"Stand up," Rudy said as he tried to force himself upright. "We have to continue moving."
Warrior slowly turned his head towards Rudy and looked at him in distress before he gave a nod and shot up on his feet.
"Oof..." Rudy exhaled audibly as he stood up while leaning against a tree.
He took a step forward. "Ahh!" Pain coursed through his injured left leg.
"Young lord, are you fine?!" Warrior asked worriedly.
Rudy gritted his teeth and nodded. "Get me something that I can use as a cane."
"What?" Warrior mumbled.
Leaning against the tree, Rudy took a few quick breaths and said, "We cannot waste time here... we have to make sure that their sacrifice is not wasted."
Warrior fell silent. He looked around himself but saw nothing that could be used as a cane — even the branches of the trees were too crooked to be useful and efficient, and they didn't have time to search for one.
For a few moments, Rudy watched him, then he pointed at Warrior's sheathed sword and asked, "That sword... that would do..."
As Warrior wielded a sword nearly similar to a shikomizue — a katana concealed as a stick, it had both the length and style that Rudy needed for something to act like his cane.
Warrior frowned. He glanced at his sword and thought about it for a moment before he nodded.
Rudy's expression brightened. Warrior walked towards him and handed the sword.
Without a delay, Rudy stepped away from the tree and began walking while using Warrior's sword as a cane.
Warrior walked to the right, and a minute later, both of them took the left turn and continued towards the church.
Rudy walked with the sword, and Warrior walked beside him with a grim expression.
'He is continuing his act... what is he trying to achieve?'
"Are you angry?" He questioned while forcing a smile through the pain.
Warrior looked at him, shook his head, and mumbled while looking at the dipping sun, "Should I be angry? I do not believe so. You only did that for the order, the guards and the driver also died for the order... it is simply the devotion they have towards the path of blood."
Rudy nodded grimly, looked at the treacherous path before him, and said, "I... I am glad that you are still with me."
The corners of Warrior's lips lifted into a smile.
Ignoring the pain, Rudy continued moving without resting for even a single moment. His body was drenched in sweat, his hair clung to his face, and his vision was getting blurry from the constant walking.
Warrior was also covered in sweat as he looked around in vigilance, but he wasn't as fatigued as Rudy.
An hour passed, and the sun finally dipped below the horizon.
A dry and shaky breath escaped Rudy as he saw Warrior's expression go cold.
'I have to calm down.' Rudy mumbled in his head. 'He is from the path of night... so he can also see in the dark and is stronger during the night... was he waiting for the sun to go down to attack me?'
"Young lord..." Warrior mumbled in a low voice, but Rudy heard him clearly.
"Yes?" Rudy responded with bated breath.
"Who do you think decides who has the right to live and who doesn't?"
Rudy turned his head towards him and said, "No one."
Warrior furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"
"The strong claim right over the weak. The able over the disabled people. Men over women. These are merely the moral disguises we use to impose our choices upon those who lack the power to resist."
Warrior's gaze didn't waver, and he asked, "Do you believe in might?"
Rudy let out a creaking chuckle. "I do. I believe in might, as it's the only thing that is truly mine. I do not seek it to justify myself… I seek it because without strength, I would not be allowed to be who I am."
Shaking his head, he added. "No one has the right to decide who lives or dies. But anyone with enough strength can decide who they kill… and who they spare."
Warrior frowned. "How is that any different than having the right over someone's life?"
Rudy's lips lifted into a smile. "What you have is not the right but a choice."
After a pause, he added. "What if the person you wish to kill is stronger than you. Do you still believe you have the right over his life? No. He is the one who holds the choice."
Warrior fell silent.
A sharp glint passed through Rudy's eyes, and he mumbled, "At the moment, you hold that choice over me."
Hearing his words, Warrior froze in his steps.
"What do you mean?"
Rudy stopped and answered after a chuckle. "You are stronger than I, so you naturally have the choice to kill me."
"Why would I do that...?" Warrior mumbled.
"Well, I am both weak and injured, so I am no different than a baggage... on the other hand, you are completely fine."
"I know your devotion well, but you are still an outsider, so I do not believe that your devotion to the path of blood is enough for you to sacrifice yourself."
Hearing him, Warrior placed his hands on his waist and exhaled deeply.
"You are right."
A wry smile appeared on Rudy's face, and he mumbled, "I am simply stating my views, not that I actually want you to kill me... haha..."
Warrior nodded. "Do not worry, I would not kill you... more like I cannot."
"The order has done their absolute best to make sure everything goes right — You might not know this, but the current blood lord has bound us with blood vows... If I kill you, I will lose the right to be an irregular."
'What...? Is such an absurd thing even possible?' Rudy thought, his eyes as wide as possible.
"Ridiculous, isn't it? But why else would all the other holy orders be doing their best to get rid of the path of blood?" Warrior questioned with a smile.
Rudy's face twisted in raw horror.