Given the terrible first impression they had made, it was hardly surprising that the woman didn’t answer.

Instead, the white-haired woman slowly surveyed Kapkan and his warriors.

Her gaze swept over their appearance, taking in the dried sweat stains and layers of dust accumulated from not washing their clothes for a month.

“…….”

She was just an unknown woman looking at them. So why did the back of his neck suddenly feel so hot?

The shabby state of his appearance, which had never bothered him before, suddenly became painfully apparent.

He felt embarrassed in a way he had never experienced before. He was no longer a boy, yet this unfamiliar sensation was entirely new to him.

After a moment, the interest in her eyes disappeared, as though she had finished examining them.

Judging by the annoyance and weariness on her face, she didn’t seem to be a magical beast that seduced and devoured travelers.

A clear voice soon flowed from the woman’s lips.

“If you’re finished, leave.”

After delivering the icy command, she turned her back to them and closed her eyes.

Kapkan stared at her coldly retreating back and felt a strange sense of disappointment.

‘Ordinarily, wouldn’t someone either become angry over being attacked or frightened by our appearance……?’

His gaze swept over the woman’s back.

There was no sign of food, luggage, clothing or other supplies nearby.

Could a slender woman really have travelled alone into the middle of this treacherous desert?

The thought seemed absurd, but then again, so did the snow falling around her.

Concluding that he could not let her disappear, Kapkan assessed their remaining supplies and offered her a deal.

“If you’re looking for a village, why don’t you travel with us?”

Nights in the desert were harsh. The daytime heat was intense enough to scorch your lungs, yet after sunset, the temperature would plummet so severely that every exhaled breath would turn into a cloud of white vapor.

Even worse, no matter how far you looked in any direction, there was nothing edible to be found.

“We’ll take you there. We lost our map, so I can’t promise anything, but travelling with us will certainly be better than staying here.”

Snow continued to fall around the woman.

If she joined them before their drinking water ran out, the warriors’ morale would immediately improve, regardless of her identity.

It would also be far safer for her to join their group than to remain alone in this desolate land.

“I don’t need your help.”

“……You don’t?”

“No. So please leave.”

Contrary to his expectations, her voice came back filled with irritation.

Kapkan looked the woman over in bafflement. What on earth did she intend to do, alone, in the middle of this desert?

By every measure of common sense he possessed, her refusal was incomprehensible.

Why would she reject an offer that would benefit them both?

“…….”

Nevertheless, he couldn’t simply give up on her talent — it was too valuable.

He didn’t think they would ever encounter another miracle like this.

For the sake of the warriors who trusted and followed him, he had to take her with them — if only to increase their chances of survival.

A strange stubbornness took hold of Kapkan. He strode around to stand before the woman, who had turned away from him.

Bending his knees to lower his gaze, he looked silently down at the white-haired woman lying on the sand.

Kapkan tilted his head and asked.

“If we leave, what will you do?”

“I’ll stay here.”

“Until when?”

“Is that something you need to know?”

Her answer was pointed and sharp, yet he did not find it threatening.

Instead, the woman appeared resigned, as though she possessed no lingering attachment to anything in the world.

Displeasure stirred within Kapkan, and he furrowed his brow.

‘What is wrong with her eyes……?’

Her eyes were an empty shade of blue-grey that reflected nothing.

Her sunken, emotionless gaze scraped strangely against his nerves.

Had she regarded Kapkan and his warriors as threats and remained wary of them, he might have withdrawn without protest.

But there was something about this woman that made it difficult to look away.

He could not explain why, but he felt that if he turned his back on her now, the emptiness in her eyes would haunt him for a long time.

“……No. I still can’t leave you here.”

After deliberating for some time, Kapkan abruptly lifted Ophelia from where she lay upon the sand.

She weighed far less than the strength he had used to pick her up. Her body rose slightly into the air before falling against his chest.

“Ah!”

A startled breath burst from Ophelia’s lips.

Confusion flooded the blue-gray eyes staring up at him from within his arms.

“……What are you doing?”

Her eyes tilted upward as her face filled with bewilderment.

‘This expression is much better than that lifeless one.’

Kapkan chuckled and calmly began walking.

“I asked what you’re doing!”

When there was no answer, the woman tried to squirm free from his grasp.

Naturally, this accomplished nothing. Kapkan glanced down at the wide-eyed woman.

Then he tilted his head, as if considering the question deeply.

A moment later, he answered with a radiant smile.

“Kidnapping you.”

“……What?”

Ophelia stared at Kapkan in utter disbelief.

Kidnapping?

What on earth was going on?

While she stood rooted to the spot, stunned, Kapkan lifted her up and placed her on the camel carrying the least luggage.

Ignoring her bewildered expression, he helped her grip the handle of the camel’s saddle.

“Everyone, move out!”

Gripping the reins of Ophelia’s camel, Kapkan shouted to the other strange men.

He took the lead and guided the group across the sand. The remaining heavily laden camels and dozens of men soon followed behind him.

“……W-what?”

Ophelia swayed atop the moving camel.

Using his considerable height, Kapkan reached up and steadied her. His expression overflowed with composure and shamelessness.

“Stay still. It’s dangerous.”

As they rode on the swaying camel and watched the dunes recede behind them, Ophelia finally realized that something had gone terribly wrong.

Wasn’t everything far too vivid for the afterlife?

Her hazy mind gradually cleared.

When she focused on her physical sensations, she could feel the camel’s movements travelling through her body from below, and her limbs creaked painfully.

Most importantly, the cold energy of the spirits still lingered in the heart that should have stopped beating when she died.

That meant she was…

‘……Am I not dead?’

She had undoubtedly thrown herself out of the window with no protection.

But how?

Unable to comprehend what had happened, Ophelia blinked vacantly.

For some reason, it seemed that her life was continuing in a desert she had never seen before.

Ophelia cautiously pinched her cheek.

A sharp, burning pain lingered.

‘This is impossible……’

So this wasn’t a dream or the afterlife after all?

Only then did she start to pay attention to the man who had kidnapped her.

Ophelia stole a glance at Kapkan.

Unlike the people of Glacia she had seen through the iron bars all her life, he had an exotic air.

His appearance was the complete opposite of her own pale, snow-white complexion.

His skin was dark and lustrous, as though deeply tanned by the sun, and he exuded bold confidence.

His disheveled black hair brushed his shoulders, giving him a strangely decadent allure. His sharply defined brows and striking features were so beautiful that they left anyone who saw him momentarily flustered.

Above all, his vivid violet eyes had an overwhelming intensity.

Having completed her brief assessment of him, Ophelia discreetly looked behind her.

Dozens of suspicious men followed their chief kidnapper in perfect order.

‘Ah……’

Ophelia’s thoughts froze.

Having spent her entire life atop a tower, she had never experienced a predicament like this before.

Could she possibly escape from dozens of large, healthy adult men, the sheer size of whom was overwhelming?

All by herself?

In the middle of this desert?

It was pointless to hope that they would release her willingly. If he had been capable of that, he would never have kidnapped her in the first place.