“Anyway, it worked out well. We’ll be in the desert soon if we keep going like this.”

“It’s going to be tough.”

Giovanni nodded, his gaze fixed on the horses.

The horses were panting heavily, tired and unable to run any longer.

“The horses are exhausted.”

“…We should let them rest.”

Without hesitation, Kichep took out a water pouch and moistened the horse’s mouth. The horse, licking its lips and drinking water eagerly, regained some strength.

Kichep loosened the reins and tapped the horse’s hindquarters.

Clip-clop.

The horse moved slowly forward.

“There might be food nearby, and it might be better for these guys.”

Unlike the desert, the kingdom had a vast plain area.

Kichep, noticing the horses leaving the village fence, shrugged awkwardly.

“Now we have no choice but to go on foot.”

An old fence and an empty entrance with no one guarding it.

The village, speculated to have been abandoned, turned out to be surprisingly wide with many buildings.

“It’s a strange place. The scale is large, but the atmosphere is so gloomy.”

Leaning against the wall, Kichep whispered while looking at the people. Then, she untied the turban on her head and covered her face.

Giovanni glanced around with his gaze.

“It seems tough here.”

“It seems to be a village of outcasts.”

“Village of outcasts?”

I nodded.

“I’ve only heard about it. It’s a place where people who have been expelled from the capital gather.”

The kingdom was concentrated in the capital.

Amtein or the village of outcasts could be considered hiding places for those who didn’t belong to the capital.

A house with an open entrance caught my eye. It was a mess as if thieves had been there.

Looking at a broken dish in one corner, I muttered.

“Without the protection of the kingdom, it’s easy to become a target for looting.”

“Ah.”

Kichep sighed and glanced at me as if checking my reaction.

“That’s right. It’s a place that has been consistently looted by the desert people.”

“Where are they going like that?”

Giovanni pointed to one side. People holding empty plates were walking through the alley. I smirked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t been here before.”

“They seem to be going to get food!”

Jenny made a plausible guess.

“Maybe there’s someone helping them. Maybe a priest who left for a pilgrimage?”

“Taking care of those in need could be the purpose of the pilgrimage.”

I affirmed, and Jenny smiled happily as if pleased with my positive response.

“Is your body okay now?”

“Yes! I thought I was going to die when I rode the horse, but I’m fine now.”

“Thank goodness.”

I gently patted her head and murmured.

‘A priest. Right. This is the aura of a priest.’

At some point, I began to sense the water ability possessed by the priest.

It’s hard to explain in words, but it feels very familiar and comfortable.

Like being enveloped in a forest of healing.
“If Tyrene were here, we could ask her.”

Since being with Giovanni, she hasn’t appeared. She probably can’t.

“It would be nice to see the priest.”

Giovanni nodded.

“We don’t know when kingdom soldiers might show up.”

Feeling regretful at his words, I quickened my pace.

It happened while crossing a large road that cut through the village.

Suddenly, Giovanni grabbed me.

In an instant, my back touched the wall of the alley.

I blinked in confusion.

“What’s happening all of a sudden?”

“Hush.”

He placed his finger on his lips, and I instinctively closed my mouth. He whispered to me cautiously.

“Be quiet.”

Nodding my head, I carefully looked around.

Similarly, Kichep, who had also grabbed Jenny, cautiously pulled her into the alley and peeked outside.

“Did someone suspicious come in?”

“If you see an outsider, report it immediately.”

Jenny’s ears perked up. It was the voice of the kingdom’s soldiers.

‘How far are they?’

Giovanni and Kichep exchanged glances.

Giovanni silently pointed with his finger towards the inside of the alley.

Kichep, after nodding her head, swiftly lifted Jenny. Blocking her open lips with her hand, Kichep disappeared into the alley.

“Excuse us.”

Giovanni grabbed my hand firmly.

‘Well, at least he told me.’

Expressing a subtle regret towards Jenny, who was like a piece of luggage, I quickly moved into a narrow alley.

The alley was extremely winding, thanks to the disorderly arrangement of old and complex buildings.

While it was a terrain where kingdom soldiers would find it difficult to discover us, we also had difficulty finding our way.

Moreover, Kichep was bad with directions.

“Sorry.”

Kichep, facing a dead-end alley, lowered her head with an apologetic expression.

“Go this way.”

As Giovanni was about to take my hand and shift our steps in another direction, the expression on Giovanni’s face changed.

He held me, pressed his body against the wall, and spoke.

“You definitely entered the village. You must be hiding somewhere.”

My shoulders tensed at his bold voice.

“Wasn’t the witch problem resolved long ago? Why are they asking us to catch her again?”

“It seems like something went wrong. I’m curious about the reason. We’ll have to catch her anyway.”