Chapter 194 : Chapter 194

Chapter 194: Recruitment

People ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍living on the Empire’s borders were not free from monster attacks.

If ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍not for the few members of the Imperial Family guarding the border, Abalan as it existed now probably would not exist.

But ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍what were regions far from the cities guarded by the Imperial Family supposed to do?

Especially ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍if monsters appearing for unknown reasons continued for several years?

Mona ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍looked around at the people gathered in the room with a gaze as stiff as his posture.

They ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍were the ones recruited to subjugate the werewolves.

They were not knights, so family or bloodline did not matter.

If origin was useless, then taken to an extreme, it meant their values did not matter either.

Whether they were people who threw themselves into danger to add stimulation to their lives, people who wanted monster hides or teeth, or people with some other purpose, none of it mattered.

As long as they had skill.

Mona opened his mouth while receiving the ominous gazes focused on him.

“I don’t care what kind of humans are gathered here. Only one thing matters to me. How many monsters you can kill, and how well you can kill them.”

At his declaration, some of those gathered in the room swallowed, and some had their eyes light up.

Mona felt satisfaction at those reactions and continued speaking.

“Those without confidence can open the door and leave even now. Well, I only picked bastards reeking of blood, so I trust you won’t disappoint me. We leave tomorrow at dawn. Check your weapons and steal your hearts.”

When he finished speaking, a small commotion rose, but that much was not a problem.

Before leaving the room, Mona swept his gaze over the people’s faces one more time to check whether anyone would run away at the last moment.

The appearances of humans with the goal of defeating monsters were mostly similar.

People full of tension, confident people, people full of anticipation, people whose eyes were thick with venom from vengeance, bored-looking people.

Bored-looking people?

As Mona looked around the gathering, he fixed both eyes on one person who caught his attention.

It was a young man with black hair and black eyes.

He did not look particularly old, but his sunken gaze made it difficult to guess his age.

“Hey, what’s with that one?”

“Pardon? Who do you mean?”

Enil, who stood beside Mona, confirmed who he was gesturing toward with his eyes.

“Uh...... just an ordinary applicant. There was nothing particularly special about him, and aside from being a little stronger than he looks, there was nothing memorable about him. His skill is exactly average too.”

“......”

Mona let the fragmentary evaluation pass through one ear and did not take his eyes off the black-haired applicant.

“We’ll know once we watch him. Whether he’s average, someone who can do better than average, or just trash with a decent exterior.”

Because Mona often instinctively discovered things others could not find, Enil also engraved his words in his head.

***

He’s going to drill a hole through my face.

Ignoring Mona, who had stopped instead of leaving the room and was glaring this way, I examined the unfamiliar sword.

However, no matter how long I waited, Mona’s gaze, which had good instincts even in the novel, showed no sign of leaving me.

Did he think it was not obvious, or did he not care even if it was obvious?

Thinking again that I had made the right choice leaving Jing behind, I leaned my back against the wall.

If it had been Jing, he would have stood out to Mona at once because he was too outstanding.

If he had hidden his skill, his bearing would have drawn attention because there was no way someone with that presence should only have that level of ability.

While trying to ignore the gaze that felt as if it would bore a hole through my face, I looked around.

Burly hulks and humans with fierce-looking eyes were desperate to show themselves off.

“Looks like even things like that are stepping up, saying they’ll hunt werewolves.”

“If anything, that’s good. While that bastard is getting eaten, we can catch even one more.”

“How do you know whether he’ll get eaten or grab our ankles? Hey, brat, later on, begging us to save you won’t do any good.”

And usually, that kind of showing off manifested by paying excessive attention to someone who looked weaker than them.

Because it was the easiest, most effective, and easiest to dress up.

I looked at the person who had become the target of their mockery.

He looked younger than me. He was not small for his age, but he was not at a level where he could compare to those who had enough confidence in their bodies to step forward and hunt monsters.

“You must think acting like that hides how scared you are.”

But it seemed his nerves had grown before his body.

At the boy’s one sentence, the expressions of the two who had been snickering instantly turned fierce.

“You little bastard, what did you just say?”

“......”

Even though two men twice his size stood up and approached threateningly, the boy did not look particularly intimidated.

Not that he dealt with them any further.

Perhaps that scraped at the men’s tempers even more, because one of them stretched out his hand, grabbed the boy by the collar, and lifted him.

“You’re going to die by my hand before you die to monsters. Do you even know what kind of humans have gathered here, acting up like this?”

Even at the man’s threat, the boy glared.

“That old man already said what kind of people gathered here. People who’ve killed others.”

The man, who had briefly flinched at the boy’s bloodshot eyes, raised his fist.

Personally, I thought few things were as pathetic and unsightly as an adult hitting a child.

I lightly kicked a pebble rolling near my feet.

After slightly altering the muscles in my leg right before that.

“Aagh!!!”

The man struck in the shin sank down, clutching his leg.

The boy, freed from his grip, landed on the floor and immediately stood up, then looked at me.

The moment our eyes met, the bastard ran toward me.

Then he grabbed the hem of my clothes.

That meant the men’s next target had become me.

“What are you? Did you do that just now?”

It seemed I too was too small a person to be a threat to them.

I looked back and forth between the two approaching while breathing hard, and the bastard holding my hem beside me.

Perhaps my action looked like an answer to their question, because the two came closer to me.

“Seeing how you can’t tell where to stick your nose in and where not to, it looks like you don’t know your life is precious. Or are you that bastard’s older brother or something?”

What nonsense. I’m an only child.

Ah, Ran had quite a few younger siblings.

Though the only one I had exchanged something resembling a conversation with was Cellos.

“Use your head a little more. If I were his older brother, wouldn’t I have done something the moment you grabbed him by the collar?”

It was only a simple listing of facts, yet the men seemed angered.

“You two seem similar in that you’re both insolent. Today, I’ll teach you a little about the bitter taste of life.”

As for the bitter taste of life, I thought I already knew it well enough for my tongue to ache, even without someone teaching me.

I sighed and opened my mouth.

“If we fight each other like this, all that happens is the food we could throw to the monsters disappears. Are you fine with that?”

It was not as if I wanted to stand out in people’s eyes.

We had not even encountered the werewolf pack yet, and I did not want to cause a commotion.

If they really would not listen, I would have no choice but to accept a big commotion.

“Don’t worry. I heard werewolves eat rotten corpses very well too.”

Perhaps because I looked easy to handle as I tried to avoid a fight, the bastards instead began approaching me with even more confidence.

“Hey, over there! What are you doing?”

The one who cut between us as a fight was about to break out was Enil, who had been standing beside Mona.

He, whose perception was lacking by just a little, stopped the fight Mona had been pretending not to see.

The two men glared at me and the brat, then slowly turned and left.

I thought I heard them mutter something like wait and see, but in novels, lines like that ended at a high probability without there being anything to wait and see, so there was no need to pay attention.

Once the two men retreated, the bastard holding my hem also let go and drew back.

“What? Since you were sticking your nose in, I thought you were pretty skilled, but you’re just an idiot.”

He was a brat with a unique way of saying thank you.

Thinking about it again, Little Duke Flinn was very polite for a child his age.

The boy, who looked a year or two older than him, rolled his eyes while observing my reaction.

When I only looked down at him without saying anything, unlike those hulks, the brat clicked his tongue and tried to leave.

“Wouldn’t it be better to stay here for a while? If you’re left alone, those bastards will try to harm you somehow.”

When I gestured with my eyes toward the two who were still glaring over here, the brat frowned.

“Why have you been meddling with me since earlier?”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“Who said I was thankful?”

“Then just say something polite.”

“......”

“If you’re embarrassed because you asked for help, there’s no need for that either.”

It seemed the bastard realized I had no intention of listening to him in the slightest.

Originally, the most productive way to deal with children’s tantrums was to let them flow past while saying anything at all.

“......Who said I asked for help?”

The young bastard relaxed his tense body and settled down about five handspans away from me.

When I said nothing, the bastard, who had instead calmed down, looked at me and carefully opened his mouth.

“Why aren’t you asking anything?”

“Because there’s nothing to ask.”

I already knew everything I needed, from the bastard’s name to his family circumstances.

And how the bastard’s fate would flow in this subjugation.

***

Ratel, Jing, and Ria stood at the rear of the line with the hoods of their robes pulled over their heads.

Ahead of the line, a snowy city gate stood wide open to welcome visitors, but the cold wind blowing from the city made the bodies of those standing there ache with cold.

Ria, tightening the neck of her robe, suddenly opened her mouth.

“Will Ran really be all right alone?”

“He will be fine.”

Ria, hood pulled over her head, frowned at Ratel’s answer, which did not contain even a single grain of worry, and glared at the back of his head as he walked ahead.

Even so, like her, he had his hood pulled over, so all she could see was the hood of his robe.

Ria also agreed with the statement that was not “he should be fine,” but a firm “he will be fine,” but worry was not something that moved as one pleased.

“Rather than worrying about a human who can even turn into an orc, it would be better to worry about yourself. And stop glaring at the back of my head.”

Jing, who had been watching Ria flinch in surprise and turn her gaze away, let out a small sigh.

“Ran will be fine. He does have a slightly reckless side, but he is not someone who acts without thought.”

“But this time, he really is alone. He left El with us too.”

Ria said while stroking the head of the squirrel sitting on her shoulder with a finger.

El pretended not to understand anything, playing innocent while tapping Ria’s hand with his tail.

For the sake of Ria, who would faint if she knew that what sat on her shoulder was not just a squirrel but a member of the Imperial Family, Jing tore his gaze away from El and answered.

“Then it seems there truly is something he must do alone.”

Even as he said that, Jing did not forget to examine Ratel, who seemed to have no complaints at all about Ran’s absence.

Until only a short time ago, Ratel had scolded them, asking why they were worrying about a human who had run away. Yet for some reason, he had not added a single word to Ran saying he would split off and go alone.

Jing could not know whether some kind of deal had been made between the two while he had lost consciousness, or what sort of conversation had been exchanged.

“What really happened......”

“Jing, I think it’s almost our turn.”

Jing, who had been muttering without realizing it, took his eyes off the back of Ratel’s head at Ria’s voice and looked forward.

As she said, the line had shortened before they knew it, and Jing hurriedly opened his mouth.

“Ratel, this time, you must not charge in however you please. We must move according to the plan.”

“Do you know that if you say it one more time, it’ll be the tenth?”

“If ten times is not enough, I can say it more than a hundred times. Please do not act alone. Do you understand?”

It was the moment Jing finished repeating his request.

“Hey, shut up and just answer the question.”

A soldier guarding the city gate cut into their conversation and spoke roughly.

Displeasure appeared on his face as he looked the three wearing old robes up and down.

“What do you do? How did you end up coming here?”

“How am I supposed to answer while shutting up?”

Ratel’s crooked answer transformed his displeasure into anger.

“I apologize. He suffered a serious injury not long ago, so his mind occasionally wanders.”

Jing stepped forward while scolding Ratel with his eyes, as the latter had forgotten his request in only a single minute.

“We are travelers. While passing nearby, we could not simply pass a city protected by the Imperial Family, so we came in like this. We wanted to offer a prayer with grateful hearts from even a little closer.”

At Jing’s sensible answer, the soldier’s expression softened slightly.

It was the moment Jing felt relieved, having worried that wanted notices might have spread this far.

“Pay two silver coins and go in.”

The soldier said, holding out his hand.

Jing narrowed his eyes in confusion.

“Would we not need three coins? There are three of us.”

At his words, a sneer caught on the man’s mouth.

“It’s two coins per person for you.”

“Two coins? Isn’t one coin a sufficient price?”

Ria, who had kept her mouth shut, also tried to step forward in surprise at his tyranny, but Jing stopped her.

“Understood. Then the total is six coins, correct?”

In the end, what greeted the three after they handed over six silver coins to the soldier and crossed the city gate was a snow-white castle far in the distance.

It was beautiful, but after everything they had experienced, none of the three had the leisure to enjoy that beauty.

“Don’t worry. There will be plenty of things inside there worth more than six silver coins.”

Jing glared at Ratel, who spoke sincerely.

Ratel pretended not to see it and turned his steps.

Toward the place that boasted the most splendid and towering dignity after the Imperial Family’s castle.

The Temple.