The Navori Brotherhood had been one of the main forces resisting the Noxian invasion, with most of its members ordinary people who had joined the cause of their own accord.
Akali never expected to stumble into something like this.
Members of the Navori Brotherhood were actually trying to assassinate Irelia. Had the internal conflict already deteriorated this far?
At that moment, Irelia made her decision as well. She exhaled and stopped hesitating.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not the kind of person who'll simply let herself be slaughtered."
She swept one arm through the air. A clear humming sound immediately rang out, almost like the chiming of bells, and several blades flew in from the right, streaking toward the members of the Navori Brotherhood.
They had clearly seen Irelia's blade-dancing techniques before. Every one of them instantly became wary, stopped holding anything back, and fought with everything they had.
That was when Luke joined the battle.
He swung his sword, releasing a slash of sword energy. A powerful gale swept toward the Navori Brotherhood. Before the sword energy itself had even reached them, the force of the wind alone already carried an overwhelmingly domineering power.
The attackers' expressions changed, and they quickly scattered. Their eyes turned toward Luke, none of them having expected another expert to be hiding among the group.
"Kru, Zeta, take half the men and deal with him. Be careful, he's strong."
The Navori Brotherhood leader who had spoken earlier immediately made his decision and sent half of their people after Luke.
But inwardly, he already knew this mission had become far more difficult than expected.
They had brought more than twenty people just to deal with Irelia, and even that had barely seemed sufficient.
Now there was another swordsman whose strength they knew nothing about.
The masked woman was no weakling either, while the mysterious cloaked figure had yet to make a move. For the moment, they could at least assume that one had no combat ability.
"You just missed your only chance to escape."
Luke stopped holding back.
He took one step forward and vanished in the blink of an eye. The next instant, he was already standing in front of one of the Navori Brotherhood fighters, his sword flashing.
After that, his figure seemed to trace a graceful arc as he flickered continuously through the enemy ranks.
By the time he returned to where he had started, half of the Navori Brotherhood members were already lying on the ground.
The remaining fighters stared at him wide-eyed, fear rising in their hearts.
They knew Luke had drawn his sword.
They simply had no way to defend against it.
Just how strong was this guy?
But there was no time to think about that now.
Irelia withdrew her gaze from Luke and stepped forward as well. Her arms moved with the flowing softness of waves, and the hovering blades around her answered with a chorus of clear hums.
Then they shot forward.
The Navori Brotherhood members tried to defend themselves, but the unpredictable blades slipped effortlessly through one person after another.
Facing people who had once been her comrades, Irelia could not help feeling reluctant.
She could not understand how things had deteriorated to the point where they had to turn their weapons against each other.
There had clearly been room to talk.
Either side could have taken even a single step back.
Yet neither was willing to yield.
And just like that, they had become enemies?
Irelia had compassion in her heart, but she also understood that showing mercy to enemies determined to kill her would only invite disaster.
Like a dance that carried death in every step, Irelia moved with deadly elegance, taking one life after another.
The members of the Navori Brotherhood never retreated. It was as though they had prepared themselves to die before ever coming here.
Yet even as they fell, not one of them managed to harm so much as a single hair on Irelia's head.
In the blink of an eye, every member of the attacking group had fallen.
Twenty-two bodies lay scattered throughout the courtyard, blood staining the ground red.
"May the spirits grant you peace."
Irelia lowered her gaze toward the bodies, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.
Soon, however, she gathered herself and turned toward Luke and the others with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this conflict. And thank you for helping me."
"It's nothing. Barely any trouble at all."
Luke looked at the young woman and could feel the sadness in her heart.
She seemed to have been forced to carry far too many burdens for someone her age.
"Why would the Navori Brotherhood try to assassinate you?" Akali asked, voicing the question that had been troubling her.
Irelia raised a hand and summoned her blades back. They arranged themselves neatly on the ground.
Looking at the blood covering their edges, she sighed heavily.
"The Navori Brotherhood wants to militarize the magic of this land, establish a unified nation, and become powerful enough to retaliate against Noxus. But I can already see what would happen. In the end, innocent people would be the ones who suffered again."
"Far too many people were persecuted and hurt during the war. Why should we start another one? I want to guide everyone back toward the harmony and natural way of life we once had. Naturally, that put me in opposition to the Navori Brotherhood."
"So that's what happened."
Akali sighed after hearing the explanation.
"I knew what the Navori Brotherhood advocated, but I didn't expect them to go this far."
Ever since the war ended, the Navori Brotherhood had already begun imposing military rule over several regions under its control, and its strength was increasing by the day.
But those actions had also met widespread opposition.
Many people in Ionia simply wanted to return to the lives they had once known.
Irelia's reputation was too great. As long as she remained in their way, the Navori Brotherhood's plans could never proceed smoothly.
Was that why they had gone so far as to send assassins after her?
"Things really are getting worse."
Akali had the feeling that if this continued, sooner or later it would erupt into another war.
"They are."
Irelia sighed softly.
For a moment, silence settled over everyone.
Ahri could sense Irelia's gloomy mood. She did not fully understand the current political situation, but even she could tell that another disaster was quietly brewing in the First Lands.
"For now, let's deal with the bodies."
Irelia stood.
She quickly called several villagers over to help. When the village chief heard that assassins had attacked, she was horrified.
Fortunately, nothing had happened to Irelia. Otherwise, the old woman would never have forgiven herself.
The bodies were not cremated. Instead, they were buried beneath a tree covered in red blossoms. The following day, the villagers would include them in the spirit-prayer ceremony.
No matter what had happened tonight, these members of the Navori Brotherhood had once shed blood and tears fighting against Noxus.
Irelia hoped their souls would find peace.
"We can discuss the details tomorrow."
Luke had noticed the exhaustion hidden in Irelia's eyes and decided to postpone the conversation that had been interrupted earlier.
There was no need to rush things tonight.
The village chief arranged lodging nearby for the three of them. It was already late, and after traveling all day, they quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, Irelia woke early.
Today was the village's Spirit Prayer Day, and there was plenty that needed to be done.
Remembering the three guests from the previous night, she went to find them herself.
Luke and the others were already awake, and soon saw Irelia approaching.
Today, she had changed into ceremonial clothing for the spirit-prayer ceremony. She wore a long red-and-white robe, while her long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, giving her the appearance of a ceremonial priestess.
She looked refreshed as well, clearly having slept well.
The three helped with the preparations.
As the villagers gathered beneath the Spirit-Prayer Tree, the visitors who had followed Irelia here finally got to see her in person.
Every one of them was captivated.
Their trip had certainly not been wasted.
The young woman stood with dignified, almost sacred bearing several yards from the tree. Gentle sunlight fell across her body, surrounding her with a soft radiance, while petal-like leaves drifted around her on the breeze.
The sight was breathtaking.
Irelia closed her eyes and completed the final part of the spirit-prayer rite before murmuring softly, "May the spirits guide you all to peace."
With that, the ceremony led by Irelia came to an end.
What remained were the villagers' individual prayers, which no longer required her presence.
After returning to the courtyard from yesterday and changing back into her everyday clothes, Irelia said, "I'm free now. Please, tell me why you came to see me."
Luke smiled slightly.
"Then let me introduce myself properly. My name is Luke Lightshield. I'm from Demacia."
"Luke Lightshield..."
Irelia repeated the name.
Then her pupils suddenly contracted, and the same astonishment Akali had once shown appeared on her face.
Other people might not have recognized the name, but Irelia absolutely did.
Demacia's second prince.
The man who had led an army against Noxus.
If it had not been for him, no one knew how much longer the people of Ionia would have continued to suffer.
Although she had never met him, that name had inspired her through countless days and nights, giving her strength.
It had made her braver and more determined as she continued fighting against Noxus.
Because of him, she had learned that even the seemingly invincible Noxus could be defeated.
Even Irelia deeply admired this man.
Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined he would suddenly appear right in front of her like this.
Truthfully, she found it difficult to believe.
Why would the second prince of Demacia come all the way to Ionia?
"As for how I can prove my identity..."
Luke thought for a moment before taking out the Secret Key and placing a video call to Demacia.
"This is called the Secret Key. It's a rapid communication device jointly developed by Demacia and Piltover. It should be introduced throughout Runeterra in the near future."
It was the first time Akali and Ahri had seen him take out the Secret Key as well, and both immediately became curious.
The call connected, and a screen appeared.
The first two people visible were Jarvan III and Tianna Crownguard.
"This should be the council chamber. The people you're seeing are my father, King Jarvan III, and Tianna Crownguard, the High Marshal of Demacia."
Luke briefly introduced them.
Irelia stared at the image in a daze.
She could sense magic coming from it, along with faint fluctuations from the Spirit Realm.
It did not seem fake.
Besides, would someone really create magic this elaborate just to deceive her?
The people and everything shown on the screen looked completely real.
As Luke spoke with Jarvan III and Tianna Crownguard, Irelia quickly became convinced that they were living people being displayed through the Secret Key from somewhere unimaginably far away.
Demacia.
After ending the call, Luke looked at the still-stunned Irelia.
"That's the only way I could think of to prove my identity. Of course, I have spare Secret Keys. You can test one yourself if you want to confirm that it really works."
"There's no need."
Irelia finally snapped out of her daze.
It sounded absurd, but she could not think of any reason Luke would construct such an outrageous lie.
By now, she was almost completely certain that the man in front of her really was the second prince of Demacia.
She had specifically researched him before.
Powerful, extraordinarily handsome, extremely young, and combined with what the Secret Key had just shown her, the man before her matched everything she knew almost perfectly.
For a moment, Irelia's thoughts were in complete disarray.
Even her breathing unconsciously quickened.
She hurriedly glanced down at her clothes.
At least she was dressed appropriately.
Right, what was she supposed to say?
She immediately rose and gave him a formal Demacian bow.
"Your Highness."
"You can get up. That's the greeting a retainer gives a superior. Considering our respective positions, we're more or less equals."
Luke smiled.
He could tell she had specifically studied Demacian customs. Her posture and etiquette had been flawless.
In terms of status, Irelia was not necessarily beneath him at all.
After all, if she wanted it, countless people would probably be willing to place her on a throne immediately.
"Is that so? Then what should I do instead?"
Irelia straightened.
A faint blush had appeared on her fair face, and her eyes seemed brighter as she looked at Luke again.
Akali felt that Irelia had suddenly lost some of her usual experience and maturity.
Right now, she looked much more like a young woman meeting her idol for the first time.
To be fair, Luke's name really was famous throughout Ionia.
Because of him, Noxus had withdrawn at least half of the forces it had committed to the Ionian invasion.
Many Ionians regarded him as a benefactor.
If Akali had not spent enough time with the guy to learn what an obnoxious personality he really had, she might have reacted exactly like Irelia was reacting now.
Akali glanced sideways at Luke.
"Just sit and talk with me. You don't need to worry so much about formalities."
Luke smiled warmly.
Irelia sat opposite him and took a sip of tea, hoping to calm herself down.
It did not work.
She remained unable to settle her emotions and now barely dared to look Luke directly in the eye.
At that moment, she had completely lost her usual composure and poise.
Instead, there was an endearing awkwardness about her that made her seem much more like a girl her age.
"I actually came here specifically to meet you."
Luke finally began explaining why he had come.
Irelia blinked.
"Specifically to meet me?"
"Yeah."
Luke nodded slightly.
"How familiar are you with Piltover?"
"I know a fair amount."
"Then you've probably heard of Hexgates."
"I have, although I don't know very much about them."
Irelia paused halfway through her reply as something suddenly occurred to her.
"Your Highness wants to build a Hexgate in Ionia?"
She really was remarkably quick.
"That's right."
Luke nodded.
"Demacia has now formed an alliance with Piltover, and we want to promote the construction of Hexgates throughout Runeterra. I've just come from the Blue Flame Isles, and if we want to take this next step in Ionia, we'll need your support."
Irelia fell into deep thought.
Given her current position, she had naturally heard about Piltover's Hexgates.
Supposedly, they were an invention capable of transporting people enormous distances in a very short amount of time.
If something like that were constructed in Ionia...
There was no question that it would greatly strengthen the First Lands' connection with the outside world.
But at the same time, everything from that outside world would come flooding into Ionia as well.
When that happened, what would the First Lands become?
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