Despite Kai’s dagger flying in the precise direction, it unexpectedly hit something solid and ended up stuck in the ground.

Blocked by a hoe?

The clash between the sword and the hoe had caused a flash that dazzled his eyes.

Kai couldn’t believe it. His dagger, forged from Arenis steel, had never chipped or scratched in its 200-year history. It had even pierced shields and armor, striking directly into the hearts of enemy commanders.

But now, it was thwarted by a mere hoe?

Kai sharply eyed the hoe’s blade, shimmering like silver in the moonlight. The princess, still in her nightgown, held the hoe firmly with both hands, visibly agitated.

Regardless of the hoe’s sturdiness, the woman’s agile movements also seemed suspicious.

Kai wondered if Stella was an assassin sent from Amalun. Perhaps the seemingly absurd weapon she wielded had another purpose, possibly a magical tool. She might be a high-level assassin capable of swiftly taking lives with deceiving attacks.

Kai took a step back and drew another sword from his cloak.

He felt the silent shadows that followed him stir in the darkness.

At his signal, dozens of arrows would fly out, piercing the woman’s body. The tense atmosphere was palpable in the cold air.

Kai signaled the shadows to hold their fire. He needed to ascertain the woman’s identity before proceeding.

“Your identity is…”

He was about to ask, but the woman suddenly threw her hoe to the ground.

Clang!

The hoe struck a stone on the ground, shattering it, although it was merely dropped and not forcefully thrown. The woman then slumped to the ground.

“What are you doing…”

“Are you guys okay? What are you doing!”

She seemed ready to launch another attack but, surprisingly, discarded her weapon and started scolding.

Typically, if someone drops their weapon, it means they are pleading for mercy, right?

Her actions defied logic. Kai sent a hand signal to the shadows, and the presences hidden in the darkness vanished instantly.

The woman, sitting on the ground and looking at something on the earth, displayed a mix of worry and relief on her face. Voices of complaint could be heard from the direction she was looking.

“He tried to kill us.”

“Did Stella save us?”

Ark and Esta, apparently unharmed, seemed only slightly startled.

“Thank goodness you’re not hurt.”

Stella protectively hid the small figures behind her back.

They must have grown on her, as she fondly and protectively allowed the tiny, trembling bodies to cling to her.

“Can you see them?”

Kai asked, his suspicion not entirely abated.

“You heard their voices, didn’t you? I’ve only recently started seeing them.”

Stella responded with an irritable tone.

Recently started seeing them? Kai narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly to get a better look behind Stella.

Just then, the clouds parted, revealing the moon. The moonlight illuminated the silver blade of the hoe lying on the ground, casting a circular reflection.

It was just a reflection of the moon on a hoe blade, nothing beautiful. Yet, Kai found himself mesmerized, unable to look away.

He felt strongly as if he were being enchanted, yet helplessly succumbed to the allure.

“It’s mine.”

Had Stella not quickly picked up the fallen hoe, Kai might have ended up kissing it, so captivated was he by its reflection.
When Kai came to his senses, he shuddered at the thought of the appalling act he might have committed, aware that the shadows were likely witnessing everything. The moment Stella hid the cunning hoe behind her, Kai saw them – Ark and Esta.

“Ah! What!”

Kai leaped backward in surprise upon suddenly seeing Ark and Esta. This was the man who had never flinched in the face of gigantic monsters.

“Stella, looks like he can see us now.”

“Yeah. He just made eye contact with me. Look at him, all scared! His eyes are wide open. He looks brave, but he’s actually quite fearful. He’s too shocked to speak.”

“Don’t tease him too much. I was scared at first, too.”

The woman softly reprimanded the giggling little ones as she watched them.

“What’s that?”

Kai asked from a distance, fixated on Ark and Esta.

“Don’t eat that. It’s mine.”

“Why would I eat those… things?”

Kai reacted indignantly to Stella’s abrupt outburst, then realized she wasn’t admonishing him but Ben. Stella was fiercely defending her carrot patch from Ben’s intrusive head. She warned him repeatedly with wide-open eyes and waving hands.

But Ben wasn’t one to heed such warnings. Kai watched amusedly, not intervening. He found it offensive that mere carrots were being protected from an Emperor’s horse.

Especially since Ben never obeyed anyone but Kai.

Hoping secretly that Ben would destroy the entire carrot patch, Kai watched. But then, Ben whinnied softly and backed away. Ben obeying someone else was unprecedented.

Who is this woman?

Kai wondered about the woman’s identity. He scanned the area for any of her hidden followers.

“They’re Earth Fairies.”

While Kai was still surveying, Stella spoke in a slightly deflated tone, seemingly answering his earlier question.