They were on the road for several hours.
The rhythmic clatter of the carriage wheels over dirt had beco almost soothing, blending with the distant hum of the wilds.
During this ti, Azel and Gero had conversed freely with Lorraine pitching in at tis, they had beco comfortable with him.
The older man was far more talkative than Azel initially expected, and their discussion spanned everything from trade routes to hunting practices in the western continent.
Despite being a player of the ga, Azel realized just how limited his knowledge of the world actually was.
The ga never truly delved into the politics or culture of the other empires — it had only ever shown enough to create settings for battles and tragedy.
But now, hearing Gero speak with such vivid detail, Azel realized how shallow his prior understanding had been.
All he’d ever known for certain was the end result: calamities forcing humanity to its knees. Entire cities crumbling, empires collapsing. By the ti the ga reached its conclusion, there were barely enough humans left to fill one empire.
Monsters prowled the ruins freely, and whatever semblance of rulership had once existed was long gone.
He rembered vividly, Reinhardt — supposedly the main protagonist and humanity’s "savior" lacked any form of leadership.
His raw strength had been undeniable, but in the vacuum left by crumbled thrones and broken armies, it was useless.
Even though the ga ended with a win, Azel was totally sure that Humanity ended afterwards.
But he was here now.
And he wasn’t going to let it happen again.
Learning about the empires was a necessity if he was going to act differently.
According to Gero, the Aegis Empire — the western continent was a land where livestock thrived in abundance. Despite the political tensions between the empires, trade was surprisingly common.
Starbloom, his current holand, specialized in mineral wealth. They mined ores and refined tals that were exported for weapons and tools.
In return, Aegis supplied livestock — cattle, poultry, even monster-bred at.
It was the only place in the world where dosticated livestock like chickens, goats, and fish existed in large numbers thanks to their vast plains and controlled ranching practices.
Then there was the Teron Empire. It was industrial in focus, ho to craftspeople and artisans.
They exported rare fabrics, exotic spices, engineered tools, and alchemical concoctions.
But they had a notorious rivalry with Starbloom — old wars, ancient blood debts. Teron was the sa empire that had sought Naelia’s bloodline for twisted experintation, centing them as one of Starbloom’s greatest enemies in the ga.
Finally, there was the Celestia Empire, nestled at the very center of the world.
Celestia didn’t trade, but they welcod travelers — if one could pass their stringent requirents.
It was an elven kingdom, pristine and untarnished. Humans were tolerated there, but elves still regarded them with thinly veiled disdain.
"It’s said the World Tree grows there," Gero had said reverently. "They say being near it clears your mind, purifies your spirit. Like standing before the gods themselves."
Azel had stiffened at those words.
He rembered the World Tree arc vividly — a pivotal side mission in the ga. In that arc, calamity struck once more, endangering the tree and devastating the elves.
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to focus.
He rested his chin against his hand, deep in thought, anger quietly simring at the edges of his mind as the bitter mories of the ga’s story surfaced.
So many wasted lives.
So much loss.
The developers had designed a dead end from the very beginning.
It was annoying.
Suddenly, Gero’s voice broke through his thoughts.
"It’s strange," the older man murmured, his tone shifting. His calloused hands tightened around the reins as his eyes scanned the horizon. "We should have run into bandits by now."
Azel blinked.
He knew that part.
Bandits were notorious along this stretch of road — their base was tucked deep in the woods nearby.
Even from his knowledge of the ga, this was the most dangerous leg of travel between Deymoor and Starbloom City.
Gero glanced over his shoulder, brows furrowing.
"We were ambushed the first ti we traveled this road," he said lowly. "And other travelers always warn about them. This silence doesn’t sit right."
"Father!" Lorraine suddenly shouted, her voice sharp and alert. "It’s cloaking magic!"
Azel’s head snapped up.
The air shimred ahead of them, the faintest distortion like heat waves bending light. His sharp eyes narrowed.
Then, in an instant, the illusion shattered.
A brilliant flare lit the path ahead, and multiple searing fireballs materialized out of thin air, hurtling toward the carriage in rapid succession.
Lorraine reacted instantly. Her crimson eyes glowed, shifting into an ethereal shade of azure as her hands whipped through an intricate sigil mid-air.
A radiant blue barrier surged outward, slamming into place just as the fireballs struck.
BOOM!
The force rattled the entire carriage, cracks spider-webbing across the glowing shield.
Lorraine’s jaw clenched, sweat beading her brow from the sheer force of the spell she was holding at bay.
A familiar chi rang in Azel’s ears.
[Urgent Quest Detected]
[Protect the Sub-Heroine and Her Father]
[Rewards]
[System Shop Feature]
[100 Fate Points]
[5x Fate Tickets]
[Number of Enemies: 20/20]
Azel exhaled slowly, his silver hair fluttering faintly in the stirred air.
He stood. "I’ll deal with it."
Gero twisted around, eyes wide. "What? No — sir, you paid for protection. It’s our job to—"
Azel cut him off with a sharp look and a faint smirk. "We’re friends, aren’t we? I’m not about to sit here while I’ve got more than enough strength to handle this."
His words left no room for argunt.
He stepped down from the carriage, his boots crunching against the dirt.
Lorraine’s voice stuttered behind him. "W-Wait! Sir Azel!"
He glanced back over his shoulder.
She was already moving her hands, weaving a quick spell.
"Let cast a strengthening charm!"
Her palms ca together, glowing brilliantly.
A warm wave of mana surged outward, washing over him. Power blood in his limbs, he could feel his body growing stronger even without any aura.
Azel flexed his fingers around the hilt of his sword, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks."
He turned back to the road.
The bandits erged from the treeline on horseback, twenty in all. Their mages lingered in the rear while the front line charged forward, steel flashing.
The ground trembled faintly beneath the oncoming stampede.
"Twenty for three travelers?" Azel muttered, scoffing. "Bit much, isn’t it?"
His fingers tightened around his blade.
"Thanks for the birthday gift."
And then —
Azel vanished.
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