How can you become stronger if you don't build up bonds?

Will I die?

No, please.

They've already lingered on this for so long, who wouldn't want to keep doing it?

Although he was incredibly passionate throughout his life, he was always at the peak of his passion before he became obsessed. He knew very well how exhilarating it was to be at the top.

Will Yare be able to realize what's happening and help me out?

Although he was the most dutiful guard, the idea of ​​guarding against thieves for a thousand days is a false proposition in human nature, isn't it? There had never been any problems before.

When a life-threatening crisis loomed close, and death seemed imminent, Lin Wei felt his thoughts moving faster than ever before, even faster than time itself.

Unfortunately, even though he had a lot of ideas going through his mind, none of them were related to the questions of who the enemy was or how to save himself.

Because his subconscious had already clearly assessed the current situation, he could do nothing but wait to die in the face of such an attacking dagger.

"Your Highness, be careful—!!"

The roar and the immense force behind him appeared almost simultaneously. Lin Wei was grabbed and thrown backward. Then, in the blink of an eye, Yare's tall and muscular figure appeared as if by teleportation, blocking his way.

"Thump—"

A slightly crisp metallic clanging sound rang out.

Yare was taller than Lin Wei, so the short dagger aimed at Lin Wei's throat was blocked by Yare's armor neck guard.

The dagger fell to the ground, revealing its full appearance. It could be seen that not only was the blade serrated, but the surface of the blade also shone with a strange luster, clearly indicating that it had been poisoned.

This attack was absolutely aimed at killing the target instantly!

At the same moment, Luya, who was behind him, also caught Lin Wei, who had lost his balance, with her soft embrace.

Luya's reaction was also incredibly fast; she quickly took off her plain robe and covered Lin Wei with it.

not dead!

Alec! You can even react to that? You're incredibly focused, every single second!

Lin Wei's thoughts returned to reality at this moment.

This gave his subconscious mind enough time to react, and he immediately activated the trigger-activated anti-magic item he was wearing.

A transparent light shield completely protected him and Luya.

Just as the light shield was taking shape, the second wave of attacks arrived.

A dark gray shadow bypassed the physical barrier of Yare in front of him and headed straight for Lin Wei's face again.

With a "sizzle," the magic shield shattered, and the remaining gray shadows continued forward until they collided with the plain robe on Lin Wei's body that completely covered his head.

Lin Wei, wrapped in a plain robe, felt his body enveloped by a chilling aura. Then, the robe abruptly shredded into pieces, and the gray shadow energy dissipated completely.

Lin Wei remained unharmed, and no third wave of attacks followed.

"Enemy attack—"

"Everyone, come and protect His Highness!!"

Shouts echoed throughout the monster prison. The two guards who were already at the entrance rushed to Lin Wei, raising their shields and assuming a tense defensive stance.

A cacophony of hurried footsteps approached from outside, clearly alerting all the guards in the prison!

At this moment, Aery also entered a state of rage. He raised the tip of his spear and cleaved the lich in front of him in two with a single thrust.

The assassin's figure finally emerged from behind the lich.

Her medium-length silver-gray hair was tightly tied up, and she wore a mask on her face. Her upper body, wrapped in a gray-black bodysuit, had obvious feminine features.

She has a slender waist and long legs, and no foreign features whatsoever.

Combined with the obvious hatred and resentment in her wine-red eyes, this assassin who somehow infiltrated the monster prison is most likely a human.

With the lich's body, which had been serving as cover, being shattered by Yare, she became completely trapped.

She didn't move again, as if she had exhausted all means and resigned herself to her fate, standing by the cell wall waiting for Yare and the prison guards to arrest her.

At this moment, the guards who had rushed to the rescue had reached double digits. They stood ready, using their shields to protect Lin Wei and Luya in the center, their eyes revealing no concealment of their killing intent towards the enemy in front of them.

Aray also temporarily suppressed the urge to thrust the gun forward, his hand gripping the gun handle twitching slightly.

"Your Highness, shall we escort you away first...?" The warden, who had already arrived, tentatively asked.

"We can't leave yet," Lin Wei replied decisively.

"Ah, uh..."

The warden was actually quite frightened by this sudden turn of events. Lin Wei could tell he wanted to ask why, but considering Lin Wei's authority, he didn't continue.

So why can't we leave?

Lin Wei is still compiling the report.

The internal reasons are quite clear.

Current target aggro level: 666

The real record-breaking performance gave Lin Wei hope of unlocking the bond between his arch-rivals.

Staying behind is indeed dangerous; the female assassin on the other side might be a ruthless character with a backup plan or a deathrattle skill.

But he had been tormented by this nemesis for far too long.

Lin Wei could still make a clear choice between solving a problem once in a dangerous situation and enduring countless moments of anxiety.

To put it bluntly, his mind is currently filled with one sentence:

"Hehe, I'm determined to live and unlock the Bond!"

"Your Highness is right, we absolutely cannot leave now! Everyone, form a shield formation!"

At this moment, Ale, who had been confronting the female assassin for a long time, seemed to suddenly realize something very important. His expression instantly turned serious, and he gave instructions to the guards present.

The so-called shield formation was mainly designed to deal with any possible attacks from arrows or projectiles.

"Your Highness has indeed considered things more thoroughly than I have."

Ale's voice turned cold again, and he raised the tip of his spear once more.

Oh? I've been thorough again, right? Then tell me where I've been thorough.

Lin Wei stood calmly in the center of the shield array, remaining silent.

Long before most of the guards arrived, he had already completely concealed his previous disheveled appearance.

Maintaining a mysterious and enigmatic demeanor in front of outsiders has been his underlying logic over the years.

"The assassin is skilled in shadow magic. From what I understand, there is a shadow escape technique that allows one to move through the shadows. We must not move lightly before we have dealt with her."

Arre's explanation was concise and easy to understand, and all the guards present realized the problem.

If an assassin were to suddenly emerge from the shadows of these men during the escort of His Highness, who among them, without Captain Are, could be certain of stopping him?

The warden swallowed hard, his eyes filled with lingering fear.

If it were any other prince, he would have made a grave mistake today!

Thankfully it was His Highness Lin Wei...

The warden made this lesson a deep memory.

Oh—, that's what I thought, yes, yes, no problem, that's exactly what I thought.

But I still think it's unlikely.

Lin Weiping had also read a lot of spellcaster records in his spare time. The displacement magic described by Are was extremely difficult to learn and was also dangerous to use.

The most convincing evidence, which only Lin Wei could see, was the dynamic pattern of the assassin woman's hatred value.

For over a decade, when the "arch-enemy bond" couldn't be unlocked, Lin Wei's only special ability was detecting hatred value.

With that much ability, he's practically made the most of it.

He has mastered the art of analyzing other people's thought processes based on changes in their level of hatred.

When Ale pointed out the Shadow Cloak technique, the assassin woman showed no obvious fluctuation in either her eyes or her hatred level.

This doesn't seem like the behavior of someone whose cards have been revealed.

Lin Wei was more inclined to believe that she had other trump cards to escape with, which was why she was able to remain calm.

"I'll give you a chance to suffer less physical pain: surrender and hand over to His Highness." Are pointed his spear at the female assassin, issuing her a final ultimatum.

The assassin's hatred level rose a little more, reaching 678 points, and her body seemed to tense up, as if she was about to make a move.

Don't worry, I'll put on another shield.

Lin Wei also has three trigger-type magical barriers on his body.

According to that old charlatan Green, those favored by the gods are impossible to kill, so there's no point in bringing defensive items.

When Lin Wei heard this, he wanted to hit him twice, but fortunately, both his father Eugene and his uncle Nado were conservatives and insisted that Lin Wei bring all the necessary defensive measures, saying that they could be used to block dust in certain situations.

Lin Wei had no choice but to accept it "reluctantly".

Having already established such a solid persona, Lin Wei naturally couldn't show the slightest panic or embarrassment at this moment.

But the magic shield absolutely had to be activated. Faced with this dilemma, Lin Wei's choice was—

Activate the shield to its maximum.

Yes, it means maximizing the shield's size, making it large enough to protect all the surrounding guards.

The guards were stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

The larger the barrier shield is, the lower its protective ability. This is a logical principle that anyone with some knowledge of magical defense methods can understand.

Such barrier shields are extremely rare and cannot be bought even if you have money. Generally, only high-ranking nobles can be equipped with them.

It's not surprising that His Highness Lin Wei can use them, but no one has ever seen them used in this way before.

"Your Highness, the size of the barrier shield..." the warden tried to remind him.

"I am not afraid of her."

Lin Wei straightened his monocle and spoke calmly.

Despite the calm, tranquil tone of his voice, the guards sensed a reassuring confidence within it.

Yes, this is... the great Prince Lin Wei...

Possessing exceptional talent rarely seen in a century, he is the future guide of the Kingdom of Wallis.

How could a mere assassin threaten him?

But he still chose to activate the barrier, placing everyone present inside it.

His Highness's true thoughts were then obvious—

His Highness is... protecting us!

The prison guards present were all drawn from the ordinary royal city garrison. They rarely left Fengdu and had little opportunity to witness firsthand the elite bravery of the Justice Guard Corps, so they could not understand how His Highness Lin Wei bestowed protective power upon his troops.

His Highness Lin Wei does not usually train his physical body or practice magic; all his talents and abilities are concentrated on the more mysterious power of protection.

This is a rumor that is accepted throughout the capital city of Fengdu and even the entire territory of Wallis.

His Highness opened the barrier at this moment not because he was unwilling to protect those present, but because the conditions required for protection were rather complicated and not suitable for a combat environment.

But the fact that His Highness opened the precious barrier for these ordinary guards without hesitation shows that the rumors are true. His Highness genuinely cares for the people of the kingdom, both inside and outside.

In an instant, a wave of emotion surged through the guards' hearts. Gripping their shields and swords tightly, their eyes were filled with unwavering determination.

It looks like it worked again.

The barrier was activated perfectly; to the naked eye, it was impossible to tell that two layers were stacked together.

With all preparations complete, Lin Wei could finally focus his attention on the female assassin.

Killing is definitely out of the question, so Lin Wei spoke up before Yare could:

"I'd rather talk to you than start a fight," Lin Wei said, his voice still gentle.

The assassin's gaze remained unchanged: "The only thing we can talk about is how to kill you, you hypocrite."

"How dare you!"

Yare and the other guards were enraged by these words. If Lin Wei hadn't yet given the order, Yare would have already thrust his spear at them.

He was confident he could pierce the assassin woman's eyes with the tip of his spear before she could finish casting her spell.

Casting a displacement spell while blind is no different from suicide, while interrogation only requires leaving behind a talking mouth.

Talking about "killing me" is absolutely right, even entirely right.

Lin Wei muttered to himself as he watched the assassin woman's hatred level continue to rise.

But the word "hypocrite" is still a bit too much to bear.

Am I hypocritical?

Let's hold out a little longer. If the hatred level just jumps over 1000, it won't be too late to arrest her then.

Yes, it's already at 688, the future looks promising.

Lin Wei watched with satisfaction as the hatred level rose, while pondering his next polite yet hateful line.

The female assassin did not make any rash moves, clearly realizing that she could not threaten Lin Wei at the moment.

Current aggro level: 690...691...400

Wait, 400?!

A sudden and unexpected drop?

wrong.

Lin Wei instinctively felt a chill run down his spine from the abnormal data.

It's like... I'm sure you're about to die, so naturally I don't hate you as much anymore, and so on.

Before Lin Wei could even process what was happening next, Luya suddenly moved beside him.

She used her body to block Lin Wei, completely obstructing the line of sight between him and the female assassin.

Then, everything happened in the blink of an eye. No one present could react in time, and no one understood what had happened.

"Hmm..."

Luya let out a muffled groan, clutching her forehead with one hand, and her body fell backward uncontrollably.

"Luya?!"

Lin Wei held her firmly in his arms.

But what was even more surprising was the assassin woman's reaction.

"Ugh... Ahh... Ugh..."

She held her head in her hands and let out a long string of meaningless groans.

Her body first fell backward, hitting the cell wall. Then, she was completely unable to support herself and fell heavily to the ground. Finally, she even let out a loud, girlish cry and rolled around on the ground erratically.

The moment the female assassin moved, Ale was already in front of her, gun and all.

But in this situation, even he, a seasoned veteran, froze in place.

The assassin woman was completely powerless to resist; this was a fact that was obvious to everyone.

But...why, how did things suddenly turn out like this?

"Your Highness, this..." Ares turned around and asked.

But Lin Wei had no time to care about the female assassin at the moment.

What assassin, what bond, what hatred—none of it combined is as important as the blue-haired maid in his arms.

"Luya, are you alright?"

Luya couldn't hear these words, nor could she see his lips, but Lin Wei's anxiety at this moment had made him forget about it.

Lin Wei wasn't that afraid of death, because he had already had his fill of fun in this world for 18 years. But if something happened to Luya, it would be more painful than killing him.

Just as Lin Wei was about to pick up Luya, Luya, who was still holding her forehead and closing her eyes, gently hooked her other hand around Lin Wei's finger.

"Your Highness...I'm alright..."

"Just a headache, a little dizzy..."

Luya weaves a sign language.

"It'll be done soon..."

Luya struggled to open her eyes, and Lin Wei's face was reflected in her lake-blue eyes, revealing a forced and silly smile.

"That girl most likely used some kind of mental or spiritual magic..."

Spiritual and soul-based magic?!

Just as Lin Wei was still in shock, the female assassin struggling on the ground suddenly stopped moving.

She fainted.