The previously still bushes rustled, catching the focused gaze of the gathered men.

Soon, a large man emerged from between the bushes.

“Boss, are you alright?”

As he appeared, one of the men in the group stood up. Called the “boss,” Montree waved his hand as if annoyed.

“We will camp here tonight.”

Montree, who was the best at hiding among them, had returned from scouting the area.

At Montree’s words, his subordinates, who had been sitting, reluctantly stood up and began to organize the surroundings.

“Boss, a moment.”

The two moved slightly away from the group.

“What’s the plan now?”

“What?”

“Our lodging. We can’t keep camping here. There’s a lot of discontent.”

Montree narrowed his eyes in silence.

“I will speak myself.”

Relieved at his words, Salla felt more at ease.

It had only been a week since they had fled from the safe area, chased by the Leviche Knights, and everyone was nearing their limits.

‘The boss speaking directly will probably reduce the complaints.’

Naturally, Salla had thought Montree would suggest moving to another territory.

“We will move back to Hesera tomorrow.”

Taken aback by the unexpected words, Salla hastily questioned him.

“Boss, what do you mean? The Duke’s side won’t stay quiet.”

“It’s been a week since we left Hesera. They also know we fled toward Keduark. They likely stopped chasing us. By now, they’ve probably given up the pursuit.”

“But those dogs have a keen sense of smell, don’t they? Going back now is dangerous.”

“Yes, boss! Did you hear my complaint just now? I spoke wrongly. Being eaten by beasts is better than being caught by those Leviche mad dogs…!”

Despite the objections from the other subordinates, Montree firmly shook his head.

“We’re not planning to stay there. It’s a brief stop.”
“Ah! Is it for acquiring a fake ID? You’ll need an ID to go to another territory,”

“Our objective lies elsewhere.”

“A different objective?”

The words left his underlings puzzled, questions filling their eyes.

“We are going back to find the white snake.”

“!”

The eyes of the underlings widened. A snake? What bizarre words were these?

“A snake, you say?”

“Sala, watch the boss closely. I wonder if he’s been charmed by a monster…”

Despite the murmuring among his underlings, Montri continued to speak.

“The day those mad dogs invaded our territory, I saw a white snake that could use magic.”

Honestly, even Sala, who was loyal to Montri, would have found it hard to believe if it were just words. However, Sala too had witnessed the divine beast that day.

‘…A snake.’

As Montri muttered, Sala’s head sharply turned. What Sala saw was a white snake that had disappeared almost instantly.

“I saw it too, so don’t you dare doubt the boss.”

Despite Sala and Montri’s words, the skepticism among the others wasn’t easily dispelled. Just as Sala was about to take a step forward in anger, Montri raised a hand to stop him.

“Those who believe me, follow me. Those who don’t, find your own way.”

At Montri’s words, the area fell silent. In any case, they had nowhere else to go, and the one who had taken them in was their boss, Montri.

Furthermore, hadn’t they all seen the foolish colleague who lost his life for disobeying Montri’s orders?

They all chose to follow Montri in silence.

“Um, boss. I have a question.”

One of the underlings cautiously raised a hand. At Montri’s slight nod, he asked his question.

“What do you plan to do once you find the white snake?”

It was a fairly decent question. Montri broke into a slight smile.

A few days after Duke Constanzo’s death, a messenger bird came from the Kingdom of Balkandia.

Sophia was the first to bring me the news.

“It was an incredibly large bird, Your Highness. Even its beak looked incredibly sharp.”

Sophia, who had seen the bird beforehand, gave her brief review.

‘It must be really big to cross the ocean.’

I unconsciously quickened my pace. I was excited at the thought of a messenger bird that could send a letter to another kingdom.

When I entered the room where the bird was said to be, I was surprised in more ways than one.

The bird sat inside a large cage. It looked more like an eagle ruling the sky than a messenger bird, as it groomed its black feathers with its thick beak.

“Here, try this, ouch! Ahhh!”

Philen screamed as he tossed the bird feed upward.

The bird, who acted as if it would bite his fingers, gracefully turned its head and continued grooming its feathers.

“Such a bad temper, ah, Your Highness, you’ve arrived?”

“Kweeak!”

“Yes, Philen, but just now…”

I opened my eyes wide and looked around.

“What’s the matter?”

The large bird again opened its beak and screeched.

“Ugh! It’s so loud because it’s big. Your Highness, don’t get close, its temperament is fierce… Your Highness?”

It was no illusion. I stared at the large bird making a loud noise.

‘Why do I understand what it’s saying…?’