"Why are we stopping?" Ava asks the coachman as she nervously grips her other palm.

"There seems to be a terrible accident ahead of us milady. A carriage has crashed into one of the trees nearby, and I am unable to maneuver the carriage around the fallen objects." The Coachman frankly describes the situation without realizing the wrong word of choice.

Ava, on the other hand, is too anxious to realize. She feels that something terrible is going to happen and starts blaming herself. Hearing the rumors and being at the scene has an entirely different feel to it.

If someone were to tell her that she is about to be attacked, she could bravely say up front that she would face it head on, but now that something similar is happening, Ava started shivering in fear.

"Milady, what's wrong? Are you afraid of the dark Milady?" Karen continues to smile as if enjoying the scene that is happening in front of her.

Ava feels bad that nobody except her knows that they are about to be attacked. Thus, she unexpectedly mutters out something.

"An a-a-attack... S-Save yourself..." Ava stutter as she couldn't believe that she tries to save someone that she hates.

The maid, Karen started frowning. She gives Ava a stare before getting out from the carriage.

'......She's running away leaving me behind?' Due to Ava mind being a frenzy, she starts to think negatively.

Connor is expecting Karen to run away into the forest, but things don't go the way he thinks. Connor jaws drop when Karen suddenly takes out a knife out from her inner thigh, and her expression turns grim.

'Is she an assassin?' Connor starts to be amused about Karen reveal.

Karen nods at the Coachman as he continues to push the various obstacle out of the way while being high alert for any incoming ambush.

The next thing that blows Connor mind is that both Karen and the Coachman seem to have their mouth moving, but he doesn't seem to hear anything. He even goes to the extent of putting his ears next to Karen's mouth. Unlike the others, he is unable to listen to the chants.

It didn't take long before the items are out in the way and allow the carriage to move without any risk of breaking its wheel. Karen shakes her head and gets inside the carriage.

Inside the carriage, Ava is still making her body as small as possible. She yelped upon seeing Karen getting up in the carriage which allows Karen to make fun of her once again.

Seeing Karen being healthy gives a sense of relief to Ava and let her guard down. Ava sighs as it might just be her imagination that she is in danger.

Connor being apathetic about the beings current predicament and is sitting on top of the carriage looking over the surrounding and express internally to himself, how creepy this place is.

It is still evening, but no light is to be seen, without the lanterns that are hung on the carriage, no one will be able to see anything pass five meters ahead of them. Funny enough, the kingdom allows it to happen as they didn't put up lanterns that won't be put off.

For goodness sake, there's magic in this world why don't they do that?

*Dthussshhhh

*Tiing

The carriage began to move but not too long after. A blast can be heard on the wooden door follow up by a sound of steel being hit.

"GO!! GO!!"

A scream can be heard after.

Connor first action is to look at his own body, to his surprise, he still exists. Looking through the carriage under him, he finds that the door to his left to be missing while Karen is currently looking at Ava seemingly confuse over what has just happened.

Karen's mouth started moving again, but this time he notices something different. The carriage has a protective shield over it at the same time the difference in speed is extraordinary.

'Now, that's what I would like to see.' Connor proceeds to lie down at the top of the carriage while thinking whether the choices that he has made is the right one.

~Meanwhile

Ava is feeling daze and is looking at her hands. She couldn't believe that she had survived the initial attack. The attack, blast the wooden door beside her away. That is how potent the offense was, and she manages to escape that?

Ava believes that the demon has something to do with saving her life. Perhaps Karen knows what had happened as she yells for the Coachman to move a second after the carriage got ambushed.

Though currently, Karen seems to be staring at Ava weirdly which creeps her out.

"Milady, we have arrived." Karen turns towards the confuse Ava and signal her to get down from the carriage.

Connor shrugs his shoulder as it seems that the situation is not dire enough for him to make Ava use the inferior blink that he had purchased. Nonetheless, he still needs to make sure Ava knows of her power as the rune of protection doesn't necessarily save her.

'How long more before Ava can use rune of protection I?'

Rune of protection I is currently on cooldown - 23 hours and 42 minutes left before it can be used once more.

Upon stepping inside the house, a translucent window appears.

Congratulation, you have completed the quest - Ava Philip would have to reach her house within twenty-four hours. You have gain 50 creation point

'Only fifty? Well, it can't be helped there's not much fighting going on.'

Ava walked inside her room and slowly close the door.

"Demon, tell me. Did you save me?" Ava looked down as she converses with the demon.

'....She's too naive.'

[As a result of your stupidity, you receive a near death experience. How do you like it?]

There is a slight pause before she starts to break down at the same time, reaching her room allows her to release the tension thus to her relief she starts to cry unconsciously.

"I hate it... I HATE it... Sob* Sob*."

Ava hid in a corner and started crying. Once again making herself small she started shivering.

Conner facepalmed himself as he starts to question Ava intelligence. Will this happen to those that don't go out from their comfort zone once in a while? Or fear is the reason that overwhelmed her till she is unable to think straight.

Knock*

A sudden knock interrupts Ava thoughts.

"Milady, the master would like to speak to you at the dining room." Karen's voice resounded within Ava room.

Snapping back to reality, Ava realizes it is the opportunity she's been waiting. If her father knows about her change, he might cancel his decision to force Ava to marry Nigel.

"I'll be out in a minute." Ava wipes her tears off from her eyes and changes her clothes.

[For listening to my command I have given you some abilities. Three in fact.]

"What is it?"

[Inferior blink - The ability to appear in a location within a maximum distance of twenty meters but it have a cooldown period of six hours. Restriction of only one person.]

[Next is basic nature II - The ability to interact with flora to a small extent and be able to feel the feelings of flora around.]

[Last but not least is the one that had saved you, rune of protection I - The ability to nullify physical or magical power once with a strength of spirit commander and below. Cooldown period of twenty-four hours.]

"Demon, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ava starts to feel angry. If she had known about her ability, she wouldn't have yelp or scream in terror. Most of the scream is internally, but this may have helped her avoid being made fun of by Karen.

[You're saying your reputation is far much important than your life.]

"Equally important, you don't understand demon. If people know that I the peerless genius, is a noncontractor, my life would be meaningless."

"Milady? Is anyone inside with you?"

Ava opened the door and revealed that there isn't anyone inside. Karen did not believe her and proceeded inside the room, and as usual, Connor sees Karen mouth moving, but he is unable to hear anything.

'What happens to language comprehension? Is there something blocking, not to allow me to hear the conversation?'

It took about a few seconds before Karen turn around and stare at Ava weirdly.

"Come on Milady. You are late." Karen decided to let her suspicions go and told Ava to walk on ahead.

Since Ava walks on ahead, Karen turns her head towards Ava room. Her intuition is saying that something is following them, but she can't seem to pick up any scent.

At the same time, Connor put his face close to Karen. It didn't bother him much as no one can see him but if they do, he gladly accepts it.

~ At the same time

A platoon of soldiers is out investigating the crashed carriage.

"High chance of them getting killed by two separate groups." The man in charge states his opinion after seeing the dismemberment done to the humans inside the carriage.

A few of the newbie soldiers started puking after seeing the horrors. Within the crashed carriage a man is seen left with his top while his bottom is nowhere to be found. His insides splattered all over the place.

Nearby a nude woman is holding on a decapitated head of a young girl. The child's eyes are still wide open, and her expression of fear and surprise show that they might have gotten ambushed. The woman, on the other hand, appears to be rape viciously and her cause of death, bloodloss.

The body of the young girl is also missing at the scene of the crime while there's a blood trail heading up to the forest ahead of them.

"Sir, we manage to get their identity down." A pale young soldier comes up to the person in charge.

"Give me a brief report." The man reply as he is still examining the scene.

"Their identification cards show that they are from Roukitz village and from the amount of luggage they have, it seems that they are coming to our kingdom either for a short vacation or to sell items for a living." The inexperienced young man says out his opinion while being uncertain about it.

"Get two more soldiers to accompany you to Roukitz village to inform about their death and get your facts right. You are to report to me three days from now, gather your things. If no one volunteer to follow, you tell them I will make all of them follow."

"Right away sir!" The soldier hurried off to his other platoon mates.

"Joseph, you sure this is not done by common bandits? The claw marks and the missing body part is surely by the wolves around this region."

"I'm sure. It is too coincidental. We got ambushed, while I was fetching the general daughter back home."

Joseph, disguise as a Coachman to protect Ava from harm, is a knight. Expected of a household of a noble, Harry wouldn't hire ordinary peasants within his home.

"What!?"

"We are fortunate to get away alive as the power used to blast my carriage door is of commander level."

"D-Did...Did she die?"

"No."

"Huh?"

"Don't ask, I am as clueless as you. I don't think I should be known about this. Things are different now, don't let your guard down. Someone out there is seeking to bring the general down."

"Perhaps, it is the first time there's such incident within our kingdom."

"Now, help me clean up the mess. It is unfortunate, but I don't think giving the family a proper burial would even appease their spirits."

"I suppose so."

Two of them starts chanting.

"Scent removal."

As he mutters the word, the smell of blood disappears. The person next to him follows up.

"Firewall, destroy everything in your path."

"Barrier, prevent the fire and smoke to be released out."

The surrounding started burning, and it is controlled not to spread to anywhere else. As it burns, Joseph blocks the heat and smoke from going out.

Their job is about to end, but something happens. The fire morphs into an angry face with tears of fire flowing out of the eyes.

"AVENGE US!" The spirit screams before it disappears along with all of the objects and bodies, leaving behind ashes and scorch marks on the ground.

"It would be grateful if they give us a head's up on who is the culprit."

"Joseph, don't be rude, it is unfortunate enough for them."

"Excuses, you're afraid of them. Now let's go back."

"......Sigh alright. I'm curious though. I hope Karen could enlighten us on what transpired inside the carriage."

"Don't you ever learn? Some things are best to leave it alone." Joseph shakes his head while sighing.