Amid a blanket of pristine white snow.
Two carriages were making their way from the distant Royal Capital.
The horses pulling them moved with a mechanical rhythm and the cold rigidity of steel, advancing steadily even through the wind and snow.
They were Golem horses, clumsier than magical beasts, but among the best mounts for harsh terrain and weather.
The two carriages bore the engraved emblems of the Mage Association and... Archmage Celesty's personal crest, a moon hidden beneath the sun.
As an Archmage of the Nolant Kingdom's Mage Association, Celesty ranked just below the seventh-level Archmages. Her orders were absolute.
And so Stein and his mentor, Zell, had been bundled up and locked inside. Until they reached Reef Island, escape was utterly impossible.
Of course, the crest merely represented Celesty's will. It could keep people contained, but it could not block outside magical power or bombardment.
The carriages advanced smoothly.
Suddenly,
A black speck appeared in the white sky. Wreathed in flames and giving off a rich fragrance, it came from the distant horizon.
It had been flying swiftly, but seemed to sense something. It plunged straight down, slammed into a carriage, and exploded.
Boom!
The remaining magical power and pea seeds burst out, while resin plastered the entire carriage. The unfortunate vehicle was engulfed in the sudden magical explosion.
It almost even triggered a chain reaction in the Spatial Magic Array inside.
Terrifying magical power swept through it, instantly knocking both occupants unconscious. Faced with this situation, the Golem horses could only stop.
Their intelligence was clearly insufficient to handle such an event.
It had happened so abruptly that even Aistena had never expected anything like this to appear here.
He hurriedly jumped down from the other carriage. After carefully circling and inspecting the stopped carriage, his expression