Just as she braced herself to face them, someone suddenly pulled her backwards.

Losing her balance, she was pulled into a narrow, cramped space where she was trapped.

Whoever it was, they were highly skilled. Anticipating that she might cry out in surprise, they covered her mouth with practiced precision.

Rather than struggling in the stranger’s arms, Selina raised her palm to signal that she wouldn’t make a scene.

‘I’ll stay quiet. I won’t say a word.’

Perhaps sensing her intent, the man removed his hand from her mouth.

“How did you even know to come here?”

Selina asked in a lowered voice.

“There was a horse tied at the edge of the village.”

Hearing the flat, emotionless reply, she clicked her tongue inwardly.

‘This is the first time I’ve met someone this persistent.’

The man was none other than Callios.

She had caught sight of his unruly hair the moment he pulled her in. Dark brown hair wasn’t unusual, but curls that thick and coarse were rare enough that she recognized him instantly.

“You’re remarkably good at your job. I didn’t expect you to stick to me like a leech all the way here.”

Although it might have sounded sarcastic, it was actually meant as genuine praise. She had never imagined that she would encounter the man she had left in the Black Forest again.

“The fact that the Vice Commander disappeared of her own accord will be reported to the Duke.”

Callios’s tone remained stiff and businesslike. She had expected anger at being left behind, but he spoke as though he had completely forgotten what had happened in the forest.

“I wasn’t expecting anything else anyway.”

“That you’ve been concealing your abilities will also be reported.”

That, at least, was troublesome. Everything she had carefully hidden until now threatened to collapse in an instant.

“…I suppose Father pays you well, if you report even such trivial matters.”

“Handling spirits is hardly trivial. The Vice Commander should know that better than anyone.”

People who knew too much were exhausting. After all, he had supposedly spent years trapped in an underground labyrinth. How could he possibly know this much?

“Let’s go back now. I think you’ve had your fill of dragging me around like a dog.”

When Selina didn’t respond, he spoke first. She hadn’t noticed before, but it seemed he had taken her abandonment in the Black Forest to heart.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t do it with bad intentions.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Selina had assumed that Callios disliked her as much as Iden did, but judging by his reaction now, he seemed far more open-minded.

Encouraged by his apparent indifference, she spoke again, more cautiously.

“But we can’t go back yet. There’s still something I have to do here.”

Callios lifted his head and stared straight at her. It was too dark to make out his features clearly, but for some reason, she felt as though he were looking at her contemptuously. The thought weighed heavily on her chest.

She had already shaken off her Watcher, yet she was still insisting that she couldn’t leave. Of course he wouldn’t like that.

Sure enough—

“Then start by explaining why. Why did you come to a place like this? This entire village seems to be a criminal den where people are bought and sold.”

Through his disheveled hair, dark eyes swept over Selina from head to toe.

“And judging by the look of you, you didn’t come to buy anyone. Did you come to sell your body?”

At that moment, Selina remembered what she was wearing.

The man known as the Elder had draped an outer garment over her, but it was too short to cover her completely. There were no buttons to fasten it shut, either. Each time she moved, her thin dress underneath was visible — something Callios must have noticed.

“…There were circumstances.”

She’d thought that excuse might be enough to brush him off—but he didn’t let it go.

“What circumstances?”

This time, his gaze was clearly fixed on her chest. Embarrassed, Selina immediately pulled her collar closed. Nevertheless, it seemed as if his flat, emotionless stare could pierce the fabric and examine her bare skin beneath.

“Circumstances serious enough that you had to stay here—dressed like that.”

At this point, she couldn’t afford to answer carelessly.

Assuming he was still annoyed about being left in the Black Forest, Selina gave him an answer that might appease him, if only slightly.

“I’m looking for someone.”

“…To buy a slave?”

For a moment, his voice turned icy.

Come to think of it, Callios had spent years trapped in the underground labyrinth. In a sense, he had lived a life akin to that of a slave.

So it was only natural that he would interpret the words ‘looking for someone’ negatively.

“It’s not that. There’s someone in this building’s basement that I need to confirm.”

Her eyes had now adjusted to the darkness so well that she could see even the slightest change in his expression. She saw his gaze narrow slightly.

Whether he was displeased or offended didn’t matter to her, though.

The only thing that mattered was confirming whether Calix was alive.

“I accept whatever punishment I receive for hiding my abilities. You can tell my father whatever you like. But I’m going to check the basement. No matter what.”

As long as she could confirm that Calix was alive, it didn’t matter if she put herself in danger. If Callios blocked her path, she was prepared to fight her way through.

“So don’t get in my way.”

Perhaps he sensed the resolve in her voice.

“Going alone isn’t an option.”

In the end, Callios took a step back.

“I’ll go with you.”

Even so, his tone was anything but pleased.

***

The group searching for Selina seemed to have moved on, as the area had grown quiet.

After confirming that there was no one outside, Callios pulled Selina out of the wardrobe.

Selina frowned at being hauled out like baggage, but quickly shifted her focus to scanning the floor — finding the basement was the top priority.

‘Why did Selina come all the way here? Who told her about this place?’

Callios watched her with cold eyes.

There were too many things bothering him: how she had ended up in this place and who she was searching for in the basement.

He knew this place well.

It was a hideout used by slave traders who abducted civilians and sold them into slavery. They also found missing Thalians and sold them back to the Thalian army.

‘But who could she possibly be looking for down there?’

As far as he knew, the basement was home only to criminals who had committed unspeakable crimes.

His eyes sank into the shadows beneath his disheveled dark brown hair.

If she was going to such lengths, the person she was searching for must be important.

Had Selina ever known someone like that?

He had once investigated her connections at the duke’s behest and discovered that the only person she had met privately was a foolish-looking man named Lucas. That was all.

But if there was someone else—

‘I can’t just pretend not to see this.’

Callios hated Selina. No matter what, she was not allowed to be happy. She was destined to spend her whole life imprisoned in the pit she had created for herself, bound by guilt and self-loathing.

That was the only way she could atone for her sins.

Yet Callios was unsettled by seeing Selina cling so desperately to the idea of finding someone.

Selina was not meant to possess anything precious. Not now. Not ever.

‘Then the first thing to do is find out who that person is.’

Callios’s gaze darkened, becoming as deep and silent as the abyss.

Masking the chill that had settled on his face, he followed Selina as she searched for the basement.

__

‘Here!’

After searching the floor countless times, Selina finally discovered the hidden door leading underground.

It was hidden beneath a small rug.

She had found the lone carpet placed beside the large rug suspicious, and when she lifted it, she revealed a concealed door.

“It’s here.”

She opened the door. Beyond it stretched an endless staircase into the darkness.

The darkness at the bottom resembled the gaping maw of a huge beast.

Descending those stairs seemed foolish, akin to willingly stepping into the monster’s jaws.

But truth be told, even if it really were a beast’s belly, Selina would have leapt inside without hesitation.

After a long descent, the ground finally came into view.

A narrow corridor stretched ahead, with torches mounted along both walls.

They walked a little farther, and soon iron bars came into sight.

Each cell held a single person. The prisoners, who had been staring vacantly into space, suddenly lunged forward the moment they spotted Selina and Callios, gripping the bars tightly.

“Did you come to rescue us?!”

Selina scrutinized their faces one by one.

But there was no blond-haired man among them.

“Please wait just a little longer.”

There was something she had to confirm first.

Leaving the desperate pleas of those clinging to the bars behind her, she pressed onward.

At the very end of the corridor, she found a single locked door.

‘This is it.’

Unlike the other prisoners, who were locked behind iron bars, this prisoner was being held in a far more secure place. Given what had been said about the high ransom, it was clear that he was receiving special treatment.

Selina spread out the key ring she had taken and inserted a key into the lock.

When that spun uselessly, she tried another. When that didn’t fit either, she tried another, testing each one in turn.

And yet—

“There’s nothing.”

Among the countless keys, not a single one fit this door.