Asthia slumped against him, delicate and slender in his arms.
Then a bell tolled in his mind.
[Skill Evolution Triggered]
[Threat Perception → Threat Instinct Lv. 1]
Reth hardly glanced at it. He did not care. Not now. His mind was only on the two girls breathing in his arms.
The world became hazy.
And then—
Morning.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the Red Hill forest. Last night's smoke and rubble had vanished, giving way to the soft wind in the trees.
They'd constructed a hasty hut of wood and rock. Within it, Asthia reclined on a mat, silver hair spread, clean bandages covering her injuries. Her chest lifted and fell.
Next to her, Elenya fared worse. Head to foot she was bound with strips of cloth, and only her white face was visible, gentle in sleep.
