Chapter 125: Righteous Indignation

Under the cover of night, a flock of griffins soared over the forest.

Griffins, those majestic creatures with the heads of eagles, the bodies of lions, and great wings, were expensive flying mounts. Lin Lei had borrowed them from the reluctant dwarf lord to provide reinforcements for Lady White.

The dwarf kingdom was rugged, filled with mountains that made travel difficult, but griffins were far faster than any horse.

"Eve, how much further?"

The biting wind whipped Lin Lei’s hair about. Since the number of griffins was limited, Eve sat behind him, her long ears fluttering in the gale.

"We’re almost there, little prince."

Eve held onto Lin Lei’s cloak with one hand and clutched a lantern with the other, its light guiding their path. "Just over that mountain ahead!"

"Understood!" Lin Lei signaled with his hand, and the human paladins riding the other griffins immediately shifted formation, diving toward the peak.

Ever since Lin Lei had converted his internal energy into the holy attribute, the human paladins had placed unconditional trust in him, agreeing without hesitation to help him support Lady White.

As the griffins crested the towering peak, Lin Lei soon spotted a caravan illuminated by lanterns, crawling slowly along the mountain path.

"They’re safe?"

A wave of relief washed over him. It was a caravan composed of Wood Elves and Night Elves, and at the front rode Lady White, her presence radiating a soft, golden glow.

The elves were unharmed.

But what was happening? Had the royal mage lied to him?

Filled with doubt, Lin Lei led the paladins toward the mountain road.

The griffins flapped their wings and landed gracefully on the flagstone path. Lin Lei vaulted down, and Lady White rode forward to meet him, surveying him with an expression of pure disbelief.

Lin Lei had already drawn the holy light back into his body, yet it did not extinguish. Instead, it churned and surged within him, imbuing his entire demeanor with a sacred aura.

"How does he possess such potent holy light?"

Lady White was astonished. A woman who valued etiquette above all else, she managed to suppress her curiosity and politely greeted him first.

"What about the werewolves?" Lin Lei’s eyes shimmered with a golden luster. "Did you defeat them?"

"No." Lady White found herself captivated by the pure radiance in his gaze. "They fled."

Just as the battle had reached its peak, the werewolves had suddenly withdrawn.

"I’ve encountered this situation often back in the Kingdom of Ash."

Brook approached, leading his griffin. He greeted Lady White, as the two were old acquaintances.

Brook explained to Lin Lei that it was common for the werewolves to retreat voluntarily; whenever reinforcements were on the way, the werewolves would always vanish beforehand.

The rabbit-folk within the werewolf army were capable of detecting enemy reinforcements. They must have sensed Lin Lei and his group approaching, and after weighing the risks, they had chosen to retreat.

"The rabbit-folk are certainly convenient," Lin Lei remarked. His gaze then swept across the elven ranks, where he noticed many were wounded. "Some have been injured. I must go and heal them."

As Lin Lei walked toward the wounded, Lady White stared blankly at his back. She watched him take the hand of a wounded soldier and begin to heal him with his holy light—a light more pure and flawless than anything she had ever witnessed.

"Prophet, we’ll help too!" A look of longing crossed Brook’s face as he followed.

"This... this..." Lady White was dumbfounded. Why did Brook call Lin Lei a prophet?

Moreover, Lin Lei was acting with such gentleness, and the radiance of his holy light was unprecedentedly beautiful. Though Lady White had always held a higher opinion of Lin Lei than others did, she had never seen him take the initiative to heal anyone.

"What happened to the prince?" she asked, turning to Eve.

Eve let out a dry laugh. "I suspect... he might have been 'charmed' by the holy light itself..."

She recounted the events from earlier. Ever since the holy light had erupted, Lin Lei had seemed like a different person, radiating an aura that practically screamed, "I am a saintly soul." The dwarf lord had stared into his eyes for only a few minutes before becoming so intimidated that he’d handed over the griffins.

Eve had initially thought Lin Lei was the one tricking the holy light, but seeing him now, she realized it might have been the other way around.

"I see..." Lady White understood. She let out a light, melodic laugh. "The prince is likely 'drunk'."

"'Drunk'?"

Eve was taken aback. The royal mages behind them, hearing the word, hurried over. "What do you mean by 'drunk'?"

Lady White explained with a smile that the holy light was an energy with strong infectious qualities. When paladins first came into contact with it, their personalities were often affected.

Lin Lei’s internal energy had converted into such high-density holy light that his body could not yet adapt, leaving him susceptible to its influence. This process was akin to intoxication. Once his body grew accustomed to the influence of the holy light, he would return to his former self.

"When will the young prince recover?" the mages asked impatiently.

Something was wrong with the little prince! He was actually talking about maintaining world peace and calling himself a "partner of justice"—it was giving them goosebumps!

"I don't know..." Lady White shook her head. A typical paladin would recover in a few days, but with such a vast amount of holy light energy as Lin Lei’s, it might last for several months.

However, Lady White found she actually preferred this version of Lin Lei; he was far gentler than before.

"The prince is so kind!"

The other Wood Elves felt the same. The wounded who received Lin Lei’s healing were overcome with a sense of being honored beyond measure. Many of the elves in the caravan had never seen Lin Lei’s true self before. Seeing him so tenderly tending to their wounds left them deeply moved.

"Done." After healing the last elf, Lin Lei released his hand. "That just leaves the last one."

He turned his gaze toward the large carriage being escorted by the elves. The holy light told him there was one more severely wounded person inside.

Lin Lei climbed into the carriage.

"How terrifying!"

"Wuwuwu... are those werewolves gone yet..."

Several large fruits were huddled in the carriage, heads tucked into the seats. Their prominently raised rears were so distinct that Lin Lei couldn't possibly mistake them.

"Don't be afraid, the werewolves have already left."

Hearing the familiar voice, the fruits turned their teary-eyed faces toward him and threw themselves at him. "Little prince, you came to save us!"

"What about those werewolves? Are they really gone?"

"They left long ago." Lady White lifted the curtain and stepped inside. "Prince, these creatures can provide energy for the airship."

The fuel for the airship was life force, and plants possessed life force as well.

"I know you can't accept this, but we won't let them... Prince?"

Lady White was about to explain, but she saw that Lin Lei had already brushed past the three large fruits to begin healing the banana lying inside.

"We can discuss that later. I must heal this one first!"

Lady White stood frozen. This truly did not seem like Lin Lei. In the past, he would have jumped up and cursed them for using his pets to power an airship. But now, he was filled with nothing but righteous purpose, focused entirely on healing.

"Why do I get the feeling... the little prince is a bit off?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

The large fruits felt the same way, but they soon pushed the thought aside, for the banana sister, who had been unconscious for so long, was finally showing signs of life.