Chapter 228

Chapter 228: The True Role (3)

After ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍checking through the gap in the door that the people were sitting powerlessly, Naria turned her head and looked dissatisfied at Adol, who had forcibly dragged her out.

“That ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍woman named Amy, she’s your mom, right? The madwoman that humans mentioned is your mom, isn’t she?”

At ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Naria’s unrestrained question, Adol gave a small nod.

Ha!

Dumbfounded, ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Naria spat a short breath into the air.

She ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍had heard, if only briefly from Jing, what the things called the Imperial Family did.

It was driving her mad with frustration that humans could not come to their senses even after being treated like that.

“The things called gods must change the rules however they like, huh? First they scare people, saying if you don’t listen to them, you’ll die and fall to the same filthy, ugly place as monsters. Now that they need it, they tell you to be used as nutrients to make monsters.”

When Naria vented her dissatisfaction, Adol glared at her as if telling her to lower her voice more.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m right.”

“Who said you were wrong? I’m telling you to be careful so the people in there don’t hear you. If you provoke them for no reason and they do something strange again, it’ll be a headache.”

When Adol did not deny her words, Naria felt her mood improve a little and rolled her eyes.

“I have something called tact too. That’s why I’m speaking this quietly.”

“I’m telling you to speak even quieter.”

When Adol warned her again, Naria grumbled.

“How fussy.”

Adol, watching Naria’s reaction, bit his lip and quietly opened his mouth.

“......Still, thanks for reading earlier.”

At Adol’s honest thanks, Naria opened her eyes round, then slowly raised the corner of her mouth.

When Adol raised an eyebrow at Naria’s extremely unpleasant expression, the corners of her mouth rose even higher.

“What? Why are you grinning?”

“You’re thanking me, so what’s with that tone? You should say, ‘Why are you smiling like that?’”

His gratitude evaporated in an instant, and irritation surged up.

But it was true that thanks to Naria, his mood had improved even a little, so Adol clicked his tongue without saying anything.

As if she found Adol funny, Naria giggled.

“Still, it’s a relief you’re fine hearing things like this. It’s nice being able to speak so freely.”

“You can’t say this in front of that man?”

“Of course I can’t. He’s already getting thinner day by day just from being friendly with a monster. If I cursed him on top of that, guilt would eat away at his lifespan.”

Naria spoke as if frustrated.

This time too, Adol recalled Naria’s words that he would die if he did not have god, and the reaction of the man who had tried to cut his own throat.

Are ordinary humans all like that?

But Amy never once suffered over something like that.

The gap between the god Adol knew and the faith that came from Naria’s mouth confused him.

The Amy in his memories was always full of vitality.

She had not seemed submerged in misfortune like the people in this plank house either. She had simply looked healthy.

“Amy never once acted sick.”

At Adol’s mutter, Naria showed interest.

“Really? Then maybe that woman wasn’t human either. Like you.”

Swallowing the urge to point out whether she really needed to add the last part, Adol shook his head.

“No. She was just an ordinary person. If she got hurt, she healed slowly. She couldn’t run for long. She was weaker than me even when I was young, so even when she played with me, she’d collapse first......”

The last memory was quite funny, so before Adol knew it, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“You must have been really close.”

Naria, who had glanced at Adol’s relaxed face, tossed the words out.

It was only an impression close to praise, but after hearing Naria’s words, Adol could not answer easily.

Was it because of Amy’s past that he had heard through someone else’s mouth? Somehow, Amy felt too far away.

What made Adol’s mood sink even further was the fact that no matter how hard he tried, he could no longer become closer to Amy.

Because Amy was no longer left in the world, and his memories would only grow fainter and fainter.

“I thought so, but now I’m not sure. It’s already been six years since Amy died. There must be a lot I’ve forgotten during that time, and even the things I thought I remembered properly might be memories I made up however I liked.”

Adol felt his voice tremble with anxiety and simply closed his mouth.

Fortunately, Naria did not seem to notice such detailed changes in Adol’s emotions.

She stared at the floor with her brow furrowed, like someone who had something to think about.

“Six years ago......”

Naria, who quietly muttered, tilted her head as if something was strange.

“That’s exactly when I was born.”

At the fact that was far too unimpressive compared to the time she had spent thinking, Adol lost strength and laughed like air leaking out.

“Do you people use the word born too?”

“What did you think we would say?”

“I’ve never thought about how you people are born. I thought maybe you sprouted from the ground.”

The last words were a joke meant to hide his embarrassment, but Naria failed to take them as one.

Because, just as Adol had said, Naria was no different from something that had sprouted from the ground.

“It’s similar. We’re born in the darkness of the cave. Different from animals or humans.”

Come to think of it, they said they were born in the cave using humans as nutrients.

Once again realizing the fact that Naria was a monster, Adol looked at Naria, who was still pondering something with an unconvinced face.

Ignoring Adol, Naria, who had been lost in thought, finally seemed to realize the identity of the unsettling something and suddenly raised her head.

“Come to think of it, that is strange!”

“What? Why?”

When Adol asked in surprise, Naria pointed at herself with her hand.

“No, the timing is...... a bit strange. The bastards who live with humans in the village. Almost all of them were born at the same time as me. Exactly six years ago.”

Six years. This time too, it was six years.

If coincidence went this far, one could dare call it fate.

“Naria, you said it was from six years ago that Archie stopped coming out of the cave, right?”

“Right. Mona handled everything that had to be dealt with outside.”

At Naria’s confident voice, Adol felt his head spin.

What on earth happened six years ago?

Why exactly six years ago?

The frustration of not knowing the answer was enough to make heat rise in him.

It was the moment Adol put strength into his clenched fist out of suffocation.

Creeeeak.

At the sound of the unoiled plank house door slowly opening, Adol turned his gaze.

The ones who opened the door and came out were the two young children who had broken the pillar.

Perhaps startled by Adol’s fierce mood, the two shrank back and hid behind the door that looked like it would break at any moment.

At the discomfort that made him feel as if he had bullied weak animals for some reason, Adol relaxed his tense body and tried to relax his eyes as well.

“......Why did you come out?”

His tone was still blunt, but perhaps Adol had become less frightening now that his expression had softened, because the two children slowly came outside and stood in front of Adol and Naria.

“Th-that lady scolded us earlier. She said we didn’t even say thank you.”

The slightly bigger of the two said it hesitantly, fidgeting with their hands.

“She had more conscience than I thought.”

Naria muttered.

It was a remark aimed at the woman inside the plank house, but the children must have taken it as sarcasm directed at them.

“We’re sorry......”

The children hurriedly asked for forgiveness and bit their lips as if holding back tears.

Adol, who had never dealt with children younger than himself, found this discomfort hard to bear.

“I wasn’t talking about you, so don’t cry.”

“Y-yes......”

Seeing the children tear up even more, contrary to their answer, Adol immediately realized that his words were not very effective.

Adol tried hard to recall how to soothe a child, but all that came to mind was Amy’s playful face teasing him when he was sulking, and the shameless face of the black-haired lunatic.

It did not help in the slightest.

In the end, Adol awkwardly placed his hands on the heads of the children smaller than himself.

In his field of view, Naria was grinning with that annoying face of hers, but he deliberately ignored her.

The lukewarm body heat of the young child wriggled beneath his hand.

Since he could not know what exactly he was supposed to do, Adol quietly kept his hand on the child’s head and tried not to press down too heavily.

Surprisingly, amid the awkward silence, the children slowly regained their calm.

Adol looked down at the children, who were sniffling now instead of crying, and slowly drew his hand back.

“I’m not angry. It’s enough that you know you’re sorry.”

The children gave small nods.

Adol swallowed a sigh of relief and glared at Naria, whose mouth was still twitching as if she were holding back laughter.

But Naria pretended she knew nothing and spoke to the children.

“If you know you did something wrong, don’t do it again. The house is already on the verge of collapsing, so if you touch it wrong, it’ll cave in completely. What if the humans inside get crushed to death because of your prank?”

At the bloody advice, the children hurriedly shook their heads.

“We weren’t trying to play a prank. There was something stuck up there, so we were trying to check it......”

“What was stuck there?”

Adol asked the children, whose voices were growing smaller and smaller.

“We don’t know. It collapsed before we could pull it out......”

Adol gently pushed the children aside and quickly went back inside the plank house.

Then he approached the pillar stuck in the floor.

And he carefully lowered himself down so the floor would not break any further.

The children’s words were right.

Something was embedded in the old pillar.

When Adol grabbed it and put strength into his hand, the end of the old wood crumbled.

Adol picked up the metal something that fell with a clatter and slowly looked it over again.

“An arrow?”

There was a reason for Adol’s ambiguous judgment.

Its shape was certainly an arrow, but first, its size was different from what he knew.

It was twice as large as an ordinary arrow, and fitting that size, its weight was no joke either.

The arrowhead was made in a spiral shape, apparently to increase its power, and iron had clearly been driven into the shaft.

Adol’s gaze, which had started from the arrowhead and traveled upward, stopped at the fletching.

It was the moment he swept his hand over it, old and faded, but clearly originally white.

Whooosh----THUD!

A dizzying sound that shattered his thoughts came from above.

The dizzying screams of people followed after it.

With no time to think any further, Adol held the huge arrow and quickly climbed back up to the surface.

Whooosh----THUD!

At the same time, something flew past Adol’s cheek and embedded itself in the wall.

The moment he recognized that it was an arrow with white fletching, he kicked off the floor and headed for the door.

“Damn it, everyone stick to the walls and get down!”

After issuing the rough command, Adol grabbed the half-closed door and pulled it open.

“You two, get inside!”

As soon as he opened the door, Naria’s sharp shout reached him.

Adol confirmed the two children hurrying past him inside and quickly shut the door.

Perhaps he had shut it too hard, because the old door shook uneasily.

Adol stood beside Naria, hoping desperately that the door would not break.

“What’s going on?”

“That bastard’s attacking out of nowhere.”

When he turned his gaze in the direction Naria pointed, he saw a knight on horseback standing not far away, bowstring drawn.

From his rather luxurious-looking attire, his white cloak fluttering, and his dignified attitude, Adol felt an ominousness he could not explain.

“Damn it, Mona told us to be careful of bastards wrapped in white cloth......”

Beside him, Naria muttered.

White cloth.

Only then did Adol remember Mona’s reaction when he had had a fit upon seeing the cargo wagon decorated with white cloth.

Adol somehow felt as if he had found one more piece of the past, but at the same time, anxiety slowly crawled up his legs.

There had to be a reason Mona was so wary of those wrapped in white cloth.

“I am a knight serving Lord Renin Abalan! All of you fugitives, come out and obediently pay for your crimes!”

The knight’s loud voice rang out.

Adol clicked his tongue softly.

He was too confident.

Even if they were civilians, there were not a few people hiding inside.

Seeing him act so confident despite knowing that, there had to be companions waiting for him not far away.

When Adol subtly moved his eyes, a sense of defeat similar to his own had appeared on Naria’s face too.

She was probably thinking the same thing.

“......What should we do? Even if we kill that bastard here, his companions will retaliate right away anyway.”

When Adol spoke slowly, Naria ground her teeth.

“Damn it, the human bastards inside don’t have the guts or strength to fight. It’d be better to just abandon them and go......”

Naria, who had been speaking, looked down at Adol’s face and let out a sigh.

“......You have no intention of that, huh. Fine, I get it.”

“If you’re going to run, run alone. No, rather, go even now and call Jing or Ria.”

When Adol spoke as if he had not expected anything, Naria snorted.

“How many companions do you think that bastard dragged here? It’s better to pretend to be captured obediently, then escape when we get the chance.”

Adol also had no particularly sharp move come to mind, so he admitted that he had no choice but to follow Naria’s words.

With tense faces, Adol and Naria waited for his companions to reveal themselves and drag out the people inside the plank house and the two of them.

“......”

“......”

But making such mental preparation meaningless, the surroundings were merely quiet.

“......”

“......”

Just in case, they kept looking around without relaxing their tension, but all four directions remained quiet.

One absurd assumption began surfacing in Naria and Adol’s heads.

Could it be that the bastard is throwing his weight around alone right now?

“Did you not hear my words? I said I am a knight serving Lord Renin! Hurry and bring out the people inside!”

He raised his voice again.

It was quite a brave sight, but this time, calling it recklessness was more fitting.

In other words, one could say he did not understand his own position.

Adol let out a sigh, thinking there was no way the tightly drawn bowstring in his hand could look this shabby.

Naria also let out a hollow sigh and tilted her head sideways.

“I’m asking just in case, so, did you come alone?”

At Naria and Adol’s reaction, which showed not the slightest fluster, the brave knight finally seemed to notice that something was strange.

“What nonsense are you spouting?! Do not speak useless words and obey the order!”

The once-confident voice was trembling slightly.

Adol somehow felt like an idiot for having been so on guard.

And Naria was probably not very different.

“You made me get scared for no reason, you bastard!!”

Watching Naria charge in with a face turning red from holding back shame, Adol was certain.

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