A place some distance away.
A crimson procession was moving slowly along the edge of the forest.
The paladin at the head bore the emblem of the Church of the Sun God over his red armor.
Dust clung to the armor,
but it did not look neglected.
His greatsword was always held at the same angle,
and there was no disorder in his stride.
Beside him, a priest in red vestments walked in silence.
When he opened his eyes for a moment,
a red light flickered past.
With that light, the priest confirmed the direction they were to go.
From behind, an attendant caught his breath and spoke.
“It seems the holy relic is… still on the move.”
The paladin nodded without stopping.
The red light that had gathered in the priest’s eyes faded,
and he quietly added,
“The direction is definitely this way. The holy relic is moving this way.”
“Only… the distance has widened compared to before.”
At those words, the paladin briefly turned his gaze beyond the forest.
A target unseen.
And yet, it was undoubtedly their destination.
—
“Pick up the pace.”
Miryeong spoke curtly.
The playful tone in her voice was already gone.
There was no explanation.
That one sentence was enough.
Bido responded at once.
Her body noticed the change in their footsteps before her mind did.
The rhythm of walking shifted,
and the angle of each footfall on the forest path changed ever so slightly.
Erdin and Mendel also matched the pace without a word.
So that no one went too far ahead or fell behind,
their spacing remained exactly as it had been.
“…What’s going on?”
Even when Bido asked,
Miryeong did not answer immediately.
Instead, she only turned her head slightly and scanned the forest path.
The flow of the wind,
the direction in which the leaves brushed,
the lingering trace of scattered scents.
“Questions later.”
It was a short reply.
“Right now, moving comes first.”
The four of them walked faster.
The forest path was still peaceful,
but the speed cutting through that peace had clearly changed.
The crunch of fallen leaves beneath their feet came more frequently,
and the feeling of the wind brushing their faces grew sharper.
Their breaths seemed to quicken little by little,
but not one of them slowed down.
Bido looked at Miryeong’s back as she led the way.
Her white hair scattered in the wind,
and despite her small frame, there was no hesitation in her movements.
The word guide,
at that moment, seemed utterly unfitting.
‘Protection…’
That word passed through her mind.
She could not be certain.
But at least right now,
they were moving with her at the center.
Not by the forest path, but by her.
Bido clenched her teeth and hastened her steps.
There was much she wanted to ask.
But right now, before those questions, there was a pace she had to keep up with.
The forest still enveloped the four of them.
Yet within it,
unseen distance and time were changing rapidly.
Miryeong kept her eyes forward and maintained her speed,
but her awareness remained fixed on a part of the forest that could not be seen by the naked eye.
She could not see it.
But she could feel it.
The sensation of the wind splitting a beat too late,
the point where the sound of brushing leaves fell out of place.
Without a doubt, someone was deliberately increasing their speed.
“…They’re here.”
Miryeong said in a low voice.
Erdin and Mendel reacted immediately.
Their formation changed.
Bido was naturally pushed between the two of them,
and Miryeong stepped one pace ahead.
“The village is right in front of us.”
“We stop here first.”
Bido did not open her mouth.
Instead, she looked in the direction Miryeong was facing.
At the point where the forest path ended,
the trees opened up, and a low fence and dirt road began to come into view.
Beyond them, a few rooftops could be seen, with faint smoke rising.
Miryeong steadied her breath and fixed her gaze.
And on the boundary between forest and village,
a man in red armor stood.
The expression that he had walked out of the forest did not fit.
As if he had been there from the beginning,
the paladin stood silently before the fence.
Dust clung to the red armor engraved with the emblem of the Church of the Sun God,
but not a single part of him appeared disordered.
In his hand was a greatsword.
But its blade was pointed toward the ground.
It was a stance closer to discipline than threat.
Miryeong stopped at once.
“…A paladin, is it?”
Mendel murmured quietly.
As if he had already recognized their presence,
the paladin slowly shifted his gaze.
And naturally, he looked at Bido.
A moment of silence.
He did not hastily approach,
nor did he raise his sword.
At last, a low and composed voice rang out at the edge of the forest.
“A paladin of the Imperial Church of the Sun God.”
“I am Adel of House Hartmann.”
It was a brief introduction.
But within it, his position and responsibility were clearly contained.
Adel lowered his head slightly.
It was courtesy.
At the same time, it was also an act of drawing a line.
“Black-haired girl.”
“I wish to ask about the box strapped to your back.”
His gaze did not waver.
It was the look of one who chose confirmation over certainty.
“There is a possibility that it is an imperial holy relic.”
Adel gripped his greatsword more firmly,
but in the end, he did not raise it.
“A priest will arrive here shortly.”
“Until then, I ask that you not leave this place.”
It was not an order.
The tone was closer to a request.
And yet, the weight held within those words
made even the air of the forest sink into silence.
Bido was at a loss for words for a moment.
Holy relic.
The word settled in her chest more deeply than she expected.
Her master had given no explanation.
He had merely handed her the box and told her to leave.
She had sensed that it was something important.
But he had never told her what it was.
‘There is a possibility that it is an imperial holy relic.’
Those words repeated in her head.
What if it really was?
What if her master had wanted this box to be returned to the Empire?
If so, perhaps this situation was not wrong.
Bido felt the weight of the box against her back.
Until just a moment ago, it had merely been entrusted luggage.
But now,
it felt like an existence demanding a choice.
She drew a short breath,
and looked at the paladin in red armor.
“…Are you certain?”
Her voice was cautious.
It was neither vigilance nor defiance.
Only a question seeking confirmation.
“That this box… truly is an imperial holy relic.”
Adel did not answer right away.
There was neither impatience nor greed in his gaze.
It was the look of one postponing judgment rather than claiming certainty.
“I spoke only of a possibility.”
He answered in a low voice.
“We will know soon enough.”
At those words, Bido’s mind grew even more confused.
It was neither denial nor affirmation.
Only an answer left open.
It was then.
“That’s enough.”
Miryeong’s voice cut in.
Startled, Bido turned her head.
Miryeong had already stepped forward.
The lightness from moments before was gone,
and there was no smile on her face.
“Hey.”
Miryeong spoke without looking back at Bido.
“I understand that you’re confused right now.”
Bido gripped the strap of the box even tighter.
And, without a word, answered by lowering her head.
“Aslo didn’t tell you anything, did he?”
Those words were accurate.
Miryeong took one more step forward.
This time, her back was completely to Bido,
and she stood facing the paladin.
“But.”
After drawing a short breath,
she continued firmly.
“There is one thing I know for sure.”
The air in the forest subtly hardened.
“You must never hand that box over to him, at least not now.”
Adel quietly accepted those words.
He knew they were neither a threat nor bravado.
“You…”
“seem to know many things.”
The paladin said.
“I do.”
Miryeong did not avert her eyes.
“That’s why I’m saying this.”
A short silence.
“Now is not the time. Not yet.”
Miryeong steadied her breath and fixed her gaze.
A paladin.
That fact alone was enough.
Strong, dangerous, and,
a dog of the Empire.
No laughter came.
But neither did she intend to bare her teeth.
The moment she showed hostility here,
the board would be set.
The priest the paladin mentioned was coming,
and there was still no certainty about that box.
Miryeong looked straight at Adel.
“Sir Paladin.”
She pressed down every unnecessary emotion.
“There’s something I want to confirm.”
Adel’s gaze shifted.
“The possibility that that box is an imperial holy relic.”
“That is… still only a ‘possibility,’ isn’t it?”
Adel did not answer immediately.
That silence itself was the answer.
Miryeong nodded.
“Then, for now,”
“you don’t have certainty either.”
It was not provocation.
She had merely organized the facts.
“When the priest arrives, it will be confirmed.”
Adel said.
Miryeong immediately continued.
“Until then,”
Miryeong glanced at Bido.
Only for an instant.
“is there any need for this child to choose anything?”
Adel’s eyes wavered ever so slightly.
Good.
Paladins valued rules.
And they did not consider it ‘righteous’ to deprive another of the right to choose.
Miryeong knew that.
“Sir Paladin.”
“To try to forcibly hold her here in a situation where nothing is certain—”
She did not finish the sentence.
Instead, she smiled quietly.
It was a smile without mirth.
“Wouldn’t that be wrong…?”
The air in the forest grew taut once more.
Miryeong said nothing more.
Adel looked at Miryeong and remained silent for a moment.
The fact that she was Haraya was not surprising in itself.
In this forest,
in this region, encountering that race was not rare.
The problem was what came next.
White hair.
A color far too conspicuous for a Haraya.
And her attitude toward a paladin.
At a glance, hostile yet not provocative,
cautious but not retreating.
Above all,
the way she spoke, precisely pointing out the place where certainty did not exist.
Adel’s gaze rested on Miryeong’s face for a moment.
He had heard of one before.
A Haraya much like this.
Too young,
too confident,
and one who stood hostile to the Empire.
“…White Weasel.”
The words slipped out quietly.
Miryeong did not react.
She did not lift her head, nor did she smile.
That silence was closer to an answer than anything.
Adel let out a short breath.
“Silver Moon Corps.”
This time, it was not a question.
It was an utterance closer to confirmation.
He shifted his gaze.
The two people standing behind Miryeong,
and the black-haired girl standing there with the box on her back.
“I need hear no more explanation.”
Adel’s voice was still calm.
But it was no longer the voice of one waiting.
“As a paladin of the Imperial Church of the Sun God.”
“I will subdue you here.”
His words were brief, and his intent was clear.
Miryeong’s jaw hardened ever so slightly.
The calculation of waiting until before the priest arrived had now lost its meaning.
Only then did Bido realize.
This paladin was not looking only at Miryeong and the others,
but had placed her on the same line as well.
Without any chance to explain, without any room to distinguish herself.
And in the next moment,
she felt the air of the forest grow one layer heavier.