pages!

And I, Danielle Marsha, am worthy of being the daughter of a hero—I have given birth to a new hero.

Yet soon, that pride faded, replaced by concern for the girl before her.

“Elise, how many times has your magic surged this week?”

“Four times,” Elise replied with a bitter smile.

After her feat of shattering a city wall in the previous war, her already fragile Morning Star shackle had thinned to the consistency of paper.

A slight concentration of her magic would easily break through—but doing so would invite the Storm Church’s ruthless judgment.

After all, a heterochromatic mage ascending to the Morning Star rank is far too dangerous!

She had once heard Bishop Lu En mention that within the Storm Church’s Holy City, Windwhisper, there lay a Silver Compass capable of divining the entire Soxia region, calibrated to detect all heterochromatic Morning Star mages.

This meant that the moment she ascended, the Storm Church’s high ranks would immediately detect her.

That was why she had suppressed her magic for years, refusing to break through—but now, she was at her limit.

“Elise, your magical reserves far exceed the range of a regular magician, even surpassing most Morning Star mages.”

Recalling the terrifying magnitude of that magic, Danielle made her judgment with lingering unease.

She was certain her mother Rosa, a seasoned Morning Star mage, had never possessed such power.

And most crucially, at the edge of that magic, she had seen the strange intertwining of crimson and ashen hues.

“Elise, advancement in rank cannot be suppressed. May I, as your family, offer you a small piece of advice?”

After long internal deliberation, weighing all interests, Danielle’s expression turned earnest.

“Please.”

“At this rate, you’ll ascend to Magician soon. When that happens, the Storm Church will send Holy Knights to capture you—neither you nor I can stand against them.” Danielle spoke slowly.

“The only way to survive is to leave immediately for Dusk City and find the Prince. Only the Prince, with his Fourteen-Earth blessing, can make those Holy Knights abandon their orders and retreat.”

The violet-haired noblewoman voiced her opinion—only supreme royal authority could make divine power retreat.

Go find the Prince?!

Elise froze. She could clearly feel that the moment she heard those words, her heart surged with anticipation and joy.

She wanted to see the Prince—or rather, she had dreamed of reuniting with him countless times while tossing and turning on her hanging bed.

Yet quickly, she crushed those feelings deep within.

“Lady Danielle, wouldn’t this bring trouble to the Prince? Let’s forget it.” The silver-haired girl sighed and shook her head.

Your Majesty, if I don’t leave, who knows if the Holy Knights storming the castle won’t seize both me and Hayden as heretics—and Hayden’s “Royal Godchild” blessing must not be exposed!

Danielle’s heart churned with frustration, yet her face retained its gentle, watery smile.

“But, little Elise, have you considered what would happen if the Holy Knights capture you and burn you at the stake? When the Prince returns, won’t he be heartbroken?”

Danielle’s face was filled with sorrow, as if grieving for the Prince’s future grief.

Would the Prince grieve because of my departure?

Elise’s spirit trembled; she couldn’t help but ponder the question.

She was merely a girl deemed an omen, with heterochromatic eyes—could the Prince, who would one day rule the entire continent, truly grieve for her?

Even though she had secretly given him her first kiss, taught him magic, and received his roses…

“The Prince is a gentle man. Even a mad, raving peasant woman, he would kneel to embrace. How much more so someone who has lived beside him daily?”

Seeing the girl’s resolve waver, Danielle pressed on.

Recalling the Prince’s intervention during the infant honor ceremony and his words that he enjoyed being with her, Elise hesitated long—then finally nodded slowly.

She truly did not wish the Prince to grieve because of her. She would go to see him, ask him gently if he would offer her protection—and if he refused, she would leave at once, without begging a single word.

If he agreed, she would dedicate the rest of her life, saved by him, entirely to him!

As if struck by a thought, the girl’s lips curled slightly upward.

“Good! I’ll prepare the carriage for you at once!” Danielle beamed, as if fearing the girl might change her mind.

Moments later, Elise was hurriedly shoved into a carriage; watching through the window the two figures—Danielle and the baby carriage—waving farewell, her lips twitched slightly.

Only now did she realize: she had been kicked out by her stepmother.

Elise sighed helplessly. She knew this was already due to the Prince’s favor—otherwise, that cruel woman wouldn’t have bothered with so many words.

“Miss Elise, rest assured, I will safely deliver you to your lord’s side,” said the knight driving the carriage, his tone solemn.

“Thank you,” Elise nodded slightly in gratitude.

With no books to accompany her, the girl leaned her chin on her palm, gazing out at the blue sky, her expression slightly lost.

What future awaited her?

She wasn’t afraid of death—only… if the Prince refused her, perhaps she’d feel a little heartbroken.

Time passed like a gentle stream, and before she knew it, nearly half a month had slipped by.

During this time, Xia Mingyu repeated his daily routine: studying magic tomes, drinking potions to create food, headaches over Anliya, and gathering with the Monster Circus members.

Occasionally at night, he would stroll with the circus troupe down empty streets, feeling like a leader of a hundred ghosts marching under the moon.

Perhaps because he brought them joy, the formidable heterochromatic troupe leader occasionally taught him minor magical techniques.

Now, Xia Mingyu could skillfully use summoned roses to teleport—greatly enhancing his survival ability.

Yet what he most wished to learn was undoubtedly the miraculous Shadow Magic and the incredible Time Magic that slowed the flow of time.

The former would drastically boost his combat versatility; the latter—was simply omnipotent.

Unfortunately, when he asked to learn them, the magician leader merely shook his head, saying his current rank was insufficient. Xia Mingyu could only reluctantly set them aside for now.

Library.

I’ve finally memorized one-third of it.

Xia Mingyu closed the spellbook, rubbed his throbbing temples, and let out a long sigh.

Thanks to his relentless day-and-night efforts and the wisdom-enhancing juice provided by Anliya, he had miraculously memorized one-third of the magical pathways in that intricate spell diagram within such a short time.

“If I keep this pace, I’ll memorize it all in no more than a month, then I can begin drawing the Frozen Hell spell pattern in the air.”

The thought of soon wielding a new spell—the very ancestral spell of magic itself—made Xia Mingyu stretch out contentedly.

“Relax a bit. Go feel the snowflakes.”

Xia Mingyu activated his ability silently, using several books stacked into a pillow as his support.

“Starfire Link, activate!”

A flash of crimson light passed, and his consciousness was swept away by an unseen force, drifting thousands of miles across the distance.

In the Northern Lands, a village suffering from famine.

“Your Highness, you’ve come!”

Dolove, who was distributing grain to the emaciated villagers, looked up in surprise at the tiny figure suddenly appearing on her shoulder.

“That’s the legendary Emerald Knight’s Food Spirit!”

“So cute—I’d love to touch that Spirit.”

“Don’t be disrespectful! Our food was all created by this Spirit!”

The villagers whispered among themselves.

Over the past period, the knight girl had been traveling across the vast Northern Lands, delivering relief grain to famine-stricken villages, and her reputation had gradually spread.

Because of her emerald-green eyes and her knightly demeanor, the people of the Northern Lands reverently called her the “Emerald Knight.”

Her vast supply of food naturally drew attention from many observers. Learning from the Pale Witch that one could become visible to ordinary people by filling their body with magic, the occasional appearances of the Spirit Xia Mingyu became the perfect explanation—and he was henceforth called the “Food Spirit” alongside her.

In a certain sense, these people had guessed correctly.

After distributing enough grain to this village, Dolove left with Xia Mingyu.

Across an endless expanse of snow.

As they exchanged updates, their expressions tightened simultaneously; they both turned toward a distant direction.

They both felt two powerful magical fluctuations rapidly approaching from the direction of the previous village.

Without doubt, they were enemies, not allies.

(End of Chapter)