On the other side, under the cover of night, Angel and his group silently appeared atop a tower several hundred meters away from Princess Castle.
For the group of inexperienced Talented Ones, this experience was probably the biggest event they had encountered in their lives. At this moment, they were expressing their excitement for regaining freedom in various ways.
But for Angel, this trip was basically effortless and could only be considered a minor episode in the task.
However, although the operation seemed calm on the surface, Angel was well aware that the iceberg lurking beneath was immense.
No matter the reason, even if the Princess was truly targeting Lady Melo’s group because of Golos, the fact that she dared to openly capture the Guide of the Barbarian Cave already explained a lot.
Added to this was what Angel witnessed in the prison and what Old Porter mentioned about people being taken away at regular intervals. These various pieces of information indicated that the Gumman Kingdom might be brewing a major upheaval.
And what happened at Princess Castle might just be a minor scene in this grand upheaval.
Angel turned back and looked at the brightly lit Princess Castle in the distance, and couldn’t help but sigh softly.
"This matter is finally over." The speaker was Lady Melo, who walked to Angel’s side but did not stand level with him, instead politely taking half a step back.
Angel: "Your affair may be over, but the waves are far from settling."
Lady Melo looked down at the streets below. She realized, at some point, many patrolling guard squads had appeared on the street: "Indeed, the waves have yet to cease. The guard squads have already started searching, making it likely the Princess has realized something is amiss."
Angel glanced at Lady Melo and said nothing. The waves he referred to weren’t the minor affairs of Princess Town but in line with Lady Melo’s words, he replied:
"These guard squads’ searches are likely unrelated to the Princess herself; it’s probably because Docks’ release of the wandering apprentice was discovered."
Docks had left the castle ahead of them, and the commotion he caused would inevitably be noticed by the castle guard squad. At that time, the Princess and Gray Crow were still trapped in the illusionary realm on the second floor, so they probably were unaware of the prison incident yet.
"Why did Lord Red Sword appear at Princess Castle?" She was curious when she saw Red Sword Docks in Amisha Prison earlier, but due to pressing matters, she didn’t inquire at the time.
"His involvement was just coincidence, but whether his actions were intentional or not, I don’t know." While saying this, Angel hadn’t severed the Mind Ribbon with Docks and was even exchanging information. If he truly wanted to know if it was intentional or not, he could ask at any time, though Angel didn’t plan to probe too deeply.
As for the affairs of the Gumman Kingdom, wandering wizards can enter at will, anyway. He didn’t want to get involved in that muddy water; it’s better left to Lord Rhein to worry about.
As Angel spoke, Princess Castle suddenly radiated a burst of light. An enormous aura, using the castle as its center, transformed into a wave of energy, spreading outward.
By the time this aura reached the tower where Angel and his group stood, it had already diminished significantly, but they could still feel the unsettling emotions within it.
"It seems this time it’s related to the Princess." Lady Melo realized and remarked, "However, the Princess’s mood seems more agitated than expected."
Angel stated calmly: "Perhaps she has already received the little surprise I sent her."
Speaking of the little surprise, Lady Melo was genuinely curious about what exactly Angel fed Slaikum earlier.
Perhaps Angel seemed approachable, so Lady Melo didn’t hesitate much before voicing her curiosity.
Angel’s response was a mysterious smile, and after a while, he said: "A colleague at the Research and Development Institute crafted an intriguing potion. I only got it recently, and as for its effects... I haven’t witnessed them firsthand, but I imagine they’d be quite splendid."
An intriguing potion? Hearing the word "intriguing," Lady Melo felt a chill run down her spine.
Previously, Angel mentioned Bruiser and Golos hanging in the sky, and the design collaborated with the Blind Snake was momentarily intriguing. It goes to show that in his words, intriguing, even if not life-threatening, it’s certainly not a good thing.
However, speaking of Bruiser and Golos, Lady Melo was rather curious about what clothing they chose from the Princess’s wardrobe—they left in such a hurry she hadn’t had the chance to see.
With this thought, Lady Melo turned back to look at the group of Talented Ones still immersed in their various emotions.
At first glance, she didn’t see Bruiser and Golos.
Nonetheless, a Transcendent doesn’t solely rely on physical sight to spot people. In the spiritual power’s field of vision, she quickly detected two presences hidden against the wall.
The tower’s top was flat with no place for hiding, but the deepening night coupled with the shadows cast by the high tower provided a suitable hiding spot for Bruiser and Golos.
Despite the combined blessings of architectural shadows and night, Lady Melo still saw them clearly.
Upon witnessing their attire, even the usually composed Lady Melo couldn’t help but close her eyes for a second, stabilize her thoughts, and deeply exhale.
This unusual demeanor was also caught by Angel beside her. He followed Lady Melo’s gaze, then... he understood why Lady Melo suddenly had an emotional fluctuation.
Truly, these two youths’ attire was too eye-catching.
Golos’s outfit seemed fine at first glance, appearing to be wrapped in a large blanket, but the details were rather interesting.
The blanket was indeed a blanket, specifically the carpet from the Princess’s room. However, wearing the carpet alone could easily lead to exposure. Had it been before, such exposure wouldn’t have been a big deal, but having just escaped the bindings of art, the marks on his body were highly visible, especially in several key areas that were swollen and red—if exposed, he’d be thoroughly embarrassed.
Thus, to prevent the carpet from slipping off, Golos had taken from the Princess’s wardrobe what was said to be "clothing," but was actually a "full-body wrapped black studded leather strap" and put it to use.
That black strap, suggestive in nature, bound Golos top to bottom, with the carpet secured beneath, preventing any slippage.
Yet this ensemble closely resembled a preference from Elysium Pavillion, paired with Golos’s fair and handsome face, it was truly a sight difficult to behold.
However, Golos’s attire at least looked decent from afar, while Bruiser’s outfit was truly blinding to look at.
Angel guessed that Lady Melo’s emotional fluctuation was mostly startled by Bruiser’s attire.
Bruiser didn’t bother to choose clothing; he directly selected a "coffin."
```
Angel once saw an ancient torture device from Earth civilization on the holographic tablet, known as the "Iron Maiden." It’s essentially an iron box in human form, but the exterior is sculpted to resemble a young girl, and the inside is filled with protruding spikes. When a person is confined inside, the spikes gradually puncture the body, causing immense pain without immediate death, prolonging agony for days before death finally occurs.
The "coffin" Bruiser wore is strikingly similar to the Iron Maiden. In fact, the iron coffin is also adorned with figure imagery.
The only difference is that the original Iron Maiden covers from head to toe, whereas the one Bruiser wears extends from neck to ankle. Moreover, there are holes for the hands, allowing them to be placed outside. However, Bruiser did not expose his hands, likely to avoid revealing any marks.
The fact that this object appeared in the Princess’s wardrobe meant it was no ordinary item. Inside, although lacking spikes, it did contain iron rods positioned just below the waist.
Of course, Bruiser wouldn’t dare use the iron rods, simply adjusting position to avoid them.
Speaking of the exterior alone, Bruiser’s "coffin" outfit is beyond reproach, and since it’s front-opening, Bruiser’s way of wearing it resembles some creepy coat fetishist suddenly exposing themselves. Just this point alone makes one want to punch him.