Eric and Lavi were arguing about the campfire issue.

Most of the mercenaries had suffered because of it, but the biggest victim was Eric.

Just yesterday, Lavi had even been in a ghostly trance. Despite his frantic sword swings, he kept adding logs to the fire, which had been appalling to witness.

For a brief moment, his mental strength overpowered the possession.

Thanks to that, the Cavalry Mercenary Guild had been experiencing something akin to those saunas popular in the northern regions every night. It was unbearable.

As Lavi listened to Eric’s nagging, he glanced over at Sel’s tent.

The look of regret on his face suddenly turned serious.

“Where’s Sel?”

Eric, who immediately checked Sel’s tent, also tensed up.

Quickly scanning the surroundings, he noticed that only Dwayne and Sel were missing.

“It looks like she went out with Dwayne. Sel’s usually very cautious, so it’s strange that she’d go somewhere with him.”

Since Sel was partnered with him, she should have been moving with him if she needed to leave camp.

Sel was careful. She would have waited if she saw he was in conversation.

But going out with Dwayne?

Eric’s tone grew curt. Unlike his usual self, he seemed genuinely concerned about someone else.

“Earlier today, Philip mentioned that Sel seemed uncomfortable around Dwayne. He said they kept making eye contact. Was Dwayne always like that?”

“…Damn it.”

Still in his robe, Eric dashed into his tent, retrieving a large sword.

He was about to storm out of the campsite when Lavi blocked his path.

“I’ll go. You stay here and guard the camp as the Deputy Commander.”

“No, I have to go. Don’t get in my way.”

If something had indeed happened, Sel’s secret might have been exposed.

He needed to go, as he already had some suspicions. Sel would want to keep her secret hidden.

But, unaware of this, Lavi was firm.

“This is a command from the commander. Hold the camp.”

“I said I’m going… Damn. You coward. Are you going to release me?”

The air felt like iron, weighing down on Eric’s shoulders.

Eric let out a painful groan.

The intensity of Lavi’s aura reflected his emotions entirely.

“I’ll… I’ll bring her back, no matter what. You know I’m the best at that here. So, take care of things here.”

With a low, swift voice, Lavi dashed forward.

Wherever his feet touched the dew-soaked ground, it left deep imprints, revealing dry earth beneath.

Eric, who had fallen to his knees on the ground, stared longingly in the direction Lavi had disappeared, his jaw tightly clenched.

***

The moon peeked out from behind the clouds.

A cold moonlight settled over the darkened forest.

The soft call of an owl filled the silence of the moonlit woods.

Dwayne clutched his bleeding side.

A bullet had pierced his side, making him stumble momentarily.

But that was all. True to his training as a mercenary, he wouldn’t fall so easily.

“Y-You dare!”

Furious, Dwayne drew a dagger from his waist.

The black horse symbol engraved on the dagger gleamed in the moonlight.

It was the emblem of the Cavalry Mercenary Guild.

Once, his companion who had worn that emblem was now threatening him with it.

The situation was ironic. What had that fleeting trust been worth?

With each flash of Dwayne’s dagger, his sense of camaraderie in the mercenary corps splintered into pieces.

Fear filled Sel’s eyes.

‘Get it together. Don’t let him see your fear. He’ll only toy with you more.’

She froze the terror that tried to rise to her face, forcing herself to remain cold.

Her fear, now like sharp icicles, pointed directly at Dwayne.

“Don’t come any closer. I’ll shoot.”

“Scared? Ha, your face is priceless. Are you… afraid? You’re a commoner, aren’t you?”

Dwayne let out a creepy laugh. “I am the heir to the House of Chester. You think someone like you can mess with me?”

So he’s a noble, too. Sel sighed inwardly.

Her arms, which held the pistol, grew rigid.

“I said don’t come any closer.”

“I… I’m only doing this because of you. I tried to hold back, but you… you seduced me first with that damn pretty face!”

Dwayne lunged his dagger toward Sel’s leg.

She tried to dodge, but he was just a bit faster.

Her thigh was sliced open along the path of the blade.

Despite the fresh pain, Sel’s eyes blazed.

She aimed the gun at him again and pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced Dwayne’s right shoulder.

“Argh! Y-You insolent wretch!”

Dwayne dropped his knife and staggered.

He lost his balance, dropping to one knee.

The scent of blood filled the air.

Just as Sel was about to pull the trigger again, Dwayne, now pale, opened his mouth.

“If you kill a high noble like me… what do you think will happen? You’ll pay, and so will the mercenary corps.”

Like a hyena, Dwayne’s eyes searched Sel’s face, watching for any hint of hesitation.

He planned to shake her emotions, create an opening, and strike back.

She wasn’t supposed to have this quick reflex, this rat-like agility he hadn’t accounted for.

“You scum… You think you’re a noble?”

*Thud!* Sel kicked him hard in the abdomen.

Dwayne groaned and collapsed fully to the ground.

“Y-You… think you can kill me?”

Dwayne, who had been taunting Sel with arrogant confidence, fell silent.

Sel’s gaze, fixed on him, was razor-sharp.

“You’re right. If I’m going to be punished either way, it might as well be satisfying to kill you.”

Isn’t that right? Sel’s face twisted into a cold smile, her expression rendered even more chilling in the moonlight.

*Click.* Her finger lightly pulled back the pin on the pistol, loading the bullet.

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation.

‘I was the predator… so how am I now the prey?’

It was now Dwayne who trembled in fear.

“P-please spare me.”

He hadn’t anticipated begging like this.

In the past, when he tormented countless commoner women and boys, he’d never felt cornered like this. They’d cowered at the mere mention of his status.

But Sel was different—she had fought back, with barbs drawn until the very end. A stubborn, dogged creature, she was tenacious as a rat.

“S-spare me, and I… I’ll overlook this… this whole matter, j-just this once.”

Ha. Sel scoffed at Dwayne’s words.

The pitiful sight of him made her feel utterly disgusted.

She didn’t even want to dirty her hands by killing such a wretched man.

“Idiot.”

She struck Dwayne’s head hard with her gun.

Her expression, drained of all hope, was weary.

Leaving the writhing Dwayne behind, she began to walk away, aimlessly.

She knew, of course, that she couldn’t stray too far from the camp.

Yet the thought of facing the mercenaries again—seeing their faces—filled her with dread.

In her mind, she saw the guild entangled in a mess because of her actions. According to Dwayne, a commoner wounding a noble was tantamount to a death sentence; she could be killed without anyone batting an eye.

‘I shouldn’t have fired. I should’ve found another way. I should’ve yelled for help, even if it attracted monsters.’

Despair and regret overtook her.

Just as Dwayne had said, it was all her fault. She was helpless.

“Hide it and keep it hidden. I told you not to get caught!”

Her ears began to ring, the sound ricocheting through her skull.

She clutched her head, trying to drown it out, and started running.

Yes. That’s what she should have done.

Rather than dragging down those who cared about her, she should have never revealed her true self.

She should have stayed hidden in that dusty shack, living as a nobody.

This was the end for a lowborn who had dared to hope for a life in the sun.

For one who foolishly reached for happiness beyond their grasp—this was her punishment.

She laughed bitterly. An existence that could sway with the lightest breeze had dared to dream of a steadfast future; now it was all crumbling.

She sobbed, a torrent of tears falling. She was utterly, hopelessly defeated. Had the heavens given her that sweet taste of freedom just to hurl her into despair?

When she finally caught her breath, she found herself in unfamiliar surroundings.

Her thigh, still wounded by Dwayne, ached fiercely. The cold, now biting, made her body tremble.

Then, a faint scraping sound met her ears.

Her skin prickled in fear.

Sensing danger, Sel whirled around, but the sound ceased.

Carefully, she began to retrace her steps, alert for any signs. The sound resumed, a faint, sliding noise.

Damn it. Monsters, too?

Sel closed her eyes in exhaustion.

—

Lavi ran, pushing himself to his limit.

All his senses were sharp, alert to his surroundings.

Among the nocturnal beasts’ scents, he detected Dwayne’s malice.

Quickly, Lavi changed course toward the brook.

Just then, a gunshot echoed. It was Sel.

“Please, let him be safe.”

Sweat trickled down, stinging his eyes, but he didn’t blink for fear of missing him.

At the brook’s edge, far from camp, he found Dwayne, groaning on the ground.

The blood scent around him had attracted small monsters, prowling nearby.

Swiftly dispatching them, Lavi approached Dwayne.

Gunshot wounds, likely from Sel, marked his shoulder and abdomen.

It was clear he had intended to harm her.

Despite his wounds, Dwayne looked up at Lavi, desperate and pleading for his life.

Though he was relieved to see that Sel had fought back, there was no sign of her nearby.

Lavi grabbed Dwayne’s collar, lifting him effortlessly.

“Where is Sel?”

“S-Sel… he… he shot me…”

*Slap.* Without hesitation, Lavi struck him across the face.

Dwayne’s head snapped to the side, his mouth filling with blood.

“I know exactly what you did. Now, tell me where he is.”

“P-please… c-can’t breathe…”

“I’ll give you to the count of three. Where is he?”

“N-no matter how p-powerful you are, my… my family won’t s-stand for this…”

“Three.”

“H-he… he came onto me…”

“Two.”

“I-it wasn’t my fault! Sel started it—he… he seduced me!”

“One.”

“D-damn it! You… you wanted him just as much as I did!”

Gritting his teeth, Lavi clenched Dwayne’s neck with one hand, applying pressure.

A crack echoed as Dwayne swallowed a scream.

Lavi let him go, and Dwayne’s body slumped to the ground like a broken marionette.

A small vial fell from his pocket.

Lavi picked it up and examined it.

The liquid within was a potent anesthetic, known to evaporate and take effect quickly when exposed to air. It was the same substance used in a series of serial killings of commoners three years ago.

The knight who’d led the investigation had shown him this exact type of vial.

“Ah, so this wasn’t his first offense.”

A cruel smile touched Lavi’s lips.

“The Chester family’s downfall has begun. They’d never suspect their only heir to be a criminal.”

“Ugh… ugh…”

“You crossed the wrong people, Dwayne Chester.”

Dwayne couldn’t even form words, his sounds stifled by pain and terror.

“I let such filth into my guild?” Lavi muttered, pressing his foot onto Dwayne’s stomach.

Without a shred of warmth, his dark green eyes bore down, trapping Dwayne in unending terror.