The West Hollow route curved through a shallow valley where the trees grew thin and crooked. The dirt road cut between low stone ridges and patches of scrub grass. It was quieter than the forest path from the day before, but not completely safe.
The merchant's cart creaked slowly behind them.
Kael walked ahead with the hammer resting across his shoulder.
Alex kept to the side of the road, eyes scanning the brush.
A rustling sound came from the slope to their right.
Three creatures burst out from the grass.
Lean bodies. Long limbs. Grey fur stretched tight over narrow ribs.
Grave Hounds.
Their jaws hung open as they charged.
Kael stepped forward first.
The hammer swung in a short arc.
Steel struck bone with a dull crack.
The first hound collapsed instantly.
The second lunged past him.
Alex moved.
His katana flashed across the creature's neck.
The strike lacked power but forced the beast to recoil. It staggered, trying to regain balance.
Kael stepped in and finished it with a downward blow.
The third hound circled toward the cart.
Alex shifted his stance.
The illusion technique flickered briefly through his Qi.
The hound hesitated.
For a moment the road seemed to shift slightly to the left.
The beast lunged forward angled slightly wrong.
Alex stepped in from the side.
His blade cut across the creature's flank.
Kael's hammer followed immediately after.
The body hit the dirt.
Silence returned to the valley.
Kael wiped blood from the hammer's head against the grass.
"Grave Hounds usually hunt in larger packs."
"They must have been trailing something," Alex said.
The merchant peeked nervously over the side of the cart.
"They're gone… right?"
"For now," Kael answered.
The journey continued.
Two more monster encounters followed before the valley opened into a wider trade road.
None of them posed serious trouble.
Kael crushed anything that came too close with steady, practiced swings of his hammer.
Alex supported when openings appeared.
The difference in experience was obvious.
Kael fought with the calm rhythm of someone who had survived countless hunts.
Alex fought carefully.
But each encounter grew smoother.
The merchant finally relaxed when the stone markers of the outer trade road appeared.
"That's the West Hollow checkpoint ahead," he said with relief.
Kael nodded.
The escort ended shortly afterward.
The merchant paid his fee and hurried toward the nearby trade outpost without looking back.
The road grew quiet again as Alex and Kael began the return trip toward House Valerian.
For a while neither of them spoke.
Then Alex broke the silence.
"That girl yesterday."
Kael glanced sideways.
"The assassin?"
Alex nodded.
"You said she was from the Hunter Union branch."
Kael adjusted the grip on his hammer.
"yes."
"Do you know her?"
Kael shook his head.
"Hunters don't operate that way."
Alex waited.
Kael continued after a moment.
"The Union doesn't reveal its members to each other unless they're assigned to the same team permanently. Most hunters work alone. Identities stay hidden."
"So even someone from the same branch might be a stranger."
"Exactly."
They walked a few more steps.
"If a hunter caused problems during a contracted escort," Kael added, "the Union will compensate the employer."
Alex nodded.
"House Valerian will likely receive something then."
"Probably."
The conversation drifted into silence again.
Kael eventually spoke.
"You handled yourself well back there."
Alex looked at him.
"Even most experienced combat specialists don't sense a killing intent before the strike lands," Kael probed. "Your awareness is sharp."
Alex smiled politely.
If the hidden node hadn't reacted to the surge of killing intent—
He would have been dead before drawing his sword.
Kael studied him for a moment but didn't press further.
Alex glanced at the hammer resting across Kael's shoulder.
"You fight well too."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"That hammer technique," Alex continued. "It's efficient. Where did you learn it?"
Kael gave a small smile.
The same smile Alex had given.
Neither man asked another question.
The estate gates of House Valerian came into view not long after.
They reported the mission at the steward's office and submitted the escort record.
The steward glanced over the document, nodded, and dismissed them without much comment.
Kael rolled his shoulders.
"Well," he said, "that's done."
Alex nodded.
They parted ways in the courtyard.
Servants moved quietly through the estate grounds as Alex walked back toward the residential wing.
A few greeted him with respectful bows.
Everything appeared normal.
Until one servant carrying a tray stopped mid-step.
Shock flashed across the man's face.
It vanished almost instantly.
The servant lowered his head and hurried past.
Alex slowed slightly.
Interesting.
Someone had expected a different outcome.
He continued walking as if nothing had happened.
The servant reached a quiet corridor in the inner estate before stopping.
He adjusted his breathing and knocked softly on a door.
"Enter."
Lady Seraphine sat beside a window when he stepped inside.
The servant knelt.
"The third young master has returned."
Seraphine's fingers paused against the porcelain teacup.
"Returned?"
"Yes, my lady. The escort mission was completed."
"I see."
She placed the cup down calmly.
"You may go."
The servant bowed and left the room.
Seraphine remained silent for a long moment.
Then she turned her gaze toward the garden outside the window.
Alex reached his room and closed the door behind him.
The quiet space allowed his thoughts to settle.
The ambush replayed in his mind.
The timing.
The preparation.
The escape route.
That hadn't been random.
Someone inside the house had arranged it.
The escort route.
The departure time.
Even the team composition.
All of that information had been available only through internal channels.
Which meant one thing.
Someone within House Valerian had sent Lina.
And whoever arranged it possessed resources.
Information access.
Connections.
Alex leaned back in the chair.
His mind returned to the training courtyard days earlier.
Lady Seraphine watching him circulate Qi.
The brief crack in her composure.
The slight disbelief in her eyes.
Not proof.
But the suspicion lingered.
Alex exhaled slowly.
Remaining here meant staying inside the reach of whoever had planned the ambush.
That made the situation simple.
I need power.
And distance.
His gaze moved toward the academy notice pinned to the wall.
The Imperial Academy examination.
'Three months' he thought.
Before, it was simply an opportunity.
A path forward.
Now it has become a shield.
The academy was the one place where House Valerian's internal politics would lose its immediate influence.
Alex stood and walked to the window.
The estate courtyard stretched below.
Servants moved through the grounds. Guards stood watch at the outer walls.
Everything appeared orderly.
Safe.
But appearances had already proven unreliable.
The academy examination is no longer just an opportunity.
It's my only road out of House Valerian.
my only safety net...