Three days had passed since the livestock shed burned. The air in the village still felt tense. At the Mountain Foot Pavilion, villagers spoke in hushed tones, and the children no longer ventured to the outskirts to play as they once did. The Volga Gang's movements had extended beyond the mountains to the roads themselves. Everyone was beginning to sense this threat in their bones. Retsu had been training since before dawn. In a clearing at the village's edge—a grassy plaza lined with a few young birch trees—he repeated the forms of the Spiral God Life-Death Fist. He had removed his gi top, exposing his bare skin to the morning mist. The moment the cold air enveloped him, he felt his inner energy begin to move beneath his skin. He spiraled his qi upward through his body, channeling it along the trajectory of his fists. His breathing was quiet. His footfalls made no sound. Only his arms swept, his core sank, and his center of gravity was refined with each breath. The early summer morning light traced each line of his sweat-dampened shoulders and arms with perfect clarity. —Someone was watching this scene from the village entrance. ◆ Thirty-two shadows stood in orderly formation within the morning mist. The villagers noticed them just after the roosters began to crow. An unfamiliar group had stopped on the narrow road leading to the village entrance. All were armed. Swords at their hips, packs on their backs, uniforms of unified dark gray. Each bore an iron ring emblem on their chest—the mark of the Iron Ring Mercenary Company, silver-rank. Ninety kilometers southeast of Trevia. A mercenary company based near Trevia had appeared in this mountain-foot village, and the villagers could not fathom why. The woman at the front surveyed the village quietly. Her long, deep crimson hair swayed slightly in the morning breeze. She stood over one hundred seventy centimeters tall, and despite her slender frame, her movements were economical and precise. Her bright golden eyes scanned the entire village with a sharp gaze, yet an emotionless calm. Three small iron piercings adorned her right ear. Around her ankle was a leather-sewn charm—a healing charm, rarely used even among mercenaries. Seraphina Lawin, twenty-four years old. Captain of the Iron Ring Mercenary Company, silver-rank. On the return journey from a merchant caravan escort, she had heard a story at the Red Barrel Tavern, a gathering place for mercenaries, that had drawn her feet to this village. —The last practitioner of the Spiral God Life-Death Fist was in Halnoki Village. The Spiral God Life-Death Fist. An ancient school with four hundred years of history, destroyed in the Great Upheaval. The rumor that only one heir to its teachings remained was spoken of as half-legend in the world of martial artists. Seraphina was a mercenary, but she held deep respect for the martial way. She had to confirm it. That was all—or so she had intended at first. Seraphina's golden eyes caught sight of the village's edge. Movement. A single man was repeating forms in the grassy area lined with birch trees. His upper body was bare. The morning light illuminated the surface of his sweat-dampened muscles. The lines were remarkably clean. There was no ornamentation—only the density that training alone could create. Seraphina's feet stopped. Her vice-captain Delk spoke up. "Captain, the village chief is preparing to come greet us. What should we—" There was no response. Seraphina did not answer. Her golden eyes followed the man's movements. With each form, her trained gaze naturally read where his center of gravity lay, where his energy was directed. But something beyond pure martial judgment burned in her chest. (This man is—) A heat that could not be put into words ignited in the center of her chest. Seraphina acknowledged it, then slowly drew a deep breath. ◆ After Village Chief Tobias came out and accepted the arrival of the Iron Ring Mercenary Company, Seraphina went to the clearing alone. Retsu stopped his forms after footsteps had approached for nearly three paces. When he turned, a woman with deep crimson hair stood before him. "Amagi Retsu. I heard you are the heir to the Spiral God Life-Death Fist," It was a statement. Not a question. "That's right," Retsu looked at the woman while holding his gi in his hand. She had sharp eyes. Her golden gaze was fixed directly on his face. There was pressure in that stare. She was neither a mere merchant nor a traveler. These were the eyes of someone who had lived the martial way. "I am Seraphina Lawin. Captain of the Iron Ring Mercenary Company—silver-rank, thirty-two members," The Iron Ring Mercenary Company. A mercenary group based near Trevia, and silver-rank meant the second of three tiers in terms of trust and achievement. Their monthly earnings equaled eight times that of a commoner. Why had the leader of such an organization come to a mountain-foot village? "What is your business?" "A protection contract," Seraphina withdrew a thin sheet of paper from her pocket. "I want you to serve as our escort—myself and my company members—until the Trevia Combat Festival ends. The duration is ten days, until the festival concludes. The reward is three hundred silver coins," The Trevia Combat Festival—the largest martial tournament on the continent, held every autumn. It took place in a stone arena that could hold eight thousand spectators, and during this time Trevia's population nearly doubled. Retsu did not answer. Seraphina's golden eyes waited quietly for his silence. Internally, he was conflicted. With the Volga Gang's movements intensifying as they searched for the qi spring, there was a hesitation about leaving this village—not visible on the surface, but definitely present. There was no need to give an answer immediately. "Let me think about it," Seraphina's lips tightened for just a moment. Then her gaze shifted slightly—to Retsu's gi, placed on the grass. Then back to his face. "[cold]I'll wait until evening," ◆ From behind the medicinal herb drying shed, Mira, who had been listening to this exchange, could not move while clutching her basket. She felt relieved that Retsu had not given an answer. But she was curious about who this woman was. Deep crimson hair, golden eyes—a sharp presence that did not belong in the village. And Seraphina's gaze slowly turned toward the shadow of the shed. Mira's body went rigid. She knew she had been found. She had not been hiding, but she had not expected her presence to be sensed with such precision. The golden eyes glanced at Mira for just one second. That was enough. The direction Mira had been looking at Retsu, the wavering in her expression—all of it seemed to be captured in that gaze. Seraphina's lips moved slightly. Not a smile. Something closer to calculation. Mira clutched her basket tighter and hurried away from the spot. ◆ As the sun began to set, Seraphina spoke to Retsu. "I'd like you to accompany me for a bit," The words were brief, but her tone left no room for refusal. The two of them climbed a low hill at the village's edge. From the hilltop, the south wall of the Galdrock Mountain Range was visible directly ahead. The twilight sky dyed the mountain's outline, and the medicinal herb forest at its base swayed with a reddish hue. "Before I hire you as an escort, I want to confirm your skill," "Is that your true intention?" Seraphina did not answer. The two faced each other. Seraphina drew her single-edged sword. The blade caught the twilight. "[serious]No need to hold back," Retsu remained in his gi. He stood unarmed. Seraphina stepped forward. Her silver-rank skill was genuine. The speed of her advance and the precision of her blade, the stability of her center of gravity—a level that ordinary martial artists could not handle. Her sword aimed at Retsu's left shoulder. On the first exchange, Retsu stepped back half a pace, evading the blade's trajectory. On the second exchange, Seraphina changed her sword path. She feinted and slashed from the right. The speed of her sword arm increased. She was serious. Retsu's right hand moved. He grasped Seraphina's sword arm from the outside. In that instant, a shift of weight. Seraphina's body collapsed—she felt her center of gravity torn away entirely. Her feet left the ground. The next moment, one knee touched the earth. Retsu's left hand pressed against Seraphina's shoulder. The sword fell to the ground. It was quiet. Retsu's breathing was not disturbed. Seraphina remained in that position for several seconds. From her knee touching the grass of the hill, she felt the texture of the earth. The evening wind touched her cheek. It was not the pain in her knee, but something welling up from deep in her chest that briefly disrupted her breathing. Then she laughed. A quiet laugh, closer to exhilaration than joy. "[surprised]...Magnificent," As she stood, Seraphina retrieved her sword and sheathed it. Her hands trembled slightly—not from fear. A completely different emotion was showing in her fingertips. "I never knew such a man existed," Her voice was small. Not the assessment of a captain, but words seeping from a more personal place. Retsu silently increased the distance between them. Seraphina's gaze remained fixed on his back, unwilling to release it. ◆ Night fell. The village well became quiet after the people finished preparing dinner and returned to their homes. Mira approached the well with a bucket and turned the pulley. Cold water rose up. She filled the bucket and was about to lift it when—she heard footsteps. She turned to see Seraphina walking alone. No vice-captain. No subordinates. No lantern. In the remaining twilight, her deep crimson hair swayed quietly. Mira could not move while holding the bucket. Seraphina stood beside Mira. With the bearing of someone gazing at the night mountains, she spoke in a soft voice. "[gentle]That man is a remarkable martial artist," "...Yes," "You are drawn to him as well," Mira's face grew hot. She searched for words. She tried to deny it. But before words could come, Seraphina continued. Her smile never wavering, her voice gentle, almost kind. "[cold]I understand. But remember this. I am a woman who always obtains what she desires," Mira's body froze. The tone was calm. She had not shouted or threatened. But beneath those words lay—certainty. An uncompromising, quiet possessiveness. Mira felt something cold trace a single line from her neck down her back. Seraphina turned on her heel. Her deep crimson hair disappeared into the night's darkness. Mira remained motionless, still holding the bucket. Her knees trembled slightly. She understood that the fear was real. That woman was serious. Not just words. But. Mira bit her lip and faced forward. The option to back down simply would not come to mind. ◆ That night, Mira could not sleep. She leaned her back against the shelf where her master Rena's books were arranged, staring up at the dark ceiling. The dried scent of medicinal herbs brushed her nose. The lamplight flickered. She asked herself why she was trying to go to Trevia. The pharmacist guild examination—that was true. If she passed the examination held once a year by the Trevia Pharmacist Guild, which oversaw approximately three hundred members, she would be recognized as a legitimate herb specialist. It was an examination her master Rena had recommended. But that was not all. She wanted to be wherever Retsu was going. That was the honest truth. For the first time tonight, she admitted it to herself clearly. ◆ The next morning, Seraphina spoke to Retsu in front of the Mountain Foot Pavilion. "There was something I didn't finish saying yesterday," Retsu stopped. "On the return journey from the merchant caravan escort, we confirmed multiple traces of what appeared to be the Volga Gang on the mountain passes leading to Trevia. Campfire re