“It’s probably because having a savage like us around is annoying. If we face off, our losses will be great.”

“Like Nunu said, if you find a savage, don’t fight but send a signal first. We have a lot of people on our side, so there’s no need to recklessly fight.”

“Of course. I value my life too.”

The voice sounded not too far and not too close.

The alley had many intersections, but at this distance, it wouldn’t be suspicious even if we were caught.

Kichep, pressing her ear to the ground, whispered.

“There seem to be about five of them. It’s a manageable number if we need to deal with them.”

“If even a little sound leaks, they’ll all come rushing in.”

Giovanni said nonchalantly. For a brief moment, I thought his usual voice felt the same, but my mouth dried up with tension.
Gaze. Giovanni’s black eyes were sharper than usual, like a beast.

Then, my attention focused on his arms surrounding my shoulders. His arms, seemingly twice the size of an ordinary person’s, felt overpowering with just the strength he applied.

‘I’m thinking of killing soldiers.’

My heart pounded madly.

“When they get closer, I’ll take care of them.”

Giovanni nodded slightly. There was no particular tension in our conversation shared without hesitation.

Dealing with five soldiers seemed like an easy task.

However, the problem was that it might not be the approaching soldiers.

As Giovanni mentioned, if even one of them sends a signal, all the soldiers who entered this village would notice our presence.

Without time to send a signal, we had to handle them all at once, which wouldn’t be easy against well-trained soldiers.

There was no further conversation after that.

As if starting a thorough search, rustling sounds and the rhythmic footsteps tickled my ears.

“Wait, isn’t there something suspicious here?”

I stifled my breath at the voice closer than before.

Jenny seemed even more tense, her face turning redder. She seemed to be holding her breath altogether.

The aura of battle filled the air.

Thud, thud.

As the footsteps approached, Kichep took out a dagger from her sleeve. Holding a rough but extremely sharp triangular-shaped dagger in both hands, she waited for the kingdom soldiers to approach.

Thud, thud.

The footsteps got closer. If we pulled our heads out of hiding, we would face them directly.

At that moment.

Tarrtarrtarr!

The loud sound of a metal object falling echoed.

“Who’s there?”

The kingdom soldiers, who had stopped rather than approaching us, shouted. Judging from the sound, it seemed like they drew their swords.

“Oh, sorry. My hands slipped.”

“Priest?”

“Yes. Are you kingdom soldiers?”

The voice of an elderly person.

I narrowed my eyes.

‘Priest?’

There was a kingdom soldier on the other side of a wall. It was a situation where we could be exposed at any moment, so not only Jenny but also Kichep didn’t let their guard down and listened carefully to the conversation beyond the wall.

“No, you’re Sir Uranus, the high priest, aren’t you!”

The soldier’s voice became very polite.

“Do you know me?”

“When I was young, I used to hear your prayers on holidays. But why are you in a place like this?”

“I’m on a pilgrimage.”

“Oh, I see. Despite your age, you should be at ease in the temple. Why come to a place like this?”

“If an old man’s help is needed, he should go where it is.”

“The great high priest hasn’t changed. You should take care of your body now. We’ve come to such a remote place for a reason. Where are you headed? We’ll escort you.”
“No, no. I shouldn’t inconvenience busy individuals. They are my subordinate priests. Since they have spent several days here, they should be able to assist the soldiers with their duties.”

“I seem to have received help unexpectedly. I can’t decline when important tasks are in progress.”

The kingdom soldier, who smiled charmingly, asked various questions to the subordinate priests and then turned away.

Tap, tap.

The sound of footsteps faded away. Are they really leaving? As I leaned toward the outside, my eyes met Giovanni’s.

His black pupils blinked. I shrugged. I was taken aback by the unexpected situation, but one thing was certain—I was lucky.

“The soldiers went that way, so we should go this way.”

Hoo, Kichep sighed. Just as he was about to take a step, Giovanni spoke.

“There’s still one person left.”

“What?”

Kichep stopped in his tracks, and at the same time, he raised the dagger he had just put away, pointing it towards the entrance of the alley. It was surprisingly quick reflexes.

The dagger, about to go towards the enemy, hesitated as a wrinkled old man appeared.

“There might still be soldiers over there.”

“High Priest?”

Jenny shut her mouth with a snap. She made a sound, but I was equally surprised.

The remaining person was High Priest Uranus.

He smiled gently and said, “Nice to see you again, Your Highness.”

“Did you know we were here?”

Uranus did not answer.

The situation was clear. The kingdom priest knew about our presence but allowed, or rather, directed the kingdom soldiers elsewhere.

Despite the puzzled and wary looks, High Priest Uranus did not show any discomfort.

Instead, he pointed in the opposite direction of where the kingdom soldiers had disappeared.