Chapter 96
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: A Narrow Escape
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The carriage raced along a well-maintained road.
The forest stretching out on either side gleamed vibrantly in the sunlight.
It was the kind of scenery that could make you lose yourself just staring at it.
“We about halfway there now?”
Abel, who had been gazing out the window while reviewing his future plans, turned at the sound of Daniel’s voice.
“Yeah. Right about halfway.”
“Coming here took forever, but going back feels like no time at all.”
Abel chuckled at the oddly wistful tone.
“Feeling regret now that we’re heading home?”
“Yeah? Guess so.”
Daniel nodded without denying it.
It was always like that— the trip to vacation was filled with anticipation and excitement, making time fly, while the return seemed to vanish in an instant.
The others’ expressions showed the same sentiment.
Everyone except May, who was still fast asleep.
‘She really sleeps well.’
It was almost impressive how soundly she slept.
No matter her past circumstances or whatever, maybe she’d always been someone who just loved sleep.
“Eek!”
As Abel pondered this inwardly, a strange noise made him flinch.
It came from May, who had been dozing deeply.
Her eyes snapped open, and she quickly scanned left and right as if searching for something.
“Wh-where are we?”
“Where else? Inside the carriage.”
“Bad dream or something?”
Daniel teased her, while Darin spoke to May in a gentle voice.
May’s eyes darted around in confusion before she finally spoke.
“Inside the carriage…… carriage……?”
She mumbled softly to herself, then suddenly lifted her head as if remembering something.
“It’s dangerous.”
“What is?”
While the other kids looked baffled, Abel’s relaxed expression hardened.
One thought had suddenly struck him from May’s reaction.
‘No way……?’
She seemed asleep, then abruptly woke making weird noises.
It was one of the traits of May described in the game.
Her unique ability, to be exact.
“Huh? Feels like we’re slowing down.”
“What’s going on?”
At that moment, the carriage began to gradually slow.
Without hesitation, Abel pulled an artifact from his front pocket and gripped it.
Separate from her genius intellect, May possessed one incredibly special ability.
She wouldn’t fully awaken it for a long time yet, but occasionally, she used it unconsciously.
Her ‘future precognition’ ability.
‘Of course, it comes with all sorts of limitations in practice, but it’s still solidly S-rank.’
The classification was something users had made up, but it was undeniably an extraordinary power.
Superior even compared to the secret arts of prestigious families.
But that wasn’t important right now. The slowing carriage came to a complete stop.
That was when a voice came from outside.
Knock knock.
“We’ll have to stop for a bit.”
It was the knight escorting them for protection.
Abel exchanged glances with the others before opening the door himself.
“What’s the matter?”
“Ah. There’s a Palot herd passing through up ahead. We’ll rest for about thirty minutes before moving.”
At the mention of a Palot herd, the others let out sighs of relief.
Palots were, simply put, animals similar to buffalo.
They had quite a few differences, but they traveled in herds just the same.
They were probably thundering past up the road right now.
“If you’re feeling cooped up, you can step out for a breather.”
The kids all hesitated at the knight’s words.
Not that they could help it— they’d traveled almost entirely inside the carriage for safety.
“N-No!”
Suddenly, May shouted.
All eyes turned to her instantly.
She fidgeted, eyes darting, before slowly speaking.
“S-So…… um…… outside is dangerous.”
It was an absurd statement.
That was why everyone who heard her wore expressions of utter bewilderment.
Everyone except one.
Abel alone understood what she meant.
“Hmm. Well, guess we’ll just stay put then.”
He leaned back against the seat, forcing his voice to sound as natural as possible.
At Abel’s words, the others seemed to lose interest and nodded.
“Yeah. We’d just have to come right back anyway.”
“Too much hassle.”
There was a flow to things like this.
Once one person took the lead and suggested it, the others subtly followed.
They were all exhausted from playing themselves ragged at the villa, which probably helped too.
“Understood then. We’ll depart again shortly, so please wait just a moment.”
The knight bowed politely and closed the carriage door.
The moment it shut, Abel glanced at May’s reaction.
‘Subtle.’
She didn’t look thrilled, nor overwhelmingly relieved.
Somewhere in between, maybe.
‘Like she’s wondering if…… this is enough.’
He had no idea what future May had glimpsed.
He didn’t even know for sure if she’d actually seen the future. He just thought it likely.
Even so, just in case, Abel gripped the artifact tightly.
Ten minutes passed, then twenty.
The Palot procession must have been longer than expected— the carriage showed no sign of moving.
“Taking a while.”
“Think we can see from the window?”
“Let’s check.”
This time, May showed no particular reaction.
Abel, wanting to check the situation outside, cracked the window and poked his head out.
Thud thud thud thud thud—
The ground-shaking rumble hit him immediately.
The carriage’s noise- and vibration-dampening magic was so effective he hadn’t noticed until opening the window.
‘Still passing by.’
Far ahead, a herd of Palots was crossing the road.
It looked just like a black wave rolling through.
But then.
Boom, thud—.
An alien sound rang out.
Huge footsteps clearly distinct from the Palot herd.
Thud, boom!
The size and rhythm felt awfully familiar.
Abel froze for a moment before realizing what it was.
“Gigant?”
“Huh? What’d you say?”
“A Gigant?”
“Wasn’t that the sound of a Gigant moving?”
The others were puzzled at first by Abel’s words, but when the sound echoed again, things changed.
Thud, boom, thud—!
It was unmistakably the sound of something walking on two legs.
That left two possibilities: a Gigant or a Gigadeus.
The former was fine, but the latter would be a disaster.
No matter how carefully they’d assigned escorts, they couldn’t handle a Gigadeus.
No one had anticipated one appearing around here to begin with.
Meanwhile, the sound grew steadily closer.
Tension mounted among the group.
“Hey! Over there!”
Darin, pressed to the opposite window, pointed somewhere.
Abel naturally moved over and looked out.
“Ah…….”
What came into view was a Gigant of enormous size.
“I-It’s a Gigant, alright.”
Seeing it, everyone relaxed.
How many times had they been startled only to sigh in relief in such a short span?
Abel rubbed his pounding chest as he thought.
‘That’s…… Centurio-grade?’
It was distant, but he could tell to some extent.
Speed-enhanced types like that were rare in Miles-grade.
Speed types had slender frames that looked elongated from afar.
Miles-grade rarely used them due to power and stability issues.
“Cool…….”
Abel murmured unconsciously.
Streamlined silver body.
Sleek yet elegant armor plating.
Every time the massive Gigant took a step, admiration welled up naturally.
To Abel, the sight alone was a work of art.
Boom, thud, thud, thud—!
The Centurio-grade Gigant strode toward somewhere.
Abel stared blankly before a thought struck him.
‘Wait, why’s a Gigant out here anyway?’
He’d been lost in it for a moment, but that wasn’t the point right now.
Not as bad as a Gigadeus appearing, but a Centurio-grade Gigant showing up was suspicious enough.
‘This is supposed to be a safe zone.’
Gigadeus didn’t appear here, let alone their fragments.
If it weren’t such a place, they wouldn’t be traveling by carriage like this.
The Centurio-grade Gigant passed right by nearby and kept going.
“Phew.”
A sigh of relief came from somewhere then.
Abel glanced over casually and realized it was from May.
Odd timing.
But given her earlier reaction, it seemed the danger she’d sensed had finally passed.
‘What the heck was it?’
Even now that it was over, he still had no clue what threat May had felt.
‘Can’t exactly ask her directly, either.’
After a moment’s thought, Abel shook his head lightly.
For now, he’d be content that they’d made it through safely.
Soon enough, the Gigant had vanished from sight entirely.
The Palot herd had cleared too, no longer blocking the road.
“Then we’ll depart again.”
With the knight’s voice, the carriage began rolling forward once more.
The others seemed unconcerned now that it was moving, but Abel’s mind churned with thoughts.
Still, nothing came to him.
* * *
High on a hilltop.
A thick shadow stretched beneath the trees.
The man lying in that shadow watched the departing carriage and spoke in a voice tinged with regret.
“Failed.”
He’d succeeded in driving the Palot herd to block the road and halt the carriage.
But in waiting for the perfect moment, he’d missed his timing.
“Of all things, a Centurio.”
It was because of the sudden appearance of a Centurio-grade Gigant.
He’d had zero intel about one passing nearby, so it was completely unexpected.
By the time the Gigant was fully gone, the Palots he’d herded were long past too.
The man murmured at the carriage, now a mere speck in the distance.
“No…… chance now.”
He could push for an attack if he tried, but the risk of failure would skyrocket.
Attacking a stationary carriage versus a moving one was worlds apart in difficulty.
The man watched the receding carriage with lingering reluctance before standing.
But then, another figure emerged abruptly from the shadows.
“Pull all forces back?”
“Yes. This operation’s a bust.”
“Understood.”
The failure stung extra because the target was an academy cadet.
They rarely left the capital, so who knew when another chance like this would come.
But he couldn’t dwell on regrets forever.
The man shook his head to clear the disappointment and pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket.
It bore a portrait of a girl with a drowsy expression.
“May.”
She was a key figure in their future plans.
This operation had failed, but another opportunity would come eventually.
The man stared at the portrait, committing it to memory, then tucked it away.
He stepped into the shadows.
Swoosh—
And vanished without a trace.
A chill wind was all that remained on the now-empty hill.