Logan finally stepped into the carriage and took his seat. The coachman gently closed the door behind him and gave a respectful bow to Rowan and Daliah, who stood just outside.
Then he returned to his seat and took hold of the reins.
A soft creak ca from the wheels as the carriage began to move. With a light flick of the reins, the horses let out a quiet mihhh and started trotting forward, their hooves tapping rhythmically against the stone path.
The carriage slowly rolled away, getting smaller with each passing second.
Rowan and Daliah stood silently, their eyes following it long after it had left the gates—until the carriage had completely vanished from sight.
For a long ti, Rowan was searching for soone he could truly trust—a reliable companion.
Now, he was certain... he had found one.
But Daliah?
She wasn’t sure what she had gained—or what she had lost.
Logan’s departure left her with a strange, hollow feeling in her chest. A kind of sadness she couldn’t quite explain.
Maybe it was like when a close relative or a long-term guest leaves after staying for a while—a familiar emptiness.
Or... maybe it was sothing else.
But she was still too young to fully understand what that feeling ant.
Rowan gently placed a hand on Daliah’s shoulder and said softly,
"Let’s go. We should head back."
The two of them slowly turned and began walking toward the palace, their footsteps quiet against the stone path.
While Rowan and Daliah were saying goodbyes to Logan outside, inside the palace, soone was kneeling before Elias.
"Tell ," Elias said coldly. "What was so urgent?"
"Your Highness," the man began, lowering his voice,
"I believe there was an assassination attempt planned against the Third Prince during the tournant. But the plan fell apart before it could even begin. And... I suspect that the ones behind it are connected to the Kingdom of Velkar. Maybe it was the King himself."
Elias’s expression darkened imdiately.
"What?" he said sharply, rising to his feet in fury.
"Soone tried to assassinate Rowan?"
"Yes, Your Highness," the man confird grimly.
Elias stayed silent for a few monts, his fists clenched.
"Alright. You may go," he said at last. "I’ll deal with this."
The man bowed respectfully and left the room.
Elias sat back down slowly, his mind racing.
Sa ti – at the Smith Family Estate
The entire family was seated together for lunch. The table was filled with warm dishes, light conversation, and the occasional clink of silverware.
Suddenly, Alice looked toward Rudeous and asked,
"When is Logan expected to return?"
Rudeous paused for a mont in thought before answering,
"The letter we received ntioned he’d start his return journey within two to three days. Based on that, he should be back either today or tomorrow."
Logan hadn’t been away from the estate for long—But this was the first ti he had gone sowhere alone—without his family. And to a place where he didn’t know anyone beforehand.
Naturally, that thought left Alice feeling just a little uneasy.
But as soon as Logan’s na was ntioned, a shift occurred at the table.
Mirena—who sat silently nearby—visibly stiffened.
Her expression changed subtly, but enough that anyone looking closely would notice the difference in her face.
His words... that cold tone...
Her mind echoed with the mory from last day at Third Eye Sect. "And what about the secret training thod?"
That single sentence buzzed in her thoughts like an itch she couldn’t scratch.
She knew that no matter how directly she asked Logan about it, she would never get a real answer.
But the curiosity gnawed at her relentlessly.
She wanted to know—desperately.
anwhile, a carriage was moving along a road in Solvane, heading toward Aerundale.
Logan sat quietly inside the moving carriage.
The rhythmic clop-clop of the horses and the soft rumble of the wheels blended into a soothing background hum. He rested his elbow on the window ledge, eyes half-lidded, watching the blur of trees and hills passing by.
But then—
Creak—!
The carriage jolted slightly and ca to an abrupt stop.
Logan’s eyes snapped open.
Outside, the horses let out an uneasy grunt, stomping nervously.
Logan opened the door and stepped out, his boots crunching softly against the dirt road. The coachman stood frozen, staring ahead with pale eyes.
There, just a few ters ahead, three figures were standing—blocking the road completely.
One in the center wore a dark, wind-worn cloak and carried an ominous staff. His aura was cold and heavy. Logan could easily tell, he was a Tier 5.
The two standing on either side of him seed slightly weaker in comparison—Tier 4. The one on the left had jagged scars across his jaw, and his curved blades shimred with faint light. The other carried a crystal orb strapped to his back, and his fingers twitched constantly, as if impatient to cast. None of them spoke—but their eyes locked onto Logan like predators.
Logan’s gaze sharpened.
He stepped forward, calmly placing himself between the carriage and the threat.
The central figure’s voice was gravelly. "Logan Smith?"
Logan didn’t answer.
Instead, he rolled his shoulders once. And then he spoke calmly.
"If you’re here to talk, you chose the wrong place. If you’re here to fight..."
A faint crackle of lightning sparked along his fingertips.
"Then let’s not waste ti."
Logan knew that all his opponents were stronger than him.
But accepting weakness and bowing before the enemy wouldn’t improve the situation either.
The man smirked.
"Your confidence doesn’t quite match your age.
But if you’re that eager to get beaten up... so be it."
He glanced at his two companions and said coldly, "Don’t you dare kill him. Rember this carefully. We need him alive."
All three of them lunged toward Logan at once.
Even though they believed he was much weaker, none of them dared take any chances.
Because the instruction had been clear—
"If you make the mistake of underestimating him, only death awaits you."
And just like that—
The battle began.
User Comments
0 comments from readers