As Jahan said, the twenty-nine residents of the cave seemed to gather, as if trying to engrave the sight of their departure into their memories.

“Don’t all cry just because I’m gone!”

Even at the moment of farewell, Jahan joked with the people who would remain in the cave.

“No need to worry about that!”

“Always the joker. Wonder how long you’ll keep that up.”

“Jahan, you fool. Don’t get too excited seeing the sun for the first time and end up sunburned.”

“Be safe on your travels. It’s straight to the otherworld if you get hurt out there.”

It seemed that Jahan’s squabbling wasn’t limited to Silanda. His interactions suggested a broader familiarity with everyone. Enya watched their exchanges from a distance. The cave residents were genuinely worried for Senu, each holding his hand and saying words of caution.

“We’ll never leave at this rate.”

Silanda muttered displeasedly, leaning against the wall, looking as if she would have crossed her arms if the other arm was present. Eventually, unable to stand it any longer, she grabbed Senu’s hand and pulled him away from the teary-eyed grandmother Ines and nagged them.

“You lot, always making a fuss. Can’t you keep it to a minimum? If not, we’d stand around all day.”

Enya couldn’t help but agree with Silanda’s words.

The concern seemed endless, and Senu wasn’t heartless enough to coldly leave those people behind. The four of them lingered at the entrance to the outside, turning their backs on the cave residents who were still waving their remaining hands or parts of their healthy arms.

“We’ll be back!”

Reaching the bend in the tunnel, Jahan kept turning back, waving until they were out of sight. They retraced their steps through the tunnel they had passed the night before in silence.

‘It looks heavy…’

Enya thought as she looked at Senu lead with a bulky pack on his slender back. The backpack seemed too large for him to carry. Jahan and Silanda’s burdens appeared no less. Yet, without complaint, they silently conserved their strength for the long journey ahead.

She set aside her concerns for them and focused on keeping pace.

By the time the group reached the passage’s exit, Jahan was already sweating profusely and set down his massive load. On tiptoes, he helped Senu, who had also taken a moment to rest his pack and lift the barrier blocking the exit.

“Heave-ho!”

As they pushed away the darkness of the tunnel, brilliant light flooded in

“Senu…!”

As Senu was lifting the entrance, a voice from somewhere caused him to lower it again, causing Jahan, who was helping him from below, to wobble and fall.

“Silanda…! Hey, Jahan…!”

The owner of the voice loudly called out their names again from afar.

Silanda, who was also preparing to lift the entrance, looked up in the direction of the voice. The sunlight revealed a pale figure through the partially opened entrance. Enya, of course, could not recognize him, though Jahan immediately identified him with a surprised shout.

“Den?”

The man, Den, seemed to have run all the way here. He was gasping for breath and collapsing to the ground.

“Goodness! Did you run all the way here?”

Jahan quickly approached Den and helped him up. Senu, too, hurried over.

“What’s the matter?”

Enya observed Den with a chill. The man, appearing as young as Senu, was tall and extremely thin. His face, covered in bandages soaked with his sweat, was mostly hidden.

“Big, big trouble, Senu…! You need to come…! We tried to handle it ourselves, but it’s not enough. Ca, Caleb has…”

Caleb would be the young man acting as Senu in his absence. Enya, wanting to know what had happened to him, approached Den alongside Silanda.

“Let’s calm down first. What happened to Caleb?”

Senu asked, trying to calm Den, who was too breathless to respond properly. Tension rose in an instant.

“What did you say?”

Den’s response was drowned out by his heavy breathing. When Senu pressed him again, this time, Enya could clearly hear Den’s voice.

“Caleb has been caught…!”

Everyone’s eyes widened at his words. Den, thinking Senu hadn’t heard him, yelled out once more. At that moment, Enya froze.

“Lady, Lady Servia herself has come! She came to see you, Senu…!”

* * *

Den’s lips mentioning Servia had a tremendous impact. The plan to leave the cave was immediately abandoned. The four of them, along with Den, hurried back the way they came to assess the situation.

“Mother came herself? That’s impossible.”

Senu seemed slightly out of sorts ever since Servia’s name came up.

“Really. Gasp… It’s chaos! She came down into the cave herself to verify her son and is now accusing Caleb, who was impersonating you.”

“What about Caleb, no, how is everyone handling it?”

“What do you mean what to do? Gasp, gasp! Everyone turned pale and lost their wits as soon as Servia threatened to take you back! Caleb nearly passed out. He almost collapsed in front of her!”

Enya was equally out of her mind. She followed them with a limp, her face turning pale.

…Servia came?

Just hearing that woman’s name seemed to send shivers down her spine. According to Senu, she never came down to the cave herself. She communicated through her underlings.

“Did something happen to the allied forces?”

Worries about Tarhan flooded Enya, making her feel as if her spirit was leaving her body. They passed through the tunnel much faster than when they started. While gasping for breath, they finally reached the entrance to a large, hall-like space.

“Senu…!”

Someone appeared at the entrance. Like the other patients, most of their bodies and faces were wrapped in bandages, allowing Enya to recognize that the woman Senu hurriedly called out to was named Hilda.

Senu quickly asked Hilda.

“She, she is…”

“Right now, Lomba is dealing with her. It seems difficult to buy time.”

Hearing Hilda’s troubled response, Senu paced anxiously in place.

“Why would Mother suddenly…”

For the first time since meeting him, Enya could see Senu was the most bewildered. The idea of his mother being just around the corner seemed to unsettle him. Rubbing his disfigured hands nervously, Senu seemed lost.

Then, a firm voice stopped Senu in his tracks.

“Senu.”

Silanda grabbed his shoulder and pressed him down. She reprimanded him sharply.

“Snap out of it. This isn’t like you. Why are you acting like this?”

Surprised by her rebuke, Senu seemed to regain his composure.

In the meanwhile, Hilda approached to apply a foul-smelling medicine to Senu’s arms and legs. Jahan quickly assisted her.

“For now, Senu, at least apply this before going in. We’ve told them your condition has worsened recently, so Caleb was acting on your behalf.”

Though still appearing half-dazed, Senu nodded at Hilda’s words. After preparing, he glanced at Silanda and Jahan before following Den and Hilda through the tunnel leading to where Servia awaited.

When Enya quickly followed him, Silanda caught her and grabbed her.

“Wait. You can’t go that way.”

Feeling as if her heart had dropped to her toes, Enya quickly grasped Silanda’s wrist.

“I want to know what’s happening, too. I’ll just listen from outside. Please, I beg you.”

Hearing her desperate voice, Silanda flinched, and her expression hardened. Naturally, she quickly showed her fangs with a growl.

“What are you talking about? Are you mad? What if you get caught? That woman originally wanted you dead and threw you into this cave.”

“Just a moment, Silanda.”

Jahan stepped in between Silanda and Enya.

“How about we wrap her in bandages? If she looks like one of us, it might be okay, right? Even that woman wouldn’t dare to unwrap a leper’s bandages.”

Hearing this, Silanda narrowed her eyes, turned around, and put down the backpack she was carrying.

Enya, thinking she was dismissing Jahan’s suggestion, felt disheartened. However, she soon realized Silanda had changed her mind when she saw her rummaging through the items in the backpack at a rapid pace. Silanda then skillfully and quickly began to wrap her body with clean cloths she had pulled from the bag.

“I’ll, I’ll keep watch!”

Seeing this, Jahan turned around with a flushed face.

Silanda, paying him no mind, lifted Enya’s outer garments and started wrapping bandages around her visible arms, legs, neck, and face. Not wanting Enya to stand out, Silanda and Jahan, who normally didn’t cover their scars, ended up looking the same.

As they ran out of bandages, Silanda hissed a warning at her.

“After all this, if you still attract attention, I’ll consider you a fool and stop caring about you.”

“Let, let’s hurry.”

Ignoring Silanda’s threat, Enya urged them on. The room where Servia was located was connected to the small chamber into which Enya had first fallen into the cave.

“This is usually used as a reception room when Servia’s underlings visit.”

At Jahan’s explanation, she swallowed nervously.

When they arrived, Den and Hilda were already there, pressing their ears against the wall, listening intently. Senu seemed to have already entered.

Enya quickly joined them, pressing her ear against the wall, too. From inside, she heard a deep, sinister voice she could never forget.

__