'What's wrong with her?'
Maya's sudden, intense reaction made Riezel instinctively activate the Transparent World, but the moment he did, she suddenly turned her head and walked away.
In the next moment, Maya's pure white robe spread open like wings, lifting her into the air before, right in front of Riezel, she flew away, her movements filled with panic and urgency, making anyone who saw her like this understand one thing—something big had happened.
"Fly."
Riezel's eyes flickered, and without much hesitation, he activated flight magic, turning into a streak of light as he followed behind Maya.
As they flew, even before reaching their destination, Riezel already knew where Maya was headed.
'The temple...'
Indeed, the direction they were going led straight to the temple in the center of the city.
Before long, Riezel and Maya arrived one after another at the plaza where the temple stood, and over there, the Mavros family's knights, led by Raven and Nibald, had, for some reason, stopped all their actions, frozen in place as if paralyzed.
At this moment, Raven, raising Rebellion in his hand, had his body shrouded in dark energy, clearly ready to strike the barrier protecting the temple, but for some reason, he had stopped mid-motion, just like everyone else, completely still.
'What the hell happened?'
At first, Riezel thought they had triggered some kind of counter-effect from the temple's barrier, a binding magic that had immobilized them, but apparently, that wasn't the case.
Evidently, there was only one reason they had all stopped moving—someone had pierced through the temple's barrier and entered its interior.
When Riezel looked at that person, he seemed just as bewildered because the moment he got a clear look, his eyes widened slightly.
Maya, on the other hand, rushed ahead of him, flying straight toward that person.
"Who?!"
Raven, Nibald, and the three Mavros brothers finally snapped out of their daze as they noticed someone approaching at high speed, turning toward Maya without hesitation.
However, Maya ignored everyone and, the moment she landed, ran straight for the temple, passing through the barrier as if it didn't exist before grabbing the hand of the person who had entered.
"Iya—!"
Being suddenly grabbed, the person couldn't help but let out a small cry, their voice carrying a hint of childishness.
"Lizbeth!"
Riezel, upon seeing the scene, instinctively called out before landing.
"M-Master!"
Hearing Riezel's voice, the girl caught by Maya immediately turned to him, tears welling up in her eyes.
Indeed, the one who had crossed the barrier of the temple was none other than Lizbeth.
'What the heck's going on?'
'Why did Lizbeth suddenly pass through the temple's barrier and get inside?'
'How did she even do that?'
All of these were the first questions that popped into Riezel's shocked mind, and clearly, the guardian of this city, Maya, also had the same questions.
"You—how did you get in?! Who are you?! What method did you use?!" Maya shouted with an angry expression.
"I-I..."
Lizbeth, stuttering, was so overwhelmed that she could barely speak, so she could only manage to get a single word out.
"Speak!"
Maya's eyes burned with fury as she glared at Lizbeth, like something precious had been desecrated, which caused her grip on Lizbeth's wrist to tighten even more.
Seeing this, the others hesitated, but Riezel didn't. In a flash, he moved to the barrier.
"Maya Feldt, let her go."
Riezel looked at Maya's hand gripping Lizbeth and spoke solemnly.
Unfortunately, Maya acted as if she hadn't heard Riezel, for not only did she refuse to let go, but she squeezed even harder.
"Ah! It hurts!"
As Lizbeth cried out in pain, an overwhelming pressure suddenly filled the entire area.
"?!!!"
In that instant, not only Maya but also Raven, Nibald, the three Mavros brothers, and even the knights of the Mavros family felt a terrifying chill surge through their hearts.
Needless to say, the source of that chill was none other than Riezel.
Now, his expression had turned ice-cold, while waves of heat strong enough to distort the air rose around his body, and flames flickered dangerously in his eyes.
It was clear that Riezel had activated Sun Breathing.
"He..."
Everyone present looked terrified as they stared at Riezel—even Raven and Nibald were no exception.
At this moment, the pressure radiating from Riezel's body was utterly terrifying, shaking the entire ancient city, truly incomparable to the pressure he radiated when facing Raven in the Mavros family's main residence.
Under these circumstances, Riezel spoke with a deep voice, his words carrying the intensity of a blazing sun.
"I said—Let. Her. Go..."
Riezel's words, spoken word by word with a deep voice, felt like they carried an overwhelming power, striking deep into Maya's heart.
Upon hearing Riezel's words, Maya's face instantly turned pale, and without even realizing it, she loosened her grip on Lizbeth's wrist, allowing Lizbeth to regain her freedom.
"M-Master...?"
Lizbeth quickly ran out from the barrier, just like Maya had earlier, passing right through it effortlessly and arriving in front of Riezel, calling out to him in a timid voice.
Only then did the terrifying pressure from Riezel's body finally fade away.
"You okay?"
Riezel asked while glancing at Lizbeth's hand, which Maya had been gripping tightly.
"I-I'm fine!"
Lizbeth quickly responded, instinctively hiding her reddened hand behind her back.
Riezel didn't say anything and just gave a slight nod before turning back to Maya.
Maya, standing inside the barrier with her face still pale, no longer had a gaze filled with hostility toward Riezel but now carried a trace of fear, as if she were staring at some monstrous force of nature.
Because of the mask Maya wore, Riezel couldn't see her expression, but even if he could, he wouldn't care.
"What the hell are you doing? You scared my person, you know that?"
Riezel asked with a calm tone, yet to those around him, it actually felt far more terrifying than before.
Maya instinctively realized that if she didn't give a proper answer, things would spiral completely out of control.
If that happened, the city she had to protect might cease to exist.
Such a thought sent a chill through her heart.
Maya gritted her teeth, forcing down the fear rising inside her, and mustered the courage to glare at Riezel.
"Since she's your person, then you better ask her properly! How exactly did she get past the barrier?" Maya shouted loudly.
Hearing this, Riezel stared at Maya for a long moment, and it wasn't until she started feeling short of breath that he finally turned to Lizbeth.
"What happened? Why did you end up inside the temple's barrier?"
Hearing Riezel's question, Lizbeth looked completely confused.
"I-I don't know..."
Lizbeth, still a bit flustered, replied nervously, as if something had happened to her that even she couldn't understand.
"I was just following Master's instructions and watching your illusion here, but for some reason, when Marquis Mavros started attacking the barrier, Moslow suddenly got restless and started pulling me hard into the temple."
"I-I didn't even have time to react. I was dragged inside all at once, and by the time I came to my senses, I was already inside the barrier..."
As Lizbeth spoke, she lifted Moslow, which she had been holding tightly in her arms, but the moment she did, Maya, who was inside the barrier listening quietly, immediately widened her eyes.
"T-That sword is—?!"
Maya shouted in surprise, and her expression was visibly shaken.
Riezel noticed this and immediately pressed her.
"What? You recognize this sword?"
Maya didn't respond but just kept staring at Moslow in Lizbeth's hands, then at Lizbeth herself with a gaze filled with an unusually complex emotion.
Just then, Raven and the others finally approached.
"What exactly is going on right now?" Raven asked first before turning to Maya. "And who is she?"
Nibald and the others all looked toward Riezel, waiting for an explanation.
"...According to her, she's the guardian of this city." Riezel replied after a brief silence, his tone calm. "In other words, this place is her territory, and we're outsiders who've trespassed into it."
As soon as these words left his mouth, Raven and the others' expressions changed.
"What? The guardian of this city? You mean, this ancient city... actually has a guardian?" Nibald asked, looking even more shocked.
Guardian of this ancient city?
Didn't that mean this woman was connected to the ancient magic civilization?
Everyone's gaze toward Maya shifted, just like Riezel's earlier.
"M-Master... D-Did I mess up again?" Lizbeth asked hesitantly, looking uneasy.
However, it wasn't Riezel who responded to her but Maya, who had been watching Lizbeth with a complicated expression since earlier.
"...No, you didn't mess up."
Maya's voice carried that same complexity as she spoke.
"I see... So that clan actually still has a descendant?"
"If that's the case, then it makes sense."
"You were able to pass through this barrier and enter the temple... it was only natural..."
Saying this, Maya stepped out from inside the barrier, which made Raven and the others react slightly, quietly raising their guard.
Riezel, on the other hand, only narrowed his eyes and didn't take any action, simply watching in silence.
Soon, Maya approached Lizbeth before carefully examining her, staring at her face as if trying to memorize her features.
Along the way, Maya also gave Moslow a once-over and, after a long moment of observing Lizbeth and Moslow, finally shifted her gaze away from them and looked at the rest of the group.
"You all want to enter the temple, right?"
Maya, with a calm expression, asked everyone.
"Alright, I'll take you all inside."