Toruka came into view just past midday. A reddish-brown dirt road stretched ahead, lined with low wooden buildings beyond it. A settlement of roughly twelve hundred people positioned at the southern edge of Granveld——Vincent Lila's hometown. Lila quickened her pace. "Teacher, there it is. That's Toruka." She spoke rapidly, her aquamarine hair swaying as she stepped ahead by several paces. Three years. The last time she'd seen it was at thirteen, when she'd left the settlement for reasons. Today was her first time returning. From a distance, it looked unchanged. The same red earth, the same silhouettes of low buildings. But as they drew closer, Lila's pace gradually slowed. Something was wrong. The plaza where children once ran about was empty of people. The stalls that should have been open were boarded shut. One, two, three——more than half were closed. A few residents walked the streets, but whenever their eyes might meet, all of them hurried past with downturned gazes. Lila called out. "Um, excuse me——" The person didn't turn around. They simply rounded the corner of a building and disappeared. Lila stopped in her tracks. Halden Owen watched the settlement silently. Building shadows, alley depths, shop eaves——his gaze moved quietly across them all. In the shadow of one building, he spotted a man in leather armor standing watch. A sword hung at his hip. He was simply standing there, but his eyes swept across the street. (Iron Fang mercenaries. They've already taken control of this place.) Lila had already started walking ahead. Her destination was Gaya's general store, "Dust Smoke Hall"——the shop of a seventy-year-old woman Lila had called one of the few trustworthy adults in her life. The moment she opened the door, Lila froze. The shelves were in disarray. A bottle lay shattered on the floor. Several items remained scattered on the ground where they'd fallen from the shelves. Gaya was nowhere to be seen. The color drained from Lila's face. Then something struck her back. "Eek——!" She spun around to find a goat. A medium-sized brown one, trotting toward her and butting its head against her again. A stray goat wandering the settlement, apparently. Halden Owen silently pushed the goat's flank aside, nudging it toward the alley. The goat bleated and wandered off. From deep in the alley, a single child let out a quiet chuckle. It lasted only a moment. The child quickly withdrew, and heavy silence returned. Lila spoke in a hushed voice. "……Where could Gaya have gone?" Halden Owen didn't answer. Instead, he said curtly, "Let's go," and headed toward the red-dust tavern. --- As they approached the entrance of the tavern "Red Dust," a person emerged from inside first. Deep crimson short hair with black streaks mixed in. Height: one hundred seventy-two centimeters. Leather combat uniform with an emblem shaped like iron claws——the mark of the Iron Fang mercenaries. A thin vertical scar ran down her right cheek. Six subordinates followed quietly behind her. The woman wore a smile at the corners of her mouth. Both hands spread lightly in a welcoming gesture as she approached. But her sharp, vertically-slit red eyes weren't smiling at all. They remained fixed on Halden Owen's face, not moving a millimeter. "[cold]Lord Halden Owen. What an honor that the Royal Sword Instructor himself has come to Granveld." The moment her name was called, Lila caught her breath. Sergi had known Halden Owen's true identity from the start. The old man who shattered five subordinates' weapons in the borderlands——she must have investigated thoroughly after receiving that report. White short hair, an old sword scar on the left cheek, a silver belt with vine-pattern embroidery. She'd cross-referenced the information and confirmed it. Halden Owen's expression didn't change. "……Who are you?" "[cold]I oversee the Toruka branch of the Iron Fang mercenaries. My name is Markel Sergi. Please, take your time." Her voice was calm. Her words carried no barbs. But Halden Owen was certain: this woman could see his entire hand. She had information. She had a purpose. Something was moving behind that smile. Lila stepped forward. "[angry]Where is Gaya? The Dust Smoke Hall——" "[cold]Gaya, you say?" Sergi shifted her gaze to Lila. Just for a moment. "She's in a safe place. Don't worry." She said it while smiling. A safe place. The meaning of those words reached Lila. A safe place——not protection, but confinement. Lila's fists clenched until her knuckles turned white. --- The empty house Sergi had offered as lodging was a stone building at the edge of the settlement. Once inside, Halden Owen immediately checked outside the windows. Armed men stood in the street. Another appeared at the corner of a different alley. On the roofs——a figure moved. Mercenaries were scattered and positioned throughout the buildings. Fifty, she'd said. That number was probably accurate. Night fell. It was a windless night, and the settlement lay quiet. Not even the sound of insects. The guards outside occasionally passed by with audible footsteps. Then came a knock on the door. Sergi entered. This time she brought only two subordinates. The three of them came in and stood near the entrance. She spoke in a conversational tone. "[cold]Starting tonight, fifty of my subordinates will be garrisoned in Toruka." Halden Owen, still seated, didn't respond. "If you leave, that will be the end of it. Gaya and all the residents will be perfectly safe." She continued calmly. Her voice was devoid of warmth. "On the other hand, if you remain here……I cannot guarantee the residents' safety." She left the message that she wanted an answer by tonight, then departed just as easily. The door closed quietly. Lila turned to face Halden Owen. "[angry]Teacher. Gaya is a hostage. What are we going to do?" Halden Owen didn't answer. He could cut down fifty men. He had that confidence. But right now, the mercenaries were scattered throughout the buildings. The moment he drew his blade, the residents would be killed before his reach extended to them. It wasn't a matter of physical strength——it was a matter of circumstances. Lila stared intently at Halden Owen's profile. Halden Owen couldn't find an answer. For Lila, that was the most frightening thing of all. This man was hesitating. There were situations where he had no answer. There were problems like this——and that realization spread through her body as creeping dread. "[serious]……Negotiation. We buy time." He spoke quietly. That was all. Lila bit her lip and nodded. --- Late that night, lights burned in the Iron Fang mercenaries' headquarters. Sergi sat at a desk, brush in hand. The document was a secret letter to the Brenheim Kingdom's knight order. Its contents were a false accusation——that Halden Owen had made contact with rebel forces in Granveld and was plotting armed action against the kingdom. The writing was skillful. Specific dates, locations, names that appeared to be witnesses, details that seemed to corroborate the situation. It was indistinguishable from a genuine denunciation. Sergi finished writing and read through it once. No problems. She called for a courier and handed over the letter. The man set off running southward into the night. "[whispers]Next." Four subordinates stepped forward. Sergi spoke quietly. "[cold]When the old man sleeps, take only the sword from his waist. Don't kill him. Just the sword." The four men left. --- Back at the lodging, Lila had already fallen asleep against the wall. Exhaustion had reached its limit. Her breathing was steady and regular. Halden Owen closed his eyes as well. It was a shallow sleep. Deep in his consciousness, he felt something the entire time. The weight of his sword. Something that had been at his waist for over fifty years, so natural that he'd never even considered its absence. Four men chose floorboards thinly coated with oil, walking without sound. Moving inch by inch with care. They confirmed the old man's breathing and drew near. They lifted the sheathed blade slowly. There was no resistance. They left the room. Wrapped it in cloth and ran off. It took less than a minute. --- Just before dawn, the sound of wind outside woke Halden Owen's eyes. His body sensed it first. There was a habit of fifty years. In the moments before waking from sleep, his hand would unconsciously move to his waist. Confirming what should be there. Something he'd repeated thousands of times, every morning and every night. His hand grasped empty air. Halden Owen jolted upright. He looked at his waist. The sword was gone. He scanned the room. Window, door, floor——there wasn't even a trace of the mercenaries' intrusion. Lila was still asleep. Halden Owen remained motionless for a while. He'd obtained that sword right after the Zeldgan Campaign ended. In his twenties, after surviving, he'd taken up that unnamed long blade. It had no name. No ornamentation. Just fifty years of constant companionship. The years he'd walked with his wife Elis had been with that sword, and so had the days teaching his disciples. Sword-qi cultivation, performances at the royal court, late-night practice swings——always, it had been there. Not merely a weapon. His entire history. Outside the window, the pre-dawn sky was turning white. The edge of the reddish-brown horizon brightened ever so slightly. Watching that sky, Halden Owen understood the terror of Markel Sergi. If she'd come with force, he could have withstood it. If she'd come with a blade, he could have stopped it. But this woman hadn't come with force. She'd taken hostages, cut off his retreat, sent a secret letter to build an encirclement——and finally, she'd taken his sword. Not his weapon. His pride. Anger, shock, and profound loss all appeared on Halden Owen's face at once. He looked at Lila's sleeping face just once. Then he slowly stood. In the light of dawn, his expression looked years older than it had on that night by the bonfire in the abandoned village of Cassa.