I slipped out of the Ibelle Count’s manor through a dog hole.

The reason for this late-night excursion was to visit the secret guild, Anass.

Anass is a place Eni introduced to me shortly after my half-brother Deon was born.

“Rather than living in this hellhole, just run away. Buy a new identity and escape! I know a man who can help. If you say I referred you, he’ll give you a discount.”

“…A discount? How much…?”

“Hmm… As far as I know, you need at least 150 million rupe for a new identity. So roughly…”

“What? 150 million rupe?! How am I supposed to get that much!”

“Roel. Even if Briella and her mother treat you like half a person, you’re still the eldest daughter of the Ibelle Count family.”

Eni’s plan was simple.

To discreetly siphon off the Count family’s wealth.

Encouraged by Eni’s assurance that she could help without getting caught, I agreed to contract with Anass.

‘Normally, they wouldn’t even have given me a consultation.’

Thanks to Eni, I contracted with Anass at a young age, and at a considerably discounted price.

I was grateful that Anass accepted me so readily, but there was one drawback.

‘The location changes too frequently…’

The changing locations were always in remote areas, which made it impossible to visit during the day under the guise of going out elsewhere.

‘Still, it’s close enough to return before dawn.’

Of course, that’s only when using the shortcuts.

Soon, I arrived at the entrance of the forest behind the Count’s manor.

This vast forest owned by the Count family is called the Silent Forest, as it’s said that if one gets lost, no one can hear their cries.

‘…Why does it seem darker than usual today?’

Uncharacteristically, I hesitated at the forest’s edge.

The forest is gloomy even during the day, but today it felt especially dark, as if swallowed by darkness.

As if foreshadowing an ominous sign of what was to come.

‘…Nothing will happen.’

Little did I know then that this night’s excursion would bring about a tremendous change in my life.

* * *

I walked briskly for about 30 minutes, following the markers Eni had left. Then, suddenly, I heard a metallic sound from somewhere.

Not just a bothersome noise, but something like swords clashing…

Clang-!

“…!”

It wasn’t a mistake; it really was the sound of swords clashing. Barely suppressing a scream that was about to escape, I quickly crouched down.

‘Please pass by quickly…’

I had heard that dangerous incidents like this often occur in this deserted forest. Here, whether it’s a beast or a person, no one would know if you killed them.

“Don’t even bother bringing a lantern. If you follow the markers I’ve left, you’ll arrive directly at Anass anyway. Always bring your robe! Got it? If something like that happens… Just stay quiet. That’s the way to survive.”

As Eni had advised, I held my breath, hoping the sword sounds would die down.

But contrary to my wishes, the fierce sword sounds drew closer.

Soon after, there was a thud- sound nearby, and the grass concealing me rustled. Heavy footsteps approached right in front of me.

“Hup…”

I covered my mouth tightly with both hands, fearing any sound might escape.

“Tough bastard… Resisting the poison for so long. As expected of a monster.”

“Ah, because of this guy, I won’t be able to hold a sword for a while, tsk-.”

The voices of two men came from right above me. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to notice my presence and continued their conversation.

“But is this guy really dead? Check him.”

“Hey. Hey-! Are you dead?”

“Kuhck…!”

Judging from the sounds, it seemed the thugs were trampling on the man.

The painful groans continued for a while before gradually subsiding and then ceasing completely.

“Ah, whatever. Whether from blood loss or the poison spreading, this guy’s gonna die anyway. Look, he can’t even move a finger now.”

“What a persistent bastard… Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused us? We can’t let you die easily. Go ahead and die in agony.”

“Ah, that feels better. Ptui-!”

The sound of kicking the body was heard several times.

When the fallen man made no sound despite the rough kicks, the men said it was no fun and soon left the place.

The footsteps were fading away, but just in case, I remained frozen in the same position for quite some time.

How much time had passed like that?

I realized that only the sound of insects had been repeating for a while now.

‘…Are they gone?’

No longer sensing any human presence, I carefully poked my head out from the grass.

“Haa… Fortunately, I wasn’t caught… Hup-!”

But I had to quickly return to my spot, startled. A large man was lying collapsed right in front of the grass.

“Oh, my goodness…!”

I knew the incident had occurred very nearby due to the close sounds, but I didn’t expect someone to be fallen right next to me.

I cautiously emerged from the grass and examined the man.

But something was strange. The man wasn’t moving at all.

As if he had already become a corpse.

‘Is he really dead…?’

It seems those men weren’t wrong in their certainty of his death.

Even though I could barely make out his silhouette in the dim moonlight, the thought that I was looking at someone who had just died sent chills down my spine, and I hastily moved away from the man.

Just as I was about to leave,

“…Ugh…”

Though faint, it was clearly the sound of a person groaning.

I turned my feet, which were about to run forward, back towards the man.

“Hey! Can you hear me?”

“Ugh…”

“Are you alright? Hey!”

I called out several times, but the man didn’t seem to notice someone was beside him. He was just barely breathing, as if his breath might stop at any moment.

“Try to wake up! Please, try to wake up!”

I patted his shoulder, which seemed relatively uninjured, trying to keep him from losing consciousness.

However, despite my efforts, the man’s face dropped to the ground with a thud.

I brought my trembling hand close to his nose. Thankfully, I could feel the man’s faint breath.

“Haa, thank goodness… He’s still breathing.”

It seemed he had momentarily lost consciousness due to blood loss and the poison spreading through his body.

It wouldn’t be strange if he died at any moment. As those thugs who disappeared earlier said, the man’s vitality was truly remarkable.

‘But something feels…’

While examining the man intently, I tilted my head for a moment.

I don’t know why I suddenly felt this way, but there was an inexplicable familiarity about the man.

Even though I could barely make out his silhouette in the dim moonlight, I felt this way.

‘…No. This is not the time for such thoughts. What should I do with this man?’

Should I run to Anass now and bring Uncle Haven? But what if he dies in the meantime? What if those men come back?

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t bring myself to leave this man behind.

“Right. Even if it’s difficult, I should take him with me.”

If I couldn’t leave him behind, I decided to drag him along somehow. Without hesitation, I took off the black robe I was wearing.

* * *

Bang bang bang-!

As I knocked on the wooden door with all my might, I heard thumping sounds from beyond.

Soon after, the door flung open, and Uncle Haven appeared.

“Who the hell…!”

“Uncle!”

“…Roel?”

Uncle Haven’s fierce expression softened immediately upon seeing me. I barely managed to grab his arm with my trembling, exhausted hands.

“Un-cle… Please… Please, help me…!”

“Roel! What on earth happened to you! Did you run into some bad guys in the forest?”

“It’s not bad guys…!”

“Why are you covered in wounds from head to toe?”

“What? Wounds?”

I looked down at my body.

I realized that Uncle’s bewildered gaze wasn’t just due to my disheveled appearance, but because of the wounds on my body.

Indeed, my body was a complete mess. Every exposed part of my skin was covered in scratches, and my knees and arms were so badly scraped that they were bleeding.

But that wasn’t important right now.

Because it was so strenuous, I had left the man near Anass for a moment while dragging him here.

The priority now was to save the man as quickly as possible.

“Uncle, that’s not important right now. There, a person…”

“Where!!! Which bastard!!! I’ll right now…”

“That’s not it…! There’s an injured person over there. Please help, Uncle…!”

“I’ll tear him limb from limb… Huh?”

“Uncle, hurry! He might really die at this rate!”

Uncle, who had been enraged, suddenly looked at me as if my words made no sense.

“No, Roel…”

“Uncle!!!! Hurry up!!”

When I shouted, Uncle’s shoulders jumped in surprise. Then, afraid I might get angry again, he ran off in the direction I was pointing without looking back.

A moment later, Uncle returned carrying the collapsed man on his back.

I was worried it might not be possible to move him because the man was so large, but thanks to Uncle Haven’s own substantial build, he managed to move the huge man without much difficulty.

I followed Uncle to the room in the farthest corner of the first floor. Uncle Haven laid the man down on the bed.

And then, I was finally able to see the man’s face properly.

“…!”

As soon as I saw his face, I was so surprised that I stumbled backward, tripping over a chair and falling down.

Quite ridiculously at that.

“Roel! Are you alright?”

“…Why, why…”

Why is this person here?!

The person lying on the bed with a pale face was none other than Reus.