Kane walked up the stairs toward Punk in only three strides. Ignoring the thick blood still flowing across the ground, he casually sat down on the floor. When his armor touched the stone, it produced a clear metallic clang, a sound that seemed unusually loud in the silent, dark, blood-soaked night.
Taking out a bottle of ale from somewhere, Kane raised it and took a long drink. Whether Punk was listening or not, he spoke in an indifferent tone.
"Hey! Do you think our lovely princess can win?"
"The walls of Konola City are already riddled with holes."
Punk's reply sounded less like an answer to Kane and more like a conclusion he had already reached himself.
He narrowed his eyes at the section of the wall that had been shattered during the daytime clash between the two official-level powerhouses. Now the huge breach was blocked by vines summoned by McNeesey, looking like a crude patch of green plaster stuck onto the ancient blood-stained wall.
It looked awkward and fragile.
"There isn't much food left in Konola."
Punk gestured toward the refugees who had gathered beneath the wall after their homes were destroyed by falling boulders. His voice remained flat, completely without emotion.
"The enemy has the support of the entire Kingdom of Camos."
He glanced toward the distant enemy camp glowing faintly on the horizon.
"But if you could turn the 'lovely princess' into an official-level princess, then maybe there would still be a chance."
Punk finished with a faint trace of sarcasm.
"Oh~"
Kane stood up lazily and stretched his back with a complaining sigh.
"But I still haven't obtained the Royal Fighting Skill yet. And cleaning up these trash soldiers is easy enough… so I can't just run away in disgrace without even collecting my payment, right?"
Kane slammed his lance heavily into the ground, letting the spearhead sink deep into the stone of the wall. Then he leaned against the battlement and looked up at the clear star-filled sky.
"It doesn't matter. If our official mage wants the princess to survive, he'll have to make his move tonight. Otherwise, if the enemy launches a desperate attack tomorrow, then even if Mage McNeesey can stall Commander Lunka forever, our ordinary soldiers won't be able to hold the line."
Facts soon proved that Punk's prediction was correct.
Just as his voice fell silent, Kane—who had just opened his mouth to speak again—suddenly stopped.
An apprentice-level warrior, neatly dressed, was running toward them.
"Excuse me… are you two trainee-level professionals?"
"…."
"…."
The question was practically meaningless. Neither Punk nor Kane bothered to conceal their soul levels. Any professional could determine their strength at a glance.
The apprentice warrior quickly realized his mistake. Embarrassed, he scratched the back of his head.
"Lord McNeesey has summoned all trainee-level professionals to the city square."
Kane glanced at Punk with exaggerated surprise and exclaimed loudly:
"Wow~ Amazing. You even predicted this! 0_0"
Punk ignored him.
He quietly cast Secondary Lightness on himself, then jumped down from the city wall and landed smoothly on the ground. Kane followed right behind him.
Unlike Punk, Kane landed with a heavy impact, smashing a small crater into the ground. The loud noise startled several nearby commoners.
The city square wasn't far away, and the gathering there was clearly visible.
Now, because of Kane's dramatic landing, everyone in the square turned to look at them.
Even Princess Nesa and Mage McNeesey, standing on the elevated platform, looked in their direction.
Punk paid no attention to the surprised gazes. He silently walked toward the group of mages, blending into their gloomy circle.
Kane, however, entered in a completely different style.
From somewhere unknown, he produced a bright red flower. With perfect aristocratic posture, he walked toward the center stage as if the battlefield around him didn't exist.
Ignoring the cries and groans of wounded soldiers nearby, he approached the princess gracefully.
Then he performed a flawless noble salute, extending the flower toward her.
"Your Royal Highness Princess Nesa, who is as beautiful as the moon—this humble knight, Kane, devoutly offers you this flower in advance to celebrate your inevitable victory."
Kane's armor made no sound at all during the entire performance. His posture was elegant and confident.
For a brief moment, the bloody square seemed filled with an oddly romantic atmosphere.
"Th-thank you…"
Princess Nesa clearly had never experienced such a situation before. The previously serious royal girl now looked like a shy young maiden, her cheeks turning slightly red.
To a mature observer, Kane's performance looked overly theatrical.
But to someone like Princess Nesa—young, inexperienced, and unfamiliar with the world—it was surprisingly effective.
Just as she reached out to accept the flower, a calm voice interrupted the scene.
"Well. I appreciate your loyalty, Knight Kane. But I must now announce important military arrangements."
Mage McNeesey calmly blocked the princess's hand halfway and spoke coldly.
Kane had no choice but to retreat into the crowd.
At that moment, Punk sent him a message through a short-range communication spell.
The spell created a temporary mental channel, allowing silent communication even in noisy surroundings. McNeesey could detect that a communication spell was being used, but he couldn't hear the content.
"You shouldn't have caused such a scene just to test the relationship between McNeesey and the princess."
Punk's voice was cold inside Kane's mind.
Kane's dramatic entrance had inevitably drawn attention to Punk standing nearby, ruining Punk's plan to remain unnoticed.
"Hahaha~ That wasn't the real reason."
Kane grinned.
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"I just wanted to leave a good impression on the princess. So when she loses and has to escape, she might follow me. Then I can sell her to Prince William. That should make quite a fortune."
Punk instantly understood the implication behind Kane's words.
"This plan is too risky. McNeesey might not fall. And we know nothing about Prince William's situation. Keep me out of it."
His answer was firm.
"It's just a possibility. To be honest, I watched the fight between those two powerhouses earlier today."
Kane continued casually while pretending to listen to McNeesey's speech.
"That Commander Lunka is definitely stronger than McNeesey—at least one level higher. And the Kingdom of Camos probably has several official-level professionals like him. You're worrying for nothing…"
"The risk is too great. I won't participate."
Punk cut him off without hesitation and terminated the communication spell.
Unlike Kane—who lacked trainee-level techniques—Punk's knowledge base was still sufficient. There was no reason to take such a dangerous gamble for a small profit.
Right now, the most important thing was obtaining some alchemy formulas.
And for that…
He still needed the help of Mage McNeesey.
Punk narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched McNeesey on the stage announcing the battle plan for tomorrow.