Evenel, who had been staring blankly at the collapsed monster, slowly turned her gaze to the rising sun in the sky.

Though her body felt utterly exhausted, her mood was oddly uplifting. What she soon showed was a smile full of emptiness.

“What was I even worrying about until now?”

The moment she suddenly realized why she had come this far, it felt like the fog that had been clouding her mind lifted.

‘Ah, this isn’t the time for this.’

Just as Evenel was about to return to where her companions were, Shuher, who seemed to have been there for some time, was standing and looking at her.

Shuher saw Evenel in silence, then noticed Chelf lying on the ground. With a stern expression, he approached her.

“How did you get here?”

“Shan told me.”

In fact, he knew that Evenel had led the horse into the forest. But since it had happened often in the past few days, he hadn’t stopped her.

He sensed something unusual when a gunshot broke the silence. The knights, who had just woken up and had no idea what was going on, suddenly saw Shan appear from the forest.

He began to recount what he had witnessed, his face solemn.

Leaving only a warning, Shuher immediately rushed to the scene. But all that remained there was the horribly mutilated body of the horse.

He had followed the remaining footprints and the distant sound of gunshots to find Evenel.

Upon closer inspection, she had no significant injuries, but there were bruises on her face, and dirt was smeared here and there on her clothes.

It was clear that she had struggled alone to bring down that monster.

“I happened to encounter the monster while going to get water. Fortunately…”

“You’re still reckless.”

At the cold voice from Shuher, Evenel also stopped talking and looked at him.

“Did you want to show everyone just how great you are, even like this?”

She gave a hollow laugh and brushed back her disheveled hair. Why did she have to listen to something like this?

“This is just a scratch…”
Finally, the frustration that had been building up exploded. I threw the core I was holding at him forcefully.

It probably wouldn’t hurt him much, but it was enough to cut off his words.

“What have I done so wrong? Why do I have to hear such things from Your Highness?”

I didn’t expect praise for what I had done, but hearing demeaning words even in this situation pushed my patience to the limit.

I no longer wanted to bow my head shamefully in front of this person for no reason.

“Being human, I had these thoughts when I encountered a monster. Should I just pretend I didn’t see it and run away? After all, people neither like me nor pay attention to me; they’re too busy treating me like I’m invisible.”

At the crossroads of choices, such cowardly thoughts were among the many that crossed my mind. After all, it was an unfortunate accident, and I couldn’t blame her for it.

But before that, my hand moved on its own, and I ended up pulling out my gun.

“What do you want me to do? Officer Shang knows nothing, and the monster looks like it’s about to charge any moment. If Officer Shang and his companions run away, the damage would be clearly visible. I just made the best choice I could.”

From Evenel’s perspective, drawing the monster’s attention toward herself was the way to minimize damage. But to Shuher, it was reckless behavior.

“I’ve gotten used to being ambushed by monsters. Still, do you really think your choice was wise?”

“Because I wanted to save them!”

Her outcry left him speechless.

“Can Your Highness be sure? That no one would die because of that monster?”

There was no answer from Shuher. After all, there were too many variables in the process of taking down a monster.

“I hoped no one would suffer because of this. I couldn’t save them before, after all.”

Evenel wished that others wouldn’t go through the same sorrow as her. She knew all too well how painful and scary it was.

‘Why is she making that face?’

Shuher felt she was on the brink of tears. As if she had the experience of losing someone close.

“I’ve thought a lot about what Your Highness said. Should I just do as you command, as it would be easier for me?”

But having let out all the thoughts bottled up inside, a sense of certainty replaced my wavering heart.

I realized there was no need, that I could act according to my current feelings.
So Evenel could look directly into his eyes this time. The one startled by her assertiveness was Shuher.

“I’ve made my choices. To be here, to survive, and to protect. Those intentions will never change. So, Your Highness, continue as you have been. I will do as I please.”

After stating this so freely in front of him, Evenel felt that her former, repressed self had been foolish. Such behavior wasn’t like her at all.

‘I won’t bow my head so easily anymore.’

Dawn was gradually brightening behind her.