A carriage crashed in the Akinzurou Gorge.
Thud against a rock.
Another thud against the rock below.
Zain, hanging onto the carriage roof, also went thud.
And so, Zain's consciousness faded to black.
How much time had passed?
When Zain opened his eyes again, he braced for terrible pain.
But he felt no pain at all.
Perhaps he was already dead.
It wouldn't be surprising, having fallen from a cliff.
Yet he felt neither regret nor sorrow.
Hadn't he died while doing something shameful?
He had been in pursuit of the rightful owner's daughter after usurping the territory.
If he hadn't sworn an oath of allegiance when joining the Iron Lion Knights, he would have given up and left long ago.
'A pungent smell...'
The smell wafting from a burning altar.
It smelled like a temple.
Looking around, this was a temple of fire and hearth.
Zain unconsciously touched his necklace.
He used to lack faith, but now it was different.
It had been since that day he barely escaped with his life in the Arkam Basin.
He met the goddess in a dream and survived.
It was like a miracle.
Since then, he never missed his nightly prayers.
'I guess I didn't fall into hell.'
Though that's what such a pathetic fellow deserved.
What had become of Lady Rania?
She might be dead.
Even if she wasn't, she'd be badly hurt, and eventually caught by the soldiers from Greyrim.
Guilt gnawed at Zain's chest.
Zain fell to his knees and bowed.
"Urgh..."
And before the prostrate man, a white foot slowly descended from the air.
Zain was startled but dared not raise his head.
Whether this was the afterlife or a dream, he seemed to know who had appeared before him.
"Goddess...?"
The goddess lightly placed her hand on Zain's shoulder.
「Raise your head.」
Carefully, Zain lifted his head.
"Ah..."
He couldn't see the goddess's face.
The halo like flames around her was too dazzling.
Why had the goddess appeared before Zain?
「Fulfill your role, knight.」
What do you mean? My duty?
But as with oracles, the goddess didn't offer further explanation.
「Fulfill your role.」
How can you give such an order?
It was too much like an order from the Goddess of the Hearth. Too much so.
Was this an oracle?
That couldn't be. Zain wasn't a priest, and there hadn't been news of anyone receiving an oracle from the Hearth Temple in decades.
Zain raised his head higher, trying to see the goddess's face.
And he screamed.
"Aagh!"
「First precept of the Iron Lions. Obey.」
Because the goddess's face had changed to Gunter's.
And then once more, this time changing to his father's face.
「Pathetic wretch, trembling like that.」
At that moment, he realized.
That this was a dream.
Zain's face contorted.
==
"God... dess..."
As Zain mumbled the goddess's name, someone flinched.
"That's creepy, Sir Zain."
"...Huh!"
Zain's eyes flew open in shock, and he tried to get up but collapsed.
The pain throughout his body was extreme.
His shoulder, left arm, and ribs seemed broken.
"La-Lady Rania."
"..."
The one tending to Zain was none other than Rania.
The very target he had been pursuing with his soldiers.
Looking at his left arm, it was bandaged and even had a splint.
"I used the last remaining potion... but you'll need proper treatment."
"Thank... you..."
Had that young girl treated him?
"Oliver did it."
"..."
Why would Oliver treat me?
He wasn't visible now.
Zain realized where he was.
Inside the half-destroyed carriage.
The carriage's cabin maintained its shape, likely due to an iron frame inside.
Though the wheels, seats, and interior fittings were smashed, it was miraculous.
Zain startled as he looked at Rania.
Blood was trickling from the girl's forehead.
"You're bleeding. Are you alright?"
"...Ah, I'm fine. Just a small scratch, I think."
Rania simply wiped the blood away with her hand.
She seemed rather composed.
Had she always been this brave?
The childish young lady he remembered...
It was Gunter and the Iron Lion Knights who had stolen her innocence.
And of course, it was Zain's fault too.
"Why... did you save me?"
"..."
"You should have left me to die."
Zain asked out of genuine curiosity.
The hunter Oliver he knew was ruthlessly cold.
He wouldn't have suddenly become compassionate and saved a knight who had been pursuing them.
Then it must have been Rania in front of him who asked to save Zain.
But why?
Rania smiled bitterly.
"That rainy day. You recognized me but let me in, didn't you? When the soldiers were harassing me."
"Ah..."
That had certainly happened.
He had driven away the soldiers at the checkpoint and let in the trembling Rania.
He had long pondered whether that was the right choice.
"Sir Zain."
"Yes."
"The territory, the territory is burning."
Tears fell from Rania's eyes.
What does she mean?
Zain's eyes widened.
Through the carriage window, he could see smoke billowing up.
It was in the direction of Greyrim territory.
And smoke was also rising from the direction of the main road leading to the capital and the plains.
Zain recalled the oil and explosives stockpiled in the territory.
Surely, his seniors hadn't...
"Now I have nowhere to go. What happened to Mother? She told me to go to Grandfather..."
Zain had no words for the tearful Rania.
His lips trembled.
Bang!
Just then, there was an impact sound from outside.
And Oliver's voice, as if torn.
"Knight! If you're conscious, grab a sword and come out!"
His voice was extremely urgent.
"Monsters have appeared!"
"Mo-monsters...!"
It seems monsters living in the Akinzurou Gorge had appeared.
Zain looked around urgently, but he had no sword. Had he lost it in the fall?
At that moment, Rania handed him a dagger she had been carrying.
"Sir Zain, please help me..."
Zain couldn't answer for a moment.
Wasn't he the very person who had taken away Rania's family and home?
He didn't deserve to receive such a tearful plea.
Perhaps mistaking his hesitation for refusal, Rania pleaded once more in a trembling voice.
"Please..."
"Zain! If you're a knight, fulfill your duty! Come out now!"
Oliver urged again at the same time.
Zain carefully took Rania's dagger.
And he brought the blade to his face, as if handling a ceremonial longsword.
"Yes, Lady Rania."
Rania stared blankly at Zain.
"Knight Zain Krotz swears to protect you with his life."
Zain swore as a knight.
And he immediately stood up.
Crack!
An ominous breaking sound came from his body.
Pain like several awls stabbing between his ribs.
His left arm in the splint wouldn't move at all.
But Zain didn't show the pain.
He steps out of the half-destroyed carriage, holding a dagger with unnecessarily ornate decorations.
His body was in agony, but his mind wasn't.
It was a sensation he had forgotten for the past few years.
Though he had broken his oath of obedience, Zain finally felt like a true knight.
He walked out, dragging his creaking body.
Staggering while holding just one dagger.
"Finally, you're out!"
Oliver was facing off against monsters in front of him.
Oliver's condition was no better than Zain's.
The fingers holding his sword were bent in a grotesque shape.
Blood was also streaming from his head.
Zain stepped forward and stood beside Oliver.
"Where did these monsters come from?"
"Have you fought goblins before?"
Oliver grinned.
The monsters gathered as if to attack the carriage were none other than goblins.
Zain nodded.
"Surely they didn't come through Greyrim territory."
He thought of the flames rising from the direction of the territory.
But Oliver shook his head.
"They climbed up the gorge. Probably from the great forest."
"...A tribal migration?"
"Who knows."
Right, that's not important now.
The goblins held crude weapons, but there were many of them.
"Kirruk."
"Chit keek! Kingit!"
Incomprehensible language.