Chapter 472: The Beyond the World realm

In front of the cave entrance, Nolan stood calmly, his back resting against the rocks and his arms folded across his chest.

His eyes were closed, as if he were waiting for something. Then, from the heart of the raging snowstorm before him, a man clad in a black cloak emerged.

At a glance, the figure looked almost identical to him.

Nolan slowly opened his eyes and asked calmly, "Are you done guiding them back?"

His other self gave a slight nod. "It’s done. They will return safely."

"Good." Nolan nodded in satisfaction. "Then go back to where my sister is and take my place for a while. I need to deal with Sylvia first, so she doesn’t wake up before my plan is completely finished."

His other self said nothing and vanished from sight.

Nolan turned and stepped into the cave. It was not particularly large—only about two and a half meters high and three meters deep.

Sylvia lay atop a crystal-shaped rock. Nolan stopped beside her and gently touched her flawless face.

"Her wounds have healed," he muttered coldly. "But you must not wake up yet. Otherwise, it will ruin the plan I’ve arranged so carefully."

Buzz!

A bluish-green light suddenly bloomed on Sylvia’s chest. Nolan was startled, then focused his attention on it.

"This light..." His eyes widened in disbelief. "Don’t tell me she’s about to break through to the legendary realm of mages—Beyond the World?"

His breath caught. The Beyond the World realm existed only in legends—at least, that was what most people believed.

And that belief wasn’t entirely wrong. The highest level the most talented mages could reach was the Celestial realm.

Only a handful of exceptional individuals, blessed with extraordinary talent, could break through that barrier and step into the legendary realm known as Beyond the World.

"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!" Nolan clicked his tongue in admiration. "Who would’ve thought Sylvia could reach this stage? Truly impressive."

The only mage he knew who had ever achieved that level was Malverna.

And yet, Sylvia had also reached it—though the process was far from complete.

She was still unconscious, while her body had already begun ascending toward that realm.

If she didn’t wake up in time, the breakthrough would fail—and she would die.

"...Alright." Nolan spoke casually. "Since I’m feeling generous, I’ll help you."

His tone turned colder. "But I’ll place some safeguards in you. I won’t allow you to become a threat in the future—either to me or to those I care about."

A meaningful light flashed in his purple eyes.

He quickly placed his hand on Sylvia’s chest, ignoring the softness beneath his palm, and immediately began helping her break through to the legendary level.

...

"W-we made it! We’re back in Nivara City!" Jisha exclaimed happily.

But in the next second, her strength gave out, and she collapsed into the mound of snow in front of her.

Startled, Olivia quickly supported her and asked worriedly, "Senior sister, are you okay?"

"I’m fine." Jisha nodded with a weak smile. "My mana is depleted. Can you take me to the palace right away?"

Olivia didn’t hesitate. Carefully, she wrapped Jisha’s right arm around her neck and helped her stand.

Then, she began supporting her toward the city of Nivara.

The guards on patrol were startled when they saw the two of them.

One of them narrowed his eyes, as if trying to see who had arrived.

When he recognized Olivia’s familiar figure, his eyes widened in shock.

"Y-Your Highness!?" he exclaimed in alarm.

His comrades were just as stunned. They hurried over, and one of them stepped forward to help support Jisha.

"Your Highness, you’re finally back!" the guard said with visible relief. "Do you have any idea how worried His Majesty the King was? You, Miss Jisha, and Master Tower have been gone for almost two hours. It was truly concerning."

The other guards nodded, their faces filled with worry.

Olivia felt touched by their concern.

"Thank you for your care. However, the situation is complicated," she said calmly. "Please escort me and my senior sister back to the palace. We have bad news to report."

The guards stiffened. They exchanged uneasy glances, their hearts pounding.

They knew that Olivia had gone with Jisha and the Tower Master to defeat the white dragon.

But now, only Olivia and Jisha had returned. The Tower Master was nowhere to be seen.

A sense of foreboding washed over them. Yet none of them dared to dwell on it, and they quickly escorted Olivia and Jisha back to the royal palace.

After some of the guards departed, only a few remained behind, their expressions heavy.

They stood in silence, each lost in thought. Then, one of them suddenly lifted his head and spoke hesitantly, "Did you notice that the Princess wasn’t wearing her usual blindfold?"

His words snapped the others out of their daze. Their eyes widened as the realization set in.

"You’re right! She wasn’t wearing it. Wait... don’t tell me she’s managed to control the power of her eyes," another guard said in astonishment.

They exchanged glances, faint smiles appearing on their faces.

The power of the Arcanum Eyes was immense. If the Princess could truly control them, it would be a great boon to both them and the Kingdom of Kaldarion.

"Don’t get too excited yet," one guard interrupted. "Didn’t you see how disheveled they looked? Something terrible must have happened at the white dragon’s lair."

At his words, the smiles faded. Their expressions darkened once more, and no one dared to speak again.

...

Sharon was still waiting anxiously in front of the inn door.

It had been almost two hours since Nolan left, yet there was still no sign of him returning.

Cassiopeia had repeatedly asked her to come inside, but Sharon couldn’t calm down without Nolan by her side.

Suddenly, she noticed a black silhouette in the distance. As she focused her gaze, she realized it was her brother, Nolan.

"Nolan!" Sharon’s eyes lit up as she ran out of the inn toward him.

A piercing cold wrapped around her body, but she didn’t care at all.

Startled, Nolan quickly pulled her into his arms.

"What happened? Why are you here? Let’s go back!"

He rubbed her arms and felt an unnatural chill, as if her skin were frozen.

Sharon wriggled playfully and muttered, "I was waiting for you to come back."

"Waiting for me to come back? Since when?"

"Since you left..."

Nolan: "..."

He wanted to scold her, but then her body suddenly went limp.

Panicked, he checked her condition and realized she had lost consciousness.

Nolan let out a deep sigh and muttered, "What a stubborn woman..."