Phoebe stood in silence, gripping her giant axe tightly. Her gaze remained lowered, fixed on the gravel beneath her feet, as if she hadn't heard his question.
The blonde girl gently lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down. Her golden hair shimmered with a soft luster in the twilight afterglow, and her clear blue eyes shone exceptionally bright against the darkening sky.
She glanced over the corpses and pools of blood on the ground, then looked at the dark, mottled bloodstains on Phoebe's dress. Her brow furrowed slightly, but her expression quickly softened back to its gentle state.
Lifting her skirt slightly, she carefully avoided the gravel and bloodstains on the ground as she walked over and stopped in front of Phoebe. Folding her hands before her, she bowed slightly in greeting.
“Thank you very much for saving us,” her voice was steady and gentle, though a slight tremor lingered at the end. “My name is Cecilia. May I ask yours?”
Phoebe looked up at her. The young girl before her harbored no hostility in her emotions, only pure, sincere gratitude, and a level of respect that Phoebe could not quite comprehend.
She remained silent for a moment before responding in a low voice, “...Phoebe.”
“Phoebe...” Cecilia murmured the name, nodding slightly, and then asked, “Where are you heading next?”
“Myriad City.”
Cecilia's brow twitched slightly. She quietly glanced back at Alberto by her side, only to find the knight's face grim and his lips tightly pressed.
She turned her gaze back, offering a gentle and natural invitation. “We happen to be returning to Myriad City as well. If you don't mind, you can travel with us. There is still room in my carriage.”
Alberto immediately took a step forward, lowering his voice in urgent protest. “Your Highness, this person is of unknown origin. Traveling together so suddenly might pose a security risk.”
Cecilia raised her hand to gently cut him off. Alberto had no choice but to rein in his expression and fall silent.
“I have my own judgment.”
“Please, get in,” Cecilia said, looking back at Phoebe with a warm tone. “Let us leave this place first, lest they return and cause more trouble.”
Phoebe looked down at her blood-soaked body, her expression shifting with a hint of hesitation.
Reading her hesitation, Cecilia immediately instructed the maid behind her, “Bring a set of clean clothes and some fresh water.”
The maid quickly rummaged through the carriage luggage and pulled out a soft, delicate, light-gray dress. Cecilia took it herself and presented it to Phoebe with both hands.
“You can do a quick cleanup and change inside the carriage. There are curtains for privacy, so it will be very convenient.”
Phoebe looked at the clean, soft dress in her hands, then at the warm and kind Cecilia before her, and reached out to accept it.
Her slightly cool fingertips accidentally brushed against Cecilia's warm hand, and the contrast of cold and warmth brought her an inexplicable sense of peace.
She did not offer a formal thank you. Holding the clothes and carrying the giant axe over her shoulder, she walked silently toward the carriage.
Cecilia turned around, facing the dark twilight wilderness with her back to the carriage as she waited quietly. The maid followed suit, turning away to give her privacy.
Alberto's brow remained furrowed, his eyes locked onto the carriage. His right hand never left his sword hilt, keeping his guard up the entire time, not daring to relax for even a second.
A soft rustling of fabric echoed from inside the carriage. A moment later, Phoebe lifted the curtain and stepped out.
The light-gray dress was slightly loose on her, so she casually rolled up the long sleeves twice. Her silver-white hair draped loosely over her shoulders, and a few faint streaks of blood still remained on her cheeks.
She held her discarded, blood-stained black dress, which she had folded neatly in her arms, the blood on the fabric already completely dry.
Cecilia took out her personal handkerchief, dipped it in clean water, and gently wiped away the remaining bloodstains on Phoebe's cheeks. The pristine white fabric was soon stained with mottled patches of dark red.
Phoebe placed the folded black dress in a corner of the carriage, leaned Rock-Crushing Mountain securely against the seat, and bent down to step inside. Cecilia followed her in and sat directly across from her.
Outside, Alberto was directing the guards to quickly clean up the battlefield. The bodies of the two fallen guards were carefully loaded onto the second carriage, while the three wounded guards, having received basic bandages, boarded one after another.
One of the guards picked up a discarded crest from the ground and handed it to Alberto. Upon seeing its design, the knight's face grew even darker.
“Your Highness, these people left no traceable clues. The crest is a counterfeit, and their equipment consists of common styles widely available on the market,” he reported in a heavy voice.
“Furthermore, they took all the corpses and weapons with them when they retreated. It was too clean and efficient; they are definitely no ordinary mountain bandits.”
Cecilia nodded slightly, her expression calm. “Let us set off before they double back.”
The carriage slowly started moving, its wheels rolling over the gravel-strewn ground. Outside the window, the twilight had completely faded, and the last streak of dark purple in the sky was swallowed by the thick night.
Phoebe leaned against the carriage window with Rock-Crushing Mountain propped up beside her, the shaft of the axe resting gently against her shoulder.
Cecilia sat upright opposite her, hands resting lightly on her knees. From time to time, she would steal a glance at Phoebe, her eyes lingering briefly before turning away.
...
Bai Xuan stood atop a tilted boulder, surveying his surroundings.
Several crooked stone pillars stood among the bushes, their surfaces carved with faint, ancient runes. Years of exposure to the wind and rain had worn the carvings down, leaving them unrecognizable.
The rolling hills in the distance had sharp, rigid contours, completely lacking the soft texture of natural mountains. They looked more like they had been violently forced up from beneath the earth by a massive power.
The terrifying presence left behind by the giant beast when it broke its seal and burst from the ground had yet to dissipate.
The long-dormant Ancient Glay land had seen the light of day once more, but the entire region had been torn into a scarred, cratered mess.
He leaped down from the boulder, landing with steady feet, and began heading toward Calais Town.
After nearly two hours of brisk walking, the twisted, chaotic terrain along the way still showed no signs of smoothing out.
The ground was littered with freshly shattered rocks and dried riverbed silt. The soil still held onto lingering moisture; with every step he took, he left a deep, clear footprint.
A dead, crooked tree stood by the roadside, withered vines wrapped tightly around its bare trunk, devoid of any leaves.
As Bai Xuan passed by, he casually yanked a section of the vine. The decayed wood crumbled at his touch, turning into fine powder between his fingertips.
Looking as far as the eye could see, the entire wilderness was desolate and lifeless, with barely any signs of living creatures.
Monsters in this area had also become exceptionally scarce.
Since he had started traveling last night, he had only encountered two Shadowmane Wolves, huddled in the shadows of a dried-up ditch.
Their fur was dry and dull, their bodies thin and emaciated, with their ribs protruding sharply.
The moment the two wolves saw Bai Xuan, they lowered their ears, tucked their tails, and fled in a panic.
Watching their frantic retreat, Bai Xuan knew very well that the terrifying pressure of the giant beast from before had cowed this region, making it so no monsters dared to linger.
A terrifying entity of that caliber was something he never wanted to encounter again for the rest of his life.
He pulled back his thoughts and continued his journey forward.
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