They ran without rest to avoid losing Noah Diaz.

A tangible sense of anxiety surged within Ariel.

‘We need to go faster.’

To increase her running speed, Ariel channeled more mana into her legs.

Fortunately, the rate at which mana was generated was faster than the rate at which she used it, allowing her to continue running without getting tired.

‘Impressive.’

Leopold, who was running ahead of Ariel, was fully attuned to her movements.

Since they were running at a very high speed, he was concerned that she might be struggling.

The distance, which would normally take a whole day on horseback with others, was expected to be covered in three hours since their departure.

Leopold was prepared to rush to her side immediately if Ariel showed any signs of exhaustion. But this concern proved unnecessary.

‘Considering all of her mana was sealed back then, Ariel must have felt utterly miserable.’

For her, using mana is as natural as breathing.

Leopold understood how she must have felt, having to live without mana.

“Your Majesty.”

Ariel’s voice carried on the wind.

Leopold slowed his pace and gradually came to a stop. Then he turned around.

Ariel looked at him with wide eyes. Her lips moved as if she had something to say.

“Why did you call me, El?”

He walked over and stood at her feet.

Her jade-colored eyes filled with melancholy, her cheeks flushed red, and her breath coming out in rough gasps.

The realization that all of this belonged to him struck him once again.

“I’m hungry.”

Ariel murmured, pursing her lips as if she felt sorry.

How could he not love her?

Leopold cupped her cheek with his hand. The warmth of his touch met her cheek, chilled by the early morning air.

“Oh, come to think of it, we left without eating anything. If we come across a village on the way, we’ll stop and eat something.”

“What if we narrowly miss Noah Diaz because of it?”

She tried to endure her hunger.

But her hunger was causing the rate of mana generation to slow down.

She needed to cut down Noah Diaz with a powerful strike, but in her current state, it was impossible.

“He has probably already taken care of everything and left.”

Even so, they had left at dawn to avoid attracting attention as much as possible.

Leopold took Ariel’s hand.

***

Leopold led Ariel to the village of Prah in a nearby mountainous region. It was a village developed by immigrants who had been ostracized from Atlan.

A self-sustaining place that survived without the rule and protection of a lord.

The morning there was very busy.

“Leo, I didn’t know there was a place like this in Atlan.”

Unlike the almost monochromatic buildings in Atlan, the buildings here were painted in various colors and had low roofs, giving off an exotic atmosphere.

It felt like being in Macglier, which they had visited not long ago.

Ariel looked around the village, observing the people living there.

“They don’t seem to pay much attention to us, even though we’re strangers.”

The people here glanced at them briefly as they passed by, then went back to their own business.

The women were washing and hanging laundry, while the men were busy chopping wood or forging tools and weapons in the blacksmith’s shop.

“This is a village built by refugees and immigrants. The pride of Atlan’s imperial citizens is so strong that immigrants find it hard to settle, so they had no choice but to create a village in such a remote area.”

“I see. But I don’t see any restaurants or shops around here…”

“Right. I’ve only seen it in passing; this is my first time coming into the village.”

Both Leopold and Ariel looked around, seemingly perplexed.

There were no signs of the usual establishments.

They left the main street that ran through the village and entered a small alley, but there still seemed to be no restaurants.

“We can’t waste time. Let’s just go.”

Ariel pulled on Leopold’s hand.

If they couldn’t fill their stomachs, it was better to reach their destination quickly.

However, his legs were firmly planted on the ground. No matter how much Ariel pulled, he wouldn’t budge.

“Wait a moment.”

His red eyes focused on the children playing in the street.

Leopold crouched down and extended his hand.

“Kids.”

At his low, calm voice, the children jumped in surprise and looked at him warily.

“We’re very hungry, but we can’t find a restaurant. Do you know of a place where we can get some food?”

The man in the black robe was large and carried a longsword on his back. The children’s eyes trembled with fear. They hesitated and took a step back without answering.

Seeing this, Ariel knelt beside Leopold. She smiled warmly and took off her robe.

Her golden hair, hidden under the robe, flowed down.

“Big sister didn’t have breakfast, so she’s very, very hungry.”

The children’s eyes widened at the sight of Ariel’s face.

It was a kind of beauty they had never seen before. Such a beautiful person was smiling brightly at them.

The children looked back and forth between Leopold and Ariel, unsure of what to do.

At that moment,

“I’ll go ask my mom.”

A boy who looked about ten years old raised his hand slightly and spoke. Then he turned around and ran home.

The children glanced at each other and then followed that child.

“Ha ha…”

Ariel looked at Leopold and laughed awkwardly, then stood up with a grunt.

Leopold also stood up with a faint smile.

“They probably needed an excuse to run away. Our appearance right now isn’t exactly pleasant.”

“That’s true. Maybe I should have taken off my robe too.”

Leopold fiddled with the robe on his head.

Why did he look so endearing? Ariel reached out and took his hand.

A firm and strong hand. The hand that brought the empire’s prestige to Atlan. She kissed that hand and then looked at him.

Leopold’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden contact.

“Let’s go, shall we?”

Ariel smiled sweetly and started walking slowly.

Matching her stride, Leopold’s heart momentarily shook greatly.

Since overcoming the difficulties of his youth, Leopold’s mental state rarely wavered.

But when it came to matters involving Ariel, his reason would blur, and he’d easily become afraid. The happiness he had grasped in Macglier seemed to crumble because of Noah Diaz.

‘When I was floundering in helplessness, Ariel was holding on.’

Even in such difficult circumstances, she maintained her mental strength, which made him feel anew how remarkable she was.

Leopold tightened his grip on her hand.

“El. If you say to go, I will go. If you say to stop, I will stop. As long as it doesn’t harm you.”

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

“Just because. I’ve come to respect you.”

Ariel tilted her head in puzzlement.

“Really? Hmm. You know I’m not that great of a person.”

Before coming to this world, what kind of person she was, and the life she led in Kolnman after possessing Ariel, she had already confessed everything to Leopold.

Wasn’t she someone who lived a life with nothing special, without dreams or hopes?

‘What’s the point of respecting someone as lacking as me…’

Ariel awkwardly stuck out her tongue and gave a clumsy smile.

However, Leopold shook his head.

He recalled the image of Ariel running tirelessly up to this point.

The thought crossed his mind that maybe in Macglier, Ariel had deliberately not shown her full swordsmanship skills.

“No. What you said to me was right. You are much stronger than I knew.”

Her strong mental fortitude and constantly regenerating mana. The ability to accurately pinpoint the enemy’s weaknesses.

Until now, he had thought he was protecting her. He had underestimated Ariel’s abilities as a Swordmaster.

‘I was arrogant.’

Leopold’s eyes wavered with unease.

It was then.

Tatadadadak-!

A boy ran from the end of the alley and stood in front of them.

“Mister, Miss! My mom says come to our house for a meal!”

The boy said boldly, his black eyes sparkling. Ariel was so surprised by the unexpected result that her eyes widened.

“Really? Thank you. Where is your house?”

“Follow me!”

Ariel, who was extremely hungry, forgot that she had been talking with Leopold and chased after the boy who was leading the way, still holding Leopold’s hand.