Davian seemed completely paralyzed at the sight of the monster, unable to move as she sat on the ground. Just as the monster was about to charge at her, a strong gust of wind blew fiercely.

As the monster stumbled and retreated, Scher was now standing in front of Davian, wielding a sword enveloped in a dark aura.
Davian looked up at him with a startled expression. Even just standing there, he exuded an extraordinary aura; he was an extraordinary man.

Relieved to see Scher, Ebenel approached Davian and helped her to her feet. That’s when Scher’s gaze met Ebenel’s.

“You appeared at just the right time.”

“That’s not for Mia to say.”

“No, I’m not Mia, I’m…”

Their conversation was interrupted by the monster’s roar. The monster charged at Scher, furious that its hunt had been interrupted.

Scher skillfully dodged the attack and swung his sword, and meanwhile, Ebenel shifted his gaze to locate the monster’s core. He spotted the shining core amid the reddish-brown fur and was about to inform Scher.

“Attack the inside of its left face!”

Just then, a voice calling out the location of the core beat him to it. Startled, Ebenel looked at Davian.
At that moment, between the tangled strands of orange hair, an eye appeared—white and filled with starlight, just like Ebenel’s right eye.

“You…”

Scher was equally surprised, and he quickly looked at Ebenel.

Defeating the monster was the immediate priority, so she nodded her head, signaling that the core’s location was accurate.

Scher gracefully dodged the monster’s sharp claws and with a single leap reached its left head. His sword accurately pierced the core, and with that single blow, the monster collapsed with a thud.

Silence returned to the street, but Ebenel couldn’t take her eyes off Davian. She soon asked in an urgent voice,

“Did you by any chance see a white light at the place you just mentioned?”

“Yes? Yes, I did. I just had a feeling that attacking there would work, so I did.”

Everything became clear. The person in front of her was—

‘Another protagonist.’
Before he knew it, Scher had come up close and reached out to brush aside the hair covering Davian’s face. At his touch, Davian flinched, looking at him with eyes tinged with a bit of fear.

“Look.”

“White pupils. Quite certain.”

Watching the two, Ebenel unknowingly took a step back.

A heroine in danger, and a hero who appeared to save her. The fateful meeting of the two protagonists in the story was oddly beautiful.

Just then, the city’s security force approached and bowed their heads toward Scher.

“Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty?”

Davian looked surprised at the title used to address the man before her. It was indeed shocking to learn that the man who had saved her from the monster was the emperor of the empire.

“Clean up the area.”

“Yes.”

As the security force busied themselves, Scher turned his gaze from Davian and spoke to Ebenel.

“Let’s return to the imperial palace for now.”
“That seems like a good idea. Can you walk?”

“Yes. But am I going along as well?”

Davian couldn’t even fathom what was happening. The man who had suddenly appeared was the emperor, and he was talking about taking her to the imperial palace.

“It’s fine. Nothing harmful will happen to you. I’ll explain the details once we get there. We need to treat your injuries too.”

Reassured by Ebenel’s gentle voice, Davian looked at Scher and quietly nodded. She could trust them; they had saved her in a dangerous situation.

“Ah, your shoes.”

Noticing she was barefoot, Ebenel willingly took off her own shoes and placed them in front of her.

“I don’t know if they’ll fit, but you should wear these.”

“But—”

“It’s fine. Your injuries shouldn’t get any worse.”

Scher, noticing the barefoot Ebenel, walked up to Davian and gently lifted her into his arms with both hands.

“Huh?”
“Let’s go quickly.”

Caught unexpectedly in his arms, Davian looked up at Scher with a bewildered expression. Scher, for his part, didn’t even glance at her as he hastened his steps.

“Is it the protagonist’s instinct that’s drawing me in?”

Ebenel, watching the two as they moved further away, put her shoes back on.

Seemingly impatient at her delay, Scher turned to look back at her. Ebenel hurried to catch up with him.

Seated on the sofa, Davian looked around with a face full of tension.

‘Did I really enter the imperial palace?’

It was unbelievable that she was even in the imperial palace; her current appearance felt even more surreal. Having been taken care of by the maids, she was completely transformed from before.

Her disheveled hair was neatly arranged, and she was dressed in expensive clothes she had never seen before. Her injuries had also been neatly treated.
Just a few hours ago, she couldn’t have imagined any of this. She had run for her life, and now such dream-like events were happening to her.

“They definitely called the person who saved me ‘Your Majesty.'”

Davian felt uneasy at the same time. What was the purpose of bringing her here?

Just then, the door to the reception room opened, and a woman entered.

‘She’s beautiful.’

Unable to take her eyes off the unreal figure, Davian was staring blankly when the woman sat down beside her.

“Are your injuries okay?”

“Huh?”

“Ah, I apologize for the late introduction. I am Ebenel Estella.”

At first, she didn’t recognize her, but belatedly realized that this was the voice of the person who had saved her from the men earlier and expressed her gratitude.

“I was really thankful earlier.”

“Don’t mention it. But I almost didn’t recognize you. You look so beautiful.”
Ebenel’s words were genuinely sincere. With her face now fully revealed and her clothes changed, Davian had transformed into an entirely different person.

Despite being the same gender, her small frame and frail appearance even invoked the thought that she should be protected.

“But why did you bring me here? I don’t understand anything.”

“That is—”

Just then, the door opened again, and Scherer entered, taking a seat across from the two of them.

“His Majesty will explain that to you.”

At Ebenel’s words, Davian’s gaze shifted to Scherer. The moment she locked eyes with his dark pupils, she strangely felt utterly powerless.