The convoy departed on time the following morning.
Three carriages rolled away from Rufinias Castle into the morning mist, and the sound of wheels grinding over the packed snow was thin and rhythmic.
The luggage cart at the rear was loaded with various crates and trunks. Low whispers drifted from the maids' carriage in the middle, but inside the lead carriage, the atmosphere was quiet and a bit subtle.
Luo Lan sat by the window with a book spread across his lap. He stared at the scenery blurred by the speed of their travel. The morning mist was like a veil that draped the distant forest in a hazy shroud, and a few ravens occasionally streaked across the sky before vanishing.
His thoughts were entirely occupied with mentally sorting through the plot of the [Holy Scripture of the Capital]. He hadn't actually read a single word on the pages in front of him.
Clowie sat opposite Luo Lan. She had kept a stiff face since boarding, but her gaze drifted toward him every few moments. The young lady wore a practical traveling dress today, and her silver hair was tied back with a ribbon to reveal her pale, slender neck. Her fingertips tapped rhythmically against the armrest while she secretly calculated how to create opportunities for them to be alone during the two-day journey.
However, Clowie felt a sudden surge of irritation whenever she remembered Elia's reminders before they left. It didn't matter if she was a noble or if she had inherited the Rufinias name; there were still things she couldn't seem to grasp.
Elia sat beside Luo Lan. She was quietly and skillfully handling a tea set. She filled three cups with steaming black tea and pushed two of them toward Luo Lan and Clowie. She took the last cup for herself and then inconspicuously shifted half an inch closer to Luo Lan's side.
Clowie quickly looked away.
"Master Luo Lan," Elia spoke softly. "The black tea is going to get cold."
"Ah, right." Luo Lan snapped out of his trance and picked up the cup. He took a sip and let the rich aroma of the tea dissolve on his tongue.
Clowie watched the scene, and her fingers tapped a light beat against the armrest.
"Elia, why don't you go to the rear carriage and check on the maids? See if they forgot to prepare anything..."
"Your Highness." Elia didn't move. "I confirmed everything many times before we departed."
The maid turned her head slightly and looked at her with a smile. "Is Your Highness worried about something? Or are you simply trying to send me away?"
The carriage instantly fell silent, leaving only the sound of the rolling wheels.
Luo Lan's hand froze mid-air with his teacup. He quietly lowered his eyes and pretended he hadn't heard the conversation as he focused on his book.
Clowie's face turned slightly red. It was unclear if she was embarrassed because her thoughts were read or if she was simply angry, but she turned her face to look out the window.
The mist outside was beginning to dissipate, revealing the undulating mountains in the distance.
"...I just wanted to double-check."
The girl's words lacked any real conviction.
Elia sighed softly and stood up to smooth the wrinkles in her skirt.
"I understand. Please wait a moment, Your Highness."
The convoy stopped by the roadside for a brief rest. After Elia pushed the door open and stepped out, only Luo Lan and Clowie remained in the carriage. The moment the door closed, Clowie turned her head. Her ruby-like eyes stared directly at Luo Lan.
The boy could feel the burning gaze coming from across the seat, but he still didn't look up.
"Luo Lan."
Clowie spoke in a small voice.
"Hmm?"
"It's nothing..."
The boy looked up and saw Clowie sitting upright. He could see the nervousness she was trying to hide in the depths of her eyes.
Just as she was about to speak again, Elia returned. She bowed to Clowie and placed several fresh, bright apples on the table.
"Everything is fine, Your Highness," she said.
The first half of the journey passed without any further incidents.
...
The carriage traveled smoothly down the road as the winter sunlight shifted slowly across the pages of Luo Lan's open book.
He had maintained his reading posture for two hours, but he hadn't even finished a single page. Clowie had already fallen into a deep sleep against a cushion. Her silver hair spilled out like a waterfall and swayed slightly with the bumps of the carriage.
Elia was still sitting nearby and holding a book of her own, but her gaze occasionally drifted toward the boy's profile.
Seven years had passed. She had watched him grow from a thin boy into a young man with clear, handsome features. She had seen him teach Clowie how to control her [Mana], and she had watched him accompany the Princess during her practice in the snow until dusk.
Logically, she should be grateful to him. However, whenever she saw that specific light in Princess Clowie's eyes when she looked at him, alarm bells rang in Elia's heart.
Luo Lan looked away from his book and focused on Clowie's sleeping face.
'The Holy Scripture of the Capital.'
The reason this [Holy Rite] was so important to so many people was twofold. On one hand, it was the first public appearance of the rising powers that had taken over after the death of the Holy Church's old Pope. On the other hand, it served as the early admissions test for the Atlas Royal Academy.
For a place like the Royal Academy, early recruitment was a given. It was also natural for the school to divide its classes into different tiers.
The classes at Atlas were generally divided into three ranks: the primary [Morning Star], the intermediate [Arcanum], and the advanced [Heaven's Crown]. There was also the legendary [Radiance] rank, which reportedly had fewer than ten members. It was common for three tiers to actually be written as four.
However, the thing Luo Lan truly cared about wasn't the rankings. It was the future Saintess, Ophelia Blanche, whom he was destined to meet at the [Holy Rite].
Ophelia Blanche.
She was powerful, holy, beautiful, and noble—the absolute protagonist template. She should be the same age as Clowie and was likely on her way to the Capital right now.
In the original plot, Clowie ended up in the [Morning Star] class because her [Mana] frequently went out of control during the test. Meanwhile, Ophelia entered the [Heaven's Crown] class with ease. That massive gap, combined with the mockery Clowie faced as a fallen noble, became one of the primary catalysts for her eventual fall into darkness.
The atmosphere in Atlas Academy seemed friendly on the surface, but Luo Lan knew the real reason it could consistently produce so many elites for the Kingdom of Rhodeland. The academy utilized a brutal internal elimination system.
Even though "Equality and Merit" was the school's motto, the treatment received by students in different tiers was worlds apart.
Therefore, the first thing Luo Lan had to do at the [Holy Rite] was awaken his inner overachiever. He had to help Clowie enter the [Heaven's Crown] class. That was the first great step.
Dusk stained the snowy plains like a thin layer of ink.
Inside the carriage, Luo Lan closed his eyes to rest while Elia carved apples into cute little rabbits for Clowie. Clowie herself sat with her chin resting in her hands. she stared out the window with a moody expression.
The snow outside had stopped.
She had spoken a total of seventeen sentences to Luo Lan today.
She had received fewer than twenty words in response.
Just as Luo Lan sighed helplessly and prepared to say something, a series of heavy vibrations suddenly thundered through the ground.
The shaking grew closer as if something were hammering the earth. Luo Lan and Elia exchanged a look and were about to check the situation when the carriage suddenly tilted violently to one side.
It wasn't a bump. It felt as if the carriage had been flipped from below by some massive force.
"Your Highness!"
Luo Lan reached out to pull Clowie into his arms. His fingertips brushed against her flying silver hair. However, Elia was faster. She thrust her left hand against Luo Lan's shoulder with lightning speed and shoved him out through the carriage window. She then grabbed Clowie securely and kicked off the tilting wall, leaping out of the shattered carriage like a bird.
Wood splinters and snow flew through the air. Luo Lan crashed through the window and hit the snow, rolling twice before stabilizing himself.
Elia's shove felt like it had been fueled by a bit of a personal grudge. Luo Lan looked up and saw her landing gracefully on the ground while holding Clowie. Her cold gaze was locked onto a shadow looming in the middle of the road.
The two carriages behind them screeched to a halt. The shouts of guards and the sound of drawing swords filled the air. Their own carriage was now a pile of broken debris, and the culprit lay right next to the wreckage.
It was a [Magic Bear]. Its body was covered in deep, bone-deep wounds, and dark red blood soaked into the snow. Its eyes were blood-shot, and a final, unwilling whimper rolled in its throat as it took its last breath.
"What's going on?"
Luo Lan grumbled as he stood up. He brushed the snow off his clothes and walked forward to confirm that the [Magic Bear] was indeed dead.
A moment later, the crisp sound of galloping hooves echoed from the distant forest.
A squad of knights emerged from the end of the road like a white tide. Their hooves crushed the snow and sent fine powder spraying into the air. The leader wore silver armor with an exquisite Iris crest engraved on the chest.
The knight's face turned pale the moment he saw the teetering Rufinias family crest on the carriage wreckage. He stumbled slightly as he dismounted.
"Please forgive our negligence," the knight said as he removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. He bowed his head. "This [Magic Bear] attacked our convoy. We were hunting it down, but we didn't expect it to break through our [Barrier] in its death throes and disturb your carriage. The Blanche family will take full responsibility for all damages."
"What did you say? Blanche?"
Clowie blinked in surprise. She subconsciously gripped Elia's sleeve and looked in the direction the knight had come from.
A carriage surrounded by knights stopped up ahead. The paint and gold leaf decorations on the vehicle announced the owner's high status, creating a sharp contrast with the mess on the ground.
A moment later, the carriage window was pushed open. A young girl peeked out.
Her long golden hair swayed in the breeze, and her amber eyes were clear. When she saw the stunned Clowie, her eyes curved into happy crescents. She smiled and waved her hand excitedly.
"Ophelia Blanche?" Clowie muttered. "Why... why are you here?"