Chapter 326

The coachman leading the procession slowly opened his eyes. Thick leaves loomed overhead, casting a shadow over him. It felt as if time itself had frozen.

If we stop, we live—but if we don’t, we die?

That made no sense.

He was well aware of the carriages tailing closely behind. If he suddenly halted here, a chain collision would be inevitable—and as the one at the front, he’d be crushed without a doubt. Though the mysterious boy had warned him, reason told him that pressing forward without stopping was the only way to survive.

Absinthe-colored eyes caught the sunlight and sparkled. The moment they locked with the boy’s gaze, the slow-moving world snapped back into motion, as if commanded by an unseen conductor.

“What the hell is this guy thinking?! What are you doing?!”

Crash! Thud!

Unconsciously, the coachman must have loosened his grip on the reins. The commander roughly shoved the coachman’s shoulder and shouted, prompting the man to reflexively pull the reins tighter.

“Move to the side! Get out of the way!”

The carriage veered left and right, dodging the rising earth beneath them. The gatehouse came back into view. Far off, a massive red flag fluttered—a signal to stop, a sign that the border would not open.

Bwooooo—

The sound of water buffalo horn trumpets echoed from all directions, and the uneven ground caused the carriages to sway. Yet, despite the chaos, they refused to slow down.

Ian furrowed his brow and gestured firmly, as if warning them not to cross a certain line.

Crash!

“Ahhh!”

“Help! Somebody save me!”

Following Ian’s gesture, the earth cracked open. Where the World Tree should have stood, a cliff had suddenly formed, swallowing the carriage whole.

The coachmen’s screams tore through the air as the ground split with a thunderous roar. Those behind, startled, hastily turned their horses around.

Screeeech!

Like snakes slithering up their ankles, the branches of the World Tree instantly wrapped around the carriage wheels, gripping them tightly. The horses caught in the branches stumbled helplessly. Everything collapsed into utter chaos.

“Hah, hah…”

The survivors gasped for breath, barely aware that their bodies were tightly bound by the twisting branches.

The earth slowly began to close. What fate awaited those who had fallen inside was beyond imagining. This was the true threshold of death—once crossed, there was no turning back.

Tap.

Ian landed lightly and scanned the area. Most of the carriages were disabled, and there were quite a few injured.

Where was the carriage carrying Prince Noah? Ian pondered briefly before spotting Beric standing tall in the distance, grinning foolishly as Mei grabbed him by the collar.

“You reckless fool! Violent thug! Idiot! Go drink some gutter water! You almost got the prince killed!”

“Hahaha. Your insults are so refined, they don’t even sting. Maybe if you’d stopped earlier, things would’ve gone better?”

“You, you, street rat!”

“You, you, streeeet rat!”

“Don’t copy me! You—!”

Mei’s anger boiled over as she shook Beric’s collar mercilessly.

Meanwhile, the mages had also descended to the ground, gathering nearby. Given the tense situation, everyone was on high alert, ready for a fight. Balsabe held his sword tightly, checking the positions of the guards.

But Ian shook his head, signaling them to stand down. This was still Bariel’s territory. If Klipford responded with force, it would spiral into an uncontrollable quagmire. The situation was precarious, and Prince Noah had only one viable option.

“Sir Ian, what’s going on here?”

“Prince Noah, are you unharmed?”

Everyone had focused on protecting the prince’s carriage, so it remained relatively intact. Noah brushed the dust off himself, clearly displeased. His brow was deeply furrowed as he gestured angrily and raised his voice.

“Is this how Bariel sends off guests? Truly impressive. Such grandeur beyond my comprehension. Praised as a VIP in front, yet treated like this behind my back. Hah!”

“We apologize, but we did our best. You sped off like a thief with cold feet the moment you saw us. What else could we do?”

“Klipford is just ahead. It’s the joy of returning home. What nonsense are you spouting?”

A blatant denial. They claimed ignorance of the mages’ presence and insisted they were simply continuing on their way. Beric, listening nearby, crossed his arms and made an X with his fingers in protest.

“Ian, that’s a lie. I told them to stop, and the prince heard it too. Really, really.”

“We were attacked suddenly—how could we stop? Do you even understand the situation? Anyway, Sir Ian, the damage to the carriages is severe. We will file an official complaint. I had hoped Bariel and Klipford could forge a new bond, but this is absurd. Why? Are you trying to kill me right here?”

Noah’s face was set in a fierce scowl as he issued a warning. Everyone immediately raised their guard. Ian crossed his arms and lifted his chin.

“Trying to kill you? Please refrain from such extreme accusations.”

“Extreme? That’s what you call the mess you caused!”

“Let me ask you something. On your way south, were you attacked?”

“Attacked? Yes. Just now.”

Prince Noah shook his head as if there was nothing more to say. Ian slowly circled the prince’s carriage, his steps followed nervously by Noah and Mei’s glances.

“We suspected that Klipford might have been ambushed. So we came to assess the situation out of concern.”

Ian inspected the cargo carriage. The goods were in disarray, but it looked much the same as when they left the palace.

“However, based on your refusal to stop and your speeding up upon seeing us, we concluded that the Klipford carriage might have been hijacked by assailants.”

“That’s nonsense. When did you tell us to stop?”

“We did. Didn’t you hear? Clearly, there was a communication problem.”

Did they? Beric scratched his chin in confusion, then realized he himself had been the signal. More importantly, the flag fluttering at the gatehouse and the fading sound of the water buffalo horns indicated the border guards were approaching.

“Hah!”

Prince Noah crossed his arms and blocked Ian’s path, as if exasperated. He was trying to prevent Ian from looking inside the cargo carriage.

How cute. Ian smiled faintly and stepped aside, prompting Noah to quickly follow.

“Once we cross that point, we’ll reach the Klipford gatehouse. Since I’ve confirmed my safety, please step aside. I want to hurry back and report this incident.”

“Prince Noah.”

Though his eyes were narrow and his pupils hard to read, Ian didn’t look away as he spoke.

“What happened?”

“Silence is best when asked by someone who’s already decided the answer.”

“Be precise. What exactly is blocking you, Prince Noah? There’s no problem yet between Bariel and Klipford. I’m just a mere minister among many departments. The person you need to face is in the palace.”

It was an invitation to share secrets and seek cooperation. Depending on how he reported to the palace, many options could open up.

Noah was silent for a moment, then turned his head.

‘I’m almost certain now.’

The fact that the palace’s power players had brought mages here probably meant things were already doomed. Ah, if only I had left earlier yesterday. I would have crossed the border by now.

As Noah’s thoughts tangled, a smile crept onto Ian’s face. Instead of focusing on Noah, he watched Mei, who stood a step back.

Slide.

‘The mages…’

Thinking Ian was focused on Noah, Mei relaxed slightly and observed the mages, trying to gauge if any familiar faces were among them.

Ian nodded to Beric and ordered him to search the cargo carriage.

“Beric, open every box here.”

“Okay, okay.”

Beric dashed into the carriage, tearing open whatever he could find. The mess spilled out onto the ground. Prince Noah rubbed his head and protested again.

“Sir Ian, this is excessive. I won’t tolerate being treated like a smuggler.”

“Oh, Prince, smuggling might be preferable. Would you like to see the jewels entrusted by the Crown Prince?”

Both the prince and Mei hesitated. ‘Just as I thought,’ Ian must have known everything about that troublesome mage.

Noah bit his lip awkwardly, and Mei stepped forward.

“The jewels weren’t loaded onto the carriage. Given the situation, they can only be retrieved after the carriage is secured. But before that, please explain why you’re searching for them. We can’t hand them over without knowing your purpose. You never know what might happen.”

Mei’s words implied suspicion that Ian was scheming behind the palace’s back to seize the jewels. The mages nearby bristled and retorted.

“We are an official investigation team summoned by the Grand Assembly. Mei, watch your words. If you hadn’t acted suspiciously, this whole incident could have been avoided.”

“Suspicious?!”

As tensions flared again, Ian and Noah both raised their hands to calm their subordinates. Beric, having finished his search, shook his head as if to say there was nothing of note.

“Ian, are you still going to press on?”

“That’s enough. The jewel is elsewhere, they say. And Mei, please excuse me. It seems you’ve been looking for someone all this time.”

“Looking for someone? I’m not sure who you mean…”

“There are two more mages near the gatehouse—Otric and Fillic.”

When Ian named them so precisely, the mages sensed something. Hadn’t Ian been cold toward Fillic from the start? They’d been pretending not to notice, eyes closed and ears blocked, but by now they’d caught on.

“…Ian. Fillic, that bastard.”

“Is that so? Don’t just think it—tell me outright. Damn it all.”

They were connected to this whole mess.

There had been some kind of contact with Clifford.

When the mages pressed, Ian just shook his head, deflecting the question.

“I came here to find out the details myself. If you want answers, you’ll have to ask the prince.”

All eyes turned to Noah, who ran a hand through his hair in resignation. A heavy sigh escaped him.

Mei clenched her fists and stepped in front of the prince, shielding him.

“Why are you all looking at him like that?”

“Time’s ticking. If you don’t speak up soon, I’ll have no choice but to file a preliminary report.”

The situation was clear enough. Once this went on record at the palace, the alliance between Bariel and Clifford would be completely shattered.

Hostilities justified by principle would erupt, and Clifford would bear the full brunt. After all, they’d cut ties with Vargas’s faction. It was as if every rope binding them had been severed.

“Sir Ian.”

Noah called quietly after calculating his next move.

“Let’s step aside for a moment.”

“Of course. As you wish.”

“And just so you know, I expect you to acknowledge the damage caused by attacking Clifford like this.”

It was a subtle way of saying, “Let’s understand each other and move on.” As the two distanced themselves from the tense crowd, Noah leaned in and whispered.

“Alright. I’ll be honest with you. The jewel isn’t here.”

“I thought as much.”

“You don’t get told you’re unlucky sometimes?”

“Maybe. I don’t know what they say behind my back, but not to my face.”

The more Ian smiled, the more Noah’s expression crumpled. Just as he was about to reveal everything—

Boom! Bang!

An explosion echoed from the gatehouse. The unmistakable trace of magic.

Everyone turned, startled. Noah’s eyes gleamed, hoping this might be the turning point. But Ian tapped the prince’s shoulder gently.

“Your Highness.”

Fillic’s magic reserves were depleted. So who else could have done it?

It was Otric, acting on Ian’s orders.

“Suppress Fillic without mercy if he acts suspiciously.”

“Dreams are for the dead to have.”