Chapter 144: Rock Elemental

A few days later...

Slowly threading on the road towards a certain village in the periphery of Corelli Fortress was an ordinary looking carriage.

The soft sound of horse hooves hitting the stone road lightly echoed throughout the dark.

As street lamps were only to be seen inside the cities and fortresses, only the illumination provided by the cold moonlight was the means of seeing the way ahead.

The old coachman driving the carriage kept his eyes alert to scan the surroundings.

He wore layers of clothes to protect his body from the cold, his trained demeanor a proof of his experience as a coachman.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, four children had their eyes looking out the window.

Regis and Killian were sitting on one side while Pandora and Aurelia sat on the other, facing the former two.

Like the old coachman, their eyes were alert as they scanned the area.

"It seems a little too peaceful..."

Regis muttered, gathering the attention of the other three as he did so.

"Isn’t this good?" Aurelia tilted her head.

"Normally, it would be."

Regis glanced at her, "However, I can’t help but feel that something’s amiss."

"Feel?" Aurelia repeated.

This time, Killian chimed in, "You see, our Boss here has great instinct. If he says so, we should at least be vigilant."

In the past few days that they had been preparing, Aurelia was able to get to know them more.

The first thing she had noticed was Pandora and Killian’s trust and respect towards Regis.

’It’s normal for people to have great trust in their leader, but they’re still so young...’ She thought to herself as she chose to remain silent.

Pandora didn’t seem to pay attention to her companions as she silently looked out the window, staring at the crescent moon above.

Tok— Tok— Tok—

At this moment, knocks were heard followed by the coachman’s old voice, "Sir Regis, can we spend the night here?"

"Alright, Mister. Park the carriage on the roadside so we can set up camp." Regis replied.

Soon enough, the old coachman drove the carriage to the side of the road and got down to care for the horses.

Four children soon exited the carriage led by Regis, who went to the old coachman and asked, "What happened, Mister? Are the horses tired?"

His face betrayed a hint of doubt since he didn’t believe that the horses would get tired since they had just rested a whole ago.

"It’s not that..." The coachman shook his head as he caressed the horses.

At this moment, Regis and the others noticed the restlessness of the horses, looking like they were afraid of something.

The old coachman continued, "It’s just that they are sensing something ahead."

Killian chimed in from the side, "Maybe there are monsters? If that’s the case, then can’t we just kill them?"

"I’m not sure, Sirs." The old coachman had an unsure look on his face, "The horses seemed to believe that you won’t be able to easily deal with them."

"What nonsense is that? I knew it, I should have asked the butler to find another coachman..."

Impatience was apparent on Killian’s face as he couldn’t believe what he had heard.

Pandora and Aurelia also looked on with confused expressions on their faces. They had some inkling earlier, but now they were sure: this coachman was weird.

Seeing the doubt on his companions’ faces, Regis asked, "Can you explain, Mister?"

"Of course, Sir."

The coachman’s elderly voice sounded kind as if he was only talking to his grandchildren.

"Do you remember when I told the three of you to activate your hearts in front of the horses before we departed?"

Hearing his question, Regis and the others fell into deep thought.

They had indeed remembered his strange request. It was not only a very strange request– no, it was kind of disrespectful as well.

After all, the realm that one had achieved was something that should be treated with utmost respect.

Still, because he was supposed to be the coachman with the most experience throughout the fortress, they decided to make do with him.

At this moment, Aurelia interjected from the side, "Do you have a gift that can detect and compare the strength of your allies and potential danger?"

"Well, it makes sense if he really has something like that." Killian commented.

However, the old coachman only shook his head, "I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything of the kind. I only make decisions based on my many years of experience and this special breed of horses."

"Unlike normal horses, these are a special type of breed called Harmon Horses which are sensitive when it comes to sensing danger and comparing it to others."

"In a way, although I don’t have a gift that you’re looking for, I can assure that my special horses do have an ability like that."

"And now, I can tell that the horses are feeling that the danger up ahead isn’t something that a few One Star Realms can handle."

After hearing his explanation, Pandora suddenly spoke, "I don’t think we have any choice right now, though."

Neigh— Neigh!!!

The horses fiercely struggled, wanting to get out of the chains that bound them to the carriage.

"Shhh... calm down..." The old coachman hurriedly tried to appease the horses.

Nevertheless, his efforts were proved to be futile as the horses only became more restless.

THUD— THUD— THUD—

The ground trembled as a certain sound echoed through the surroundings.

Regis and the others looked at what was causing the commotion as their eyes widened in surprise.

"A Rock Elemental!?" Aurelia gasped as she saw the large bundle of rocks that were forming a humanoid figure.

The old coachman also looked nervous as his pale expression could be seen under the moonlight.

"Rock Elementals are normally peaceful and solitary creatures, so why..."

According to his knowledge, there were many Rock Elementals scattered throughout the wilderness.

However, they normally minded their own business and weren’t aggressive at all.

The old coachman immediately said, "L-Let us get out of here! That Rock Elemental is at the Peak Stage of Two Star Realm!"

He was shocked to see the two six-pointed stars that glowed over the center of the monster’s chest.

"The old man’s right! We can just take a detour tomorrow." Aurelia added on.

Even though they were already in distress, they were dumbfounded to see Regis, Pandora, and Killian still standing with calm expressions on their faces.

"Mister." Regis spoke as he stared at the Rock Elemental, "Your horses... they only compared us to the Rock Elemental based on our stars, right?"

"Y-Yes... that’s the only way to have an idea of someone’s power, after all." The old coachman answered with a trembling voice.

Aurelia was already panicking, "Why are you still asking dumb questions? Let’s just go, okay!?"

At this moment, Regis looked at her with a smile, "Aurelia, this is the perfect time for us to demonstrate what we’re capable of."

That was right.

Even though they had already been together for a few days, there wasn’t a chance for them to show their strength to Aurelia.

Therefore, Regis judged this to be the perfect time for them to do so.

Shing— Shing— Fwu!

Regis and Killian unsheathed their swords while Pandora readied her staff.

"It’s been a while since I last exercised. All that sitting in that bumpy carriage made my back ache."

Killian said with a carefree smile as he stretched his back.

Whoosh—

It was then that a cold breeze of wind suddenly assaulted them.

Killian closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, "The clothes that the constable had rewarded us with are really great, isn’t it?"

Unfortunately for him, Regis and Pandora only kept their silence as they stared at the Rock Elemental ahead.

However, it could be noticed that their clothes were all somewhat matching.

They were currently wearing the clothes that Constable Gerold had rewarded them with back then.

The first was Regis and Killian’s garments which were compatible for those who fought in close range.

Their light colored shirt had long sleeves with its end functioning like a fingerless glove for their hands.

On the other hand, their deep brown pants looked like slightly fitted combat pants that they could freely move in. It also has many pockets and slots where their sheath could be mounted on.

Their shirt also had a hood attached to it, as well as a built-in scarf on the neck that they could use to mask their nose and mouth.

Meanwhile, Pandora’s clothes were roughly the same as theirs.

The only difference was the fact that she adorned a robe-like garment over her shirt and pants.

"Wait! Are you really going to fight it?" The old coachman looked at them.

Sensing his concern, Regis smiled, "Thank you for worrying, but it’s fine."

"Aurelia, just stay put here with Mister. This won’t take long. This isn’t the first, after all."

He added on as he glanced at her.

Regis then led Pandora and Killian as they walked towards the Rock Elemental that stood at about 7 meters tall.

Aurelia only had one thing in her mind as she subconsciously repeated what he said in her mind.

’This... isn’t their first time!?’