The shadow guards delivering letters look utterly miserable, while Prince Nolan receives them with a mix of embarrassment and amusement.
Five full pages, all of it pointless chatter—Prince Nolan can't find the main point at all. He is genuinely impressed by how Serena can write so much about nothing.
Does Serena really think the shadow guards have nothing better to do than deliver their letters every day?
Skimming past all the trivial details, Prince Nolan quickly flips to the end, his gaze landing on a short poem—his fingers tremble for a moment.
Staring at the poem, a hint of a smile flashes in Prince Nolan’s eyes—even the endless chatter suddenly seems interesting.
He reads the poem over and over, then goes back to reread Serena’s entire letter from start to finish. It’s still all scattered daily trivia, but this time Prince Nolan finds himself enjoying every word, as if Serena were right in front of him.
"Looks like you're living quite well without me," Prince Nolan murmurs, his finger tracing her handwriting, unable to stop missing her.
The farther he travels from Eastlyn, the closer he is to returning home.
Soon, they'll see each other again.
Prince Nolan finishes reading the letter once more, his eyes lingering on the final line of the poem, a smile rising—just then, the carriage jolts to a sudden stop.
"Your Highness, there's—" The guard hadn't finished speaking when Prince Nolan heard the hiss of an arrow slicing through the air, shooting straight toward him and piercing the carriage with a sharp thud, flying past his ear.
That arrow was like a signal. As soon as it struck, archers hidden in every direction unleashed their attack all at once...
A sharp light flashed in Prince Nolan’s eyes, but he didn’t move.
Assassins!
"Protect His Highness!" The guards quickly formed a circle around Prince Nolan’s carriage, but the arrows coming from every direction seemed to have minds of their own, all converging on his carriage.
Screams rang out. Prince Nolan stuffed the letter into his robe, then drew the flexible sword at his waist. Just as he was about to break out, a massive crossbow bolt shot straight at him from the front.
This crossbow bolt carried more force than all the previous arrows combined, thundering through the air as if powered by a lightning strike. With a deafening crash, it smashed into the carriage roof—boom—the carriage exploded into fragments.
As the carriage shattered, Prince Nolan flung himself backward, using the force of the explosion to propel himself away.
"Shoot!" From a high vantage point, the ambush commander finally spotted Prince Nolan and gave the cold order.
A dense rain of arrows shot toward Prince Nolan from all directions, threatening to bury him. The guards around him fell one after another, while the shadow guards behind couldn’t break into the killing zone.
The rain of arrows formed a huge net, trapping Prince Nolan inside—no way out, and no way for anyone outside to get in.
His sword became a blur, knocking away every arrow near him, but even though he wasn’t hurt, Prince Nolan couldn’t break through—the arrows came too fast and too fierce, leaving him no chance to catch his breath.
If this keeps up, even with his skill, he won’t last much longer!
All the while, Prince Nolan fought off the arrows in front of him, searching for a way out.
From Eastlyn to Southlyn, he hadn’t encountered a single ambush—until the moment he was about to cross into Southlyn territory, disaster struck. No way was this not the work of Eastlyn or Southlyn. Prince Nolan would bet his life on it.
Only a military force could pull off an arrow formation like this.
Last time, Prince Damien of Southlyn sent two hundred thousand troops after him. This time, whoever’s behind it is using the military again—he must really be worth the trouble.
A cold, ruthless smile curled on Prince Nolan’s lips. As the archers rotated out, he charged forward without hesitation—sharp, unstoppable, not even a thousand arrows could block his path.
"Prince Nolan—truly fierce and unstoppable, just as they say." In the distance, a man in military dress sat astride his horse, watching the scene unfold with a blank expression. Seeing Nolan charge straight through the arrow storm, he reached out and said to the men behind him, "Bring me my bow."
"Yes, sir." Two burly men quickly carried over a heavy bow. The commander, though not especially muscular, lifted it easily, drew three arrows from his quiver, and aimed them at Prince Nolan.
At that moment, Prince Nolan looked up, right at the man’s direction. Three cold arrows were already aimed at his heart—even if he couldn’t see the archer’s face, the chill and murderous intent told him exactly who it was.
In the army, only one man could project such deadly intent with a bow—Southlyn’s legendary divine archer, Colin Si, Young Marshal Colin Si.
Colin Si’s father, known as Grand Marshal Si, had led countless campaigns, and Colin himself had been on the battlefield since age fifteen as his father’s deputy—hence the title Young Marshal.
"My royal brother is really pulling out all the stops." Knowing who he faced, Prince Nolan grew even more cautious—Colin Si’s arrows had never missed.
Seeing Colin Si draw his bow, Prince Nolan ignored the stray arrows around him, focusing every ounce of attention on the divine archer.
As long as he could dodge Colin Si’s arrows, the outcome of this battle would be decided, because...
His own men had already circled behind the archers—they’d soon take care of them.
Colin Si didn’t hesitate. As soon as he finished aiming, he let the bowstring fly—swish, swish, swish—three long black arrows shot toward Prince Nolan in a perfect upper, middle, and lower spread.
When the arrows were still a hundred meters away, they suddenly accelerated, targeting Prince Nolan’s brow, throat, and heart.
Just as the legends said, Colin Si’s arrows never missed—these three aimed straight for Prince Nolan’s vital points. If he failed to dodge even one, he’d be dead.
Though arrows still flew all around, the two men—Prince Nolan and Colin Si—could only see each other, each recognizing the other’s strength.
"I don’t want to kill you, but the imperial command cannot be defied."
"If you want my life, you’re not qualified!"
Silence fell. At that moment, Prince Nolan’s eyes held only Colin Si—and the three arrows drawing ever closer. No one had ever dodged Colin Si’s arrows. He was eighty percent certain that even if he didn’t kill Prince Nolan, he would at least seriously wound him. But...
Suddenly, things took a strange turn. From Prince Nolan’s wrist, a flash of silver shot out, striking the rocks on either side. In the next instant, Prince Nolan seemed to fly into the air, without touching anything at all.
Thud, thud, thud—the three arrows missed, burying themselves in the earth, only the length of a finger left sticking out.
How was that possible?
Colin Si’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Prince Nolan had actually dodged his arrows—unthinkable.
Incredible!
Colin Si felt no anger—only excitement and joy.
The strong respect and worship the strong, and Colin Si was certainly strong—but compared to him, Prince Nolan seemed even stronger.
"Stop!" Colin Si waved his hand, and the rain of arrows halted instantly—a testament to his strict command.
Ignoring his guards’ protests, Colin Si spurred his horse forward...
At the same time, Prince Nolan landed lightly nearby, hands clasped behind his back, calmly waiting for Colin Si to approach...