Hornberg Village was about half a day's journey away, and along the road there was a shabby settlement. A cheap inn for adventurers, a small eatery with dried meat hanging from the rafters, a handful of buildings. A single water trough to rest horses. Compared to the western district of the royal capital Lusentia, it was less than half the size. The Blaze Force party had stopped there for a brief rest. Kain Gardos leaned his back against the eaves of the eatery, eyes closed. Arms crossed, weight against the wall—by any measure, he was taking a nap. In fact, he was probably just about to fall asleep. "——Wait for meeeeeee!!" A voice rang out. Distant. But drawing closer. The sound of feet kicking up dirt, ragged breathing, something rattling and clanking. Kain opened just one eye. A young man came running from beyond the road. Black hair with red streaks. Odd eyes—right green, left purple—that stood out even from a distance. His forehead was drenched in sweat, and his leather armor hung loose on his frame as he ran. A sword hung at his hip, throwing off his rhythm. Several members of Blaze Force noticed and looked up. The man stopped in front of the group. He planted his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He stayed like that for about twenty seconds. "...G-greetings——huff——I apologize for the intrusion. I'm Noar Lant. Iron-rank adventurer" Irina stepped forward. Her water-colored hair swayed in the morning breeze, her golden eyes regarding the man with quiet composure. "Is there business with Blaze Force?" "Well, it's not exactly business——I mean——" Lant looked up. His gaze swept across the group and stopped at Kain. "Are you... Kain Gardos? The former Silver Ram——" "Go home." A single word. Without even opening his eyes. Lant froze. His face went blank. "[serious]You chased after us from the capital, didn't you. Nice effort. Go home." "H-how did you know!?" "Your breathing pattern and the dust on your gear. You've run over forty kilometers. Only a certain type of person does something that stupid." Lant's mouth opened and closed. Then his expression hardened with resolve. "Teach me to be your disciple!" "No." "If I could learn from the legendary former Silver Ram knight, I'd definitely get stronger——" "I'm just an adventurer. Go home." "Then I'll make you acknowledge me through strength!" Lant's hand went to the hilt of his sword. The motion was forceful. He was fired up. ——Clang. The sword fell to the ground, sheath and all. Silence. Lant froze. Slowly, he looked down. He saw the sword sheath rolling in the dirt. Then he crouched to pick it up. His foot caught it. The sheath rolled further. He hurried after it. He kicked it again. One of the party members let out a small "ah..." while desperately suppressing laughter. Irina was clearly struggling to maintain her expressionless face. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly. Kain slowly pushed off from the wall. He walked over and gently pressed his leather boot down on the rolling sheath, stopping it. Lant looked up. His eyes met Kain's. "[whispers]...I know I'm weak." His voice was quiet. The rapid-fire tone from before had vanished. "But I don't want to run away. I don't want to stay like this. So——" Kain looked into those eyes. Both of Lant's odd eyes were looking straight at him. Not hiding his weakness. But not running from it either. Pathetic, ungainly, yet sincere eyes. One second. "[sarcastic]...If you want to carry baggage, do whatever you want." With just that, Kain started walking. Lant cried out "Eh, ah, yes!!" He hurriedly picked up his sheath and followed, nearly tripping. Irina jogged to fall into step beside Kain. "[gentle]Instructor, are you sure about this?" "[cold]His eyes weren't dead. That's all." Irina paused for a moment, then looked ahead. She simply said "I see" and asked nothing more. --- They arrived at Hornberg Village just past noon. Before reaching the village, Kain stopped. He smelled it. The scent of burnt wood. The smell of charred coal dampened by rain. Wind blew from the mountains, carrying that smell with it. Irina stopped as well. Her face hardened. "...Let's go." Beyond the village entrance, the report became reality. Where the grain storage should have been, only blackened earth and collapsed stone foundations remained. Wisps of smoke-like air still drifted faintly. A single charred beam end stood tilted at an angle. Village people sat with their backs against house walls. Old and young alike had the same look in their eyes. Not resignation, but something deeper—eyes that no longer believed in anything. Two children gripped the hem of their mother's clothes, but they weren't crying. Perhaps they had no tears left. Lant stood frozen, still holding the baggage. One villager looked up. A woman in her fifties. She recognized them as knights from their equipment. But her face didn't move. "...Have you come again?" Her voice was devoid of emotion. In the center of the village, an old man stood waiting. White hair, an exhausted face, yet his spine remained straight. Thoma Gelt—the village chief of Hornberg. "Thank you for coming." His voice was calm. But his eyes were tired. The eyes of someone who had been fighting for a long time. Kain faced the village chief. "Tell me the situation." "Starting last month, they began taking hostages from villages that couldn't pay the toll tax." Thoma continued, choosing his words carefully. His voice was subdued. "Three days ago, five young women were taken from the neighboring village of Felt. Felt Village couldn't pay this month's tax." Irina's hand clenched into a fist. It was a small movement. But it caught Kain's peripheral vision. Her white fingers were gripped so tightly they turned red. "All five under twenty?" "Yes. The youngest was sixteen, I heard." Irina made a small, voiceless sound. Behind them, Lant looked down at the ground. He seemed to want to say something, but his face showed he couldn't. One of the villagers, leaning against a wall, spoke. "Give up. It's over. Nobody wants to die." Irina turned around. "[serious]We won't give up." Her voice was quiet. But unwavering. Kain glanced at her profile for just a moment. Then his gaze turned toward the mountains. The ridge line was visible. Trees overlapped, and beyond them lay Valgrim Fortress. --- The next morning, they set out for reconnaissance. Kain took Irina and several selected party members. Lant left the baggage in the village and silently followed along. The party members exchanged glances, but Kain didn't stop him. The mountain path was narrow. Rock faces pressed in from both sides, and looking up, white sky showed through gaps in the trees. The ground was a mix of wet stone and dead leaves, requiring careful attention to move silently. The two advance scouts sent back the all-clear signal. It happened immediately after. Before the sound of a boom reached them, Kain's body was already moving. "[serious]Scatter!!" A large boulder rolled down from the cliff. Not just one. Multiple boulders in succession. Calculated intervals. Everyone dove aside. One party member fell. A boulder grazed him. In that instant, the undergrowth moved. People emerged from multiple directions. Their equipment was uniform. Their movements had no wasted motion. Balmcrow—the armed group Hausen Drechsel had spent three years organizing—was in ambush. "[scared]Three from the right——left——!" Shouts overlapped. The ambush was fast. On the narrow mountain path, they moved to cut Blaze Force in half. Kain, Irina, and Lant were separated to one side of the path, while the remaining twenty members were surrounded in the narrow ravine terrain. "[angry]Damn it——!" "[serious]Hold the line, don't fall back!!" The voices grew distant. They were cut off. The three took shelter behind rocks. Night fell. In the mountains, sound changes. A different silence than daytime. Even the insect chirps and wind seemed distant. Kain watched the enemy movements from behind the rocks. Multiple torches were positioned in three directions along the mountain path. Sealing the right, pressing from the left. Drawing them into the central ravine, then blocking the exit. Striking from the front after cutting off retreat. Kain's eyes tracked those movements. ——A three-directional squeeze. A combination of luring and traps. Seal the escape route, then attack from the front. Something overlapped in Kain's mind. Not a memory. Something older. Something burned into his body. The formation Kain had seen at eighteen in the Silver Ram training grounds. The deployment the Fourth Company favored. Making a wide space seem open, then squeezing from three directions——that was it. The face of the man who had liked using that formation best floated into his head. Falsified evidence lined up in the report. The brand of insubordination. Not a single comrade had stood with Kain that day. Hausen Drechsel. That man who had "honorably discharged" from Silver Ram twenty years ago. (......He's still alive.) The whisper never became a voice. Without realizing it, Kain was gripping the old scar on his left hand with his right. "[gentle]Instructor." Irina's voice came from beside him. Low, quiet. She had noticed the change in Kain's expression. But she wasn't asking now. Couldn't ask. If they didn't move, their comrades would die. Irina's golden eyes looked at Kain for just a moment. With that single glance, she took it all in and turned forward. "[serious]How do we rejoin the main force?" Kain was about to speak when Lant raised his hand. "[excited]Um... I remember the path. All of it." Kain and Irina both looked at Lant at the same time. "Once I've been through a path, I don't forget it. The terrain, the rock positions, everything." Irina confirmed. "[surprised]Is that true?" "It's like a picture in my head. I think it's more accurate than a map... probably." Kain paused for a beat. "[sarcastic]Probably, huh." "[laughing]Ninety-nine percent certain!" "[cold]Then take point." "Me——" "Now." Lant froze for a moment. Then his expression hardened with resolve, and instead of the baggage, he drew only his short sword. He took the lead. The three ran down the dark mountain path. Lant didn't hesitate. Rock shadows, tree roots, narrow cliff-edge paths, avoiding the ambush torches, he moved with perfect efficiency. He never stopped once. Just over ten minutes. The main force's voices became audible. --- When they regrouped, it was already too late. One party member with a broken arm. One lying limp with an arrow still embedded in his shoulder. One with a split forehead, blood streaming down his face. Three lay on the ground. When Irina saw her bloodied comrades, her face twisted. Her lips trembled. "If I had stopped the reconnaissance sooner——" "[serious]We're retreating." Kain spoke to everyone. Someone raised their voice. "But the fortress——we still——" "[cold]I won't let these people die." That was all. No excuses, no explanations, nothing. Kain knelt beside one of the critically wounded. The one with the split forehead. He pressed cloth to the wound, applying pressure. He examined the injury. It wasn't deep. But the bleeding hadn't stopped. "Can you walk?" "...Yes." "Lean on me." The party member wrapped an arm around Kain's shoulder. Kain supported him and stood. The group began descending the mountain path toward Hornberg Village. They carried the critically wounded in turns, no one speaking. Partway down, Lant turned and stopped. On the mountain ridge, there was a figure. Silhouetted against the moonlight, a single man stood. Heavy armor. Massive frame. An old scar line crossing his left cheek was barely visible in the moonlight. The man didn't move. He simply looked down. An expression that seemed both triumphant and merely confirming. "[scared]Who is th