Kisha, who had been waiting for Yujin on the bench, suddenly flinched. A faint but unmistakable scent of blood wafted through the air. She turned her gaze toward the source.
There stood Yujin in his black coat, his expression hardened into a cold mask.
Until now, Yujin had always treated her with a kind, gentle face. Seeing him drenched in that blood-reaking aura with such a stony expression made Kisha tremble slightly. How could she forget that smell? It was a scent she had encountered hundreds of times in that living hell she had fled. Others might not have noticed it, but Kisha knew.
As Yujin approached her, his features softened, and he forced a smile. Seeing him try so hard to look pleasant—like a man putting on a mask—made Kisha feel an odd sense of unease.
"Are you... alright?" she asked. She could instinctively tell he was suppressing a great deal of rage.
Yujin seemed slightly taken search that she had read his emotions so easily. He reflexively touched his face, checking if he was still scowling. His expression was back to normal, but Kisha had already seen through his defenses.
"I think it‘s best if you head back for today," Yujin said.
He wasn't sure if the tracker had followed her because she was walking the main streets, but he knew their brief meeting had to end immediately. If Kisha were to be hurt or killed just because she came to see him... Yujin didn't even want to imagine what he would do in retaliation.
Kisha had already finished her chicken. she nodded slowly and waved as she disappeared back into the thickets. Yujin watched her go until she was out of sight.
"Sigh."
Once she was gone, the anger bubbled to the surface. The emotion surged through him like a tide. He didn't know if there was a group within Kazdel capable of such atrocities. He was still relatively ignorant of the world's larger stage; he hadn't traveled the foreign circuits like Theresis had. His only real "excursion" had been his brutal training with Buldrokk by the northern coasts.
He was like a bird that had just left its cage. He knew very little. But he would learn.
He would win the Major. He would reach the pinnacle of Kazimierz. He didn't care how long the road was; he would walk it one step at a time. And he would help Kisha to the best of his ability.
Hiding his presence, Yujin spread his senses wide, tracking Kisha until she cleared the alleys and reached a secluded area. He watched for any other observers or hidden eyes. Fortunately, he found none. Once he was sure she was safe, Yujin turned away.
It was already late at night. It felt a bit awkward to go back and ask Daniel for a meal at this hour, so Yujin headed toward a 24-hour convenience store. He reached for the handle, exhausted and hungry, when the door was suddenly shoved open from the inside, and someone slammed into him.
"Oof!"
Yujin was caught off guard and went rolling across the pavement.
"Dammit..."
A curse almost escaped his lips before he caught himself. He looked up. A woman swathed in a heavy black robe that covered her from head to toe was sitting on top of him. Her face was completely obscured by her hood, but the curves of her silhouette made it clear she was a woman. Yujin lay there for a moment, staring at the sky, before getting up as the woman scrambled to her feet.
She looked like she wanted to apologize, but her hesitation lasted only a second.
"Ngh...!"
"What now?"
A wooden club swung toward the robed woman. Yujin lunged forward, catching the club mid-swing with one hand while pulling the woman toward him with the other. His face twisted with irritation. He just wanted some instant ramen and a rice ball. Why did everything have to be a struggle?
"You! Are you with her?!"
Yujin looked at the man who had swung the club. He looked like a standard night-shift store clerk.
"She tried to rob the place! And an Infected, no less...!"
Infected. Theft. Hearing those words, the woman in Yujin's arms flinched and quickly broke away from his grasp.
"Wait, what—"
Before Yujin could process the situation, the woman turned and bolted in the opposite direction. The clerk tried to give chase, but Yujin grabbed him by the shoulder.
"You're part of—!"
"I'm not. And let her go. You wouldn't catch her now even if you tried."
The robed figure had already vanished into the darkness beyond the reach of the streetlamps.
"Ugh."
"What exactly did she steal?" Yujin asked.
"Why do you care? She took some medicine and some cup noodles..." The clerk eyed Yujin with deep suspicion. "Are you one of those Infected too?"
"Sigh... No, I‘m not."
Yujin reached into his pouch and pulled out some LMD. He handed the clerk enough to cover the stolen items plus a generous tip, then produced his official entry permit he‘d received at the dock.
"Wha—?"
"Use this to cover her bill. And give me back my permit."
Daniel had given him good advice: If you walk around telling people you‘re a Sarkaz, they‘ll assume you‘re Infected. Get a legal entry permit and keep it on you. With Daniel‘s help, Yujin had secured a valid ID, intending to use it for emergencies. He hadn't expected to use it this early.
"Oh... I see. My apologies. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."
"It‘s fine."
Yujin pushed past him into the store. Already tired, he was now thoroughly annoyed. He grabbed a cup of noodles and a rice ball and walked back out to the outdoor seating.
"The... the extra money—"
"Forget it. Keep it to balance your till."
The clerk watched Yujin with a baffled expression, unable to understand why a stranger would pay for a thief, but Yujin didn't care. It wasn't a large sum, and he figured a small act of kindness wouldn't kill him.
"Good grief. One thing after another."
Yujin sat at the outdoor table and sighed as he began his meal. He‘d spent all night looking for one person and found nothing. He‘d tried to help a child and ran into a freakish assassin. He‘d tried to get a snack and ran into an Infected thief.
He couldn't keep this up forever. He had zero income. The moment his savings ran out, he'd be on the street. At least Daniel was covering his room for now.
As these thoughts circled his mind, a sound broke the silence.
Caw!
A raven, its beak shut tight, landed on the table in front of him.
"…What is this?"
Yujin rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating. Why was a raven sitting on his table?
Caw! CAW!
The bird let out a sharp cry as if saying, Look at me! Yujin stared at it blankly. Is it looking for food? He tore off a piece of a cream bun he‘d bought with his noodles and offered it. The raven promptly slapped his hand away with its wing.
"Well, you've got a personality, don't you?"
He went back to his noodles. He finished the soup, threw away his trash, and stood up.
Ttap!
The raven clicked its beak and hopped toward him, making it clear it wasn't leaving. It flapped its wings and landed on Yujin's shoulder.
Done with your work? Then follow me.
"…Do I know you?"
Caw. Caw.
The bird nudged his head toward a specific direction. Since ravens were known to be intelligent, and it clearly wanted something, Yujin decided to follow. He left the well-lit main road and followed the bird into a dim alley. As the surroundings grew darker and more secluded, his guard went up.
"…Hello."
At the end of the alley stood the robed woman from earlier.
Her voice was a soft, elegant melody. The raven took flight from Yujin‘s shoulder and landed gracefully on her outstretched finger.
"Was it you who called me here?"
"Yes. I wanted to say thank you."
Yujin scratched his head awkwardly.
"I saw through the raven's eyes. I saw you give that man the money."
Ah. The money he‘d given the clerk to cover her 'theft'. She had watched the whole thing through her familiar. The nameless woman opened her palm, revealing the exact amount of LMD Yujin had paid.
"…You had the money. Why didn't you just pay for the items?"
"I had no choice. People like us... we are always treated as monsters."
Yujin finally understood why she was hiding under that robe. She wasn't just a thief; she was an Infected trying to survive.
"Sigh. I've been treated like a monster once or twice myself."
"…You?"
"Yeah. Usually, as soon as I say I‘m a Sarkaz, people start treating me like a walking biohazard. Even though I‘m clean."
The woman‘s eyes—a color somewhere between scarlet and orange—widened in shock.
"You're a Sarkaz... but you're not Infected?"
"That‘s right."
Strictly speaking, he wasn't really a Sarkaz, but he had spent his whole life in Kazdel. His identity was firmly tied to them. It wasn't really a lie.
"I didn't expect to see a fellow countryman here."
The woman gave a faint, relieved smile. She finally understood why he had helped her despite knowing she was Infected.
"Are you a Sarkaz too?"
"Yes. But I'm an Infected, so I‘m a fugitive."
Feeling safe, she pulled back her hood in the shadows. A cascade of long, pale hair spilled out like a wave. Her gentle, light-red eyes met Yujin‘s.
On her head sat Sarkaz horns shaped like a crown of thorns. Around her neck hung a whistle.
She was stunning—possessing an artistic, ethereal beauty similar to Theresa or Kalaisha.
"…Found you."
The Banshee Princess, Raquelamalin.
She was standing right in front of him.