Given the deep distrust in the village of Ash, and with Sharti showing signs of a seizure, it was natural for Ren to be overly sensitive about her safety.

Sharti was also not without worry.

‘But it should be fine since he’s not forcibly dragging me away.’

Though it might be a complacent thought, Sharti felt rather calm as Ren was being sensitive enough for her share.

‘It’s not like I don’t have weapons like Ren.’

Sharti pointed to her bag as Ren continued to fidget restlessly.

When she rummaged through the bag and showed the small pouches, Ren let out a small sigh.

He knew best how effective the weapons Sharti carried on her body were.

“I’ll try to come back as quickly as possible somehow.”

Ren sent her a gloomy look, deliberately drooping his eyebrows.

Sharti laughed idly, suddenly thinking that his expression and attitude were unbecoming of an assistant.

‘Not an assistant, but more like…’

His anxious behavior, reacting sensitively to Sharti’s every move, was closer to that of a large dog.

‘I heard that dogs with separation anxiety act like that…’

His teal eyes, whimpering only in front of her, resembled them a bit.

Of course, comparing a person to an animal, especially a dog, was impolite, so Sharti managed her expression.

‘…Or not? With that large build, is he more like a wolf?’

Sharti, who had been seriously pondering Ren’s breed, hastily shook off her thoughts.

Sharti waved goodbye to the bewildered Ash and the impassive Ren as she followed the village chief.

‘Are they going to lock me up in prison?’

The place she arrived at, tense with anticipation, was contrary to expectations—an ordinary house.

In the middle of the room, Ash’s grandfather was sitting at a small table, waiting for her.

As soon as Sharti sat across from him at the village chief’s gesture, the old man opened his mouth.

“I heard my granddaughter met the teacher at night, and since then, it’s been devastating to learn that my granddaughter has been involved in such nonsense.”

“…”

The old man clicked his tongue.

Realizing that his grandson’s excitement throughout the night was actually tension from deceiving the whole family and participating in wrongdoing, his disappointment was immeasurable.

After a long silence, the old man got to the point.

“Do you know why a hidden village is hidden?”

The reason for the existence of a hidden village.

“It’s because it harbors secrets.”

The old man answered his own question, averting his gaze from Sharti and nodding to the village chief.

As the village chief moved behind her, Sharti stiffened.

A series of clattering sounds could be heard.

‘Wh-what? Are they preparing to drag me away?’

Due to the ominous flow of the conversation that had just been cut off, Sharti became extremely tense.

As she fiddled with her sleeve, listening to the pounding of her heart, the village chief approached, seemingly finished with his task.

“Drink this.”

“…?”

Contrary to her frightened expectations, what was placed before her with a clunk was a crudely shaped cup.

Moreover, it contained steaming hot milk.

“If you’re afraid it might be poisoned, you don’t have to drink it.”

Sharti shook her head.

Conscious of the old man and village chief’s gazes, Sharti grasped the cup with both hands.

Warmth spread through her cold hands.

‘I was thirsty anyway.’

Brightening at the rich smell of milk, Sharti quickly emptied the cup.

“…You really are fearless.”

The village chief muttered with a slightly disgruntled expression.

Though her face was hidden by the hood, to others, Sharti appeared nonchalant.

From their perspective, Sharti took a long time hesitating and assessing others, but when faced with a choice and doubt, she didn’t hesitate—showing a boldness.

Rather, it seemed like a way of expressing trust in them.

Of course, Sharti didn’t particularly have any trust in them.

‘I have antidotes in my bag anyway.’

The only thing she trusted was her thorough preparation.

In any case, contrary to Sharti’s intentions, the atmosphere around the old man and village chief softened slightly.

“Teacher, there are secrets in this world more important than life itself. And if one loses their life to protect that secret, even that could be considered the natural order. It might seem like a cowardly order to you, but for us, that order is truth, an inescapable fate.”

“…”

Just as the tiresome topic of conversation was about to repeat, Sharti sensed resignation and surrender in the old man’s tone.

A flicker of bitterness and anguish crossed the village chief’s face.

“Teacher, it’s not particularly a secret to us that this village is in a state of mana saturation. It’s not even important. Do you know why?”

The old man’s eyes blazed as he chuckled.

“Because we have no choice. Neither choosing this village nor leaving it, none of it.”

“…”

Sharti suddenly heard a warning bell ringing in her head.

Reflexively gripping the empty cup, Sharti swallowed dryly.

“But you, as an outsider, dared to create options for us on your own whim.”

Just by reaching out a hand, by asking for help, you offered the option of saving us.

It can only be seen as a short-sighted and foolish meddling.

“…”

The old man closed his eyes tightly. Many worries appeared and disappeared repeatedly on his wrinkled face.

Perhaps the moment Sharti discovered the disease name and foretold the huge shadow of death soon to befall the village, it became futile to judge right and wrong by common sense.

“So, teacher, you must take responsibility.”

Having put forth a cowardly natural order until now, the old man decided to be cowardly to the end.

The village chief, looking troubled by his father’s decision, took out a small wooden box and placed it on the table.

It was an antique wooden box with the emblem of the Newaton Empire carved on it.

Sharti carefully examined the wooden box.

‘What is this?’

The wooden box, brought out in such a solemn atmosphere, was far from clean, as if it had been buried in the ground for many years.

“This is the secret of this village and the reason it became a hidden village.”

“…!”

As Sharti drew in a sharp breath, the village chief opened the wooden box.

Sharti pressed her lips tightly together.

Then she glanced at the old man and village chief.

‘…A golden tablet?’

Though forced to see the secret, Sharti couldn’t accurately identify the object in the wooden box.

‘Is there an engraving on it? It’s very intricate… and strangely familiar.’

On the long golden tablet was an engraving of a scorpion.

It looked like the emblem of a noble family.

Just as that thought occurred to her, the village chief spoke.

“Among the nobles representing the Newaton Empire, there is a family that uses a scorpion emblem.”

“…!”

Sharti reflexively thought of Bireta.

[He said there was a scorpion picture on the noble carriage that took my daughter. Yes. Today I must go kill the owner of that picture.]

It was the only family Bireta had planned to assassinate unrelated to a contract, and also the first family the skilled and never-failing Bireta had failed to assassinate.

Moreover, Sharti knew the secret Birena had secretly revealed when she took out Tein’s swaddling clothes.

[Tein and I are half-siblings. And unlike me, Tein is…]

‘Why, why is this emblem here too…’

Encountering an emblem she absolutely didn’t want to be involved with in such an unexpected place, Sharti was stunned.

As Sharti covered her mouth and remained motionless, the old man gave a bitter smile.

“Yes. Can you guess who is hiding this village from the eyes of the world?”

“…”

“This village is being managed like private property by the noble family of this emblem.”

Sharti, belatedly coming to her senses, held her head.

Though confused by the unexpected village secret, Sharti tried to grasp the situation as quickly as possible.

‘Hidden villages are said to be implicitly permitted villages. Under the management of the imperial family at that.’

But for a mere noble family to manage it like private property didn’t make sense.

If they were managing it like private property, hidden from public view, there was only one way.

“…You intercepted it midway.”

In other words, omission of village registration documents.

‘The reason is probably… the massive mana in this village?’

The usefulness of massive mana unknown to even the Magic Tower and the imperial family was singular.

If it was a noble, especially ‘that’ marquis family Sharti knew of, it allowed for even rash speculation.

‘That’ marquis family was one that possessed power, title, and influence in the empire.

“Long ago, when handing over this village, they said it was a precious resource that would be greatly used in the future.”

“…”

Sharti almost bit her tongue.

She was quick-witted.

Though they were speaking as indirectly as possible, the secret they were referring to was clear.

‘You’re saying it’s a resource for rebellion!’

Sharti pressed hard on her pounding chest.

Perhaps due to the sudden shock, she felt slightly dizzy as well.

However, the old man, lost in distant memories, continued speaking regardless.

“The people of this village were refugees who had lost their homes to war, and for us, exhausted in body and mind, this village isolated from the outside world was an offer we couldn’t refuse.”

“It was just a village, a plain village where we could live normally without considering the pros and cons.”

The village chief recalled the past with shadowed eyes.

“Even though they were nobles, they didn’t particularly harm us, so we thought lightly of it. We didn’t have the leisure to think deeply about anything. Even if we had known that decision would eventually eat away at our lives, well… We probably would have gladly accepted that secret.”

Sharti lowered her gaze and bowed her head.

What she had to take responsibility for was a secret as precious as these people’s lives.

Sharti deeply regretted judging their secret carelessly and criticizing it rashly.

“We are paying the price for our choice. Isn’t that the natural order?”

“…”

A moment of silence passed in the heavily sunken atmosphere.

The village chief quietly swallowed a sigh. Then he glanced at his father.

The white-haired old man’s eyes were still testing Sharti.

“Teacher, do you understand now? The moment we receive outside help, we’ll all be silenced and killed. Isn’t it better to die while keeping the secret?”

It was a question of choosing a better death.

Sharti slowly shook her head.

“…My understanding is not needed for a death chosen by others.”

“Yet you still want to save us.”

Even after sharing the secret, Sharti’s attitude remained unchanged.

To the village chief’s eyes, she seemed unable to sympathize with the dangerous and enormous secret the village held.

“…”

Ash’s grandfather slowly stroked his long white beard with his eyes closed.

“Let’s say we follow your will and cooperate with treatment, engaging with the outside world.”

“Father—”

“That would be risking our lives for a danger more terrible than falling ill. It’s not relevant to you, an outsider doctor who has a place to return to, unlike us.”

“…”

“Why on earth are you trying to save us?”

The old man gazed at Sharti with calm eyes.

“There’s responsibility that comes with saving people, you know. Especially when trying to save people who want to die themselves—are you prepared for that, doctor?”

It was a weighty question that reflected years of experience.

“If you carelessly form ties with others, you might have to pay the price.”

The word ‘price’ sounded particularly meaningful.

[Shar—.]

Strangely, at this moment, it was Ren who came to mind.

Sharti reflexively frowned.

“Teacher, are you prepared to pay the price?”

Emerging from her thoughts, Sharti couldn’t easily open her mouth.

The price Ash’s grandfather was demanding was one thing.

An equal secret. A proposal to share secrets, trust each other, and cooperate.

‘They can’t go against a marquis of the Newaton Empire just trusting one outsider.’

Sharti swallowed a sigh.

She was an outsider. Moreover, a completely unrelated outsider who could just return home.

She was someone who was actually being a nuisance, stubbornly trying to save people in an uncooperative village where persuasion didn’t work.

‘I know.’

Even Sharti herself felt doubts creeping in when faced with hostile gazes.

Why was she desperately raising her voice and putting her heart into something with no benefit?

Sharti fiddled with the sleeve of her robe.

‘…Because it reminds me of myself.’

Perhaps she was identifying with her own self from five years ago.

“If you’re going to show burn scars like last time, that’s enough.”

The village chief shook his head towards Sharti, who was lost in thought.

They had already guessed the reason she covered her face from the burn scars on her right leg and arm that Sharti had shown previously.

Thinking coldly, a fire victim living in hiding seemed light compared to their secret.

“Neither my father nor I are forcing you. So…”

Sharti slowly removed her hood.

Her honey-colored hair, which had been tightly hidden, flowed down.

As she raised her gaze, crimson eyes were revealed.

“…”

“…”

Facing the two people who were struck speechless with identical expressions, Sharti slowly opened her mouth.

“If the reason for hiding a face without a single scar is the question, would that be an equal secret?”