Your Highness

Due to the anti-slip treatment, the carriage showed no noticeable skidding as it crossed the icy surface. Once back on solid ground, it resumed its journey.

The group boarded the carriages again, continuing their orderly advance toward the destination.

However, as they traversed a mountainous stretch, the lead carriage came to another abrupt halt. Torres frowned and stepped down, only to hear the adventurers ahead call out,

"The road’s blocked!"

Torres moved to the front and saw massive boulders piled high, completely obstructing the path. Though the height wasn’t insurmountable for a person to climb over, the carriages had no chance of passing.

One problem after another made Torres scratch his head in frustration. Could someone be sabotaging them?

"So, we have to detour again?" Torres muttered, eyeing the sturdy boulders before pulling out the map. According to it, bypassing this section would add significant time to their journey.

With no other choice, Torres returned to the carriages. This time, however, he didn’t consult Isabella. Instead, he turned to Ye Chuan. "Xi Xi, the path is blocked by these boulders. Do you have a way to clear them?"

Having witnessed Ye Chuan’s abilities, Torres believed dealing with the obstacle would be trivial for him.

"First a broken bridge, now a ruined road…" Ye Chuan rested his cheek on one hand, his eyes half-lidded.

"Someone’s definitely messing with us, aren’t they?"

"Perhaps, but we must reach Count Kangong’s territory," Torres explained. Seeing Ye Chuan’s indifferent expression, he quickly added, "Don’t worry, Xi Xi, your payment won’t be shortchanged. In fact, we’ll add a bonus."

"You make it sound like I’m some money-grubber," Ye Chuan said sternly—before tacking on,

"How much extra?"

Torres fell silent for a moment, then rubbed his hands awkwardly. "Uh… how much would you like?"

"Never mind. Consider this part of the job." With that, Ye Chuan vanished and reappeared before the boulders in an instant.

Spatial magic?!

"He used spatial magic?!" The other adventurers in the group had already been stunned by Ye Chuan’s abilities multiple times, but his teleportation left them utterly shaken.

Among all magical attributes, [Spatial] and [Temporal] magic were the rarest.

"Just a few worthless rocks." Ye Chuan glanced back at the adventurers. "You can’t even handle this?"

"It’d take too long to clear them," one admitted sheepishly. Most of them were warriors or guards, after all.

The boulders blocking the path numbered in the hundreds, each several meters tall—far too laborious to remove manually.

"Fine. Let’s just obliterate them." Ye Chuan raised a hand, preparing to unleash a magic beam.

But then he seemed to reconsider. With a casual wave, the hundreds of boulders vanished into his backpack.

Hmm. Much more convenient.

No need to risk spooking the horses with an explosion.

Watching the rocks disappear in an instant, the adventurers and Torres gaped in disbelief, some even rubbing their eyes.

Where did the boulders go?

"Xi Xi, how did the rocks just… vanish?"

"Oh, they missed their mommy and burrowed underground," Ye Chuan replied flippantly.

Torres understood Ye Chuan wasn’t interested in explaining further. Grateful, he motioned for the carriages to resume their journey.

With the obstacle cleared, they drew closer to their destination.

…

Night fell over the makeshift camp in the forest.

The adventurers cooked their rations, taking a brief rest to replenish their energy. The air carried the damp, slightly rotten scent of fallen leaves.

Seated on a fallen log, Ye Chuan ignored the waterskin Torres offered him. "Xi Xi, care for some wyvern milk? It’ll restore your stamina."

"Wyvern milk?"

"Yes, it’s revitalizing."

"Did you drink from that first?"

Torres stiffened, realizing his oversight. "Ah—my apologies, Xi Xi. Let me fetch a clean container—"

"Don’t bother." Ye Chuan waved him off.

His gaze swept over the chatting adventurers before settling on Torres. After a pause, he spoke again.

"Torres, you and that ‘Miss Yi’ aren’t ordinary, are you?"

Torres’s hand froze mid-air before he slowly lowered the waterskin. "I’m sorry, Xi Xi. I can’t discuss that."

"No matter. We’re just bound by a contract anyway." Ye Chuan had no intention of pressing further—truthfully, he wasn’t particularly interested.

But Isabella’s earlier mention of assassinating the king had left him pondering.

"How much farther to our destination?" Ye Chuan asked.

"Once we cross this forest, we’re nearly there," Torres replied.

Unlike open plains, forests at night were treacherous, so Torres planned to depart at dawn.

"Good." Ye Chuan yawned and closed his eyes, signaling the end of the conversation.

Assuming he wanted rest, Torres quietly stepped away to patrol the perimeter of the camp.

"Tap, tap."

The night deepened, the forest silent save for the chirping of insects and the occasional crackle of the campfire. Adventurers took turns keeping watch while the rest slept to regain their strength.

"…" Torres sat by the fire, absently feeding it more wood. Under his breath, he murmured,

"Father… Mother… Sister…"

Memories of recent events weighed heavily on him, stirring a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Everyone… isn’t the same anymore…"

Shaking off his thoughts, Torres stood to inspect the carriages—only to freeze in horror, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

His body refused to move.

Unnoticed by him, a peculiar scent lingered in the air.

"[Paralysis]?"

"Purifying Blessing!" Torres tried to activate a skill, but his weakened state made even summoning energy impossible.

"Save your breath."

Rustling came from the bushes as two gaunt, masked men emerged, daggers in hand. "Heh. The paralyzing mist finally took effect. Slow, but reliable…"

"Y-You’re—!" Torres’s eyes darted toward the nearby carriage.

"Your Highness!"