Cloud Thinking

"Come on."

Yorif snapped out of his daze, quickly stepped forward, grabbed Helia's hand, and dragged her away.

I almost forgot about the important matter!

He came to find Helia because he sensed that someone was breaking the barrier outside. He guessed that some guests had summoned reinforcements with rare communication tools, and that it was not safe to stay here any longer.

Helia glanced at the corpse in her hand, then at Yoriff who was trying to appear calm, and then looked up at the sky, as if she was contemplating her choice.

A moment later, she grabbed Yoriff's wrist, forcing him to stop, and under his shocked gaze, shoved the corpse into his arms.

“You…” Yorif guessed what Helia was planning at a glance, and he immediately shook his head, “I can’t leave you alone!”

Helia did not reply, but instead glanced southeast, where a powerful wave of magic rippled out, indicating that someone had broken the magic circle she had set up.

"Tsk!" She clicked her tongue slightly, feeling a bit annoyed. She thought to herself, "Which damned ghost just called for help and actually summoned those lackeys from the Magic Association? I'm afraid I'm in for a beating."

"Take the body towards the academy and tell them there's been an attack. You're here to ask for help." Helia's tone was firm; she had made her decision, leaving no room for doubt.

"And what about you!" Yoriff refused to leave. "Maybe the academy sent someone too!"

There are many in the academy who hate Helia. Even those who don't dislike her as a person won't let go of this golden opportunity, as various forces are trying to weaken the royal family's power.

Eliminating Helia would be a devastating blow to the current royal family. At the very least, it would force Claude to restrain his ambitions and stop overstepping his bounds, allowing everyone to maintain a delicate balance of mutual respect.

From the moment Helia embarked on her magical journey, her actions drew attention: upon her arrival, she infiltrated the neutral magic world's Catherine Academy; then she became entangled with a dark magician; and even successfully slayed a dragon, instantly becoming a rising star in the magic world.

She had finally graduated, but as soon as she returned to the capital, she didn't even have a moment to catch her breath before she caused trouble for the Magic Association again—those damned heretics were stirring up trouble once more, and Helia was once again in the center of the vortex.

He then went even further: he publicly killed Dorodo, the representative of the Magic Association, openly slapping the association and magical families in the face, and successfully provoking a sharp conflict between the magical world and the royal family.

She took this opportunity to carry out a large-scale purge, splitting and weakening the power of the aristocratic alliance, turning the entire magic world upside down and causing unrest.

Now it's gone even further: slaying a false god, exposing the dark secrets of their alma mater, and even daring to use magic to launch a large-scale attack on a noble duke—this is simply trampling on the dignity of the Magic Association and the academy.

If this is not punished, there may be no way to check and balance it in the future.

Helia knew that these guys were after her, and she didn't want to implicate Yoriff, so she tried to extricate him and protect him. Therefore, she had to get rid of him.

They were even willing to seriously injure him in order to completely clear him of suspicion of conspiring with them.

"Don't worry about me, I have my own way." Helia pulled her hand away, pushed Yoriff away, and frowned slightly. "Let's go."

Yoriev stubbornly shook his head.

Helia sighed softly, raised her hand and summoned her fire sickle, then swung it at Yorif almost without hesitation or mercy.

She positioned herself perfectly; almost all the damage was absorbed by the corpse of Lant in his arms, while he only suffered minor burns.

She could already hear the chaotic footsteps of those rushing to her aid, and Helia no longer cared about anything else. She leaped forward and kicked them hard.

With all his might, he kicked Yorif and Lant's corpse ten meters away, where they rolled five or six times on the ground before finally coming to a stop.

Yoriev now has no choice but to follow Helia's plan. Now that he is injured, he can't help much even if he stays, and will only be a burden to Helia.

It would be better to run away now, pretend to sever ties with Helia, and secretly become Helia's mole in the academy and research institute.

He staggered to his feet, clutching Lant's corpse, and ran away. Helia was truly ruthless; she swung her knife at Yorif's back again, slashing his back until it was torn open, the flames crackling and releasing a faint aroma of roasted meat.

However, the high temperature burns stopped the bleeding quickly, preventing him from dying, but he was in excruciating pain, and Yorif was barely breathing as he ran outside.

Helia stood still, her expression somber, her eyes fixed on Yoriff's departing figure until he disappeared from sight. Only then did she slowly turn around to face the approaching enemy.

"Your Highness Helia, as a registered mage of the Association, you have violated the Association's rules and abused magic to harm innocent civilians, constituting the crimes of murder and disturbing the peace. Please leave with us to accept the investigation and evidence collection and await trial."

The young man at the head of the group had icy eyes and delivered his verdict in the most official tone.

His slightly raised chin already revealed his arrogance.

Helia disliked this kind of person the most and hated anyone who put on airs in front of her.

"I don't understand what you're saying." She casually twirled the flaming scythe in her hand, flames swirling around her and transforming into a protective fire dragon with each swing.

Those emerald eyes were brighter than firelight, like cold stars in the darkness.

The young man assumed that Helia was making excuses for her identity and refusing to admit her true identity—otherwise, why would she go to the trouble of changing her appearance to attend the banquet and kill someone?

"Your Highness Helia, you are now a highly sought-after figure throughout the empire. Even without verifying your whereabouts, you could probably find out your movements by simply grabbing someone on the street and asking them," the young man said sarcastically. "Are you still going to try to deny it?"

Helia had never been angry when she slaughtered many evil spirits roaming the human world, but now she was somewhat irritated.

His blood was boiling, and he roared that he wanted to kill this arrogant guy who dared to provoke him.

"If you don't kneel and pay your respects when you see me, do you still have any regard for imperial law or the royal family?" Helia stepped forward, her magical power surging around her, approaching with an unassailable aura.

“Your Highness Helia, you are guilty of a crime. Please leave with us.” The young man not only did not kneel, but stepped forward, clearly showing his fearlessness, disrespect, and contempt.

He not only looked down on Helia, but also despised the Abrahamic royal family.

In his eyes, they were all just ordinary people.

Even though he is royalty, he can take a life in an instant with just a wave of his wand.

Gifted and successful genius mages often become arrogant and conceited.

Their immense power granted them the right to look down on all living beings, leading them to believe themselves to be great beings comparable to gods.

Little do we know that there is always someone better than you.

Such people always die a tragic death.

Such as now.

Almost in the blink of an eye, that annoying guy who always looked down on people, maintaining his arrogant expression until the very last moment, collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The head rolled halfway around on the ground, and blood gushed out like a fountain, splattering everyone around.

Helia's skirt swayed gracefully, like a blooming carnivorous flower. The flames on her scythe sizzled as they touched the blood.

“Disrespecting the royal family is punishable by death according to the law,” she said coldly, raising her eyes to scan the crowd. “Those who are not afraid of death, feel free to try.”

The sudden turn of events caused everyone to instinctively take several steps back, fear having already overwhelmed their momentum.

They came to hunt down and suppress, but now they've become the ones being judged.

Helia, however, never admitted her mistake.

The painful lesson of youth is right before our eyes. Everyone looks at each other, and no one is willing to be the first to take the lead.

But with a mission at hand and orders from the forces behind them, if they don't capture Helia today, she might really cause a major upheaval in the Magic Association by tomorrow!

In the scuffle, an elderly man was pushed forward—perhaps betting that Helia still had some morals and would give her elders some face.

"Your Highness Helia, you have committed murder by abusing magic without cause. According to the Association's regulations, even though you are a princess, you must come with us!" The old man tried to straighten his back, feigning righteousness.

But he wisely didn't dare to look down on people.

Helia tilted her head, feigning ignorance: "When did it become any of your magic association's business to tell me what to do with me, Helia?"

"Even if someone were to interfere, it would be my father, or at the very least, Elder Agles. Who are you to have the right to interfere with me?"

The old man was so angry that his face turned red.

Having lived to this age, his seniority and strength speak for themselves. Everyone who sees him must treat him with utmost respect, and even the highest nobles must bow their heads and acknowledge his goodness.

Who would have thought this imperial princess would be so arrogant and domineering! She has absolutely no respect for her elders!

I used to think the rumors were wrong, but now it seems like they were being too lenient!

He was panting heavily, but dared not lose his temper with Helia—what if he got his head chopped off?

They had no choice but to present their reasoning and evidence in an attempt to persuade Helia to comply.

"As a registered mage of the association, the association has the right to judge and punish mages who violate the rules." The old man suppressed his anger and fear, and said, word by word, "Your crimes are obvious to all. Do you still want to make excuses?"

Indeed, setting aside Helia's hunting of nobles, that one slash alone was enough for the association to convict her.

To dare to kill law enforcement officers is to provoke the association's bottom line.

If it weren't for Helia's unfathomable strength, imposing aura, and illustrious status, no one else would have been afraid of her.

"Oh...?" Helia tilted her head, as if she had just understood human speech. "So, the association's rules only apply to registered mages?"

"Uh..." The old man was taken aback, glanced at his companions beside him, and, prompted by their eyes, replied, "That's not entirely true."

"If any wild mage commits a crime, the association will still send law enforcement officers to arrest and punish them. The Magic Association has the right to intervene in any matter involving mages."

"What if we can't catch them?" Helia asked innocently, her expression a stark contrast to the ruthless killer she had been just moments before.

Her face is so deceptive; if she's willing to put on an act, most people will be fooled by appearances.

"We have a warrant for your arrest. If the association cannot spare the manpower or resources, we will offer a reward for the capture, which will be carried out by civilian or aristocratic magicians," the old man explained dutifully.

"What if we can't catch them?" Helia pressed.

The old man sensed something was amiss and looked at Helia with a more probing gaze.

But she just smiled, a sweet and obedient smile, just like his beloved granddaughter.

"The warrant will not be revoked. But if no one can complete it, it will be shelved for a long time until someone does it," he replied. "Those on the warrant will face endless pursuit."

“I see.” Helia nodded in understanding, grinning to reveal her beautiful teeth, her smile as dazzling as the stars: “Now you can try to hunt me down.”

"Tsk! Why waste so much breath on her!" A fierce-looking man in the crowd drew his twin swords from his waist, clashing them together, and looked at the refined-looking man beside him, who was carrying a thick magic book. "Kamod! Do it!"

The man called Cammod trembled, then suddenly looked up, revealing pale pink eyes beneath thick bangs.

He seemed to be startled awake, looking at the man with the knife in a panic, then at Helia, at a loss for what to do.

“Your Highness Helia, if you refuse to comply, don’t blame us for taking action.” Another woman, dressed in a burgundy floral-collared shirt and wearing a military-style top hat, narrowed her eyes and spoke in a cold voice.

She drew her rapier from her waist and pointed it at Helia as a warning.

Her face was extremely deceptive, and her smile softened the tense atmosphere, weakening her inviolable aura and making one wonder if her killing was just a pretense of strength.

"Kamode! What are you still daydreaming about!" The man with the twin swords wanted nothing more than to kick him.

Cammod then began to rapidly flip through the book in his hand, the pages flying so fast that only afterimages remained, finally stopping on one page—a name turning blood red, the characters twisting as if alive.

He spread his five fingers and pressed them onto the name, muttering a spell, then suddenly grabbed—

Helia frowned slightly and looked down at her arms, feeling a slight stiffness, as if she were being held in place by something invisible.

Seeing her reaction, the group exchanged glances and instinctively drew their weapons, rushing forward.

"clang--"

The dull thud nearly pierced the eardrums of everyone present. Along with the blast wave from the impact, the eight law enforcement officers were thrown out, all landing in a disheveled and humiliating manner.

Helia, however, stood unharmed, with only a few strands of hair fluttering in the wind by her ears. Her serene and contented demeanor seemed to place her on a completely different level from the others.

She glanced at Cammod, who looked like he could be killed with a single slap, and a knowing smile appeared on her lips: "As expected, all the registered mages have been placed under magical restrictions, haven't they?"

Otherwise, how could the Magic Association manage so many unruly mages?

Hidden talents abound in the common people, and magical families are particularly renowned for producing outstanding individuals.

If they commit crimes, the association will also take action to suppress them.

But what gives the association the right to be above families with centuries or even millennia of heritage?

This is inherently illogical.

Of course, powerful families must have infiltrated the association. But judging from the current situation, the association clearly has the upper hand over the families, which puzzles Helia greatly.

It was only at this moment that she suddenly realized.

All the mages registered with the Magic Association are nothing more than puppets and pawns planted by the association in various places.

They can be commanded at will when necessary.

This technique felt strangely familiar to Helia.

Judith's family, the Herris family, possesses a unique family art of control magic—the ability to forcibly seize control of another person's body, turning them into a puppet that knows no pain.

If the puppet becomes disobedient and begins to rebel against its master, the ropes binding it should be cut off, and its life ended along with the puppet's.