The heavy rain fell on Noah, soaking him completely. The thin civilian clothes he wore clung to his skin, making his walking uncomfortable… and if only that were his biggest problem.

  The heavy shackles binding his hands and feet made the task far more difficult, as his legs barely had enough space to move what could be called a step. On top of that, he felt the cold creeping into his bones, making him shiver with every movement. He truly looked pathetic.

  ‘I'm going to catch a cold when I get back.’ But despite Noah’s condition, his thoughts couldn't be calmer.

  Ahead of him walked Lord Garrett, dragging him by his chains at a pace that was just difficult enough for Noah to struggle keeping up with. Yet, Noah didn't complain. He simply did his best to follow.

  Behind him walked the imperial knight. Though he wasn't in his elegant armor, he still wore the standard equipment of any other knight belonging to Borderward nobility.

  Noah shifted his gaze to his surroundings, able to sense many eyes on them—some close, others farther away. But within his field of vision, nothing seemed out of the ordinary: just the thickening forest and the never-ending rain.

  One thing, however, was unusual.

  The group had split into smaller units, but they had truly taken the word "split" to new extremes. The nearest orb of light, marking another group, was several minutes away.

  But Noah knew this was merely an illusion. A carefully crafted one, designed to target individuals precisely. Aside from their small unit, every other group was moving in small, repetitive patterns. Meanwhile, Noah’s group—with Lord Garrett and the imperial knight—was only drifting farther from the others, deeper into the forest.

  Yet one question lingered: why did the groups appear separated, even within the illusion? It was something even a mildly attentive person could notice.

  ‘A precisely designed plan, perhaps?’ Noah didn't know.

  It wasn’t that he couldn't see through the illusion—he could, for brief moments—but he avoided overdoing it to prevent detection. His senses were intricately woven with his soul, allowing him to simply ignore the illusion and sensory interference. Ironically, it actually required effort on his part not to see through it.

  But Noah couldn’t just stay silent. Mostly, it was out of personal curiosity.

  "Lord…!" Noah called in a hoarse voice, as if his throat were injured. "I think you’ve lost about forty people who are supposed to be behind us. I see only one!"

  Lord Garrett turned slightly to glance at Noah, his expression cold and his voice even colder.

  "Keep your mouth shut, prisoner!"

  ‘So they noticed but don’t care? That’s interesting… and strange.’ Noah concluded from Lord Garrett’s words.

  He found their lack of concern odd, considering they were supposed to be on high alert. Surely, they wouldn’t just hand him over, hoping the siege around their town would end?

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  But no—the empire’s law was clear and strict: no negotiations with terrorist groups.

  Noah might have almost believed they were sacrificing him if the imperial knight himself hadn’t been here. Yet, he was. Right behind him.

  So they must have some sort of plan. A plan good enough for them to display this level of indifference.

  But what was it?

  Noah didn’t know. All he could do was rely on himself. After all, coming here was already a gamble in itself.

  Noah was never the type to throw himself into danger. But there were rare occasions—moments that pushed him to take risks, to understand certain things more clearly. To understand the world around him better. To understand himself better.

  And for those very reasons, Noah was here.

  Back in the cells, with his beloved Eyolian, Noah had left his body in his soul form to investigate what was happening in the castle above, to better understand their situation, and to check on the knight girl, since he felt a bit of pity for her.

  But the moment he separated from his body, his unrestricted senses picked up something strange. Something familiar. Something that should not have been anywhere near him.

  Curious about that particular aura, Noah had followed it to see for himself. But unfortunately, the limits of his soul travel outside his body didn’t help much in tracking it.

  He couldn’t go beyond a certain radius from his body. If he did, his connection to it would be severed, and reestablishing it wouldn’t be easy.

  So Noah had taken a step back and returned to investigating the castle above.

  Unsurprisingly, their matter was being pushed back in the siege. The knight girl had barely survived, though she had sustained significant injuries.

  After assessing the situation, Noah returned to his body, which to Eyolian would have simply appeared to be sleeping. With his newfound understanding, he knew they wouldn’t stay much longer. And sure enough, that was exactly what happened.

  Once they left, Noah had done as instructed. He went with Nolver to confirm his condition—which indeed turned out to be poisoning.

  Though he should have been worried, Noah wasn’t. After all, he could always rely on his strange girlfriend that she wasn’t so strange. And even if she didn’t help him, he knew exactly what to do or where to go to cure himself.

  That was the very reason he had come to the empire—to find those remnants, if they truly existed, or to confirm whether the stories were mere lies, as many believed.

  While Eyolian was away from the castle on her mission to protect Mr. Eldric, Noah had taken the opportunity to visit the knight girl, who had opened her eyes.

  She was… an interesting girl. Interesting enough that Noah had decided to befriend her and mend his strained relationship with her. Which he did—despite her initial reluctance.

  With Mr. Edric’s mission failing, things only worsened. Noah saw an opportunity and seized it.

  He went to Lady Elara and introduced himself as someone willing to help.

  Of course, Lady Elara rejected him immediately. But the seed had been planted. And as things continued to deteriorate, she would eventually be unable to ignore his offer.

  And soon enough, Lady Elara had come to him, seeking confirmation of his willingness to assist.

  Noah had not backed down.

  He had to come and see with his own eyes whether his senses had been correct, or if they had deceived him.

  But beyond that reason, Noah had found another—a reason that would help him with the knight girl.

  Though its significance would only become clear later, if he survived this ordeal to claim compensation for his efforts.

  For now, Noah focused on what lay ahead.

  And with every step drawing him closer to the Adventurers Guild, he could faintly sense that Aura again—no longer as familiar, yet undeniably one that should not be here.

  ‘What is the true origin of this terrorist group?’

  Noah was curious.

  And soon enough, that curiosity would either be answered… or not.

  Hopefully, it would be the former.

  After long minutes of moving through the dense tree cover, the forest began to thin out again, gradually losing its density until they arrived at an open clearing.

  Ahead of them, the Adventurers Guild stood in the darkness of the night—no light coming from its windows, no signs of life in sight.