Her legs wavered. The earth tilted beneath her. But she caught herself. She stood upright—barely, but proudly.
A slow, mocking laugh rolled out from the instructor.
"Oh my… it seems the drug is wearing off."
His gaze flicked to Genie's still-cloudy eyes, clearly amused by her struggle to focus.
"Impressive," he added with a crooked grin. "Still standing, are we, Your Majesty?"
Jade moved closer to her side, his hand instinctively hovering near the hilt of his weapon, eyes flickering with worry as he studied her pale complexion and unsteady breath.
"Are you alright…?" Jade's voice was soft but laced with concern, his eyes scanning Genie's pale face, her labored breaths.
Queen Genie didn't answer immediately. Her mind, still shrouded in fog, clung to clarity like a ship to a breaking mast. But her posture did not waver. With a breath pulled from deep within, she answered, steady and resolute.
"I'm perfectly fine." Her voice was quiet—but it cut through the cold air like glass.
The technical instructor, who had been silently observing the two like a cat toying with a bird, stepped forward once more, his boots crunching against the gravel.
"Why don't you just surrender and come quietly now?" His tone was faux-friendly, almost bored. "You know there's nowhere else to run."
Queen Genie turned her head toward him, her eyes—though still recovering from the drug—holding a fire that made even the warriors shift uncomfortably.
"No," she said. "We are not running away."
A chuckle rippled from the instructor's throat.
"Ha…" he exhaled, amused, as if her defiance were a delightful surprise. "Not running, you say?"
Genie didn't flinch.
She took a single step forward, her long robe trailing across the dirt, and raised her chin.
"Let us pass," she commanded. "At least this way, your lives might be spared."
That broke him.
"Ha… haha…" The instructor threw his head back in laughter, a mockery sharp enough to slice flesh. The warriors around him joined in—snorting, grinning, enjoying the show.
"Seems the drug hasn't worn off entirely," he sneered. "You're saying you'll spare our lives now?" He tilted his head, pretending to be impressed. "That medicine we brought from across the sea really is something. Keeps even queens dreaming."
Their laughter swelled again, bouncing off the stone walls and darkened eaves of the courtyard.
But then—
Silence.
Queen Genie's expression turned to marble.
Her gaze sharpened, not with rage, but with the cutting precision of a blade forged in fire. The mocking smirks faltered.
"You're openly confessing your crimes now," she said, her voice calm and ice-cold.
The technical instructor's laughter came to an abrupt halt, his eyes narrowing with disdain.
"I tried to offer you a chance to save face," he said coldly, his tone laced with bitterness. "But since you've chosen to throw it away… capture them. Now!"
With his shout, chaos erupted. The warriors—more than ten of them—unsheathed their blades and surged forward, their long swords gleaming in the dim light.
"Your Majesty…" Jade murmured, stepping protectively in front of Genie. His eyes stayed fixed on the oncoming wave of steel. "Please wait just a moment."
The air tensed.
The first sword came slashing down, but Jade shifted to the side with fluid precision. The blade missed him by a hair's breadth, and he retaliated in one swift movement, his fist sinking deep into the attacker's abdomen.
"Ugh—!"
The warrior crumpled, his grip loosening. The sword clattered to the ground.
Without losing momentum, Jade spun on his heel, his hand diving into his pocket. His fingers found the small, sharp object he'd hidden earlier—one he had picked up just in case.
A second warrior lunged toward Genie, blade drawn. Jade's foot shot out and struck the sword aside just before it reached her, the metal shrieking as it scraped stone. Then, with the same motion, he drove the pointed object into the attacker's neck.
"Agh!"
The man let out a strangled cry before collapsing at the Queen's feet.
Jade didn't stop to breathe.
Turning once more, he met the next opponent mid-strike. With calculated force, he struck the hilt of the descending sword with his bare fist, disarming the warrior. Without hesitation, he buried the sharp weapon into the man's stomach.
"Urgh!"
Now, three more warriors charged, their swords slicing through the air with deadly precision.
But Jade moved like a shadow in the wind.
In one fluid motion, he ducked beneath the sweeping blades, his knees grazing the dirt floor. With a sudden twist of his torso, he launched into a sequence of spinning kicks—each one perfectly aimed.
Crack. Clang. Thunk.
The first sword went flying, the second snapped from its owner's grip, and the third warrior fell back with a shout as his weapon skittered across the floor.
Breathing heavily but undeterred, Jade steadied his stance, his eyes sharp as steel.
From behind the safety of the courtyard's ruined wall, the technical instructor watched with a growing mixture of awe and amusement. More than ten armed warriors had surrounded this man—and yet he was still standing.
A low, mocking chuckle escaped the instructor's lips.
"Interesting," he murmured. "Very interesting."
But just as the words left his mouth, a sharp glint of steel cut across the scene.
A sword.
It was flying—spinning end over end—straight toward Queen Genie.
Jade's head snapped toward her. His heart jolted. His body was already in motion, but he was still facing another enemy.
His pupils dilated.
'No…!'
'Your Majesty…!'
But before he could reach her—
"Everyone, halt!!!"
A thunderous voice cut through the air like a war drum.
The back door of the house burst open with a resounding crash, splinters of wood flying in all directions.
Both Genie and Jade turned at once, eyes wide.
Framed by the broken doorway, bathed in the light from behind, stood Moonsen—tall, commanding, his cloak whipping behind him. And at his back, in perfect formation, stood ten elite warriors clad in the royal insignia of the Hana Kingdom.
The room froze.
Every enemy's sword halted midair. Every footstep stilled.
Genie's lips parted in disbelief. Jade's clenched fists slowly lowered.
"Your Majesty!" Moonsen called out, his voice full of urgency and relief.
The technical instructor's smirk dropped.
His eyes widened, stunned.
"Your Majesty…?" he echoed in confusion, his gaze darting from Genie to Moonsen and back again.
The technical instructor's eyes locked onto Genie, a flicker of disbelief darkening his face.
'That woman… is the Queen?'
The realization struck like a thunderclap. His mind reeled, scrambling to connect the threads. All this time… she was right in front of me? The chaos that had filled the room now roared in his head, louder than ever, blurring his judgment and dulling his instincts.
But there was no time left to ponder.
In the very next instant, Moonsen's voice rang out again—this time not in words, but in steel.
He and the elite warriors of the Hana Kingdom surged forward, blades drawn, eyes blazing with purpose. The clash was swift and decisive. Their swords carved through the confusion, a blur of silver arcs and disciplined movements honed from years of training.
Jade, now backed by true allies, found renewed strength.
One warrior lunged at Genie from behind, blade raised. Jade turned sharply, intercepting just in time. He seized the attacker's wrist mid-strike, twisting with brutal efficiency.
"Agh!"
The man cried out, his sword slipping from his grasp with a metallic clang.
Without hesitation, Jade slammed the small, sharp weapon into the enemy's neck.
"AAAGH!"
The scream tore through the room—and then fell to silence as the warrior collapsed to the ground, twitching once before going still.
Around them, the tide had turned. The elite warriors struck with precision, overwhelming the remaining enemies in moments. Swords clattered to the floor. Cries of surrender rang out. And then—stillness.
Moonsen rushed toward Genie and Jade, eyes scanning them quickly for wounds.
"Your Majesty," he said, voice tight with urgency. "Are you alright?"
Genie, breathing hard but composed, nodded. "I'm fine. But more importantly…"
She turned to Jade, her gaze steady, a flicker of concern crossing her eyes.
"I'm fine, too," Jade answered before she could ask, his tone calm despite the adrenaline still pulsing through his veins.
The three of them stood amidst the aftermath, their backs straight, breath quieting. Around them, fallen swords, groaning enemies, and the faint crackle of tension still hung in the air.
The battleground had fallen silent.
The enemies lay sprawled across the floor—some unconscious, others groaning in pain, their weapons scattered like discarded toys. The air, thick moments ago with violence and fury, now hung heavy with the scent of blood and smoke.
The elite warriors turned to the woman they had risked their lives to protect. With synchronized precision, they knelt and bowed deeply, their voices ringing out like a resounding drumbeat across the ruined space.
"Your Majesty!!!"
The walls themselves seemed to echo the cry.
But amid the solemnity, Genie's sharp eyes caught a flash of movement—a figure slinking through the shadowed corridor of the tile-roofed house.
The technical instructor.
He was fleeing.
"There!" she cried, her voice rising like an arrow loosed from a bow. She pointed urgently toward the house. "Capture him immediately!"