Albert gives a thin smile.
"You know I can't defeat you, right?"
He meets my expectations—but do you know this?
"Hm?" Hiro murmurs.
"His potential surpasses yours, bastard."
Albert turns away from Hiro and walks toward Oliver, who lies collapsed on the ground. He lifts Oliver onto his shoulder, then disappears into the forest.
Hiro stands still for a moment, then moves to a tree, leans back against it, and closes his eyes.
Darkness.
Everything is silent—until a distant noise reaches my ears. A familiar voice, tight with panic.
Rose.
I open my eyes. The blur fades into sunlight spilling across my face. I slowly sit up and see Rose and the others busy, gathering supplies, preparing for the ship.
"Where are you going, Rose?!" I say.
She jolts, turns, then freezes.
"HIRO!"
She runs to me and throws her arms around me.
"Hiro, Hiro, Hiro… do you know—do you know—" Her words spill out, frantic. My shoulder grows wet. She's crying.
I rub her back gently.
"Calm down, Rose. Breathe. Tell me what happened."
"Oliver—Uncle… he was taken… by that man, Hiro," she says softly.
I lower my head and rest it against her shoulder.
"Calm down. We'll find him, Rose."
All the supplies are already loaded onto the ship. I have nothing that needs treatment at the village barrier, so only Bartra and the crew who can still move are working. The rest are wounded.
"Are you sure you're not coming with us, kid?" Bartra asks.
Rose stands beside me. Earlier, I asked her to go with Bartra and the others to get treatment at the barrier—but losing her uncle would only leave her alone, drowning in her thoughts.
I smile and shake my head slowly.
"No need. I'll find a way out by land. Leave the pigeons with us—we'll send a message if we manage to get out of here, Bartra."
Bartra falls silent, then lets out a slow breath.
"All right. But please—don't get yourselves into trouble. Losing Oliver is already too much for us."
I nod.
"Don't worry. We'll be fine."
Bartra boards the ship and releases a pigeon toward us. It lands on Rose's shoulder.
The anchor is raised. The ship begins to move.
"Be careful, kid. My lady," Bartra says, lifting a hand in farewell.
I return the wave.
Our journey by land begins.
---
"I'm curious," Rose says as we travel.
"Hm?" I murmur, turning to her.
"There's no way they built lighthouses all along the sea, right?!" she continues.
I tilt my head up and close my eyes.
"True—but that doesn't mean there's a gap after the last lighthouse in the middle of the sea," I say halfway.
"Then?" she asks.
"Oliver is worried about traps when we pass the route by the final lighthouse. We can get through it like that, but…" I trail off.
"Ukh—but?" she presses.
"What about what comes after? Sea mines? Coastal guards? I understand his decision after spending time thinking about it, Rose," I say.
"I see. You're not wrong," she replies.
"What's hard for me to think about now is what we'll face on land without Oliver," I say, turning to her.
"In truth, I know my uncle a little better than that, Hiro," she says, meeting my gaze.
"Hm?" I murmur.
Rose lowers her head, her expression anxious again.
"He's a wanted man with an extremely high bounty, Hiro. I'm worried he'll be executed."