Leaving the safety andfort of the paved road, the carriage sped on snowy soil. In it, Alina and Eleanor sat with thoughtful expressions, pondering their situation with concerned frowns etched on their brows. Julius slept on the bench, exhausted after being subjected to a maelstrom of anger and sadness.


    The carriage''s driver, Smith, the only survivor of this night''s deadly events, had been tasked by Sir Max to escort the carriage''s passengers to the next city.


    However, the path he chose toplete his mission was questionable.


    "Why did you leave the road?" Feeling tremors shake their vehicle, Eleanor asked by sliding a piece of wood, creating an opening in the carriage tomunicate with the driver.


    "Don''t worry, mydy. We will reach the city faster by taking this shortcut," answered Smith, hisforting voice warming the chilly night. Yet, his hands holding the reins in a firm grip trembled. He just wanted to aplish his mission and reunite with his family.


    Suspicions gnawed at her heart. She had never heard about a shortcut. Her green eyes narrowed, glinting as she scanned thendscape through the window.


    Initially, nothing seemed out of ce. They were racing through a forest, leaving trails on the soft snow. However, what she saw further ahead caused her frown to deepen and her lips to quiver as she realised how wrong the path they were currently treading was.


    She took a deep breath to chase away her growing panic, knowing they had to act before Smith could achieve his mysterious goal.


    "Alina, listen without panicking. We are in the forest by your vige. I don''t know his motives, but we need to escape," she said, her voice an urgent whisper in the somber carriage.


    Upon hearing the appalling news, Alina''s eyes erged, trembling in panic, and her face turned pale. They were still in danger on this never-ending night.


    "Ho-How can we escape? The carriage is moving," she said, her low voice cracking under the insecurities weighing on her shoulders.


    "I have an idea," Eleanor answered, gnawing on her thumbnail. It was risky but better than waiting in incertitude. Then, she screamed, breaking the calmness of the forest, "Smith, help! Help! There is something in the carriage."


    Awaken by themotion, Julius screamed in fear, adding to the scene''s realism.


    Alerted, Smith vigorously pulled on the reins, making the horses halt their mad course. He jumped from the driver''s seat in a hurry, unsheathing his sword in a fluid movement, and barged inside the carriage, ready to obliterate the threat.


    However, a furrow graced his brows as his eyes scanned the three individuals. Despite his meticulous swipe, he noticed nothing out of ce. "Where is the thing?" He asked, his eyes narrowing as terrible ideas popped into his mind. Were they under a mysterious entity''s attack? Was it a magic beast, a ghost, or something considerably more dangerous?


    An icy shiver ran down his spine upon imagining the worst.


    "Ha... Excuse me, I thought I saw something in the dark and got scared. Everything is alright. You can resume driving." Eleanor said in an apologetic tone, breaking his grim imagination.


    Onest time, he gazed at the interior before mming the door shut, hiding his distorted face from their sight as the noise echoed in the night. Each minute wasted could anger the mad bastard, furtherpromising his chances of survival.


    Gritting his teeth, he turned, returning to his seat. Yet, unbeknownst to him, the carriage''s door opened behind his back.


    Meanwhile, Eleanor gestured to herpanions to follow her, cing a finger on her delicate lips to request silence. They couldn''t alert Smith before the horses resumed their run.


    Alina followed behind her, holding Julius'' hand in a shaky grip, unaware that he opened his mouth.


    "Why are we leaving?" Asked the confused boy, his soft words echoing like a st in the two women''s ears as icy sweat matted their foreheads.


    "RUN!" Eleanor screamedmandingly, grabbing Alina''s hand and dashing away. Her heart pounded in her chest in dread as she knew... She knew Smith would chase them.


    And she was right. A split secondter, the knight jumped from his seat. His armor glinted under the moon glow, and his face distorted into a raging grimace.


    "You want to make things hard?" He asked, his resentful voice carried by the frigid wind. Then, the muffled sound of his boots colliding with the snow reverberated as a fire of determination burned in his eyes. If that''s what it took to ensure they wouldn''t try to escape again, he would bring them back even if he had to beat them half dead.


    Dread wrapped around their hearts as Eleanor sprinted ahead, pulling Alina along, who dragged the bewildered Julius.


    Every two seconds, they gazed back, hoping to see the distance separating them from Smith increased. Sadly, the opposite happened. Like an angry bull charging with incredible might, Smith gradually shortened the gap. In less than a minute, he would catch up with them.


    Alina''s breathing grew ragged. Steam escaped her mouth as she tried to keep up with Eleanor''s pace. She was just a regr woman, not a trained noble capable of sprinting for long. Each time she inhaled, she could feel her muscles groan in protest already as the cold air scorched her throat. She wouldn''tst long. She knew it.


    As desperation filled her heart, she suddenly felt a powerful shock loosening her hand. Astonished, she looked behind before horror distorted her face. Julius had stopped running.


    "What do you want? Why are you chasing us?" He asked, his voice filled with righteous indignation. Confused by the situation, he still knew one thing. He wouldn''t let the threatening knight terrorise his mother.


    "What are you doing? Run!" Alina yelled, her entire body shuddering at the sight of her son''s misced bravery. Rapidly, she turned, taking a step to fetch him before escaping their hopeless predicament.


    However, Eleanor didn''t stop racing, clenching her wrist in a vice grip she couldn''t escape.


    As she opened her mouth to beg her to save Julius, Eleanor said, "Trust him, he is a smart boy. I''m sure he knows what he is doing."


    Yet, instead of sounding reassuring, Eleanor''s authoritative tone caused an icy shiver to run down her spine as their figures disappeared through a bush.


    Meanwhile, Smith halted his relentless pursuit for a moment, snorting at the boy''s bravado beforeughing at him. He raised his right arm, clenched his fist, and swung in a controlled arc to knock the insolent down.


    However, he underestimated Julius. Trained by none other than Adam, the boy unexpectedly answered aggression by a more violent one. His muscles bulged under his clothes, menacing to rip them as a faint trace of Qi travelled through his meridians.


    Then, he charged forward with incredible speed, unfazed by the age or height difference. His right arm shot back as his back''s muscles tensed before his fist drilled through the air.


    BANG


    A loud noise echoed as his young fist collided with Smith''s iron armor, making its tes groan and cave in slightly under the pressure of the hit.


    ''What the...?! Is this boy really seven?'' Smith thought, his pupils constricting in dread as he felt a rush of acidic bile threaten to escape his throat. Despite his effort, he stumbled five steps back before bending forward and puking.


    ''What a monster,'' he added, straightening his back a few secondster, unable to ept the boy''s explosive strength.


    "How are you so strong? Who''s the crazy bastard who trained a kid this much?" He asked, rubbing his painful stomach and feeling the dent in his protection in disbelief.


    This brief exchange made him realise something. They were on the same level, the middle of the first tier. His face turned somber. If he didn''t take this fight seriously, he might be the first knight to lose to a seven-year-old boy.


    "Don''t insult my brother!" Julius roared, his face distorting in rage. With his inner turmoil and brother floating unconsciously, insulting him was thest thing he would ept.


    Acting on his emotions, he closed the distance and swung his fist, delivering another full-powered punch at Smith.


    However, despite his doubtful loyalty, Smith was an experienced knight.


    Not underestimating the kid''s speed for a second time, he blocked his fist with his iron gauntlet. Then, with lightning speed, he swung his hand, delivering a powerful backhanded p at Julius'' cheek.


    Julius flew backwards. The metallic taste of warm blood filled his mouth, but he was still conscious. Mobilising his strong muscles, he spun midair,nding on the ground with his right hand covering his reddened cheek.


    He looked at Smith, his veins throbbing on his forehead as blinding rage filled his mind. Yet, his brother''s teaching suddenly resurfaced, making him pause. He took deep breaths, calming his heart as he recalled the crazy stories his big brother used to tell him when he was younger...