Hivru looked at Evenel with eyes full of bewildered surprise. He had never heard such words before, and he was rendered speechless as she, who had been composed until now, suddenly raised her voice.

Evenel tried to calm her mind. She understood his anxiety, but she had no other option at the moment.

“You can’t get out of here safely without me. I need your strength.”

“But I really…”

“Did you train so hard at night just to give up here?”

At Evenel’s words, Hivru’s eyes wavered as if stung. She saw strong determination in him as he stood before the target.

“No, you’re wrong. I actually want to show you. That you can do it too, that you’re not weak.”

“But you saw earlier. I was completely useless on my own. I was so scared of the monster that I couldn’t take a single step.”

He truly lacked confidence. Whether he could safely navigate that perilous place and return. But the response from Evenel was unexpected.

“So what if you’re scared?”

“I’m to carry on the Ferthi lineage…”

“What does that have to do with anything? It’s natural to be scared and afraid when you see a monster. It’s an emotion anyone can have.”

“Natural, you say…”

Hivru had never heard such a thing before. All he’d been told was that as the successor to the lineage, he had to perform effortlessly, that he must absolutely fight back.

In fact, he sometimes found it overwhelming to see his father, who received the adoration of many in Cariath. Because he himself was not that strong, because he was only weak in contrast.

“But my father is different from me.”

To Evenel, he seemed to overlap with herself. The desperate attempts to prove oneself.

So, she had something she wanted to say to him.

“Do you have to follow a set path? You have your own way, don’t you? That bow, you didn’t let go of it even while falling off the cliff. Just like I was desperately holding onto my gun.”

Pointing to the bow still in his hand, Evenel spoke those words.

“Take this opportunity to prove not to someone else, but to yourself. That your efforts weren’t in vain. So let’s go. I want to keep the promise to safely return everyone.”

Everyone returning alive, it applied to her as well. She had no intention of dying here.

Evenel extended her hand to him, who was still sitting down.

“You’re the only person I can trust right now.”

Looking alternately at her hand and her face, Hivru, with a resolved look in his eyes, grasped her hand and stood up.

“Do you know the way?”
“Right.”

He had studied this place since birth, so he knew paths unknown to others. He also knew where to go to avoid monsters.

“We’ll have to take a more dangerous path to avoid the areas where monsters gather.”

“We have no choice. Avoiding combat with monsters is the best course of action for now.”

Evenel tried not to show it, but she was considerably exhausted. Falling from a cliff and getting completely soaked had taken its toll on her.

Thus, the two began to ascend the rocky mountain path. A pattern on his bow came into her sight as she followed him.

“Is that emblem on your bow from the House of Count Ferti?”

“Yes, it’s actually a birthday gift from my father a few years ago.”

“So, you’ve been taking care of it that well. The Count would be pleased to know.”

“No, my father doesn’t really like that I practice archery. He looks grim whenever he sees me training.”

On top of that, the pressure of being an heir made him naturally hide his training sessions. Evenel, after listening to him, asked the most crucial question.

“Have you ever told him directly? That you really enjoy archery and want to continue?”

“No, he’d oppose it anyway.”

“How do you know? You haven’t heard his answer directly.”

At this, he was at a loss for words. He had never actually heard his father’s opinion; it was just something he assumed.

“When we safely return, confront him. Maybe the Count knows more about you than you think.”

Suddenly, she felt that her family member Lenel would know what she sensed. The fact that he had gifted him the bow was proof enough. Of course, nobody knew what he truly thought.

“I wish I could see you shoot properly again. What a pity.”

He had lost all his arrows when they fell off the cliff earlier.

Eventually, the two reached flat terrain, all while talking. Thanks to him, they fortunately didn’t encounter any monsters.

Soon, his gaze turned towards Evenel, who was silently walking. Despite it being her first time hunting monsters, she displayed astonishing skills.

Exceptional archery, quick decision-making.

Despite being disgraced in front of everyone yesterday, she faced Lenel unflinchingly. He couldn’t help but ask.

“How can you be so strong? This is Karies, after all.”
The rumors about her reached quickly even to this remote place from the capital. An eyesore, an unwelcome entity who had awakened her powers, an enemy of Karies.

Yet, there was no sign of resignation in her demeanor.

But before any of that mattered, Evenel gently lowered her head.

“You’re mistaken.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not strong.”