Chapter 495 - 494 - The Key has Arrived!
The caravan slowly began moving again.
The brief chaos that had erupted across the forest road gradually disappeared beneath the steady rhythm of wooden wheels rolling over packed earth. The horses, after a few uneasy moments, settled back into their pace as the mercenaries resumed their positions around the carriage, though the carefree atmosphere that had existed before the attack never truly returned. Their weapons remained within easy reach, and their eyes occasionally drifted toward the surrounding trees as they continued deeper into the forest.
The bodies of the fallen bandits had been moved away from the road, while those who had fled were left to disappear into the woodland.
No one pursued them.
There was little reason to.
At least...
That was what everyone believed.
Luca continued walking beside the carriage.
His black saber had already disappeared into his storage ring, leaving his hands empty as he moved beneath the canopy. The morning sunlight occasionally slipped through the branches above, casting shifting patterns across his face and academy uniform. His expression had returned to its usual calmness, but his crimson eyes remained considerably more attentive than before.
He hadn’t forgotten the attack.
Nor had he forgotten the feeling that had preceded it.
Something had been wrong.
The bandits themselves had been exactly what they appeared to be. Their weapons were ordinary, their techniques crude, their coordination almost nonexistent, and their retreat had been far too genuine to suggest that they had been deliberately acting.
Yet...
That didn’t explain everything.
Luca glanced toward the forest behind them.
The road was already disappearing beneath the trees.
An ordinary bandit group.
He had reached that conclusion.
But perhaps that was precisely what bothered him.
The first arrow.
The assassin who had attempted to approach the carriage.
The timing of the attack.
And the fact that the entire incident had happened almost immediately after the journey began.
It was possible that everything had simply been coincidence.
It was also possible that the Cult had nothing to do with it.
But Luca had learned long ago that coincidence became considerably less convincing when too many strange events began happening at once.
He quietly exhaled.
Don’t overthink it.
The woman’s words from the previous night surfaced within his mind.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
He had promised himself he wouldn’t allow suspicion to consume every peaceful moment of the journey.
Still...
Being cautious and being paranoid were two different things.
Luca intended to remain cautious.
A faint rustling came from the carriage window beside him.
His attention shifted immediately.
The thick cloth covering the window moved slightly from within before a familiar voice quietly reached him.
"Are you still thinking about the bandits?"
Luca glanced toward the covered window.
"Perhaps."
A soft laugh came from inside.
"You promised not to overthink everything."
"I promised to try."
"That is a very convenient interpretation."
Luca couldn’t help smiling.
"It is an honest one."
For several moments, neither spoke.
The caravan continued along the forest road, the rhythmic movement of the carriage creating a strangely peaceful backdrop to their conversation.
Then the Saintess spoke again.
"Do you think they were connected to the Cult?"
Luca’s expression became thoughtful.
"I don’t know."
He looked ahead.
"But I don’t think so."
There was a slight pause.
"Their behaviour was too ordinary."
"That’s a strange thing to say about bandits."
"I know."
He smiled faintly.
"But ordinary bandits usually act like ordinary bandits. They see a caravan, they attack it, they realise they’re outmatched, and they run."
He briefly glanced toward the trees.
"There was no hidden formation, no strange magic, and no coordinated attempt to isolate the carriage."
His expression became slightly more serious.
"The man who approached the carriage was the only unusual part."
The Saintess remained silent.
Luca continued.
"He wasn’t trying to rob us."
"He was going straight for you."
A quiet pause followed.
Then the Saintess asked gently,
"And you stopped him."
Luca shrugged.
"That is what I’m here for."
The words were simple.
Yet something within the carriage became noticeably quieter afterward.
Luca didn’t notice the faint smile that appeared on the Saintess’s face behind the curtain.
He simply continued walking.
After another few minutes, the forest gradually began to thin.
The dense canopy opened into a wider stretch of woodland where sunlight fell freely upon the road. In the distance, the faint outline of hills became visible beyond the trees, while a narrow river could be heard flowing somewhere nearby.
The caravan continued forward.
Then suddenly...
The mercenary at the front raised his hand.
The entire formation slowed.
Luca’s gaze immediately sharpened.
The man pointed toward the road ahead.
A small wooden sign stood beside the path.
Several words had been carved into its weathered surface.
Raven’s Crossing — 12 Miles.
The broad-shouldered mercenary looked back toward the caravan.
"We should reach the crossing before noon."
Another mercenary nodded.
"There’s an inn there."
"We can rest the horses and replenish supplies."
Luca quietly listened.
The Saintess remained silent within the carriage.
The journey had barely begun...
Yet already there had been an attack.
And ahead waited the first settlement where the caravan would have to stop.
Luca’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He looked toward the distant road.
Then toward the carriage.
Something about the entire journey felt like a thread being slowly pulled tighter.
He couldn’t see what waited at the other end.
Not yet.
But he had a feeling...
The first arrow had not been the beginning of the danger.
It had merely been the first thing they had noticed.
The caravan continued along the forest road beneath the increasingly bright afternoon sun, the wheels of the covered carriage turning steadily over the packed earth as the dense woodland gradually began giving way to a more open stretch of land. The towering trees no longer stood as closely together as before, allowing warm shafts of sunlight to fall across the road while the cool morning mist slowly disappeared beneath the growing heat of the day. Birds had returned to the branches, their songs occasionally mixing with the rhythmic sound of hooves and the low conversations of the mercenaries accompanying the carriage.
The attack from earlier had already begun to feel distant.
The mercenaries had returned to their usual positions, although none of them had completely abandoned their vigilance. Every so often, one of them would glance toward the forest behind them or quietly exchange a few words with another guard, but the tension that had followed the bandit attack was slowly fading.
Luca remained beside the carriage.
His expression was calm, yet his attention continued moving between the road ahead and the surrounding landscape.
Raven’s Crossing.
Twelve miles.
It wasn’t particularly far.
Under normal circumstances, they would reach the settlement well before evening.
But Luca couldn’t help remembering the Vice Dean’s words.
The journey itself is important.
There are people who may be watching.
He had initially assumed that the first attack might have been connected to the Cult, but after observing the bandits carefully, he had dismissed the possibility.
Perhaps that had been the correct decision.
Perhaps...
It hadn’t.
A gentle movement came from the carriage.
The cloth covering the small side window shifted slightly, revealing a faint glimpse of violet eyes before falling back into place.
"Luca."
Her voice was quiet enough that only he could hear it.
He turned his head.
"Yes?"
"Are you still suspicious?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Suspicious is a strong word."
The Saintess laughed softly from inside the carriage.
"Then what would you call it?"
"Being prepared."
"That sounds much better."
"It usually does."
Another quiet laugh escaped her.
For a few moments, they continued travelling without saying anything.
Then the Saintess spoke again.
"You know..."
Her tone had become slightly lighter.
"...you don’t have to carry every concern by yourself."
Luca glanced toward the covered window.
"I know."
"Do you?"
He smiled faintly.
"I’m trying."
The answer seemed to satisfy her.
The conversation ended naturally, and Luca returned his attention toward the road.
The scenery gradually changed as the caravan continued onward.
The forest eventually disappeared behind them, replaced by wide grasslands stretching toward distant hills. A narrow river could now be seen winding through the valley, its surface sparkling beneath the afternoon sunlight. Far beyond it stood a stone bridge connecting the road to the settlement on the other side.
Raven’s Crossing.
The town itself was still too distant to see clearly, but several watchtowers could already be spotted along the horizon.
Luca’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"That’s strange."
The mercenary walking nearest to him glanced over.
"What is?"
Luca pointed toward the distant towers.
"There should be more movement."
The mercenary looked carefully.
After several moments, his expression became thoughtful.
"You’re right."
The road leading toward Raven’s Crossing was unusually quiet.
There were no merchant wagons leaving the settlement.
No travellers approaching from the opposite direction.
No farmers transporting goods.
Nothing.
For a settlement positioned along one of the major routes through the region...
It was strangely empty.
The mercenary scratched his beard.
"Perhaps something happened inside."
Another guard overheard him and immediately frowned.
"Could be a local problem."
Luca didn’t answer.
His eyes remained fixed upon the distant settlement.
Something felt wrong.
Not dangerous.
Not yet.
Just...
Quiet.
Far too quiet.
The caravan continued toward the bridge.
The horses crossed the open field, their hooves creating soft rhythmic sounds against the dirt road as the stone bridge gradually grew larger in the distance.
Then...
Luca stopped.
His expression changed.
The mercenaries noticed almost immediately.
One of them looked toward him.
"What happened?"
Luca didn’t answer.
His gaze had moved beyond the bridge.
Toward Raven’s Crossing.
His senses had caught something.
Something so faint that even he wasn’t certain whether he had truly sensed it.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment.
The world around him seemed to quiet.
The wind.
The horses.
The wheels.
The distant river.
Everything faded beneath his concentration.
Then...
His eyes opened.
His crimson pupils had become razor sharp.
"Stop the carriage."
The nearest mercenary immediately looked at him.
"What?"
"Stop it."
There was no hesitation in Luca’s voice this time.
The mercenary raised his hand.
"Hold!"
The caravan gradually slowed.
The horses came to a reluctant stop.
The mercenaries immediately began looking around, their hands moving toward their weapons as Luca remained completely still.
The Saintess’s voice came quietly from within the carriage.
"Luca?"
He didn’t respond immediately.
His eyes remained fixed upon the distant settlement.
Something was wrong.
Then...
A breeze crossed the valley.
The cloth covering the carriage window shifted slightly.
And for the briefest instant...
Luca saw it.
A faint red glow.
Not in the town.
Not on the road.
But beneath the stone bridge.
His expression changed completely.
A formation.
Ancient.
Massive.
Hidden beneath layers of illusion.
And at its centre...
Something had just awakened.
Luca’s hand slowly moved toward the hilt of his saber.
His voice became barely more than a whisper.
"...Everyone, get ready."
The mercenaries immediately drew their weapons.
The Saintess pushed aside the curtain inside the carriage.
"What did you see?"
Luca stared toward the bridge.
His crimson eyes reflected a growing crimson light spreading beneath the stone.
Then the ground trembled.
Once.
Twice.
And beneath Raven’s Crossing...
A deep, ancient voice echoed through the valley.
"The key has arrived."