Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Moro carried Ian and Mev along the main road. It wasn’t sprinting at full speed, but keeping up a steady run still couldn’t have been easy. Even so, the creature only panted a little, showing hardly any sign of fatigue.
"Let's rest here for today."
It was no doubt thanks to the breaks they took every night, and the fact that Ian always brought back monsters for food without fail. It wasn't much trouble. Even if they were following the road, they weren’t passing through cities anyway, so they had to hunt for food, regardless.
Screech—
Besides, hunting didn't take long. Most of the beasts had already turned into monsters. Mutation didn’t erase instinct, but there weren’t many creatures frightened enough to avoid a lone human wandering in the dark.
"It’s strange."
Mev, sitting leaning against the treasure chest by the campfire, murmured when Ian returned from his hunt. In his hands were two demonic rabbits the size of puppies.
Tossing one to Moro, Ian asked, "What is?"
"For the past few years, I've never felt at ease in this darkness. Even when I was with soldiers."Mev looked at the darkness beyond the fire, then looked up at Ian.
"But not these past few days. I just realized it. I'm very comfortable right now. Both in body and mind."
"You've let your guard down too much."
Despite his words, Ian wore a small smile as he sat beside her, lifting the rabbit by its ears.
"Don’t let your guard down. Things like this roam everywhere around here."
The rabbit was not only huge but also had a hideous appearance with sharp teeth jutting out wildly. It was clearly not a creature that lived on grass.
Mev smiled as she looked over the stab wounds across its torso. "You’re right. And you’re not even properly armed right now."
Ian still wore only simple clothes, the last spare set he’d kept. His only armor was a single plated gauntlet on his left hand, a wrist guard, and leather boots reinforced with chains.
He hadn't worn other armor because most of the clasps had melted and warped, rendering them useless. They had completely broken after being taken on and off a few times.
"Don't worry about it. As I said, it feels lighter this way." Ian shrugged and pulled out a dagger to skin and gut the rabbit.
His tone was playful, but he wasn’t lying. He simply wasn’t careless. And truthfully, he wasn’t tense either. No matter how polluted this land was, for someone who had traversed demonic realms like the Black Land, the monsters of the frontier posed no significant threat. Mev knew that, too.
"Still, once we reach the temple, let's get you fully armed again. Ian."
Skillfully slicing through the hide, Ian said, "Lucy has my equipment anyway. She’s probably already repaired and reinforced it."
He tossed the skinned hide to Moro and glanced at Mev. "So stop worrying and relax while you can."
"I'm already doing that, almost too much." Smiling, Mev drew her sword and held it out.
Ian, who had gutted the rabbit and thrown the innards to Moro, skewered the meat on her sword and placed it over the fire.
Crunch... snap...
Only the firewood burning and Moro chewing filled the quiet night.
Watching the meat slowly cook, Mev said, "Unless something major happens, we should reach the temple within ten days. It looks like we've already entered the old Bel Ronde territory."
"So that's why there's no sign of people," Ian murmured, flipping the blade. Soldiers patrolling near the main road had disappeared completely at some point.
Mev nodded. "Things aren’t good out here. Cities are torn apart, barely maintaining a state where they aren't completely isolated. Actually, the entire frontier except Orendel is probably in a similar state."
Looking at the burning fire, Mev wore a faint, bitter smile. "Even now, people are suffering, waiting for salvation in fear and pain."
"The frontier turned out the way the Round Table wanted." Ian clicked his tongue.
Mev's eyes grew cold. "Exactly. That’s why I can’t forgive them. Someday, I’ll avenge everyone who died without ever knowing why."
Ian stared at Mev's profile. Her desire for revenge was nothing new. She knew that the Round Table was the culprit behind the state of the frontier.
"Then you'll have the Great Church as your enemy."
"I don't care. I serve the Radiant Goddess, not the Great Church."
So, some things have changed after all.
He picked up her twin swords, brushed off the charred bits on the outside, and said, "Just know your turn might not come."
Ian held the meat out to her and smiled. "The Dark Prince might succeed in revenge before you."
Mev grabbed the meat with her gloved hand, tore off a chunk, and added, "I'd prefer to do it with my own hands, but if he can root them out, I'll gladly cheer him on."
Ian leaned the blade diagonally against his thigh and said, "Don't forget that you might end up fighting him too."
"Of course. His story is tragic, but as I said, I'll follow your decision. With all my might."
Ian nodded as he tore off a piece of meat and brought it to his mouth. As he chewed the slightly bitter flesh, a faint memory of his dream flashed through his mind.
Which choice would keep that future from happening?
Yog was asleep now, preparing for its next molting, but before that, it had regained consciousness for a moment. Thanks to that, Ian learned the unfortunate fact that the creature hadn't peeked into his dream. Still, Yog was convinced Ian’s dream had been a prophecy.
—Whether it’ll happen again or whether that was the last, I don’t know. It might not even have been you seeing the future. Maybe the White Magician saw more futures than we thought. Only the memories tied to your fate surfaced. …Evidence? You know I don’t have any, my friend.
Remembering the utterly irresponsible whisper, Ian let out a silent, crooked laugh. It didn’t matter which explanation was true. He simply hoped to see another vision—preferably one with Yog watching, and with more clues revealed.
"You sleep first tonight, Ian," Mev said as their meal was nearly finished.
Receiving Ian's gaze, she added, "If I sleep first, you’ll just let me sleep longer again."
"I won't do that today, so sleep," Ian said calmly.
Mev still hadn't fully recovered her stamina. She had pushed herself running all the way to the swamp, and even after that, she kept running without proper rest. Even as an apostle of a god, her endurance wasn't exceptional. If Ian himself felt fatigued, she certainly wasn’t any different.
"Promise me."
Mev held his gaze until Ian finally shrugged. "I promise. I'm tired today too."
"Then… alright."
Nodding, Mev curled up toward the treasure chest. She hugged her removed helmet to her chest. She seemed to believe that falling asleep quickly would give Ian more time to rest.
Actually, that was a lie.
Ian opened the chest with the Willful Grasp, took out a blanket, and covered her armor. He found himself wondering what lie he would need to tell tomorrow.
Snort...
Moro, lying with its chin on the ground, snorted.
Ian tossed the remaining bones to it and whispered, "Quiet. Don't wake her."
Moro flared its nostrils, wrapped its tongue around the bones without a sound, and brought them to its mouth. It swallowed them without chewing.
Chuckling softly, Ian took out his cigarette case from the chest. Another grimly silent night, where not even insects chirped, was passing.
***
"Tonight, you definitely should sleep first."
As Moro trotted leisurely up the valley slope, Mev, hugging Ian's waist, suddenly whispered. Her voice was cool and settled.
So that’s why she’s been unusually quiet.
Stifling a smile, Ian answered casually, "Isn't it too early to decide that? The sun just set."
"No. I need to decide now."
Mev didn't back down.
"For days now, I've been the only one sleeping a lot. I won't be tricked anymore."
Ian's lips eventually curled up. Tricking Mev into sleeping first every night was one of his small pleasures these days. He had no intention of stopping, but he didn't show it.
"Thanks to that, your fatigue is nearly gone."
"That part’s true, but you’re not getting enough rest. It bothers me."
Of course, Mev was stubborn. Ian hummed in thought for a moment, then looked back at her.
"Then, let's just sleep together."
"Huh?" Mev froze, eyes wide.
Ian nodded nonchalantly. "We can have Moro stand guard. Let's sleep without taking turns tonight."
"Ah... you meant— Ahem..." Mev turned her gaze away with an awkward face and cleared her throat.
Looking ahead again, Ian pushed down another smile. It seemed he’d tricked her yet again today. From what he’d seen, Mev fell asleep the moment her head hit the ground—after that, he could just sit back up in silence. Maybe by tomorrow, she wouldn’t even realize she’d been tricked.
Ian’s eyes twitched only a few seconds later. As his gaze shifted, Mev said, "Sounds like a decent idea, but Moro might get tired."
"Let’s talk about that in a moment," Ian replied quietly.
Mev looked up at the back of his head, narrowing her eyes. "If you're trying to gloss over it like this—"
"That's not it. There's a presence on the other side," Ian said, looking back at her.
"Presence?" Mev looked into his eyes for a moment before asking back. She tilted her head slightly—clearly because she didn’t hear anything herself.
"Yes, quite a lot of them. I hear wolves too. Sounds like they're being chased."
Of course, it was also because this wasn't a road people traveled. Unless they were heavily armed, no one would dare leave the city in the first place. In the past few days, they had encountered no one except a group of mercenaries.
"Even if they’re mutated, wolves won’t attack a fully armed group first. That’s strange." Mev murmured, narrowing her eyes.
Ian shrugged. "Well, we’ll see soon enough."
He shook the reins, and Moro sped up a little. Sparse trees and bushes brushed past on both sides, and soon the other side of the valley came into view.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
As Moro slowed down again, Ian easily spotted lights entering the valley in the distance. Centered around two wagons, a dozen travelers holding torches were running desperately.
"They’re that far away…."
Mev's low exclamation followed. She was clearly surprised at his hearing. Ian, however, didn’t pay it any mind.
Roar—
He scanned the area behind the fleeing group—trees, bushes, and darkness. Through the darkness, he could clearly see the wolves racing forward.
Realizing that the wolves were maintaining a moderate distance from the procession, Ian murmured, "Are they waiting for the prey to tire out?"
Mev nodded. "Not an unusual tactic— Actually, that’s better."
Scanning the fleeing group with narrowed eyes, she clicked her tongue softly and added, "If the wolves had simply lunged at them, they wouldn’t have held out at all."
The travelers were armed with a haphazard mix of crossbows, spears, and swords—functional, but uncoordinated. They might kill a wolf or two, but they had no hope of fighting off a full pack.
"No matter how I look at it, they just seem like freemen. Why come this far without escorts..." Mev's murmuring faded.
It must be because some of the people in the rear were starting to lag behind, reaching their limits. Mev’s eyes widened in alarm while Ian’s lips curved faintly.
They’re planning to die in their place.
He could see their expressions clearly: terrified, and yet strangely resolute.
"Let's ask the questions to them after saving them," Ian said, shaking the reins without further thought. Before Mev could reply, Moro snorted sharply and burst into a full sprint.