“Karius... Karius... Karius!” Hilde shook me from behind.

“W-What is it?” I asked without turning my head.

We were riding Sabre, with me in front holding the reins. Our mounts had gotten exhausted after galloping away from Portus at full speed, so we slowed our pace to let them rest.

“Are you okay? You weren’t answering.”

“...Yeah.”

“Liar.”

“Hey now. Easy with the accusations.”

“You haven’t said a word since we left Portus. You usually talk enough for seven people.”

“It’s nothing. And I don’t talk enough for seven people.”

“...”

“...”

“......”

“Okay. Two people… Three maybe.”

“If you say so. Anyway, you’re acting weird.”

“Speak for yourself. You’ve become a lot more talkative, not that I mind. I remember the days when the only words out of your mouth were insults against people. Mainly me.”

“Only you.”

“I wish I could hear that line from you in a different situation. …Like a love confession.”

“...”

“...”

“......”

“Say something! I’m gonna die from embarrassment if you don’t react to something like that.”

“Was it supposed to be a joke?”

“I was being honest, but yes, it was a joke.”

“That so.”

I knew she was trying to cheer me up. I could sense it very clearly with our bodies pressed together. Her attitude towards me changed drastically after she concluded I wasn’t her enemy.

I wasn’t too surprised. Hilde, while curt, never treated anyone with the disrespect she had directed to me. Inside her, a clear line existed between enemies and everyone else. I had broken my back, almost literally, to cross that line, but it was worth it.

“Are you feeling ill, Master?”

Even Felix, who rode beside us, noticed my odd mood. No amount of acting could cover up how unhinged I felt after seeing Annie in Portus. What was she doing there? What had my actions done to her? The possibilities terrified me.

I gulped down my worries and made up an excuse. “Just feeling a little tired.”

“Maybe the balm is making you sick. Should I wash it off?

I glanced at my arm sling. “No, it’s fine. We don’t have water to waste cleaning it anyway.”

Sand dunes stretched as far as the eye could see. The clear night sky gave us a good view of our heading, but that meant little. We had no real destination. Considering the presence of Arthas soldiers in the area, Harena was out of the question.

Sabre stopped her trot.

“What’s up, Sabre?” I stroked the side of her neck.

She looked into the distance. I squinted in an attempt to improve my vision, but I couldn’t find anything in the darkness. Felix’s horse also stopped in its tracks and began radiating fear. That couldn’t be anything good.

“Beasts,” said Hilde.

Felix nodded. “Indeed.”

“Am I the only one who can’t see them?”

“‘Tis not your shortcoming, Master. I trained for years to hone my senses, and Miss Hilde is rather special. Most people wouldn’t notice.”

I expanded the range of my anima and picked up about a dozen individual emotions a short distance away. Their feelings, anger and wariness, reached me clearly, which meant these beasts had decent intelligence.

“They’re dust cats,” said Felix. “Seems we walked right into their territory without knowing it.”

I rubbed my chin while dredging up old memories. “Maybe they’ll leave us alone. If I remember correctly, dust cats hunt in sandstorms. Sandstorms normally don’t happen at night, so they shouldn’t be on the prowl.”

“Yes, but they are very territorial.”

“There was that. Should we run?”

“Considering their load, our steeds cannot outrun the cats in short distances. They are too close for us to escape.”

I didn’t expect to run into trouble here. We had gotten lucky during our escape from Portus. The exit had not been blocked off, and we hadn’t seen any other Arthasians aside from Master, Lucius, and Annie. Maybe they had separated from the main expeditionary force for some reason.

But our luck had run out.

“No choice but to fight then.”

The cats spread out to surround our party. With low purring sounds, they circled around us, looking for an opportunity to attack. Felix and I moved our steeds to cover each other’s backs. He rotated to keep the largest cat in front, while I carefully guarded his blindspot.

Hilde hopped off Sabre’s back and unsheathed one of the swords she borrowed from the dead in the Nepa Caverns. “I’ll handle this.”

“I’ll cover you with ice magic.”

“Don’t bother.”

“At least go with Felix.”

She shook her head stubbornly and rushed off.

I channeled the fear of Felix’s horse and weaved glacies, just in case she needed help. I soon realized that was a meaningless precaution.

Hilde roared like a lion and dove into the fray. She slammed the flat of her sword against the largest cat and kicked another. With a hair-raising growl, she jumped and stomped on a third one. Several felines tumbled to the sand in the face of her wild sword dance. The dust cats backed off, wary of her blade’s reach.

“Miss Hilde is like a beast,” said Felix. “A very beautiful one.”

“You have good taste.”

“I think most would disagree after seeing that.”

With inhuman speed and precision, Hilde continued her assault on the animals. Fur and pained squeals flew through the air as she one-sidedly knocked the cats around, all that without spilling a single drop of blood. The cats soon realized the gap in combat ability and withdrew. They vanished beyond the dunes as abruptly as they had appeared.

After sheathing her blade, Hilde returned to her seat behind me, slightly damp with sweat.

“...I don’t enjoy killing, if that’s what you’re thinking,” I said.

“I didn’t say that.” Her slightly rough breaths warmed my nape.

“But that’s why you fought them alone, right? You thought I’d kill them with my magic.”

“I fought alone because it’s faster that way. I didn’t kill them because I didn’t need to. They aren’t enemies. We were the ones who stepped into their homes.”

I finally understood why she punched me when I killed that giant lizard. Hilde had displayed hair-raising brutality when she fought guards and bandits because she believed they were at fault. At first, I thought she was just being hypocritical for judging my actions while spilling plenty of blood herself, but a fundamental difference existed between us. Defending yourself was fine, but killing with extreme prejudice should be reserved to those who deserved it.

Though speckled with dried blood, her soul shone white. In contrast, I could only cover up my darkness with white lies. I wasn’t even sure they were white anymore.

“That was the best course of action,” said Felix. “Dust carts are smart creatures known to have a sense of camaraderie. Killing even one of them would have given them more reason to attack us. Fighting them alone showed clear combat superiority, driving them off. I believe Miss Hilde’s grandiose roars were also for that purpose.”

Hilde confirmed his speculation with a curt nod.

Felix closed his eyes for a moment. “However, the cats only retreated because their group was unnaturally small in number. Perhaps they were decimated by a hunt.”

“In any case, let’s get out of here before they change their minds.” I urged Sabre forward with a light heel tap.

“Where are you going?” asked Hilde.

“Away from Portus.”

“That’s the wrong way. We should go that way.” She pointed to the left with a finger.

“Now I’m sure this is the right way.”

I really wasn’t. The encounter with the dust cats made me lose our heading. The feline pawprints around us covered up the few hoofprints spared by the desert wind. Even so, I wouldn’t follow Hilde’s suggestion. She was always wrong when it came to directions. That was fact.

I trusted my intuition and continued forward.

A few hours passed.

I finally learned not to trust my intuition.

“How did we end up here!?” I cradled my head with both hands.

A stone marker, Harena’s landmark, stood in the horizon.

“Didn’t you wish to return?” asked Felix. “I thought we changed our destination to Harena after the dust cat attack.”

“Say something earlier!”

“It is a disciple’s duty to follow his master without complaint.”

“There’s a limit to everything!”

“Told you so,” said Hilde.

Felix cleared his throat. “Not to be rude, Miss Hilde, but if we followed your suggestion, we would be back in Portus hours ago.”

I turned my head to make fun of her but froze upon noticing a faint blush on her cheeks. Distracted by her rare display of girlishness, I forgot what I wanted to say. She shyly met my eyes. I reflexively faced forward to avoid her meek gaze.

That was dangerous. I almost lost myself in the view. I wondered if she could hear my pounding heart.

I shook my head and focused. “Felix, could you take the lead?”

“As you wish. Where to?”

“We need to get away from Harena and Portus. Preferably somewhere with a lot of people and loose security.”

“Ah, I know just the place. There’s a merchant town about three days from here. We should be able to find desert plants and watering holes along the way, so we can make it with our current supplies.”

I heaved a huge sigh. “Why didn’t I ask you to lead us earlier..?”

“I’m afraid I don’t possess the ability to read minds, Master.”

I did, sort of. Unfortunately, it didn’t make me any smarter.

Hilde tensed. “We’ve got company.”

“Again?” I expanded my anima’s range and sensed a person on a horse a good distance away.

Trotting down a tall sand dune, the rider continued to approach.

Still seated behind me, Hilde drew her sword. “Let’s charge at him.”

“What happened to your pacifist personality?”

“My what?”

Apparently, she just had a soft spot for animals.

Felix moved between us and the uninvited guest. “Please sheathe your blade, Miss Hilde. It’s Mister Elar, and he’s wounded.”

“Your night vision is very convenient,” I said.

“Indeed. To train this ability, I once lived with bats in a cave for two years. I figured it’d be useful for a thief.”

“That’s certainly, uh, amazing… in many ways.”

The shadow drew close enough for me to see his face. Elar, with blood blotting his shirt, widened his droopy eyes upon seeing us.

“Leon? Ada and Felix too! What’re ya doin’ here?”

“I’d ask you the same question. Isn’t that Violetta’s horse?”

“Right! Violetta was captured by the townsfolk!”

“Slow down. Please explain it properly.”

Elar took a deep breath and exhaled most of his tension. “I was chattin’ with Violetta in the town plaza. The lass couldn’t sleep so I went along with her for a walk. An explosion got us on our way back. Roughed me up quite a bit.” He looked at the dried blood on his sleeve and trousers. “Stone houses melted. People were screamin’ like crazy. It was hell I tell ya.”

I checked his emotions with my anima. Panic. Fear. Guilt. His feelings were consistent with what he said.

“Is Violetta okay?”

“She got away with just scratches. Problem was what happened after.” Elar shook his head in disappointment. “The townsfolk, my neighbors… They blamed me for the chaos. I didn’t even know what the hell happened! They thought Violetta was in on it just ‘coz she was with me. They grabbed her… and I… I ran away. I even stole her horse. I’m sorry. Sorry for leavin’ that child behind..!” He grabbed his tear-soiled face.

“Thanks for the explanation. That wasn’t your fault. There was nothing you could’ve done.”

I closed my eyes and thought about what to do next. My two companions waited expectantly for my decision. Elar nervously looked back and forth between the three of us. Only the breaths of the horses could be heard in the foreboding silence.

I turned to Felix. “Let’s go to the town you mentioned earlier. We’ll camp after we get far enough from Harena and Portus. We also need to treat Elar’s wounds.”

“Eh? You’re taking me with you?” asked Elar. “I was goin’ to Harena.”

“I won’t stop you, but I’d rather you not do that. Chances are that another group of our pursuers are in Harena. They’d know immediately if you showed up at the gate looking like that. You know too much about us. If possible, I’d rather you not fall into enemy hands. Believe me, that’s for your sake too.”

“F-Fine. I understand.”

“Don’t make that face. We’re not gonna hurt you. We’ll part ways in the next town.”

“Shouldn’t we save Violetta?” asked Felix.

I shook my head. “Violetta will be fine. She’s an aristocrat from Insula. The people in Portus may be constantly high, but even they should know that a girl like her can’t cause that destruction. She doesn’t have motive either. What do you think, Elar?”

“I agree. I don’t think the townsfolk will hurt her. It’ll sound like an excuse, but that’s why I could stomach leavin’ her behind.”

“Either way, we can’t go back to Portus. If we meet the witch or the knight, we’re dead.”

“You can’t be serious,” said Hilde.

Felix narrowed his eyes at me. “I have to say that is a regretful decision, Master.”

Their disappointed gazes stabbed my heart like rusted stakes. Compared to the slander I received from strangers in Arthas, the honest opinions of these two, my comrades, hurt far more.

“It’s not a decision. We don’t have a choice. Please understand.”

“If you think this is best, I shall follow your command.” Felix averted his eyes from mine.

Hilde hopped off the saddle and walked away. Without moving from their spots, Felix and Elar glanced at me with expectant looks.

I prodded Sabre to follow her. “Hilde, where are you going?”

“I’m going to save Violetta.”

“Please don’t be unreasonable.”

“You’re the unreasonable one. How can you abandon a child like that? Did you forget what happens to prisoners in this land?”

I could never forget. Hilde’s torture had driven me to throw away my old life. However, that was irrelevant right now.

“Portus is a small village. I’d be surprised if they had prisons, much less interrogators.”

“Excuses. I was a fool for thinking you were brave.”

“...You thought I was brave?”

“I did.”

I thought about what I should do. Going separate ways with Hilde was out of the question. In that case, I just had to tell her what she wanted to hear.

“Listen to me, Hilde.”

She gave me the cold shoulder, just like when we first met.

“You’re going the wrong way.”

Hilde abruptly stopped her feet, kicking up sand. Then she turned around with a scowl tempered by a faint blush. “Where’s Portus?”

“I actually don’t know. I just said that so you’d stop.”

Hilde rushed forward, grabbed my shirt, and dragged me to the sand. The fall didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. Despite her hostility, she had taken care not to aggravate my injuries.

She held me by my collar and stared into my eyes. “Lend me your ecus.”

“Sabre won’t let you ride her without me.”

Remembering that fact, Hilde clicked her tongue. Taking advantage of that distraction, I pushed my face close to hers.

“Trust me. This is the only way.”

She shook her head, but I wasn’t about to give up. Her mood worsened as I continued to convince her. Fearing she’d crush my head with her monstrous grip, I picked my words carefully. I told her this way was better for everyone in the long run. I did my best to explain my reasoning, but she only got more furious. She wouldn’t listen and wanted to rush headlong into danger.

In the end, I resorted to cashing in on my chips.

“You owe me this much, Hilde. I saved your life at the expense of my own.”

She bit her lips until it turned white. “...I really hate that part of you.”

“...This is for the best.”

If looks could kill, I’d be nothing but ashes now. She let go of me and got on my ecus. Sabre didn’t throw her off because Hilde didn’t intend to run away.

I watched them trot back to the rest of the party and sighed. “So I’m back to walking now?”

***

Hilde kept distance from us during the trip. I rode alternately behind Felix and Elar to avoid tiring out their horses. Unlike Sabre, normal steeds couldn’t maintain our speed for long periods while carrying two people.

A few hours before dawn, we found a decent campsite on a sand fern field. Sand ferns, having much shorter roots than Pocti, lived in areas with an underground water source close to the surface. If we dug deep enough, we’d be able to replenish our jugs and maybe even wash up. “We,” in this case, meant Hilde and Felix. Elar and I were injured and couldn’t do much even if we helped.

Desert nights were cold, so I set out to build a fire. I gathered dried ferns into a mound near the horses and expanded my anima sphere. I focused on Hilde, who was digging with Felix a good distance away. Anger still smoldered within her, the perfect fuel for a quick flame spell.

“Ignis.”

I conjured a tiny fire within the pile of dead leaves. A few moments later, smoke wafted from the mound. I carefully nursed the flame by gently blowing air into it.

“Yer a mage?” asked Elar, eyes like saucers.

“You don’t have to look so surprised.”

“Ya look like a brat. It’s surprisin’ I tell ya.”

Was Hilde’s poisonous tongue contagious?

“I know how I look. Leave me alone.”

“Sorry if I hit a nerve. But that don’t change the fact that yer amazing.”

“Not amazing enough.” I glanced at Hilde in the distance.

“Don’t let it get ya down boy. I can tell there’s some history between the two of ya. Can you tell me yer story? Haven’t heard a good one in years.”

“Sure, but take off your shirt first.”

“...That was a twist I didn’t see comin’.”

“I need to treat your wounds.” I took out a roll of cloth bandage from my bag.

“R-Right.” Elar backed away nervously.

“Hey, don’t give me that look! I’m telling the truth.”

“But you can just roll up my sleeve to bandage my arm…”

“Fine, then do that.”

He rolled up his tattered sleeve, caked with blood, up to his shoulder. I proceeded to clean the gash on his arm with some water and wiped it off with a cloth. After applying an ointment Felix made, I wrapped his arm with the bandage and secured it with a knot.

“Yer pretty good at this.”

“I watched my sister do it to me countless times.” I let a bitter smile spill out. “Let me see your leg.”

Elar rolled up his trouser leg, exposing a small cut on his calf. “What do you see in that girl?”

“Hilde? Have your eyes gone bad from age?”

“I’m not talking ‘bout her looks, boy. She’s been snubbin’ ya since we left Harena.”

“Well, we had a disagreement, but it’s no big deal.”

“So you two are usually more chummy?”

“...Not really. Things had been going better recently, but then you had to show up.”

“Sorry… I didn’t wanna be a bringer of bad news to ya’ll. She must really like Violetta.”

“Yeah, probably more than she likes me.” After finishing treatment, I unrolled his trouser leg and gave him a pat on the knee.

“Thanks. I feel much better now. You’re really a nice boy, Karius.”

Hearing my real name, I looked up and saw Elar’s frigid grin. Before I could move, he blew a white powder on his palm towards my face.

My eyes rolled up, and the world disappeared.