Charti carefully tightened her robe and swiftly moved under the shade.

Though she was fully covered from head to toe with a long, thick robe, she had to be prepared just in case someone recognized her.

‘Even though it’s a remote mountainous area, this village is quite large. I must be careful.’

It was her newfound sanctuary, after all.

She had to live as inconspicuously as possible, without attracting attention.

‘Fortunately, this place doesn’t shun outsiders.’

Typically, villages in mountainous regions aren’t welcoming to strangers.

Thankfully, Charti had been specially permitted to frequent the village.

Her suspicious appearance was considered in light of Charti’s profession.

‘But it looks like I’ll be returning empty-handed today.’

Leaving the store with nothing, Charti swallowed her disappointment. The shop was too crowded and the topic of conversation was uncomfortable, resulting in another unsuccessful purchase attempt.

‘The war has already ended.’

Starting with the downfall of the Kingdom of Krianet, the Nuiton Empire had declared a massive war against other countries.

And at the forefront of that war was Leodelt Gwendhill.

Five years ago, he was the owner of the military boots Charti had seen.

‘A war demon…’

A war demon without blood or tears. Rumors were rife about the man who was like an emotionless ghost. He slaughtered a hundred soldiers in a day, ruthlessly beheaded women who snuck into his bedroom, and enjoyed burning down the palaces of defeated nations, and so on.

The name ‘Leodelt Gwendhill’ was followed by grim and bizarre tags and rumors, but he was, after all, a hero.

[They say he’s handsome and has a good body.] [But his character is a mess. Doesn’t the Emperor of the Empire have any sense to keep such a war demon by his side?] [He’s the head of the Gwendhill ducal family that has been with the Empire’s history.]

Rumors about high nobility were heard everywhere.

That day, particularly, Charti rubbed her stinging throat.

‘…It has nothing to do with me.’

Charti discarded these unnecessary thoughts.

There was no longer a ‘Charti Krianet’ in the world.

She even abandoned the name ‘Charti.’

‘I should just sell herbs and go back.’

Her right ankle and leg were aching unusually that day.

‘Is a storm coming?’

She slightly lifted her hood to check the sky. The wind was unusual, and the sky was cloudy. It seemed she needed to return home quickly.

Charti turned around.

“Sha! Sha, right?!”

Startled by the urgent voice calling her from behind, Charti, hiding her face under the hood, flinched. Soon realizing she recognized the voice, she turned around.

A woman with freckle-covered orange hair was on the verge of tears.

“Sha, what should we do?! I can’t find Tain. He must have gone up the mountain, but he hasn’t come back yet!”

“……!”

“Uwaa… Sha, what if Tain got caught in a hunting trap and can’t come down? Or, what if he got captured?”

Charti quickly took the orange-haired woman’s hand and comforted her.

Virena sniffled at the words conveyed through the palm of her hand.

“Thank you, Sha. If you see Tain in the mountains, tell him to come home before the storm hits. I’ll contact Grandma just in case.”

Charti nodded within her hood.

Leaving the worried Virena behind, Charti left the village.

‘The path Tain would have taken is…’

Charti surveyed the mountain path.

She then checked the position and direction of the grass, which seemed recently trodden. Ignoring the pain throbbing in her leg, she climbed the steep mountain for a long time until she saw an old log house.

‘There’s no sign he came home first. Where did he go? He usually stops by my place first if he climbs the mountain.’

Charti confirmed there was no sign of anyone inside her house.
Just then, the raindrops that had started to fall lightly as Charti climbed the mountain began to intensify into a downpour.

‘This is bad. It looks like a storm is coming.’

Recalling the tearful Virena, Charti moved back into the underbrush.

Swoosh! The rain grew heavier, and the wind blew stronger.

‘Where could Tain have gone…’

She wanted to call out Tain’s name, but it was useless in the storm. Though it was nearly impossible for her to raise her voice loudly due to her throat condition, Charti was familiar with the terrain of the forest.

Charti pushed herself on.

There was a possibility that the child had fallen into the nearby mountain stream because of the storm.

“Ah! Teacher!”

It was while she was examining the area around the nearly overflowing stream.

A young boy with short orange hair was waving his small hands frantically from atop a tree.

“……!”

As she hurried over, Tain jumped down from the tree. Charti opened her arms wide to catch the child.

His little body was completely drenched and muddy.

Charti was about to take off her robe to cover the child when Tain suddenly exclaimed.

“Teacher! There’s a creature that looks like a person!”

“……?”