The Guild escort advanced steadily along the King's Road.
Unlike ordinary roads that wound through forests and villages...
The King's Road was broad enough for four wagons to travel side by side.
Its stone foundation had been laid centuries ago by the Gardenia Empire.
Every few kilometers stood a stone marker engraved with the imperial crest and the remaining distance to the next town.
For the first time...
Kieran truly appreciated the scale of an Empire.
---
"Maintain formation!"
Darius' voice echoed from the front.
"The forest on both sides is home to Magical Beasts."
"Do not wander off without permission."
Most of the applicants nodded obediently.
A few looked unconcerned.
One even scoffed.
"It's just a forest."
Kieran silently looked toward the dense woods.
No...
It wasn't "just a forest."
He could already hear creatures moving far beyond the trees.
Some large.
Some small.
Some hunting.
Some hiding.
Life existed everywhere.
---
By midday, the caravan paused beside a clear stream.
The Wanderers immediately divided their duties.
Some prepared food.
Some checked the wagons.
Others patrolled the surroundings.
Everything happened with practiced efficiency.
The Academy applicants, however...
Were left to themselves.
Within minutes, several groups had naturally formed.
The noble youths gathered together.
Independent cultivators exchanged stories.
Others quietly ate alone.
---
Mira waved enthusiastically.
"Kieran!"
"Over here!"
He walked over carrying his simple meal.
Already seated beside her was the quiet spear user from the previous day.
He gave Kieran a brief nod.
"My name is Ronan."
"Kieran."
The two exchanged greetings before silence settled over them.
Mira sighed dramatically.
"You two really don't talk much."
Ronan calmly replied,
"Talking while eating is inefficient."
Mira stared at him.
"...You sound like my grandfather."
For the first time...
A faint smile appeared on Ronan's face.
---
Nearby...
The girl who loved books sat beneath another tree.
This time...
She wasn't reading.
Instead, she carefully sketched strange symbols into a notebook.
Kieran found himself watching from a distance.
She suddenly looked up.
"You've been observing me."
It wasn't an accusation.
Merely an observation.
Kieran nodded honestly.
"I was curious."
She studied him for several moments before closing her notebook.
"I'm Selene."
"Kieran."
Her gaze drifted toward his plain sword.
"You aren't a cultivator."
"No."
"But you carry yourself like one."
Kieran smiled faintly.
"My family believed discipline should come before power."
Selene considered his answer.
"...I agree."
With that...
She returned to her notebook.
Although the conversation had been brief...
It left an impression on both of them.
---
Later that afternoon...
The caravan entered a narrow valley.
Towering cliffs rose on both sides.
Darius raised his hand.
"Stay alert."
Even Old Mountain, the giant bear, lifted his head.
His nose twitched repeatedly.
The elderly Beast Tamer frowned.
"Something's wrong."
---
A sudden cry echoed overhead.
Everyone looked up.
Circling high above the cliffs...
Were dozens of enormous hawks.
Each possessed feathers streaked with pale blue.
Their wings shimmered faintly with Magna.
"Sky Talons..."
One Wanderer muttered.
"They usually don't fly this low."
The birds weren't attacking.
They simply circled.
Again.
And again.
As if warning something below.
---
Kieran frowned.
"No..."
"They're fleeing."
His quiet voice reached Ronan and Selene.
"What do you mean?"
Selene asked.
Kieran pointed upward.
"Their formation."
"They aren't hunting."
"They're abandoning the cliffs."
Before anyone could respond...
The ground trembled.
Once.
Then again.
Boom...
Boom...
Boom...
Darius' expression changed instantly.
"Everyone!"
"Move the caravan!"
"Now!"
---
The trembling grew stronger.
Pebbles rolled down the cliffs.
Birds exploded from the treetops.
Even Old Mountain let out a deep growl.
Then...
From deep within the valley...
A colossal roar shook the earth.
ROOOOOAAARRR!!
Several Academy applicants turned pale.
One girl nearly collapsed.
Ronan instinctively gripped his spear.
Selene clutched her notebook tightly.
Mira whispered,
"What..."
"...was that?"
Darius drew his sword.
His face had become unusually serious.
"An Earthshaker."
Several experienced Wanderers inhaled sharply.
One murmured,
"It shouldn't be here..."
"The nearest Earthshaker territory is hundreds of kilometers away."
---
Hidden among the distant trees...
The Nine-Tailed White Fox slowly opened its eyes.
Its golden gaze fixed upon the valley ahead.
For the first time since leaving the Hidden Valley...
Its expression became solemn.
The creature approaching...
Was no ordinary Magical Beast.
It had crossed into territory where it did not belong.
Which meant only one thing.
Something...
Had driven it away from its own home.
The fox quietly stood.
Not to fight.
Not yet.
But to watch.
Because instincts older than memory whispered that this encounter...
Was only the beginning of far greater changes spreading across the Melika Realm.
End of Chapter 59