“You’ve already suggested that at least five times, you know?”

He had been urging her without making a yawning sound like a ghost.

Feeling embarrassed, Sharti lightly brushed against Ren’s cold nose and hinted at him.

“If you keep showing this side, surely tonight you won’t leave the night watch to me.”

She couldn’t afford to show only a vulnerable side to Ren.

In a hurry to pull herself together, Sharti energetically stretched.

“The mountain terrain here is complicated, so it’s better to get out of here as soon as possible.”

That way, even if Ren falls asleep in her arms, they wouldn’t miss the direction.

“No, don’t even think about falling asleep in my arms.”

Having such thoughts after staying up all night.

Sharti playfully slapped both of her cheeks.

“…Shah?”

“Instead of resting, would you rather keep talking? It seems like that would be more effective against the cold and drowsiness.”

“That sounds good.”
Ren nodded with a reflective expression at the most prudent suggestion.

Sharti, focusing on the stinging pain of her sharp slap, urged her steps again.

However, Ren remained silent for a while.

While quietly navigating through the fog, he walked alongside Sharti without initiating any conversation.

Surprisingly, it brought a sense of calm, and Sharti felt a tingling sensation on her cheek.

“Do you have any questions you want to ask?”

“I was contemplating.”

Ren chose his words while staring straight ahead.

“I was wondering how far I could ask.”

Sharti paused for a moment at Ren’s meaningful words.

Sharti pulled out a map from her bag.

It served as a barrier for delicate questions.

“Come to think of it, there’s something strange.”

Ren glanced at the map Sharti was looking at.

“I’ve looked at several maps to memorize the route, but there was no map indicating the village we are heading to now. For the convenience of easy evacuation during emergencies like exhibitions, both large and small villages in mountainous areas should be marked on the maps by the Newton Empire.”

There were also many maps detailing the population of the villages.

It was a necessary procedure and measure during the process of occupying various lands in a long war.

“Before, I examined the locations you visited for business therapy, but there was no village with as little record or information as this one.”

“…….,”

Sharti looked at Ren with curious eyes.

‘Surprisingly delicate and sharp.’

As it was a somewhat vague matter to bring up, Sharti chose her words carefully.

Handing the map to Ren, Sharti pointed to the spot where Ashu’s village was.

“It’s called the Hidden Village. It’s a village that doesn’t exist on maps or records.”

The existence of the village was known, but due to an implicit agreement, it was not officially registered, hence called the ‘Hidden Village.’

Some speculators claimed it was a gathering place for rebels against the empire or remnants of defeated nations, but it was quite the opposite.

Rather, it was secretly under the approval of the empire, namely the Newton Imperial Family.

“…You managed to find such a place.”

Ren showed a hint of curiosity about her connection to such a suspicious village, but he didn’t seem particularly interested in the hidden village itself.

“I didn’t intentionally find it.”

It was winter, and on a day when snow was falling heavily, she happened to find a place to rest her weary feet and ended up stumbling upon it by chance.

“Well, can I continue asking? Since when have you been doing business therapy? It seems like you’ve traveled quite a distance.”

“Oh, it hasn’t been that long. About two years, maybe?”

There was no place other than business therapy to enhance her skills.

Since the village, regardless of its size, had a good reputation for spreading rumors, Sharti mainly provided business therapy to elderly people living alone or those who emphasized secrecy.

They could obtain a large quantity of herbs or ointments through a rarely encountered doctor, making it a profitable venture.

“Have you been doing business therapy since you were an adult? It doesn’t seem trustworthy to rely on a doctor who hasn’t become an adult.”
“There weren’t really any restrictions on business therapy. The perception of wandering doctors is strong. More than anything, it’s not my age but this appearance that’s more of an issue.”

“I see.”

Relieved by the ordinary questions, Sharti folded the map.

Yawning slightly again, Ren, deeply immersed in thought, opened his mouth again.

“I have another question.”

“What is it?”

“The words you said to him, convincing not to be driven out of the village, what did that mean?”

Sharti, putting the map into her bag, flinched and turned her gaze slightly.

In the moment her steps slowed down, Ren stopped walking first.

“There were times when I wasn’t allowed into the village. Moreover, even when there were patients in need of a doctor, you were skeptical of the village’s reaction.”

“It’s something that occasionally happens in closed-off villages.”

Sharti vaguely evaded.