For a rare occasion, the excited Nia spoke about the castle created in the playground with thousands of wooden blocks brought by the princess’s command.

“Really?”

‘So that’s why there was that strange fortress.’

The fortress itself was so impressive that one could mistake it for real; it was enough to misunderstand that it was built to protect the princess who had suddenly come to kindergarten.

But more interesting than the huge pile of blocks was Nia’s appearance, as busy as a bird flying around with little wings, explaining.

How fun kindergarten is, the sight of her eagerly explaining it every night was never tiresome.

Moreover, this time the focus was not on Ivanna’s eccentric play but on a different story, so it was more interesting.

Seeing the haughty princess nestled in the arms of Prince Airen, Lucia, who was in the same class, could not help but worry.

But then, such an arrogant royal family member wanted to be friends first?

‘The princess seemed more approachable than I thought.’

Lucia heard Nia’s words and judged that since the princess was still young, there would be no problem fitting in with her peers.

That misunderstanding was perhaps natural.

Nia did not speak of the incident that led to them becoming friends.

So, in the end, she deliberately did not talk about pushing herself away.

Maybe that’s the same reason she didn’t talk about Aigetherin’s case.

Gifts are to give only good things.

Opening it to find only bad stories would disappoint mother, and Nia was afraid of that.

When Lucia habitually stroked the child’s head, the child’s eyes sparkled as if all the troubles of today, unknown to her mother, were alleviated at once.

After preparing the gift, Lucia slowly took out a bag and chose clothes and supplies suitable for the child to wear.

She didn’t want to leave the lodging if possible, but in the end, she had to go on a business trip.

So this time she decided to leave the child with Ivanna’s family, with whom Nia was close.

“Will you check again if anything else is needed?”

While she was excitedly talking, her face quickly became sullen, and she slowly nodded her head.

Even the oblivious Lucia, after living with the child for over six months, could now sense that she did not want her to go.

Looking at the child, holding her doll with fernlike hands, she said,

“It might be fun at Ivanna’s house… Shall I not go?”

The method was simple.

The easiest thing was to give up and live hidden in the mountains, earning money as a mercenary, and even buying awakening.

But then… she wouldn’t be able to see the face of this lively child, would she?

Fortunately, Nia shook her head.

“Thank you. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

As a mother who always kept her promises, the child finally smiled a little.

The dark dawn.

Rion, with a face weaker than usual, came out to Stonehenge early and sat on a rock.

After that event, two days.

Just two days, but the time had passed so much that he could not remember closing his eyes and falling asleep due to all sorts of imaginations.

He was staring blankly at the dewdrops falling from the leaves at dawn.
Was it due to his shining appearance? Or had he blended into nature just as he was, now fossilized at this very moment.

Mountain rabbits and squirrels, even the roe deer.

As time went on, animals began to gather around him.

And even though the adorable and pretty herbivores nuzzled his legs or climbed onto his shoulder, he didn’t notice at all.

‘…I didn’t want to confess like that.’

Because all that was on his mind was the thoughts of that day.

To ruin the opportunity to spend a long time with her for the first time in his life like this.

He remembered the mocking face of the immature Prince Airen.

‘Foxlike…, no, perhaps the fox is me.’

In the end, he had stolen her away just as the Prince said.

But he thought that spending three whole days with her was better than being outright rejected out of fear.

‘Good. If I’m rejected like this, I can give up refreshingly…’

Unfortunately, Leon didn’t know himself too well.

That he was the person who would be in unrequited love for 70 years, no matter what hardships came.

Though the roe deer was nibbling at his head as if to say not to worry about his complicatedlooking face, he was still a dazed Leon.

“Haah…….”

‘…I had just touched her.’

The moment Leon, who had won her hand not long ago as if taming a wild cat, felt like everything had gone back to square one,

“There are many animals following you.”

“Ah, you’re here…. Ah! What a surprise!”

“…….”

Leon shook his body in a huge shock, looking at the animals gathered around him.

And then, when the atmosphere became unbearably awkward, even the animals that had loved Leon fled far away with upset faces.

Before approaching Leon, Lucia looked closely at him.

‘Is he a mountain deity, or a forest spirit?’

The scenery seemed mistaken for a superhuman, considering the animals gathered around him, and he was wearing a robe, being a magician, on top of that.

His face, looking particularly dejected today, with lifeless eyes.

Perhaps he even looked sad, and Lucia recalled his voice that day.

‘I like Lady Lucia as a woman.’

She couldn’t even laugh.

From the moment she saw Airen’s face, she knew he had been provoked.

What could he possibly say in that state? It wasn’t sincere.

Slowly, Lucia approached Leon and spoke.

“There are many animals following you.”

But what if, that day, Lucia had met his serious eyes instead of his back?

Southern Eldarion Empire, boundary of Countess Ailris, Henken village.

The abandoned village where Lucia and Leon had arrived, tainted by dark contamination, had no people in sight.

The nearby town had taken in the remaining residents, so only the houses were left, cleanly moved.

But in Lucia’s memory, even these empty houses would soon burn down and disappear.

To clear the monsters from this place that was destined to disappear anyway.

‘If it’s not out of consideration to help me avoid punishment, it’s a waste of manpower.’

For some reason, she was walking towards the outskirts of the town without a word from Leon, and soon a threestory inn appeared as described in the order.

But, looking at that inn, Leon and Lucia locked eyes for the first time today.

Because they thought this place was ridiculous.

The surrounding old trees were all weird shapes due to contamination, and among them, the noisily painted pink exterior walls, along with many red heart symbols.

As if to say that devout and virtuous saints should not enter here, it blatantly revealed that it was used for some impure purpose.

Simply put, the inn had an appearance that would lead anyone to misunderstand the relationship between the two.

With his eyes trembling, Leon asked Lucia, who was alternately looking at the indecent inn’s name and the order,

“……Is, is this the place?”

“……Well, the name is the same.”

The name of the inn was [Headwind Inn].