*Bang!*
Harley's eyes shot open as he heard a bang on his door, and he immediately stretched his hand to the side, grabbing the hilt of a sword.
"Where is he?! You said he was in here!" A man's voice echoed around the room.
Harley, who was lying under the bed, felt sore all over his body, and he was still feeling sleepy.
'Damn it.' He turned his head, seeing silver boots.
He instantly recognized the perpetrators as the kingdom's knights, and he frowned, hearing the voice of the lady who had given him the room.
'She ratted me out, huh!' He scoffed. 'I can't let them find me.'
By will, he activated his skill [Unwritten Presence], and he vanished, leaving the space empty.
...
A whole hour later, Harley was walking in the streets. Being invisible had its perks, although it wasn't much. The amount of essence it drained from him was immense.
His head throbbed as his sleep had been interrupted, and he couldn't help but feel tired of everything.
"Kill them all!"
The sounds of a man followed by the beating of drums caught Harley's attention. The sun was just coming out, making it not as harsh as normal.
He took a corner and arrived at what looked like a square. There was a podium with two people who were kneeling down.
'It's the kids from yesterday!' Harley immediately recognized the girl he had saved from the knight yesterday.
She was together with her brother, and the knights laid them down, putting a leg on each as they struggled and cried.
"A cruel world this is." Harley shook his head, ready to turn around.
That was when someone from the crowd leapt onto the stage. The first thing he saw was a shade of yellowish hair that unfurled behind her, wearing a black cloak just like the one Harley used to have.
She climbed fast, kicking the knight off the stage.
Before he got to see her face well, she grabbed the kids and jumped off, running towards another street.
"Get her! Call the watcher, it's the princess!" The knight there immediately alerted the others, and they got up, chasing after the princess.
Harley let out a breath, running after them.
'The princess—that means she's the one leading the resistance. Can't believe she found me instead.' He rejoiced inwardly.
Being at scheme 7, Harley was not an average man. He was running past the shops quickly, and he cornered, following another street to catch them.
"Don't let her escape!" A knight leapt forward, reaching over twelve feet in the air.
He raised his sword, but before he could make contact with the princess, who was not so fast, a blade intercepted.
*Clank!*
Harley gritted his teeth. He and the knight landed, and he felt his hand strain under the attack.
"Who the—gah!"
The knight got a punch to the nose before a sword cut his throat, and Harley smiled at the others before he ran the other way.
The princess looked back, seeing Harley's image vanish, and she took a corner. The knights lost her.
...
Harley was on a wild goose chase. The knights weren't able to keep up with his speed, but they were close. This made Harley reason a lot of things.
'If I'm to guess, these guys are just mobs. What would an elite knight be capable of?' He wondered, but the next second he cursed himself inwardly.
He stopped as he saw a knight in black armour ahead of them. His armour barely reflected any light, and he had a whip by the side of his waist, along with two curved swords on his back.
Seeing Harley, the knight raised his head, pointing at him.
The next second the shadows around him rippled, becoming darker and darker until they became black. And through it came wolves half as tall as him.
Harley looked back and saw the group of knights chasing him had caught up to him, and then he shook his head.
'I knew I should have minded my own business. And I need to pee...' He gritted his teeth, looking at the buildings and how high they were.
*Clank!*
A metallic ball landed on the ground next to Harley, and then it exploded, releasing a large amount of smoke.
Disoriented, an arm grabbed Harley, stunning him. It pulled him surprisingly, and he saw a streak of yellow hair, so he followed.
They burst out of the smoke and ran towards a market area.
Two black wolves burst out of the smoke, chasing them. The knights walked out too, seeing the black knight walking calmly.
"Sir? Should we chase them, sir?" A knight asked, receiving a quiet stare from the black knight.
The black knight then vanished in black smoke.
...
Two wolves chased down Harley and the princess and were gaining fast. The watcher appeared on one of them, pulling out a single curved sword from his back.
The princess took a sharp turn into a space between two buildings, and they burst out and took another corner.
"Jump in there." The princess pointed at a hole in the ground, and Harley, hearing the growls catching up, jumped into the hole, followed by the princess.
Then she raised a metal grate and closed it. The next second, hooves clashed against the grate, passing above them.
The place they were in was dark, and the princess used a small crystal which produced light. Then she turned around and froze as the tip of a sword was on her neck.
"Are you the leader of the resistance?" He asked, looking into her eyes with a cold stare.
"Is this how you address someone who saved your life?" She asked, frowning deeply.
Seeing that the blade only seemed to get closer to her neck, the woman answered.
"I am Princess Marcella De Brine. And I am indeed leading the resistance." She responded, making Harley let out a sigh.
He relaxed, dropping the sword and also falling on his butt.
"Who are you? And how do you have an artifact owned by one of my knights?" She asked him, and he was shocked as he forgot that the knights were part of the resistance.
"We were captured prisoners on a pirate ship together. I escaped, but I don't know if they did." He answered, looking into the woman's eyes.
Her brown eyes scanned his face. Her hair was a mystery to him. It was like glossy strings of candy hanging off her head—unnaturally straight, as if pulled down to the ground.
"I see." She removed her black cloak, revealing her white blouse with a metal piece on her shoulders and stomach.
She had a real sword in her scabbard which was tied to her waist, and she told Harley to stand up.
"I want to help. And I need to see your seer." He said, standing up and looking at her face.
"I saw what you did for the kids yesterday. You were the one in the black cloak, right?" She asked, taking a step towards him.
Harley could only nod, trying not to be captivated by her charming looks.
"That's enough for me. Come." She smiled, walking past him and heading deeper into what looked like an underground cave.