"Chief said he would take care of it. Why bother getting so irritated?"

  "Why, you asked? Was he not the one who said he would find your son, too? Right, where is he now, you dumb bastard?"

  "...That's different. It's a different thing."

  "Gerry, he's your son."

  In front of poorly maintained wooden walls, two men sat beside each other. Leather armors wrapped around their bodies, and to their sides, lay swords filled with chips and scratches. Their faces were haggard and tired, as if they had not slept for days.

  Under the dark sky, their eyes occasionally swept across the empty path ahead.

  "...Heretic. He's a heretic!"

  "We have known each other since we were infants, my friend. You know me better than I know myself, and I know you better than yourself, Gerald... Your pride will only give you regrets."

  It was so early in the morning. The village behind them was still fast asleep, with only the faintest of movements from those early risers. They also wanted to tuck themselves tight in their bed, yet there they were again, talking about heavy topics.

  Perhaps it's their way of staying awake. Or perhaps it was the cold air making them vulnerable. The time they had to stand guard was the only time they could take off their reliable masks, away from their spouses and children.

  It was the only time they could talk freely and honestly.

  "I'm afraid, William."

  "You should be afraid. It's not normal otherwise, my friend."

  In that consumed world, every day was the exact routine. They live their repetitive lives, doing the same things repeatedly across the calendar. They will grow together with time, until time itself decides to part ways.

  However, once in a blue moon, they had to break off from their chains. By chance, it was that day for a certain, miserable father.

  "Hm? A visitor?"

  "From this direction...? William, alert the chief."

  "All right, be careful."

  Strange, but that day seemed to have diverted fairly differently from their routine. Coming from the direction of the Tainted Land, two people staggered towards the village. On that abandoned path, they saw yet another soul treading it on the same day.

  Step. Step.

  'It's really just a kid.'

  Gerald stood before the entrance to his village. His chest puffed proudly, his back straight like the end of a sword, and his eyes stared daggers at the two pale people before him. If not for their rough breathing, he might have mistook them for walking corpses.

  "State your identities!" Gerald spoke firmly.

  "Move."

  His forceful voice was shot down by just a single word. He stared at the child for a second, deliberating if he had heard himself right. Taking in a deep breath, he composed himself before opening his mouth again.

  "I repeat, sta-"

  THUD.

  '...Huh?'

  He did not know what happened, but his vision suddenly blurred. His head felt light, and his legs felt weak. He stared at the two pairs of eyes that had suddenly appeared before him. He was in confusion.

  Thud.

  However, those eyes could not talk. They could not tell him what happened. Before he could get a clue what had happened, his unconscious body slammed on the dirt path.

  "J-Julian?"

  "Come on, we are moving," Julian said, taking away the sword of the knocked-out guard.

  "Julian! Just what are you thinking?!"

  "Tch, stop yelling...What's gotten into you, woman?"

  He was completely clueless about why Maria was riled up. Grabbing the hand of Maria, Julian pulled her through the unguarded village entrance. His face was tight, clearly having no interest in bickering with Maria.

  "Julian, wait!" Maria exclaimed, having trouble walking with Julian pulling her so hard. Glancing back at the unconscious man, Maria said worriedly, "We shouldn't leave him there!"

  "We have no time for that."

  [Julian Swordshards(Peasant)]

  Blessed Servant

  State: Unawakened[Greed(Earth Fold)(Rock)]

  Fate: 348

  They truly had no time to waste. The universe was not shy of throwing a walking calamity on their way just hours prior. He would rather get Maria to safety even a minute earlier than check on some unknown man.

  "The examination date had been pushed forward," Julian continued.

  "...What?"

  "That merchant told me. You understand, right? We have to hurry."

  He would also rather lie to her if they could get to the city even a second earlier. Hearing no more complaints from Maria, Julian unconsciously turned back, only to be greeted by a dumbfounded face.

  "Stop right there!"

  "Tch."

  From the path ahead, Julian saw two men running towards them. One of them was the other guard he had seen before. The other was a large man with a thick beard. From a distance, that man greatly resembled a bear.

  Before long, those two sides came face-to-face.

  "Th..that sword, what the hell did you do to Gerald?!" Willian yelled out, sword already drawn.

  "Move, we are getting through."

  Julian unsheathed his sword. He was not troubled. On the contrary, he rejoiced seeing the guard drawing his weapon first. It just made things much more efficient.

  "Chief!"

  Perhaps realizing something was wrong in the head of the boy before him, William called out to the bear to his side. The bear nodded, and with his arms crossed, he stared into the boy's eyes.

  "Child, what's your name?" the chief spoke, his voice powerful.

  "Step aside," Julian ordered, hearing not the question of the chief.

  "...All right, Step Aside. Would you mind telling me where the owner of that sword is?" the chief asked, eyes peeking to the village entrance.

  "H-he is at the entrance. He's still alive!"

  "Oi."

  Maria, hand worriedly holding the knapsack, spoke up.

  She kept looking between the two drawn swords, and each time, she would tug on Julian's cloth. While she did not want any blood to be spilled, she had a feeling that her words would once again fell deaf ears to her son.

  She did not know how to calm her son down. At least, not the one after that accident.

  "Is that so? That's fortunate news, isn't it, William?" The chief said to the guard. With eyes peeling unnecessarily wide, he spoke, "Right, why not all of us see him together first?"

  "Of cour-"

  "Maria, take a step back," Julian said, sliding the knapsack off his shoulders.

  "Julian!"

  "Oho, are we really doing this in front of your mother?"

  Julian strides forward. His sword was held close to his body.

  The first one to react was the guard, William. He jumped forward, taking a defensive stance in front of the chief. There was a clear hesitation in his eyes, yet his sword was still firmly grasped within his hands.

  "Don't make me do this, boy!" William bellowed, determination flared in his eyes.

  "Enough."

  Before those two blades could cross one another, the chief pulled William back. The chief, holding Willim up in the mid-air by the collar, looked deep into Julian's eyes. After a couple of seconds of silence, the chief sighed and tossed William to the side.

  "Go, we won't keep you here."

  "..."

  Julian's eyes frowned, clearly trusting not a single word from the bear. However, right before his eyes, the chief walked around him and went straight towards the entrance. William, though had complaints and questions, was also dragged away by him.

  "Let's go."

  Putting away his sword, Julian walked to the other end of the village. He had realized earlier, but the commotions they caused had drawn a number of curious eyes. They were spying from behind the curtains and doors, but their loud whispers made those attempts at stealth in vain.

  "Did you see that, Maria? No one hesitates to draw their weapon in this world," Julian said, sensing that Maria was awfully quiet.

  "...But why do we need to be the same?"

  "We don't. That's why I prefer to draw mine first."

  Maria did not reply. Once again, she did not understand how someone would change so much just by hitting their head. Silently, the thought of hitting that head resurfaced at the back of her mind.

  "I am hungry."

  "Sigh... Go on, take the crackers out."

  "..."

  "What?"

  Julian turned back after getting no replies. Following Maria's eyes, he found he was looking at a house with a sign carved into the shape of a bread loaf.

  "We are in a hurry."

  Before long, those two got out of that village without a hitch. Julian pulled out the old map from his knapsack, carefully looking at it. He was in a deep focus, ignoring the cold droplets that gently struck the back of his neck.

  Trickle. Trickle.

  "Julian, this rain..."

  Julian raised his head, only to let out a helpless sigh. Of course, Julian knew it would not be that easy.

  From the end of his vision, he could see red clouds rolling and spreading far and wide. They appeared still, but the rate at which they grew larger told Julian the exact opposite.

  "We have to take cover, it's dangerous..." Maria worriedly said, already pulling Julian back into the village.

  'Right, it's not human alone.'

  He forgot human was not the only thing that he had to keep in mind.

  Julian stared blankly at the rolling clouds. The strong winds had also just begun to slap the earth, lifting up all the debris and black chunks up into the sky. It was blurry, but Julian saw even heads and limbs flung off the ground.

  '...Right, I have to blindfold her pass this region.'

  "Hurry, it's heading this way!"

  The roles seemed to have changed. Before, he was the one desperately trying to pull Maria somewhere. At that moment, he was the one being tugged and pulled. Perhaps he was just that petty a person, but he did want to move even a step from there.

  'Ah, this cursed world.'

  "Are you not coming in?"

  Still in a daze, Julian looked over his shoulder. Before, there was another set of guards protecting that other entrance. However, those two men had somehow gone, and in their place stood a bear.

  Clink.

  "You two drink tea, right? We grew the leaves for this just outside the village."

  "Ah, thank you very much. Again, we are sorry to trouble you, Mr. Chief."

  "Ahaha, I don't mind at all. I am actually happy to get such interesting guests! Come on, drink up."

  Three people were sitting around a round table. One was as large as a boulder, expression stiff though he 'laughed' and spoke politely. One was a petite woman, smiling gracefully while sipping her tea. One was staring into an empty space.

  "Why aren't you drinking, Julian? Mr. Chief is kind enough to give us shelter... We should act properly, should we not?"

  "Is that so, chief?"

  "You act as you do. It's better," the chief said, gently tapping his armrest.

  "You heard him," Julian said, sighing and making himself comfortable in his chair.

  "Jul-"

  "Maria, leave us for a bit. We have something to talk about."

  "Hm, it's good that one of you is sharp."

  "Watch your tongue, fat pig."

  Ktang.

  After just a bit more persuasion, Julian managed to convince Maria to leave the room. Unfortunately, the exchange was that he got an essay worth a reminder to be polite to the chief.

  "You heard her."

  "I apologize for calling a fat pig, a fat pig."

  "For someone who does not shy to kill, you are especially childish," the chief said, putting down his cup gently.

  "Let's get into business. Who do you want to kill? I will listen... for her sake."

  "Ohh, you are really sharp. Or was it Gerald? How much did he tell you?""

  Towards the end of his sentence, the chief's eyes diverted to a sword leaning on the boy's chair. He was all too familiar with that sheathless sword. That cold and used-up sword, he was all too used to it and its owner.

  "Came through the south. What other than headhunters, eh?"

  Julian guessed the thinking of the man.

  "Who is it?" Julian said, his voice impatient.

  "A Whisperer."