[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-princess-s-struggle-for-survival":3,"chapter-princess-s-struggle-for-survival-princess-s-struggle-for-survival-chapter-68":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Princess’s Struggle for Survival",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1801218,2401,"Chapter 68 68: Exit","princess-s-struggle-for-survival-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>As an Arcanist specializing in wind magic, Charlotte possessed far more knowledge about spatial enchantments than Astrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She understood the dangers all too well. Even with her power, she couldn't guarantee a safe escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wisest course of action would be to retreat, gather other powerful allies to study the enchantment's structure, and then decide whether to explore further as a team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, the thought of the headband losing contact here, and Astrid likely trapped within, made Charlotte abandon any idea of retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She used the wind to send a magic circle carrying a message for help outside the enchantment, preparing to wait for reinforcements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, relying on her elemental vision, she continued searching for the headband's exact location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, in the underground dungeon,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astrid had reached the limit of her endurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mental power she had replenished earlier was nearly depleted again, and only three or four potion bottles remained in her bag, hardly enough to pose a significant threat to the monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Lyra, she had already recognized her physical exhaustion before throwing her sword earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her continued efforts were sustained solely by Astrid's healing spells and her own sheer willpower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Less than fifty meters left—\" Lyra gasped, her voice delicate but strained as she gripped her sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The closer they got to the exit, the more frenzied the monsters' attacks became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carrying Astrid no longer provided much advantage in speed and instead left them more vulnerable to danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, the two had reverted to their previous formation, guarding each other's flanks as they inched forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To conserve her dwindling mental energy, Astrid resorted to casting only low-level, less lethal spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She reserved the few remaining potions for emergencies when she couldn't fend off an attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lyra's condition was no better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hundreds of meters of intense combat, the dual fatigue of mental and physical exertion had pushed her body to its limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her legs ached, her fingers trembled, and Lyra was certain that if she let go of her sword now, she wouldn't be able to lift it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lyra—\" Astrid's voice was soft, her eyelashes fluttering as she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lyra slashed through the tentacles lunging at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her once-neat maid's dress was now stained with dust, and the pure white knee-high socks she wore were torn in several places, revealing the smooth, pale skin beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I'm here,\" Lyra replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hold me tightly. Wrap your arms around me as firmly as you can.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she didn't understand why Astrid made such a request, Lyra didn't question it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She trusted that Astrid had a reason for the order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the brief lull between the monsters' attacks, she extended her arm and wrapped it tightly around Astrid's waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the firm grip around her, Astrid glanced at the intermediate-level potion labeled \"Air Cannon\" in her hand and quickly began chanting the incantation for a frost shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air cannon utilized volatile wind elements to unleash a powerful blast, dealing massive impact damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Astrid's focus wasn't on attacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her attention was drawn to the warning on the potion's label: the user had to maintain a safe distance of at least five meters when releasing the air cannon, or risk being harmed by the recoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were now very close to the exit, but their physical strength was nearly spent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They needed a strong push to cover the remaining distance, and the gentle effects of light body techniques or wind elemental blessings wouldn't be enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the incantation concluded, Astrid's frost shield glowed a faint azure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the shield could fully form, she smashed the glass bottle to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, a tremendous explosion erupted in front of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The force of the blast sent the two hurtling backward, carried by the wind in the opposite direction of the explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lyra hadn't expected Astrid to use such a method to propel them forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft grunt escaped her lips as she instinctively tightened her grip on her knight's sword with one hand and wrapped her other arm firmly around Astrid's waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cheek pressed against Astrid's soft chest as the force of the explosion sent them hurtling through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the whirlwind subsided, they were only five or six meters from the exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Astrid smashed the last two vials of battle potions, and Lyra pulled her out of the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the cool breeze from the surface brushed against her skin, Lyra swallowed hard, trying to calm her racing heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astrid, too, seemed ready to exhale in relief, but her blood-red pupils suddenly contracted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a flash, she shoved Lyra away with a forceful push.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Lyra could react, her azure eyes were splashed with a warm, moist liquid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The liquid was a vivid red, much like the wine Astrid had poured on her at the ball that day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unlike the cold wine, this was warm, alarmingly so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't wine. It was blood. Astrid's blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the field before them, several skeletal armies of corpses stirred to life, their hollow eye sockets glowing with faint blue flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astrid's arm bore a deep, bleeding gash where she had blocked a clawed strike meant for Lyra's chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Lyra could utter a word, a colossal gust of wind, powerful enough to tear through the heavens and earth, ripped through the skeletal army, reducing them to scattered bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charlotte floated in mid-air, her long ink black hair billowing in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aura radiating from her was overwhelming, suffocating in its intensity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spells officially recorded in the Valeria Empire are divided into five levels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apart from the Low, Intermediate, and High general spells corresponding to the Apprentice Sorcerer Magnus, there are also super-level spells, which can only be cast by Arcanists, and the little-known forbidden spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition to requiring the caster's strength to reach the Arcanist level, super-level spells also demand a deep understanding and study of the magic composition of the caster's element.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charlotte, currently an Arcanist specializing in the wind element, can only release super-level spells of that element.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the so-called forbidden spells, the Valeria Empire only has ancient records in Elders Speech, and no one can actually use them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason is simple: these forbidden spells lack a universal incantation that mages can chant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They exist only in their primitive forms of ancient spells, and their exact effects remain unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the barrier, Charlotte floated in the air, her dark dark pupils gazing down at the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As far as the eye could see, a violent hurricane swept over the ridges, tearing apart everything in its path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Super-level magic, Storm Point, uses mental power to gather all the winds within a kilometer, forming a highly destructive storm tornado.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its lethality ranks among the top ten in the entire wind elemental spell faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the storm raged, the strange skeletons in the field fell like wheat before a scythe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Large swaths of them collapsed, and most of the bones caught in the storm shattered instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These sharp bone fragments further enhanced the storm's destructive power, annihilating all visible undead within sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astrid watched the world-destroying super-level magic unfold before her, her red eyes flickering with surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had always known her aunt was extraordinary, but she had never imagined her strength could reach such heights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with such a dense army of undead, if Charlotte hadn't stepped in to cut them down, Astrid and Lyra wouldn't have survived, even at their peak, let alone in their current weakened state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she pondered this, Astrid felt her arms gently grasped by two soft, boneless hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned her head to see Lyra biting her lip, her eyes glossy with a mix of gratitude, nervousness, and an indescribable complexity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Princess Astrid... had saved her just now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they had fought side by side for a while and had trusted each other with their lives, Lyra had never imagined that Astrid would risk injury to protect her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a maid, protecting her master's safety is part of her duty, and Lyra believes that her decision to shield Astrid was driven by the spirit of the contract, a one-way obligation, not a mutual exchange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, their relationship isn't close enough to warrant such an act, and they could even be considered rivals, with Astrid holding a one-sided advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, Astrid would have struggled to survive the siege alone, but in the heat of the moment, the latter likely didn't have time to think things through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shielding her with her own body... It was Princess Astrid's instinctive reaction, done without a second thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why would she do that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lyra couldn't understand it at the moment, but her heart felt a warmth she hadn't expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, when she saw the deep wound on Astrid's arm, that warmth vanished, replaced by a chilling dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Highness Astrid—\" Lyra's lips trembled slightly, her voice soft and hesitant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no mental energy left, she couldn't even cast a basic healing spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, Lyra brought Astrid's injured arm close to her mouth and began to blow gently on the wound, just as her mother had done for her when she was a child.\u003C\u002Fp>",1530,"2026-06-09T04:47:04.076Z",1,"novelbin.me","c3cf59e7f8429808af62b0fb9205fb4ae307ebf82fb4c895e1532f9cc588c52a","princess-s-struggle-for-survival-chapter-69","princess-s-struggle-for-survival-chapter-67",607,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fprincess-s-struggle-for-survival-cover.jpg"]