"Is everything unloaded?" the coachman asks us.
Rose lets out a heavy breath.
"Phew. Yes, sir."
The coachman pulls the reins. "I wish you a safe journey, Sir and Madam."
I nod slightly. "Thank you."
The carriage turns around and leaves. The journey on foot is about to begin.
"Are you ready?" Oliver asks.
"Ready. But breakfast first."
"All right. Let's do that."
"Eat the bread and drink the milk. We leave immediately after," Rose says, handing them to me.
---
The journey begins again. Breakfast, lunch, dinner—everything has already been done.
"It's already spread everywhere, Hiro," Rose says suddenly, breaking the silence that has followed us since the journey started.
"Huh?" I murmur.
She slides a newspaper toward me, one that is all too familiar. "The paper. You're a wanted man now—just like your father, Hiro."
I make a strange face and stare at her for a moment.
"You bought this and kept it?" I ask.
"Hehe." Rose grins.
I take the newspaper and look at the face printed on it—mine.
"Does this make you uncomfortable or pressured, Hiro?" Rose asks.
I shake my head.
"No." I hand the paper back, and Rose takes it.
She slips the newspaper into her bag, then turns to me.
"So, the journey is heading to Solcendria, right?" Rose asks.
"I don't know," I answer, letting out a slow breath. "All I know is that the journey keeps going until word from Olivia reaches us."
Rose starts looking around. Many of the forests are dead, the sky buried under thick clouds, light still struggling to break through.
"With scenery like this, the coachman said the same thing," she says, scratching her head. "Yeah… I'm really curious about the long story behind what happened in the land of Nimurelle."
I glance at her.
"So am I."
I lift my head to the darkened morning sky and close my eyes.
"I have a bad feeling, Rose," I say quietly.
Rose looks at me.
"Hmm? What is it? Do you sense something, Hiro?"
I shake my head.
"No," I say, rubbing my neck. "Just a feeling—"
"So, this is the one who still survives while rumors liken the conflict to the old days—the mad fighter?!"
From between the trees, a voice emerges out of nowhere.
From a direction I almost recognize, he drops to the ground from the opposite side.
"Another obstacle," he says. "Again and again, they come."
He lands cleanly, straightens up, and walks toward me—and Rose.
"I never expected you to make it this far. Someone's helping you from the inside, huh?!"
I close my eyes. Rose reaches for her bow, but I touch her hand, stopping her.
He steps closer, a crooked smile on his face.
"So then—who is it?!"