A Background Character's Path to Power-Chapter 417: The Price of Ignorance

<...As you wish, partner.>

Hearing that familiar voice in her head, a voice far gentler and more affectionate than she had ever heard from him, Cassandra felt the tension leave her body in a rush.

The bone-deep chill of the alley seemed to vanish, replaced by a warmth that bloomed in her chest.

’Amaniel...’

She stared at the terrifying, faceless entity with wide eyes, a profound sense of relief washing over her.

The "Guardian" linked to her emergency protocol wasn’t a random mercenary or a system mechanic. It was him.

No, it wasn’t a coincidence.

She remembered the message he had sent two days ago.

He had warned her that the currents in the capital were shifting, that she needed to be on high alert. That warning was the only reason she had spent a fortune on the [Emergency Displacement Protocol] and [Guardian Summon] in the first place.

And he had added one more thing.

"If the worst happens, I will come for you."

He hadn’t lied. Even in this monstrous form, even though he was clearly in the middle of something chaotic, given his appearance, he had kept his promise.

<Thank you, partner.>

She sent the thought back, infusing it with all the gratitude she couldn’t speak aloud.

The white vortex swirled more slowly, acknowledging her feelings.

<Do you have a way to keep him down? Or do you need me to ensure he never walks again?>

His tone was calm, but Cassandra could sense a slight strain behind it. Between his strange transformation and the sudden teleportation, he was likely pushing his limits or leaving something critical behind to be here.

She couldn’t burden him further.

<Don’t worry. I have already called for my personal guards. And... I have this.>

She reached into her spatial ring and pulled out a pair of glowing, pristine white handcuffs. They were inscribed with high-level suppression runes, specifically designed to lock a resonator’s aura completely. It was 100% effective against anyone or anything under Tier 7, as the system stated. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

<Good.>

The creature waved its hand.

Crack.

The ice dome surrounding Cassandra shattered into harmless snow. Simultaneously, the jagged icicles pinning Mill to the ground evaporated into mist.

<Don’t you dare try any tricks.>

The creature’s voice echoed in Mill’s head.

"Get up," Cassandra ordered, her voice regaining its icy merchant queen authority.

Mill, shivering uncontrollably and bleeding from his hand, didn’t dare to resist. He scrambled to his knees, his eyes darting fearfully between the woman and the hovering calamity above her.

He offered his wrists without a word.

Click.

Cassandra snapped the cuffs onto him. The runes flared once, and Mill slumped forward as his remaining aura was sealed tight.

<People are approaching,> the creature spoke again, its vortex head turning toward the main street. <Most likely your reinforcements, since I don’t feel any hostile intent.>

He turned back to her.

<I’m going to take my leave.>

Cassandra looked up at him. She wanted to ask him a dozen questions. She wanted to check if he was hurt.

But she simply nodded, clutching her hands together.

"Go."

The creature hovered there for a second longer.

<Take care and stay safe... Cassandra.>

RIIIP.

A chaotic portal tore open behind him.

The entity drifted backward into the void, and in the blink of an eye, the ice, the cold, and the monster vanished.

Only the wet cobblestones and the shivering assassin remained as proof that he had ever been there.

________ ____ _

Meanwhile, deep in the dark, winding alleys of Veltria Town.

Thud.

Two bodies were shoved roughly onto the cold dirt. Shaela and Nolan stumbled but managed to stay on their knees, their hands bound tightly behind their backs and their mouths gagged with dirty cloth.

A man with a jagged scar running down his cheek stepped into the dim light. He ran his tongue over his teeth while looking at Shaela with a hungry, predatory gaze.

"If only you had handed over the place, then none of this would have happened, you know," he muttered, shaking his head in mock pity.

Shaela glared at him with pure hatred.

These thugs from the Redhart Brotherhood had been harassing the orphanage for weeks. They wanted the land. They wanted to throw the children out onto the streets to build their smuggling dens. Naturally, she and the others had refused to give up their home.

But that refusal had consequences. It led to weeks of harassment, vandalism, and now, kidnapping.

"Tch, I hate that kind of look, you know."

The leader snorted. He crouched down in front of her and clamped his rough hand around her jaw, forcing her to look up at him.

He leaned in close, his foul breath washing over her face.

"But I also kind of like it."

He licked his lips.

Suddenly, he sensed a sharp spike of killing intent from the side. He turned his head and grinned at the young man kneeling beside her.

"What? Angry that I am seducing your girlfriend?"

The leader chuckled and stood up, clearly enjoying the helplessness of his victims.

"MMF!" Nolan gritted his teeth behind the gag.

’Damn it!’ He cursed inwardly. ’If only I hadn’t gotten involved with them...’

If he had been more careful, if he hadn’t let them ambush him, none of this would have happened.

However, things weren’t that bad now since these gangsters had made a fatal miscalculation. They brought them, him, out into the night sky.

To their eyes, he was just a human boy, a nuisance standing in their way. They saw only the disguise he wore to blend into human society.

They had no idea they were holding a Prince of the Moon Elves, the possessor of the purest lunar bloodline in centuries.

Nolan looked up at the silver crescent hanging in the ink-black sky.

For a common elf, this thin slice of light would be insignificant.

However, for him, it was more than enough.

The moment the pale light washed over his skin, the exhaustion weighing down his limbs vanished. The moonlight bypassed his physical restraints and ignited the dormant power in his veins.

His aura began to rise.

His eyes glowed crimson.

It was time to show these scums the steep price of their ignorance.