Seila looked toward Relict, wanting to say something.
The silence outside was becoming increasingly unsettling. The streets were empty, the atmosphere strange, and every instinct in her body was warning her that something was wrong. Since the carriage had entered this route, she had not seen a single pedestrian or merchant. Even the noises that usually filled the streets of Abarrus had completely disappeared, leaving only the sounds produced by their own group.
However, before she could open her mouth, Relict simply raised one finger and gestured for her to remain silent.
Seila immediately stopped speaking.
At the same time, Relict lightly tapped the book resting on his lap and listened carefully to the surroundings. The carriage continued moving steadily through the street while the horses pulled forward without slowing down. Outside, the guards maintained their formation as though nothing unusual was happening.
Everything appeared normal.
Yet something was missing.
No footsteps.
No conversations.
No distant noises from merchants.
Nothing.
The silence itself felt unnatural.
Then suddenly—
"AAAAAHHH!"
A scream reverberated outside.
It was immediately followed by another, then another. The peaceful atmosphere shattered in an instant as the horses shrieked violently and panicked neighs erupted from outside the carriage. The sound of hooves scraping against stone echoed throughout the empty street, accompanied by frantic shouting from their escorts.
Before Seila could even process what was happening, several sharp impacts struck the carriage one after another.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The wooden walls trembled slightly as multiple arrows embedded themselves into the exterior.
"Enemy attack!"
A guard's desperate roar echoed outside.
Unfortunately, the warning lasted only for a brief moment before it was interrupted by a pained scream. Then silence followed.
The abrupt disappearance of the voice sent a chill through Seila's body.
Her instincts immediately took over.
"Young Master!"
She grabbed Relict's arm and attempted to pull him toward her.
"We need to get out—!"
Before she could finish speaking, Relict unexpectedly broke free from her grip. The next moment, his arms wrapped tightly around her body, causing Seila to freeze in confusion.
"What—"
"Cover your head."
His voice was calm and firm, carrying a tone that made hesitation impossible.
Although confused, Seila instinctively obeyed. She lowered her head and protected it with both arms.
The moment she did—
BOOOOM!
A tremendous force struck the right side of the carriage.
The entire vehicle violently lifted from the ground as wood splintered apart and metal groaned under the impact. Outside, the horses screamed in panic before the carriage rolled sideways, sending everything inside flying uncontrollably.
Books scattered across the cabin.
Furniture smashed against the walls.
The world spun around them.
Despite the violent movement, Relict never let go. His body remained wrapped around hers as the carriage finally crashed onto its left side with a deafening impact.
BOOM!
For several seconds, Seila could hear nothing but ringing inside her ears.
Her thoughts became muddled, her vision blurred, and even determining which direction was up felt difficult. The only thing she could clearly feel was the warmth surrounding her.
Then a familiar voice entered her ears.
"Seila."
Her eyes slowly focused.
"Seila."
The voice repeated itself.
This time she immediately recognized it.
"Y-Young Master..."
"Are you injured?"
His voice remained surprisingly calm despite their current situation.
Only then did Seila realize that he was still holding her.
The realization caused her to freeze momentarily, but the current circumstances quickly forced her thoughts back to reality.
"N-no, I'm fine."
Relict immediately released her.
"Good."
Without waiting for further confirmation, he shifted his attention toward their surroundings.
"The carriage fell on its left side."
Seila blinked.
It took her several moments before she understood what he meant. The left door was now pinned against the ground, completely blocking their usual exit route.
"The only way out is through the door above us," Relict continued.
Seila finally looked upward.
The right-side door had now become the ceiling.
Understanding immediately dawned on her.
Without hesitation, she pulled a dagger from her waist and tightened her grip.
"I'll open the door first. If they're waiting outside, I'll block their attacks. Young Master, stay behind me and wait for an opening."
However, Relict simply shook his head.
"Can't you feel the heat?"
Seila paused.
Only now did she realize how quickly the temperature inside the carriage was rising. The wooden walls surrounding them had become noticeably hotter, and faint traces of smoke were already beginning to enter through the cracks.
"The attackers are likely using flame arrows," Relict said as his eyes moved across the damaged interior. "The fire probably started the moment the attack began."
Seila's expression darkened.
Unfortunately, Relict was not finished.
"More importantly, they're also using poisoned arrows."
Poisoned arrows?
Seila frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Relict closed his eyes briefly before answering.
"The horses stopped moving almost immediately. The guards also died too quickly. During the entire attack, I never heard prolonged fighting."
His gaze shifted toward the damaged walls.
"Only screams."
"Then silence."
The realization struck Seila like a hammer.
He was right.
There had been no sounds of clashing weapons.
No prolonged battle.
No exchanges between guards and attackers.
Everything had ended almost instantly.
Which meant—
"They came fully prepared..." she whispered.
Relict nodded.
Silence fell between them.
The heat continued rising while smoke gradually entered the carriage. For the first time since the ambush began, Seila felt genuine hopelessness.
They were trapped.
The carriage was burning.
The attackers were waiting outside.
Most of their people were likely already dead.
Even if she managed to break out, countless arrows would immediately greet them.
The situation seemed impossible.
Yet strangely enough, Relict remained calm, as though none of this surprised him and as though he had already found a solution.
The thought made Seila instinctively look toward him.
At that exact moment, Relict extended his hand.
"Your dagger."
Seila blinked.
"My dagger?"
"Yes."
Although confused, she handed it over without question.
Relict accepted the weapon and immediately turned toward the scattered books littering the carriage floor.
"Gather the books."
"...The books?"
"All of them."
Seila stared at him for a second.
The heat continued rising.
Smoke thickened.
Yet her young master was asking for books.
She did not understand.
Not even slightly.
However, seeing his calm expression somehow made her feel calmer as well.
So she nodded.
"Understood."
Fortunately, despite the violent crash, the carriage remained spacious enough for movement. Although many of the furnishings had been overturned and scattered across the floor, neither of them had much difficulty moving around inside.
Seila immediately began gathering every book she could find and piled them beside Relict. Meanwhile, Relict took a few of Frisca's letters and hid them in his pockets. Then, he sat cross-legged near the stack and accepted each book without wasting time. The dagger moved swiftly through his hands as pages continuously fell away from their bindings one after another.
Slice.
Slice.
Slice.
His movements were smooth and precise, almost mechanical in their efficiency. Within mere seconds, dozens of pages had already been separated and added to the growing pile surrounding him.
At first, Seila paid little attention to what he was doing. However, as she continued bringing more books over, she gradually found herself staring.
She had never seen Aton use a dagger before.
Yet the way he handled it resembled someone who had practiced countless times. The blade danced effortlessly between his fingers, cutting through pages with remarkable accuracy. Not a single movement appeared unnecessary, nor did he hesitate even once.
One book after another quickly lost their contents.
Soon, hundreds of loose pages surrounded him.
The smoke continued thickening while the temperature inside the carriage rose steadily. Even breathing had started becoming uncomfortable as small embers occasionally drifted through the cracks between the wooden planks. The fire outside was clearly spreading, yet Relict continued his work without the slightest sign of urgency.
As Seila watched him calmly dismantle book after book amidst a burning carriage, she could not help but wonder what exactly he was planning to do with all those pages.
Fortunately, she did not need to wait long for an answer.
After few more minutes, Relict finally stopped cutting.
The books had been reduced to little more than empty covers while hundreds upon hundreds of loose pages covered the floor around him.
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Seila asked,
"What are you planning to do with those pages, Young Master?"
Relict gathered the scattered sheets together and stacked them neatly in his hands. The thick bundle resembled an oversized deck of cards.
"There is a high possibility that the moment we open the door, a rain of arrows will greet us."
Seila nodded.
That much was obvious.
The attackers had already demonstrated their willingness to use poison and fire. There was no reason to believe they would suddenly show restraint now.
"So?"
"We need a distraction."
Relict slightly raised the stack of pages.
"These should suffice."
Seila stared at the papers before her brows slowly furrowed.
The idea itself was not bad. Creating a distraction before escaping was undoubtedly necessary. However, there was one obvious problem.
"Young Master, arrows can pierce through paper."
She picked up the dagger from the floor and tightened her grip around its handle.
"After throwing the pages, we should immediately run away from the carriage and find cover. I'll stay behind and protect you while we retreat."
To her surprise, Relict looked at her strangely.
Then he sighed.
"I'm glad that you have so much confidence in my physical abilities."
"...Eh?"
"I don't think I can run that fast."
Seila froze.
Only then did she realize what she had just said.
Her face immediately turned red.
She had become so focused on finding a way out that she subconsciously treated him like a healthy person. In reality, his body was still recovering from years of illness and only recently escaped death itself.
"I-I apologize, Young Master. I forgot—"
Her words abruptly stopped midway.
A soft sensation brushed against her forehead.
Seila's body stiffened.
Relict's fingers gently moved aside a loose strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes. The action was so natural that for a brief moment, her mind completely stopped working.
She stared at him blankly.
Relict simply smiled.
"Don't feel sorry."
His voice remained calm and gentle.
"I know you're only thinking about my well-being."
For some reason, the already unbearable heat inside the carriage suddenly felt much hotter.
Before Seila could respond, Relict continued.
"Thank you for doing all this, Seila."
The faint smile remained on his face.
"I'm really happy to have you on my side."
For a brief moment, Seila completely forgot about the burning carriage surrounding them.
Her heart skipped.
Then skipped again.
A deep blush immediately spread across her face, though fortunately the smoke helped conceal part of it.
"You carry me."
Seila blinked.
"You focus on escaping."
He lifted the stack of pages slightly.
"I'll distract them."
"But the arrows—"
"They won't hit us."
His answer came without hesitation.
Not because of arrogance.
Not because of confidence.
Simply certainty.
Seila stared at him for several seconds.
Then she nodded.
"Understood."
Mostly because she desperately needed something else to focus on before her face became even redder.
Relict handed the pages to one arm while she approached. Without complaint, Seila bent down and carefully lifted him into a princess carry.
Despite being eighteen years old, Aton's body remained surprisingly light due to years of illness. Her left arm supported his back while her right hand maintained a reverse grip on the dagger, ready to react the moment danger appeared.
"Should we go now?" she asked.
Relict glanced toward the smoke gathering near the ceiling.
"Yes."
He nodded.
"We're already sweating because of the heat."
Then he looked at her.
"Though I don't mind."
Seila frowned.
"Why?"
A faint smile appeared on Relict's face.
"You still smell nice."
For a brief moment, she nearly dropped him.
"..."
Relict calmly looked away as though he had not said anything unusual.
Meanwhile, Seila simply rolled her eyes.
Her embarrassment gradually transformed into mild irritation, though she secretly felt relieved. At least now she understood that he was deliberately teasing her.
And somehow, despite their current situation, it was working.
The tension in her chest eased considerably.
Even amidst a life-and-death situation.
"You're becoming annoying, Young Master."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
...