Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

The library still had some lights on, indicating that someone might be there. It should be the counselor. He lived there, after all, and was always using his time to read something in the library.

No one should need his services at such a late hour of the night. William whispered to Kier and Nathan, "He's not strong, but the counselor is good at hiding and running away. Let me handle it. Kier, watch my back."

William had seen the counselor in Alderon's memories. He wasn't strong in direct combat, but he was still a mage, and he could use his magic to hide and run away.

One could say that his main focus was on staying alive, not on winning a fight against someone.

Anyway, William moved first. With his high attributes—especially in agility—his footsteps weren't loud at all. It was like he was not even walking.

Nathan and Kier weren't moving. They stayed at the library's entrance, watching out for the corridor to see if anyone was coming. They also saw how silent William moved. It was scary.

None of them wanted to get someone like William as their enemy, especially Kier, who learned from his past mistakes.

The library was pretty big. It had different sections for the different book subjects. William wasn't there to look at any books. He was there to find the counselor and kill him.

After checking the first floor of that library, William moved to the second floor. When he got up there, he heard the sounds of someone leafing through a book.

It had to be the counselor.

William looked toward one of the corners of the library and saw, sitting near a table, an older man. He had a long but well-groomed beard, and his hair was tied back in a ponytail.

He was wearing long robes with luxurious golden details. In front of him was the book he had been flipping through.

That was the counselor. William knew it because he had seen him in Alderon's memories. He knew what his face looked like—and how he dressed, too.

From the looks of it, the counselor hadn't noticed William was there. He sat quietly, focused on the book in front of him, reading attentively.

William began moving toward him, but at that exact moment, he heard movement in the hallway.

"Who's running through the halls at this hour?" the counselor murmured.

He wasn't the only one who heard it. William had heard the noises too. He knew it wasn't Nathan or Kier—both had hidden inside the library the moment they heard the same sounds.

The counselor started to rise from his chair to check what was going on. William didn't want to lose the opportunity. He advanced toward him, sword in hand.

But it seemed the counselor had already sensed that something was off. William drove the blade into his back, right into his chest, and for a moment, he thought the mission was complete—but apparently, what he had struck was nothing more than an illusory clone the counselor had created!

"What the hell?" William muttered.

Before he could react, the real counselor had leapt from the second floor of the library and landed near the exit door.

At that point, their cover was blown. There was no longer any point in staying quiet.

"Don't let him escape!" William shouted.

Kier, who had been hiding near the entrance to the library, sprang into action the moment he saw the counselor pass by. He had a dagger in hand, and with swift movements, he slashed the counselor's throat!

It all happened very quickly, and this time, the counselor couldn't defend himself in time. He died on the spot.

He still tried to stumble forward to call for help, but collapsed in the middle of the hallway.

And the noises from earlier? They were the guards—searching for William and the others. When they saw the counselor's body lying in the hallway on the third floor, they rang the castle's bell, signaling that something was wrong.

William met up with Nathan and Kier.

"Good work, Kier. But it looks like they already knew we'd broken into the castle," William said. "We need to get out of here as fast as possible."

Saying it was easy—getting out, not so much. The moment that bell rang, a magical barrier formed around the entire castle.

The castle guards were all searching for the intruders, but they weren't the biggest threat William had to worry about. The real problem was the powerful mages now coming after them.

As soon as they looked out the window and saw that barrier forming, all of them grew tense—especially Nathan. He knew his fate would be far worse than death.

"The barrier's active. Damn it," Nathan said. "We won't be able to break it. Not even at your full power, William!"

Among the three of them, William was the strongest—but according to Nathan, not even he could shatter the barrier now surrounding the castle.

It wasn't permanent—it could hold for about 24 hours—but it was extremely powerful.

"This barrier is definitely meant to protect the important people in the castle and buy them time to escape in an emergency. Which means… there has to be an underground passage we can use to get out of here!" William said.

That was what most barriers were meant for—especially one protecting the leaders of a city.

When William said that, it was like something clicked in Nathan's mind. He had worked in that castle before, and hearing those words stirred memories—things he had seen and overheard.

"I remember hearing something about a passage! It was outside, near the corner where our cabin is!" Nathan said.

The cabin he was referring to was the one the gardeners were supposedly going to use to sleep in.

The secret passage wasn't inside the cabin itself, but nearby—in some kind of fountain.

"Are you sure?" William asked.

"I am!" Nathan said, with strong conviction.

"Then let's get the hell out of here."

William grabbed Nathan with one arm and dashed toward one of the windows. With a powerful kick, he shattered the glass and jumped outside.

The guards in the third-floor hallway had already spotted them.

"There they are!" one of the guards shouted. "Get them!"

William easily leapt through the window while carrying Nathan, and Kier followed right after him. In a matter of moments, they reached the fountain where the secret passage was supposed to be.

They stopped in front of it, unsure of what to do.

"Now what, Nathan? What do we do? How do we open it?" William asked.

Nathan was the only one who had any real knowledge of that castle. Everything depended on him now.

He stepped closer to the fountain and searched for a button. His hands ran across various parts of the stone until he found the right spot. The fountain began to shift, and a staircase revealed itself before their eyes.

Without wasting any time, they slipped into the secret passage, running through a dark and narrow corridor.

Everything looked abandoned. It had clearly been built for emergencies—yet those emergencies had never come.

William was the first person to use the secret escape tunnel—before the very leaders it was meant to protect. Funny, in a way.

Of course, their escape hadn't gone unnoticed. The mages and other guards were already outside the castle. They saw the group activate the hidden passage and enter. And they decided to follow William and the others through the tunnels.

Since it was an emergency exit, they didn't need to worry about choosing the right path—there was only one way forward: straight ahead.

The tunnel led outside the city, into the forest that surrounded it. All they had to do was be faster than their pursuers.

For William, that wasn't a problem. He carried Nathan—who was the weakest among them—which allowed them to move at full speed. Even Kier struggled to keep up with William's pace.

The mages chasing them were furious and couldn't believe what was happening.

"How are they this fast? Are they battle mages or something?"

"Keep running! They'll wear out eventually. Once we're out of this tunnel, we'll have the upper hand."

It didn't take long for William and Kier to emerge from a hidden hatch in the middle of the forest outside the city.

"What do we do now?" Nathan asked.

William told them both to step back. "Let me handle this."

Kier and Nathan moved away. William clenched his fists and began punching the ground like a madman. His blows were powerful, and soon the secret passage's exit collapsed. The way out was sealed shut.

"The mages chasing us aren't that strong physically. It'll take them a while to break through that," William said. "Let's use this time to get out of here."

They fled the area, heading toward the place where the king and the rest of the royal family were camped.

All they needed to do was hold out for a few more hours—just enough time for everyone to escape.

But would they make it in time?