The horses pulled Sol’s carriage along a common trail. Rather than use the high quality trails nobles typically elected for, Sol utilized the new roads Iridescent constructed. Though the roads were incomplete and at most extended just outside of Arcgate territory, utilizing them would save Sol time and alleviate the pain of the bouncing carriage for at least the first half of her journey.

The carriage curtains were drawn to the side and her gaze drifted between the traversing scenery and the board game situated between herself and An. One could judge the victor and loser at first glance as An’s face contorted further and deeper as he looked at the pieces spread across the board. It was clear his territory was backpedaling and his options suppressed. An couldn’t help but take measuring glances at the distracted 9 year old before releasing an internal sigh.

He swiped the board, setting all pieces into a bag dangling from the edge of the it. His actions drew Sol’s attention for only a moment before she returned her attention outside the carriage.

“Is the scenery that interesting?”

“No, but it’s more entertaining than repeatedly besting a cross dresser in such a simple game…”

An felt a spark of anger at the comment. Wasn’t he doing this for her? Did she think he liked to cross dress? Are preferences like this normal? Could she not give him some leeway? For a moment, he lost control of himself and jabbed out.

“Hey! Aren’t you being a little too mean to me right now? Insulting your friends! Holding grudges over them! Snubbing them at any opportunity! Aren’t you being full of yourself right now?”

Sol blinked a few times after finally registering the comment. Those black eyes of her’s turned confused for a moment before clarity overtook them moments later. The realization left her at a loss for words.

“An, have you seriously not noticed?”

Her eyes darted outside once more as if to signal the disgruntled maid. Though his anger had yet to fade, An directed his attention outside as well. The scenery was traversing as it should be. Nothing seemed out of place. His gaze returned onto the little girl once more before he realized something. His attention once more extended outside the carriage however this time, his mind halted.

Since when were we surrounded? An wasn’t sure how to explain the situation. His eyes drifted to the game board settled beside him. Had he been too focused and lost track of the surroundings? His attention then returned to Sol in disbelief.

Then this girl had the luxury to remain attentive? He coughed once before putting out that flame from earlier. No wonder the lady was so angry, her guard was useless. How embarrassing.

“Ahem… Right… About that… How long have they been following us? I might have been a bit… distracted.”

“Oh, no worries Ms. Ann. This Lady will do her best to protect you. Luckily, we’ve only been surrounded for 4 hours.”

Although her voice held some resentment, Sol dismissed her pettiness a moment after before turning solem. She couldn’t figure out the motives behind whoever sent the force after her. King and Queen Blonsall wouldn’t attempt anything on her this close to the banquet. Their goal is most likely to pull her into their Royal family. By those measures, 1st and 4th Prince shouldn’t attempt anything outside of their sphere of influence.

“An, do you have any means to extract information from an enemy?”

“I do. Should I?”

“Yes. We need to know who’s fishing in troubled waters.”

An agreed with Sol’s course of action. Iridescent itself certainly has a large number of enemies just from its very nature as a conglomerate. Beyond doubt, many organizations have been stomped under its foot during expansion.

Although Sol absorbed most businesses with fair methods, there would always be those who held a grudge. If the group wasn’t related to Iridescent, then the matter was even more concerning as it likely involved political disputes.

An readied himself to leave the carriage before grinding to a halt at the door. A moment of confusion passed through him. He detected the men chasing them using his spirit, however how’d this powerless girl manage it?

“Hey Sol… How’d you know we were surrounded?”

The question took Sol by surprise for a moment. Her eyes hollowed momentarily as if at a loss of how herself. Finally, she shrugged her shoulders.

“Would you believe it if I told you I just somehow knew? It started as a feeling and after I observed long enough, I started finding traces of scouts.”

“I believe you.”

Leaving those words behind with a stunned Sol, An slid the carriage door open and leaped from the moving vehicle. His wig caught the wind and blew strands of its black hair around him and his dress flapped wildly in the wind as he launched himself into the distance.

Sol watched his figure flicker from her view. She had a hard time describing the strange emotions plaguing her right now. She had long known that An was unusual, however it was her first time seeing his unusual physique.

The man nearly disappeared from her view the moment he landed on the ground. This was a moving carriage, after all… Who wouldn’t be surprised? Despite the discovery, Sol somehow remained calm as she fixed the carriage door back in place. This unusual calmness is what confused Sol. Why was she calm right now? Is this normal?

While Sol reflected on her changes once again, An continued his acceleration to the group following in the distance. His mind repeated the answer Sol gave him. Was her transformation accelerating or had she started touching the boundary subconsciously? It was certainly possible.

Noone was more clear about Sol’s situation than himself. He’d been watching her body corrode and convert itself for years now from a distance and up close. If someone were to tell him he found the wrong person, he’d never believe them. Perhaps it was time to start teaching her a bit?

Thoughts of Sol and her situation cranked through his mind as he sped along. Despite that minor distraction, he remained focused on the enlarging spots in the distance. It took him only a moment to cover the remaining distance whereupon his hand collided with one of the men on horseback.

Without any chance of resistance and taken completely by surprise, a loud crack resounded as the man’s neck snapped and was torn from its body. His remaining corpse tumbled from the back of the horse sending the animal into a frantic sprint.

An used the man to help slow his momentum down, however he hadn’t expected the man to be so weak. He stared at the head grasped in his hand in a moment of disbelief before tossing it away like a dirty object. His attention turned to the few dozen men in front of him.

Fear washed their faces and their sights darted between the battered corpse and An. It’d be a surprise if any of the men actually understood what just happened, yet what was more surprising was the immediate response from their leader.

“Silas, Joel! Kill her! Eric, Demonte! Get the girl!”

The men didn’t hesitate and broke into two groups with a pair staying behind for him and another taking off once more after Sol. The reaction peeked An’s curiosity and also gave him a foreboding feeling.

These men were fearful of him, however it was clear they weren't all that surprised. The implications of that drove a solemn look across An’s face. He accelerated once more towards the nearest man. Swords were drawn against him, however An’s agility exceeded the dynamic tracking ability of the average human.

He easily dodged the initial swing of the man, grabbing his sword hand the moment it passed by and tugging him from the back of the horse. A swift movement later and the man was knocked unconscious to the ground.

Arrows mid flight slid past An as he turned to the side. His spiritual awareness had long since encompassed this small battlefield. Normal Humans like these could only dream of being a threat to him. His feet kicked off once more aiming for the next target.

While An entangled himself with the small unit, two dozen men atop horses were closing in on Sol’s carriage. Despite her weakness, Sol could sense the danger approaching. Her carriage door opened once more and her petite head snuck a glance outside. Her heart skipped a beat at the distant dust cloud growing in size.

Her gaze flickered in thought as she took in the assets around her. Her father sent a group of men to protect her, however she felt an irrefutable belief in that sense of danger. It was likely these men weren’t the opponents of the men approaching.