“You’re awake?”

Seria’s eyelids fluttered slowly open at the sound of a familiar voice. Having just woken up, she let out a groan and burrowed deeper into the blanket.

“Mm….”

But at Kashan’s next words, Seria, who had fallen back asleep, suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“The sun is already high in the sky and you’re still not done sleeping?”

‘The sun’s already up?’

Startled, she sat up in bed and looked around blankly. Sunlight streamed in through the slightly open entrance of the tent.

“Commander, I brought food.”

“Come in.”

As if on cue, an unfamiliar voice came from the other side of the tent. No sooner had Kashan replied than a group of tribesmen entered the tent with their hands full of plates of food.

Dish after dish was placed on the table. Just a whiff of the aromas was enough to make their mouths water.

As Seria sniffed the air and cautiously approached the table, the tribesmen muttered to each other at the sight of her.

“Tsk, tsk, how pitiful. They say she’s starved to death, and it seems to be true.”

“How did she come to be born in the Empire, where she didn’t even get enough to eat?”

Her words were filled with compassion, one after the other.

Unconsciously, Seria just clutched her growling stomach and swallowed her hunger.

“That’s enough. Stop your useless chatter and leave now.”

Kashan intervened.

Even after his words, they cast pitiful glances at Seria as they left the tent.

Had Seria understood the language of the Kuth tribe, she would have been completely dumbfounded by their words.

Still groggy, Seria devoured the food with a sense of urgency. After days without a proper meal, there was no trace of her usual refined dining etiquette. All that remained was a sense of survival, a pressing need to eat while she had the chance.

“I have some work to do this afternoon, so I’ll be gone for a while.”

“Oh, okay.”

Seria replied casually, unimpressed by the thought of being alone in the tent again. Her response was indifferent, her focus solely on the food in front of her.

“Stay in the tent as much as possible,” he added before leaving the tent shortly afterwards.

Once again, Seria was on her own.

The food on the table quickly disappeared into her mouth as she ate voraciously. With her stomach now full, she sat idly, her eyes wandering around the tent in silent boredom.

Seria had thought that being alone in the tent was far better than being stuck with Kashan, but today, for some reason, she felt particularly restless and stifled.

With her hunger satisfied, her mind began to wander.

‘How much longer am I supposed to stay here, anyway…?’

Was there even a way for her to leave this place?

From small fears to larger concerns about the future, her thoughts became increasingly negative now that she was alone.

Finally, unable to sit still, she got up from her seat. Trying to shake off her thoughts, she paced aimlessly around the tent, walking in circles.

Her eyes landed again on the pile of weapons stacked in the corner.

When she first arrived here, the sight of those intimidating weapons had frightened her, made her tense and nervous. But now…

The more time she spent here, the more she found herself questioning her earlier assumptions. The Kuth tribe didn’t seem as vicious as she had first thought.

She stood and looked at the pile of weapons, then cautiously stepped closer.

Up close, the weapons were sharp and menacing, their edges honed to perfection. There was a wide variety – from massive maces to swords and spears.

‘How fascinating…’

To Seria, weapons were something she had only occasionally seen strapped to the waists of knights. In contrast, the ones in the tent felt far more raw and brutal, as if they had been forged purely for survival and war.

Almost hypnotised, she reached for a mace. The massive ball of iron, bristling with jagged spikes, seemed designed to strike fear into anyone who looked at it.

‘I wonder if anyone has ever been hit by one of these?’

The thought sent a shiver down her spine, making the tiny hairs on her body stand on end.

The realisation that these weapons could be used to take lives sent a belated wave of fear through her. Her slender fingertips cautiously brushed the end of the mace, her touch tentative.

But then, just then, she sensed movement.

Someone had entered the tent.

“Ah!”

Startled, Seria whirled around, but the quick movement caused her to lose concentration.

“Ouch, ah!”

Her hand, still resting on the mace, slipped and her fingertip was pierced by one of its sharp spikes. Crimson blood dripped from the wound almost immediately, forming tiny droplets that splashed onto the floor.

The tribesmen who had just entered the tent froze for a moment, seemingly as startled as she was, before rushing towards her in alarm.

“What… what’s going on? What’s happened?”

“This foolish woman has pricked her hand on the mace. All by herself.”

“What? By herself? Is that even possible?”

The men who had rushed over quickly grabbed Seria’s bleeding hand without warning. Startled, Seria gasped in surprise, her eyes widening at their sudden closeness.

The two men stood over her, their rough, imposing appearance leaving her momentarily speechless. Contrary to their intimidating looks, however, they carefully wiped the blood from her hand with a cloth and pressed gently to stop the bleeding.

Seria couldn’t help but let her guard down a little.

‘Are they… treating me?’

She watched them in disbelief, her eyes darting between them. These so-called savage tribesmen, known for their brutality, were now tending to her hand with remarkable care. Even as she watched, she found it hard to believe.

“How stupid do you have to be to prick your hand like that?”

“Exactly. I can’t understand why the Commander would even bring someone like her here.”

“Well, isn’t she supposed to be a woman who grew up starving? It’s obvious. The Commander must have brought her here out of pity, as usual.”

Their words, spoken in the Kuth language, flew over Seria’s head, leaving her unaware of the slightly mocking tone behind their actions.

Seria had no idea what the two men were saying about her. She was simply touched by their seemingly kind gesture as they carefully wrapped her wound. The men, meanwhile, continued to murmur in their language, applying finely ground herbs to her wound before getting up.

“We must tell the commander to move these weapons.”

“If we leave them here, she might accidentally kill herself.”

“Seriously, Imperial people are so hopelessly stupid…”

There was a hint of exasperation in their eyes as they looked at Seria, who remained blissfully unaware of their true thoughts. Instead, she was preoccupied with gently touching her treated hand, filled with gratitude for their apparent concern.