Victoria clung tightly to the dragon’s back as they soared through the night sky, the wind whipping through her hair. She glanced down at the ground far below, her heart still racing from the chaos they had left behind. The mansion was now just a speck in the distance, its lights flickering like tiny stars.

“Are you sure they aren’t going to follow us?” she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

William’s response was calm and confident. “Of course they’ll try, but we’ll be fine. They’re nowhere near as fast as the dragon. By the time they even get their mounts ready, we’ll be long gone.”

He was right. The dragon’s speed was unmatched, and by the time the slave traders untied their own flying mounts and took to the skies, Victoria and the dragon were already miles away. The traders had no idea which direction she had gone, and the vast expanse of the night made it impossible to track her.

Back at the mansion, the long-haired slave trader cursed under his breath, clutching the wound on his back. “Fuck,” he muttered, his voice filled with frustration and unease.

One of his companions approached, trying to reassure him. “Relax, it’s probably nothing too serious. They took your blood, so what? It’s not like they can do much with it.”

The long-haired trader glared at him. “Nothing too serious? Do you have any idea what they could do with my blood? They could perform rituals, curses—who knows what might happen to me!”

His companion hesitated, then nodded. “Alright, fair point. But if you’re worried about rituals, we can take precautions. There are defensive measures we can use to protect you.”

The long-haired trader took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. In his panic, he hadn’t considered that. “Right, of course. Let’s do it as fast as we can. I don’t want to take any chances.”

Meanwhile, Victoria continued to glance over her shoulder, her nerves still on edge. She half-expected to see pursuers closing in, but the sky behind them remained empty. The dragon’s speed and the cover of night had given them the perfect escape.

“We got the blood,” she said mentally to William, her voice a mix of relief and exhaustion. “Now what?”

“Now we wait,” William replied. “The demon I told you about will have to leave the mansion soon. That’s when we’ll deliver the blood to him.”

William knew it would be impossible to sneak into the mansion. The place was heavily guarded, with layers of protective spells and security measures. But if his real body could leave the mansion, even briefly, it would create the perfect opportunity to deliver the flask of blood.

He already knew the city where Jonas would stop on his way to meet Father Malakai. It was a well-known trading hub, and Jonas often used it as a resting point during his travels. William instructed Victoria to head there and wait.

“Stay close to the city,” he said. “We’ll need to be ready when the time comes. It shouldn’t be more than a few days.”

Victoria nodded, her grip on the dragon’s scales tightening as they adjusted their course. The city wasn’t far, and with the dragon’s speed, they would reach it by morning. For now, all they could do was wait and prepare for the next step of their plan.

William’s consciousness returned to his real body for a while. He needed to stay focused on the situation at the mansion, especially with Jonas’s departure looming. As much as he wanted to remain connected to Victoria and the dragon, he couldn’t afford to neglect his duties as a guard. Ignoring his chores would only raise suspicion, and that was the last thing he needed.

His tasks were mundane—patrolling the grounds, checking the perimeter, and occasionally assisting with minor repairs. It was boring work, but compared to the grueling labor in the mines, it was almost relaxing. Still, William’s mind was far from at ease. There were two things keeping him from simply fleeing the moment he got the blood: 03, his only friend inside the mansion, and Wendy, the young woman who got sold as slave with him.

It wasn’t just loyalty to them that made him hesitate. William didn’t know them well enough to consider staying solely for their sake. What truly concerned him was Jonas’s sinister activities—the corpses hidden beneath the mansion, the cult dedicated to the God of Flesh, and the dark rituals that seemed to be unfolding. If Jonas was willing to go to such lengths to resurrect his family, what would stop him from sacrificing 03 or Wendy in the process? The thought sent a chill down William’s spine.

He knew the best way to help them wasn’t by staying trapped and powerless. He needed to regain his mana, grow stronger, and return with the power to confront Jonas directly. There was no middle ground.

One night, William managed to pull 03 aside for a private conversation. He didn’t want Travis or Agnar—the two guards tasked with finding Simone—to overhear. The three of them were allies of convenience, but William didn’t fully trust them. They had their own agenda, and he couldn’t risk them interfering with his plans.

“I’ll be fleeing soon,” William whispered, his voice low but urgent. “I’ve got the blood from the person who placed the seal on me. It’s only a matter of time before I can break free and escape.”

03’s eyes widened in shock. “What? Really?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn’t fathom how William had managed to get the blood while being trapped in the mansion.

William nodded. “Yes. And although I’ll be leaving, I’m not abandoning you. There are things you need to know—things that could save your life.”

He proceeded to explain everything he had discovered about Jonas’s secret activities. He told 03 about the cult, the God of Flesh, and the corpses of Jonas’s family hidden beneath the mansion. He shared his theory that Jonas was attempting to resurrect his loved ones, though he admitted it was mostly speculation.

“And now Jonas is going to meet with this Father Malakai guy,” 03 said, piecing it together. “That’s when you’ll make your escape, right? But if he’s meeting with someone like that, it can’t be good.”

“Probably not,” William agreed. “I need you to be careful while I’m gone. If you can, try to warn Wendy about all of this. My plan is to get strong enough to come back here in one or two months and free all of you.”

03 frowned, skepticism written all over his face. “Get strong enough in one or two months? William, that’s… that’s impossible. No one gains that kind of power that quickly.”

William placed his hands on 03’s shoulders, his gaze intense. “Trust me on this, alright? I’ll find a way. But I need you to hang tight until then. Can you do that?”

03 hesitated, then nodded. “I… I can.”

“Good,” William said, his tone softening. “And don’t share this with Travis or Agnar. They’re only here to look for Simone. I don’t trust them.”

03 wasn’t stupid. He understood the stakes. “I know,” he said quietly. “I’ll keep it to myself.”

William gave him a final nod before slipping back into the shadows. He had done what he could to prepare 03 and, indirectly, Wendy. Now, all that was left was to wait for the right moment to make his move.

Victoria didn’t stay in the city itself. Instead, she and the dragon took refuge on a nearby mountain, its rugged terrain providing the perfect cover. From there, they could keep an eye on the city without drawing attention. The mountain’s dense forests and rocky outcrops offered plenty of hiding spots, and the dragon’s presence would go unnoticed as long as it stayed out of sight.

The days passed slowly, each one filled with tension and anticipation. Victoria spent her time preparing for what was to come, sharpening her skills and going over the plan with William whenever he reached out through the sword. Their conversations were brief but crucial, as William was primarily focused on his real body and the events unfolding at the mansion.

One night, as the moon hung high in the sky, William’s consciousness was abruptly pulled back to his real body by a series of sharp knocks on his door. He opened it to find Jonas standing there, his expression calm but commanding.

“We’re leaving in thirty minutes,” Jonas said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Be ready.”

William nodded, closing the door behind him. He didn’t have much to pack—just the clothes on his back and a few essentials. After changing into something more suitable for travel, he made his way outside to where Jonas’s flying carriage waited. The sleek, enchanted vehicle gleamed under the moonlight, its intricate runes glowing faintly.

Jonas was already seated inside, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. William climbed in beside him, his heart pounding. This was it—the moment he had been waiting for. As the carriage lifted into the air, William glanced back at the mansion one last time. He didn’t know when—or if—he would return, but he was determined to make this escape count.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep