After finishing their discussion, Hyacine and Hong Guoguo walked out of the tent.
As soon as they stepped out, they saw a cluster of things with distorted faces that looked like ghosts drifting around. The group of guards was holding swords, looking at these ghosts with faces full of wariness.
"Are these the Wraiths?"
Upon seeing this, Hyacine asked Hong Guoguo.
"Correct!" Hong Guoguo nodded. "These are all Low-level Wraiths. They are the kind that a low-level Necromancer can summon."
Then, she continued to explain:
"The attack power of these Wraiths is very low. At most, they cause some serious impact on the spirits of ordinary people, but they won't have much effect on someone like a Mage with high mental strength."
"However, because of this, they are immune to physical damage and have high resistance to magic damage. Only Life Energy, Light Element, and Holy Element attributes can have a significant impact on them."
After listening, Hyacine nodded with a smile, but the smile vanished in the next instant. She then walked toward Cole and the others who were dealing with the Wraiths.
"Miss Hyacinthia, Miss Hong Guoguo, are you awake?"
Before they could even get close, Cole saw the two and was the first to ask.
"We are awake," Hyacine responded flatly. "Captain Cole, what is going on with this situation?"
"It should be that white fog," Cole responded anxiously, then slashed at a Wraith in front of him. "These Wraiths all came out of that white fog. I suspect a Necromancer has targeted us."
"Necromancer..."
Hearing Cole's words, Hyacine's brows knitted slightly, clearly showing some disgust for the term.
"Are you sure this mist is the work of a Necromancer?"
"It was just a guess before," Cole panted as he parried with his sword, "but now that so many Wraiths have emerged... I'm afraid it's true!"
"In that case, prepare to start the carriage immediately."
Seeing this, Hyacine made a prompt decision and issued an order to Cole.
"St-start the carriage?" Cole was clearly stunned, having not expected this reaction at all. "Miss Hyacinthia, starting it now is too risky! What if that Necromancer takes the opportunity to launch a sneak attack..."
"There is no need to worry." Hyacine interrupted him, her expression exceptionally serious. "I happen to be a Priest. I have a natural restraint against this kind of evil power."
Before she finished speaking, a cluster of warm and vibrant iris-colored light quietly condensed in her palm, emitting a pure aura of life.
"P-priest?!" Cole's pupils shrank slightly. A trace of extremely hidden surprise and irritation flashed in the depths of his eyes, but he concealed it very quickly. Instead, his tone took on an even heavier sense of worry. "Even if you are a Priest, facing so many Wraiths... my suggestion is to first work together to clear a portion of them to weaken them, and then find an opportunity to drive the carriage and break through!"
"Captain Cole," Hyacine's voice was very steady, carrying a sense of being beyond doubt, "I do not do things I am not certain of. If you insist on staying, then Guoguo and I can leave first."
"This..." The muscles on Cole's face twitched slightly, as if he were trying his best to suppress some emotion.
Then, after he quickly weighed the pros and cons, he finally squeezed out a compromising smile.
"...Alright! We'll listen to you!"
After saying that, he suddenly turned his head and roared at the guards:
"Lads! Fall back! Protect the carriage! Miss Hyacinthia has a way to deal with the Wraiths!"
Upon hearing this order, the guards fought while retreating, beginning to rapidly shrink the Defensive Line and gather near the carriage.
Seeing this, Hyacine closed her eyes and began to mutter words that others could not understand. (She was faking it.)
While Cole tensely watched the shrinking Defensive Line and the constantly drifting Wraiths, the corner of his eye kept darting toward the chanting Hyacine, his fingers unconsciously tightening around his sword hilt.
"Captain! We can't hold on! The effect of the Magic Dust is almost gone!" a guard shouted with a hoarse voice. A Wraith was almost pressed against his face, and its cold aura made his teeth chatter. "If we retreat further, we won't be able to keep the carriage!"
"Hold on! Just a bit longer!" The veins on Cole's forehead throbbed slightly as he shouted anxiously at Hyacine, "Miss Hyacinthia!"
At the very moment his words fell—
Hum!
An incredibly tough pink energy shield silently expanded like a giant Bubble, instantly enveloping the entire carriage and the surrounding guards steadily within it.
"Th-this is it?!"
Cole looked at this suddenly appearing Protective Shield, dumbstruck.
He clearly only wanted to put pressure on that woman named Hyacinthia, but how did she succeed so quickly?
Immediately after, a Wraith attempting to penetrate the Protective Shield let out a shrill shriek the moment it touched the Bubble. Its entire spiritual body then instantly turned into a wisp of green smoke and vanished without a trace.
Witnessing this scene, the expression on Cole's face instantly froze, as if he had been slapped hard.
His facial muscles were somewhat stiff, and deep in his eyes flashed disbelief and a trace of heavily suppressed rage.
But even so, Cole did not lash out; only the corner of his mouth twitched extremely slightly.
"The Protective Shield can effectively resist these Low-level Wraiths." Hyacine opened her eyes, her voice carrying a hint of fatigue, and then pointed north. "The nearest town shouldn't be far, right? While we have the chance, break through at full speed!"
"Bu-but that Necromancer..." Cole wanted to say something more.
"Captain Cole!" At this moment, Hong Guoguo, who had been watching from the side, finally couldn't help it. She stepped forward, her eyes sharply piercing Cole, her voice carrying a suppressed anger, "Sister Hyacinthia has already consumed a massive amount of power to expand this Protective Shield to protect everyone! What are you still hesitating for?!"
"Or... do you actually hope for Sister to exhaust her strength so that the 'Necromancer' accomplice hiding in the shadows can have his way?!"
"No! How could I possibly be in league with that Necromancer?" Cole hurriedly shook his head, indicating he was not a suspect. "I'll have them drive the carriage at full speed right now. We'll definitely be able to reach the nearest Falling Leaf Town within an hour."