The torches of the Steel Corridor Brigade——the main force of the Imperial Army dedicated to frontier subjugation——flickered beyond the mist. Distant. But not extinguished. Raid counted the intervals of light behind him as he ran. The pursuers were spreading out. The Emerald Twilight Forest——a deep woodland that sprawled across the southern foothills of the Jade Peak Mountains in the Empire's eastern frontier, ancient home of the demon race——had thick fog, visibility barely five meters. But those same conditions applied to the pursuers as well. If anything, it was their side that could exploit the fog's density. Lilia ran ahead. Her silver short bob glowed faintly through the mist. Her footsteps made almost no sound. The physical abilities of the demon race——the precise coordination of senses and body granted by internal magical element density exceeding three times that of humans——made her movements silent as she avoided gnarled roots and wet stones. She ran as if she were part of the forest's very air. "Is it still far ahead?" Aira asked quietly beside him. Her leather armor shoulders rose and fell. Her breathing wasn't ragged, but sweat glistened on her jaw. "Probably," Lilia answered without turning back. "If my memory matches, if we curve right at that big boulder and climb the slope where the tree roots form steps like a staircase, we should see it." "Probably? What kind of answer is that?" Raid said. "It's been five years," Lilia replied. "...Good grief," Raid muttered. As he spoke, Raid put pressure on his left knee. An old wound in his lower back creaked subtly with each stride. Three years of retirement, breathing in the scent of medicinal herbs without touching a sword——the continuous exertion of these past few days was taking its toll on a body no longer accustomed to it. Fatigue that wouldn't have registered in his youth now accumulated as heaviness in his legs. Aira's gaze shifted sideways for a moment. She was watching Raid's running form. She'd surely noticed his stride had shortened slightly. That she said nothing was so like Aira. They rounded the boulder. They climbed the slope of tree roots. Beyond the mist, an orange glow of bonfire seeped through. The outline of a low stone wall emerged between the trees. A settlement. Several torches stood atop the wall, their light reflecting off the mist to create a hazy layer of illumination. Unlike the pursuers' torches, this orange was calm and settled. Lilia stopped. "We're here," she said. Something complex mixed into her voice. It could have been joy, or anxiety. --- The settlement's entrance was narrower than expected. A passage barely two meters wide, hemmed in by stone walls. Standing in the middle of it was a young man. Calva was younger than Raid had imagined. Early twenties, perhaps even younger. Black short hair fell across his forehead, dark eyes examining the three of them in turn. His build was lean, but his posture held no wasted motion. His right hand rested on his sword's hilt——not drawn, but positioned to draw at any moment. He was the settlement's gatekeeper——the first to meet outside intruders, the one who decided whether to let them pass. Raid had heard that Calva had held this role even when Lilia had stayed here before, though he must have been a child then. The figure standing here now would surely be quite different. The vestigial horn base characteristic of the demon race remained small on the left side of Calva's forehead. Just a slight protrusion, indistinguishable from human appearance. The eyes beneath it looked straight at Raid. "Who are you?" Calva asked. His voice was low. Emotionless, beyond his years. Lilia stepped forward. "I'm Lilia. I stayed here once before. These people are——" "I know," Calva cut her off. His gaze returned to Raid. He glanced briefly at the pale blue scars visible from the sleeve of his left arm——traces of wear from magical fusion——then paused for a beat. "I don't let human mages inside," Calva said. "Don't bring danger here," he added. The words were short. That was all. Raid laughed lightly. Only the corner of his lips moved, a smile that appeared calm on the surface. Aira watched his profile——there was something beneath that smile. Something flickered in the depths of the wrinkles, then vanished. It was the same everywhere——that kind of exhaustion seemed to seep through. In the Empire, a retired forbidden user. In the demon settlement, a human mage bringing danger. Only the name changed; in the end, he was always treated as a nuisance. Something in Aira's chest quietly raised its temperature. It was close to righteous indignation, but something stickier than that, harder to explain. "I am Aira, Vice-Captain of the Imperial Knight Order's advance unit," Aira said, stepping forward. Her voice was clear, emotions suppressed. "The danger isn't being brought by us, but by the torches behind us. The Steel Corridor Brigade——the Imperial Army's frontier subjugation main force——is currently deploying through this forest from south to north. If you let us inside, the likelihood of them moving away is high." Calva paused for a moment. "An Imperial knight running from the Imperial Army?" he said. "That's the current situation," Aira replied. One second of silence. Two seconds. Calva's expression didn't change. "And you want us to trust you? If a human mage enters the settlement, we might report it to the Empire later. You're asking us to let him in anyway?" His gaze returned to Raid. Aira started to object. One beat before she could, Lilia looked down at her feet. In the mist, something glowed on the ground. A fluorescent green——the phenomenon where leaves faintly luminescence when atmospheric magical elements accumulate in specific plants at the forest's depths——a single leaf lay near Lilia's toes. Lilia crouched and picked it up. With a straight face, she held it out to Raid. "Old man, can I eat this?" she asked. The silence became a different kind of silence. Aira turned quickly. "Please don't eat that!" "Why?" Lilia asked. "Why?! Because it's glowing!" Calva put his hand to his head. Right beside the vestigial horn base, pressing his temple as if to soothe it. A sound came from his mouth that could have been a sigh or a groan. Raid looked at the leaf. Then at Lilia. "You're hungry, then," he said. "My stomach was empty," Lilia replied. "I understand that," Raid said. "But if you eat this, fire will come out of your mouth for about three hours the next day." Lilia looked at the leaf slowly. Then she looked up. "...Fire comes out?" "Even for demon race," Raid said. "I don't want that," Lilia said. Lilia carefully placed the leaf back where it had been. With genuine care, as if returning it to its original spot. Calva removed his hand from his forehead. His face showed he'd been about to say something but lost the words. The tense air had cracked in an odd way. Calva looked at the three of them. Three people in serious flight, exchanging small words over a fluorescent leaf. This interplay of breath——the three-way discord that felt natural——conveyed something different from pure hostility. Not constructed. You could somehow tell these people were genuinely like this. "...Use the abandoned hut on the outer edge," Calva said shortly. "Three days. If you want to stay longer, prove you're useful to the settlement," he added. With that, he turned and left. --- The abandoned hut was made of stone. The smell of soot and medicinal herbs had seeped into the walls. One window, an old wooden door that let night wind through the gaps when closed. It had been abandoned for a long time, judging by the dried leaves piled in the corners. But the roof was intact. It would keep out the rain. That was enough. Raid sat with his back against the wall. He extended his left leg slightly, pressing the sole of his leather boot against the floor. A movement to check his lower back——a confirmation he wouldn't normally make in public, but exhaustion made it slip out. Aira saw it. She saw it, and moved forward. The motion was natural, her body moving before her mind decided. She knelt in front of Raid and grasped his outer coat's sleeve. "Let me check your wound," she said. "It's not necessary," Raid replied. "It's my duty as a knight," Aira said. Her tone left no room for argument. Raid sighed quietly and extended his arm. Aira rolled up his sleeve. His left forearm appeared. Pale blue scars ran across it. Irreversible wear marks left on skin by magical circuit overload, damage that accumulated each time forbidden magic was used. Above them, a shallow scratch from today's flight, where a tree branch had caught him. Aira's fingers traced the surface of his forearm. A movement to confirm the wound's condition, a task she performed with the certainty of a knight's duty. But her fingertips stopped for just a moment. The skin's temperature was higher than expected. The dry heat of a tanned man's arm. The instant her fingers touched the scar, that spot alone felt subtly different in temperature——where the circuit damage concentrated, it was slightly warmer than its surroundings. Aira told herself this was a duty confirmation. She was checking for wounds. She was confirming there was no abnormal body temperature. Nothing more, nothing less. Her fingertips lingered on that heat for one beat. That was all. Aira quickly withdrew her hand. She pulled the sleeve back down and averted her gaze. Something rose to her cheeks, but the hut's dimness would have hidden it. "One shallow wound. No other issues," Aira reported. Her voice held no change. It was brisk, the tone of a report. Raid said nothing. Only Lilia, watching from the wall corner, saw the whole exchange. She said nothing. Only her mouth curved slightly——the innocent smile of someone who'd witnessed good fortune. --- Even as night deepened, Aira couldn't sleep. Lilia had long since wrapped herself in blankets, breathing in regular sleep. Raid sat with his back against the wall, eyes closed. Whether he slept was unclear, but his breathing had deepened. Aira stared at the ceiling. Behind her eyelids, Calva's words repeated. Human mages aren't allowed inside the settlement, don't bring danger——short words, but their meaning was clear. And Raid's face when he heard them. The smile he'd made, in that instant. A face shaped like a smile that wasn't a smile. Something tired had been visible in the depths of the wrinkles, she thought. Something like resignation, but not quite resignation——something older, like an ancient wound. Aira couldn't explain why she still remembered it now. Not information she should record as a knight. Not observation necessary for mission completion. But she remembered. Clearly, along with the heat that lingered on her fingertips. In that moment, why had she stepped forward? When Calva said "don't bring danger," Aira had been about to object. It might have been the righteous indignation of duty——a knight's reaction to unfair treatment of a companion. Probably not. Aira stopped thinking further. She fixed her gaze on the dim ceiling and regulated her breathing. This wasn't something to consider now. Rest was necessary now. Tomorrow, she needed to speak with Calva. She had to prove the settlement could benefit from their presence. There was plenty to think about. Sorting through emotions could wait. She concluded that five minutes later, her eyes were still open. --- Morning light arrived through the mist. The thin white glow filtering through the hut's window created a rectangle on the floor where dried leaves had accumulated. Lilia woke in that light. She gave one large yawn and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. There was a presence outside. The door opened. Calva stood there. The same expression as last night——dark eyes with emotion suppressed——as he looked over the three of them. Raid slowly pushed himself up