Kamiel, who had been resting and treating his wounds at a nearby inn, hurried to the room where Rejin had requested to speak with him. Guided by the inn staff, he entered the room where Kasha had been staying. Upon seeing Jessie, who had already arrived, and Rejin’s expressionless face, Kamiel immediately realized that something bad had happened. The atmosphere in the room was tense, and even the knight standing by the door looked worried and grim.

“What’s going on?” Kamiel asked.

It was Jessie who answered.

“All the captured Red Scorpion assassins have been killed. The knights who were escorting them have all been wiped out.”

Kamiel’s face turned pale at the news. Seeing this, Rejin sighed and gestured for him to sit.

“Please, take a seat.”

But Kamiel remained standing, muttering softly.

“So they’re refusing to negotiate.”

Kamiel’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke. After a brief moment of stunned silence, he seemed to regain some hope and asked again.

“Then what about the search operation? By now, they should have…”

However, even that hope was shattered by Jessie’s brief response.

“No news.”

“Don’t we get reports every hour? Has everything been reported?”

Hoping against hope, Kamiel asked once more, and the knight standing quietly answered.

“We’ve received everything, but there’s been no word from the Third Order, who were searching the south side of the mountain.”

“The south side?”

“Yes.”

“What’s there on the south side?”

“Nothing.”

At his explanation, Jessie frowned.

“That can’t be right.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw smoke rising from the south side of the mountain. It wasn’t just one, but several. It looks like there might be a village at the base of the mountain.”

Everyone was too flustered to notice what Jessie had seen, but she had observed it accurately. If nothing else, she was sharp-eyed.

As Jessie spoke, the knight, as if remembering something, exclaimed with a sudden realization and began to explain.

“It’s not the south, but… to the southwest, there’s a village where people gather herbs, but they only live there in the spring and summer. They should have mostly packed up by now, though. The herbs that grow during the rainy season are useless, so they leave before the rainy season starts.”

A brief silence followed. Kamiel, Jessie, and Rejin all kept silent as they each drifted into their own thoughts, using all the knowledge and common sense they had. Jessie was the first to break the silence.

“Even if they’ve left, if there’s smoke, it means someone is still in the village, right? That could mean the Red Scorpion is there, or if the villagers haven’t left, it could be them.”

With that, a glimmer of hope emerged. Kamiel, feeling that there was a chance that Ruth and Ail could be there, moved his frozen legs and sat in the seat Rejin had offered.

“So, there’s a possibility they’re there.”

Kamiel asked, and Rejin shook his head.

“But the Red Scorpion wouldn’t leave a village with smoke coming from it. A surviving mercenary boy said that everyone at the inn they stayed at was killed. Those people probably didn’t make it either.”

“Which means… if there’s been no word from the knights searching south, the whole village and the knights could have been wiped out. The Red Scorpion and the Crown Prince are likely to be in that village. Since both the Crown Prince and Ruth were injured, they must have gone down to treat their wounds first.”

At Jessie’s last words, Kamiel stood up again and asked the knight waiting by the door.

“How long will it take to get to that village?”

“During the day, it wouldn’t take more than half an hour on horseback, but it’s night now, and the ground is wet, so I can’t say for sure. If we take the wrong path, we could end up wandering around all night.”

“Send a message for everyone to head there. I’ll also set off for that place right now.”

Kamiel was about to storm out of the room, but the knight shook his head.

“No. No one who knows the geography of this mountain can make it there at night.”

“I have to go. Call for a guide.”

“No one can guide you through the forest with the Red Scorpion at night.”

This time, it was Rejin who replied instead of the knight. However, Kamiel was not one to give up. He was about to shout for a map, but just then, the door opened. A hearty male voice echoed in.

“I’ll be the guide.”

At the sound of the powerful voice, everyone turned to look at the door. A middle-aged man with a partially balding head and a strong build entered. Jessie and Kamiel, not knowing him, looked at him in surprise, while Rejin and the knight bowed their heads and greeted him.

“Rejin, it’s been a while. Ah, these must be the guests from Karileum. Well, greetings can wait, please, sit down. I’ll guide you to the village.”

“Homan, it’s too dangerous for you to go. Especially at night during the rainy season.”

The bold words of the man, who was pointing at each person as he spoke, made Kamiel look at him in confusion. Kamiel now knew who he was, from Rejin calling him “Homan,” but the man’s behavior was so direct it was almost shocking. Without even properly introducing himself, he immediately suggested going out. He was clearly an impatient person.

“The people working there are mine. They were the ones who sold me herbs—how could I just ignore them? I’ve gathered all the skilled mercenaries from Rengetti, so don’t worry.”

“Still, I can’t allow it. If you get hurt, the trade in Rengetti will be disrupted.”

“I’ve hired five hundred mercenaries in Rengetti. They’ve already surrounded the mountain and are waiting, so we can move out immediately. They’ll light the way.”

At the mention of five hundred mercenaries, both Jessie and Kamiel widened their eyes in surprise and exchanged glances. No matter how large Rengetti was, it would be nearly impossible to gather that many mercenaries in one day. Moreover, the cost of hiring them all was beyond comprehension. While Jessie and Kamiel were stunned by the man’s decisive actions, he raised his voice again.

“Kasha will be fine, so let’s go. Right now, your Crown Prince is in more danger.”

At Homan’s words, Jessie quickly realized something strange. He had heard that Homan was acquainted with the man named Kasha. The fact that Kasha’s mother had contacted Homan meant they were close. So, why was Homan so eager to find the Crown Prince and Ruth before Kasha, who was the target? Especially after the Red Scorpion had refused to negotiate with Kasha and had killed all the captured assassins.

“Thank you for your kindness, but… this seems a bit suspicious. Why are you so intent on finding the Prince and Ruth? Isn’t Kasha the one in the most danger right now?”

Jessie, having grasped the situation roughly, subtly probed. Homan, however, frowned as if surprised by his question.

“Didn’t you receive any word from the Red Scorpion?”

Homan’s question made Rejin furrow his brow as he responded.

“What message?”

“Heh… seems I received the news first.”

“What news are you talking about?”

Kamiel, his face tense, asked eagerly. Homan paused as though thinking, then nodded before answering.

“The Red Scorpion had agreed to negotiate with Kasha. Before midnight, they were going to cancel the contract for Kasha’s assassination. They killed the captured assassins because they feared they might reveal their secrets. The Red Scorpion kills anyone captured—no exceptions. They even kill the ones escorting them, since they might have already said something before they died. That’s why they have such a notorious reputation.”

Kamiel’s face brightened at Homan’s explanation.

“So, that means the Crown Prince should be safe, right?”

Homan gave Kamiel a strange look at his question, and the three—Kamiel, Jessie, and Rejin—sharply focused on him again.

“Heh, how unfortunate that this is the situation…”

“What do you mean?”

Kamiel asked, confused by Homan’s tone.

“The reason I’m here isn’t because of an old request from my friend, Rosen. I came today because of a request from Leysha, and I brought the mercenaries with me.”

Upon hearing the name “Leysha,” Kamiel paused, thinking. Jessie also seemed to be processing something, tapping his finger on the armrest of his chair. After a brief moment, both Jessie and Kamiel looked at each other and immediately, without a word, burst through the door.

***

With a crash, the window outside shattered. Fortunately, Ruth and Ail, who had quickly lowered the shutters, narrowly avoided being hit by the broken glass. They huddled against the wall, whispering to each other.

“It looks like they’ve discovered us.”

Ail muttered, sounding frustrated, and Ruth nodded in agreement.

“Yes. We kept the fire burning for too long. The other houses should have had their smoke put out by now.”

Ruth had just remembered. They had covered the windows to keep the light from leaking out, yet they were still burning the fire, signaling their presence. Both he and Ail had been too absent-minded. In truth, they had almost resigned themselves to fate. They had thought that whether they were killed by the Red Scorpion or died here, soaking wet and wounded, it would be the same. Maybe, in fact, a part of them had honestly hoped to die right there.

“Didn’t you hear anything during the lesson?”

“Excuse me?”

“There’s at least twenty of them over there. Twenty ruthless horsemen and two injured people trapped in the house. What’s the strategy to win in close combat?”
At Ail’s words, Ruth smiled bitterly. After hearing the explanation, it truly seemed like the worst situation.
“Unfortunately, I’ve never learned anything like that.”
“When we get back to the palace, we’ll have to start from the basics of enemy knight squads.”
Ail, who spoke as though it didn’t matter if they died, was oddly confident that he would make it out alive, and Ruth laughed in a hollow way. After all, during the hunting competition four years ago, they both thought they wouldn’t make it out alive—but they did. Thinking back, it was an absurd coincidence. Hunting, assassination squads, the rainy mountain, and now, he and Ail. The only differences were that Ail had grown taller than him, and there was no secret cave for him to hide in this time. Also, Ail had no reinforcements waiting for them at the base of the mountain.
As Ruth laughed bitterly, he suddenly heard the long cry of a horse. When Ruth looked back at Ail, Ail met his gaze, and without another word, they both immediately moved toward the window. Ail ran to the left side of the door, while Ruth grabbed a knife that had been lying around the house. He tucked the small blade into his belt and grabbed a burning log from the stove with a pair of tongs, throwing it in front of the pile of blankets and towels. The fabric caught fire instantly. Holding his mouth, Ruth moved to the right side of the door and drew his sword.
The fun ends here. The brief, dream-like time was over. The fantasy was gone. It was time to return to reality and fight.
Behind the horse’s long cry, the sound of hooves echoed. And that sound grew closer. The two of them, standing on either side of the door, exchanged glances and nodded. The sound of hooves reached their ears, and soon after, the door crashed open and a desert man with a long sword jumped inside. The two of them simultaneously lunged at him, stabbing their swords into his neck and side. The man, pierced by swords on both sides, fell off the horse with a thud. Taking advantage of the moment, Ail pulled the horse toward them and mounted it first, grabbing Ruth’s arm and pulling him up behind him.
The wooden house was quickly engulfed in flames from the burning blankets and towels. Ail glanced back at the house, which was slowly burning from the floor up, and immediately turned the horse toward the exit, galloping out of the house. At the same time, throwing stars and swords flew from all directions. The men on horseback, armed with lighter and more modern weapons than the Red Scorpion, charged toward the two.
Ruth, who was holding the reins of the horse with Ail, deflected the thin chain-linked arrows with his sword and threw the knife he had grabbed earlier at the approaching pursuers. He threw three knives in the blink of an eye, but one missed, and the other two only grazed the arms and legs of the pursuers.
The horses that Ail and Ruth rode were much slower than the pursuers’ horses. The pursuers gradually closed the gap, and one of them, now on the left side, struck with his sword. Ruth barely blocked the blow and deflected the sword from above while stabbing the side of the pursuer’s horse with his own sword.
As the horse screamed and tumbled, the pursuer also fell to the ground. As he fell, two more horses from behind couldn’t avoid them and crashed into the man and horse, twisting their legs and tumbling down.
However, the remaining pursuers avoided the fallen ones and galloped toward the side. The largest man among them grabbed the reins with one hand and began to swing a small chain with a hook in his other hand. The metal chain whistled through the air, its speed increasing as he swung it in a wide circle. He then threw the hooked chain toward the two men.
Hearing the sound, Ail kicked the side of the horse, urging it to go faster. The chain, originally aimed at them, struck the horse’s rear. As the man yanked the chain, the horse cried out in pain, rearing up and falling. Ruth and Isle also tumbled off the horse.
The dry grass and wet dirt made the ground soft. As they fell, both of them quickly performed a roll to protect themselves and stood up, running toward the forest of trees. Both were covered in mud. They sprinted through the dense trees, with dirt from their backs, sides, and thighs stuck to their wounds.
Despite running for some time, the acrid smoke still stung their noses. Looking back as they weaved through the trees, Ruth saw the flames burning and the thick smoke rising into the sky. Ruth silently wished that someone would come, hoping the smoke would serve as a signal. That was why they had set the house on fire before leaving.
Please, he thought, hoping anyone would come.