“What?”

The gaze of the men chasing the battered woman turned towards Ibnel. They soon waved their hands dismissively with annoyed faces.

“Get out of the way. We have business with that woman.”

“This woman doesn’t seem to have any business with you.”

“What?”

“I said, just go away.”

Her instinct was telling her. She must not hand this person over to those men.

“That woman has already been sold for money.”

“Then I definitely can’t move aside. What right do you have to buy and sell people?”

“Of course, it’s because she wanted to…”

“No!”

At that moment, a desperate voice came from the woman who had been silent until now. Still with her head bowed, her voice was full of sobs.

“I secretly ran away at night when I found out the owner of the shop where I worked was trying to sell me.”

‘So that’s what happened.’

No wonder her body was covered in wounds. Ibnel looked at the men with a cold gaze. Now that she knew the situation, she couldn’t simply step aside.

“It would be better to hand over that woman before you see something nasty.”

“That’s what I should be saying. If you don’t turn back here, you’ll be the ones seeing something nasty.”

As the burly men approached threateningly, Ibnel quickly pulled out the gun she had kept in her bosom.

‘I didn’t think I’d have to use it this soon.’

Naturally, the unexpected weapon made the opponents hesitate.

“I didn’t take this out just to scare you. If you move even one step further, a bullet will pierce your head.”

Ibnel aimed the muzzle precisely at one man’s head with an unwavering posture, her finger on the trigger as if ready to pull it at any moment. Unlike their tense expressions, she spoke in a voice full of composure.

“You don’t seem to believe me. Shall we test it on one person first?”

“Do, do you think we’ll be scared by this?”

“Then I’ll test it on you first.”

Ibnel pointed the gun at the man who had tried to speak boldly. Seeing the extraordinary gun even at a glance, the three men were busy looking at each other.

As if wondering what to do if she really fired.

“My patience isn’t very long. If you don’t disappear from my sight by the count of three, I’ll really shoot. One.”

“…”

“Two.”

“You, you’re lucky. We won’t let you off easy if we see you again!”

Just as she was about to say three, the men left those words and hurriedly moved away. Ibnel pulled the trigger as she watched their retreating backs, but no bullet was fired.

“How foolish. There are no bullets.”

The magazine of this gun had been empty since Shuher gave it to her. She had only threatened them using her wits, but to think they would fall for it so easily. Of course, even if there had been bullets, she hadn’t intended to actually hit them.

“Um…”

“Oh, are you alright? Can you stand up?”

Ibnel belatedly realized the woman’s presence and held out her hand. She hesitated for a moment before taking that hand and slowly getting up from her place. Her long hair was tangled all over, so her face wasn’t clearly visible, but she seemed to be around the same age as herself.

“Thank you for helping me.”

“It’s nothing. Ah, your name.”

“It’s Davian.”

“Are you hurt anywhere, Davian? Those guys have run away, so you’ll be fine now.”

Davian nodded slightly, seeming relieved. There were no major injuries, but her body was covered in bruises here and there, so her overall condition didn’t look very good.

‘What should I do? It doesn’t seem right to leave her like this.’

From what she heard the men saying, it seemed Davian had nowhere to go, so Ibnel was troubled.

She couldn’t help her in this situation. She didn’t have any money on hand either.

‘Should I take her to His Majesty for now?’

As she was pondering what to do, a loud crashing sound came from deep within the alley. When Ibnel turned her head in that direction, she saw whitish smoke rising between the buildings. At that moment, a familiar sensation washed over her.

“This feeling is definitely…”

“Pardon?”

Davian looked at her, unable to understand what was happening. Due to the robe covering her, her expression wasn’t visible.

At that moment, Ibnel grabbed Davian’s hand as if snatching it and urgently pulled her in the opposite direction of where the sound had come from.

“Run!”

“What?”

“There’s no time to explain!”

Just as the two of them had taken a few steps with their backs turned, there was a sound loud enough to shake the ground, and the stone wall completely shattered. When Ibnel glanced back, she saw a figure emerging through the clearing dusty haze.

A monster with three heads and reddish-brown fur stood there. It reminded her of the Cerberus from mythology.

“Everyone, take cover!”

At first, people didn’t know what was happening, but upon hearing Ibnel’s words, they belatedly noticed the monster. With screams full of terror, the crowd rushed to escape the scene, turning the street into chaos in an instant.

All Ibnel could do now was shout for people to evacuate while desperately fleeing herself.

‘If only I had bullets.’

Suddenly, caught up in the surging crowd, their hands separated, and Davian lost her balance and fell. When Ibnel found Davian after pushing through the people, the monster was right in front of her.

‘Too late.’

Davian seemed completely frozen at the sight of the monster, unable to move from where she sat. Just as the monster was about to lunge at her, a strong wind swept through.

As the monster staggered back, Shuher was suddenly standing in front of Davian, holding a sword wrapped in black energy.

Davian looked up at him with a dazed expression. Even just standing still, he exuded an extraordinary aura.

Ibnel, who had also spotted Shuher, approached Davian with relief and helped her to her feet. At that moment, Shuher’s gaze fell on Ibnel.

“You appeared at a very opportune time.”

“That’s not something a stray should say.”

“No, I’m not a stray…”

The monster’s roar prevented their conversation from continuing. The monster charged at Shuher, who had interfered with its hunt.

Shuher nimbly dodged the attack while swinging his sword, and in that moment, Ibnel moved her gaze to find the core. Upon spotting the glowing core amidst the reddish-brown fur, she tried to inform him.

“Attack inside the mouth on the left face!”

At that moment, a voice calling out the core’s location was heard before hers. Ibnel turned to Davian in surprise.

In that instant, a white eye filled with starlight, just like Ibnel’s right eye, was revealed through the tangled orange hair.

“You…”

Shuher was equally surprised. He quickly looked at Ibnel.

For now, defeating the monster was the priority, so she nodded to confirm that the core’s location was correct.

Shuher elegantly avoided the monster’s sharp claws and reached the left head with a single leap. His sword accurately pierced the core, and with that single strike, the monster collapsed with a thud.

Silence returned to the street, but Ibnel couldn’t take her eyes off Davian. Soon, she asked in an urgent voice.

“Did you see a white light from where you just mentioned?”

“Huh? Yes. Somehow I felt that attacking there would work. So.”

All the circumstances were clear. This person in front of her was.

‘Another protagonist.’

Shuher, who had approached close by now, looked at Davian and reached out to brush aside the hair covering her face. Davian flinched at his touch and looked at him with eyes tinged with a bit of fear.

“Um.”

“White eyes. It’s certain.”

Ibnel, watching the two of them, unconsciously took a step back.

The female protagonist in danger and the male protagonist appearing to save her. The fateful meeting of the two protagonists from the novel was somehow even beautiful.

At that moment, the capital’s security force approached and bowed to Shuher.

“Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty?”

Davian’s expression showed great surprise at the title used to address the man before her. It was understandable to be shocked that the person who had saved her from the monster was the emperor of the empire.

“Clean up this area.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the security force bustled about, Shuher looked at Davian and then turned to Ibnel to speak.

“Let’s return to the palace for now.”

“That seems like a good idea. Can you walk?”

“Yes. But am I going with you too?”

Davian couldn’t understand how the situation was unfolding. Suddenly, the person who appeared was the emperor, and now they were taking her to the palace.

“It’s alright. Nothing harmful will happen to you. I’ll explain the details when we get there. We also need to treat your wounds.”

At Ibnel’s gentle, reassuring voice, Davian looked at Shuher and then slowly nodded. She could trust these people who had saved her from a dangerous situation.

“Ah, my shoes.”

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

“I’m not sure if they’ll fit, but please wear these at least.”

“But.”

“I’ll be fine. We can’t let your wounds get worse.”

Shuher, seeing Ibnel now barefoot, approached Davian. Then he effortlessly lifted her up in his arms.

“Huh?”

“Let’s go quickly.”

Davian, suddenly finding herself in his arms, looked up at Shuher with a bewildered expression. Shuher, for his part, didn’t even glance at her as he hurried his steps.

“I guess it’s because she’s a protagonist that he’s instinctively drawn to her.”

Ibnel watched the two of them move away and then put her shoes back on.

As Shuher turned back to stare at her, seemingly impatient with her slow pace, Ibnel hurried to follow him.

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

‘Did I really enter the imperial palace?’

It was hard enough to believe she was in the palace, but her current appearance was even more surreal. After being bustled about with maids attending to her, she was completely different from before.

Her tangled hair was neatly arranged, and she was wearing expensive clothes she had never seen before. And her wounds had been thoroughly treated.

Just a few hours ago, this was an unimaginable situation. She had been running for her life, and now this dream-like event had happened to her.

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

At the same time, Davian felt uneasy. What purpose did they have for bringing her here?

At that moment, the door to the reception room opened, and a woman entered.

‘She’s beautiful.’

As she was staring blankly at the surreal sight, unable to take her eyes off, the woman sat down beside her.

“Are your injuries alright?”

“Huh?”

“Ah, I’m late with my introduction. I’m Ibnel Istella.”

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

“Thank you so much for earlier.”

“It’s nothing. But I almost didn’t recognize you. You’re so pretty.”

Ibnel’s words were not just flattery but sincere. With her previously hidden face now fully revealed and her clothes changed, Davian had become a completely different person.

With her small frame and seemingly fragile appearance, Ibnel felt a desire to protect her, even though they were both women.

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

“That’s…”

At that moment, the door opened once again, and Shuher entered, sitting down opposite the two of them.

“His Majesty will explain that.”

At Ibnel’s words, Davian’s gaze turned to Shuher. The moment she met his black eyes, she strangely felt unable to move a finger.