"DT. Wake up."

He grabbed her shoulder and shook her.

Moonlight spilled through the cracks in the wooden floor, stretching across the room.

When he shook her harder, the old bed let out a low creak.

"...DS."

"...Now?"

The blonde woman exhaled softly as she pushed herself upright.

Heavily pregnant, she instinctively wrapped one arm around her swollen belly.

The tiny inn room was thick with the stale scent of old timber.

"We don't have time."

"...Have they already caught up?"

"I left enough false trails."

DS was already stuffing their belongings into a travel bag.

Bathed in moonlight, DT's face was deathly pale. Cold sweat glistened across her forehead.

She steadied herself by gripping his shoulder.

"...Have the Volens already entered the city?"

DS didn't answer.

His eyes remained fixed on the door.

The inside of his ears tightened.

Before any sound reached him, the shapes had already formed in his mind.

*The Volen hounds are moving.*

Eight of them.

They aren't spreading out.

But—

They're close.

Organized.

"...Even if it hurts... we have to move."

ㅡㅡㅡ

Inside the northern district of Heian.

A man in a long black leather coat cut through the darkness before dawn.

The brim of his fedora cast half his face in shadow.

The tip of the cigarette between his lips glowed a deep crimson.

A man waiting at the mouth of the alley lowered his head.

He stepped aside, clearing the way.

"You're here."

Hirk never slowed.

He took a long drag from his cigarette...

...then exhaled slowly.

A ribbon of smoke drifted into the cold dawn, dissolving into the darkness.

"Any sign of them?"

"They definitely entered the city.

We still haven't found them."

"They're hiding."

Hirk's eyes swept across the alley.

Shuttered windows.

Faint traces of lamplight behind paper screens.

Rain-soaked wooden walls.

There were countless places to disappear.

"They won't get far with a woman ready to give birth."

"They're most likely hiding in an inn... or an abandoned house."

"Post men at every path leading into the forest."

"With only eight of us—"

A leather-gloved hand rose.

Smack.

The subordinate's head snapped sideways.

As if nothing had happened, Hirk calmly took another drag.

"Don't think."

A brief silence followed.

Then he spoke again.

"Force him to use his ability."

"At most, three times a day.

Twice in a row is his limit."

The cigarette burned down to the filter.

He flicked the butt onto the ground...

...and crushed the ember beneath his heel.

"Keep chasing them.

Don't give them a moment's peace."

ㅡㅡㅡ

Several hours later.

Heian was already awake.

One by one, small windows swung open.

Steam from freshly made dumplings drifted through the alleys.

The fragrance of tea leaves mingled with unfamiliar spices and the warmth of countless bodies, settling heavily in the morning air.

Tiny windmills hanging beneath the eaves turned lazily in the sunlight.

Hirk came to a stop.

Slowly, he drew in a deep breath.

The instant the air filled his lungs—

The world before his eyes shifted.

Scents unraveled into colors.

The bright ones shattered.

The murky ones sank away.

Most of them disappeared.

"...They're mixed together."

Hirk and his men halted in the middle of the alley.

One of the subordinates opened a bag and pulled out a Sera Residue Detector.

The metal case clanked open.

Thud.

Before it could even be activated, another man punched him across the head.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"Use your brain, idiot. What do you think happens if you turn that thing on in the middle of a city? There are thousands of people here. Think you can pick out one specific trail?"

Still dazed, the man quietly shoved the detector back into his bag.

Hirk looked down at them.

He didn't bother calling them fools.

Instead, his gaze settled on one of the men.

"You."

"Go to the Adventurers' Guild."

"The moment they open, hire every available hand you can."

He struck a match and lit another cigarette.

"We end this..."

"...today."

ㅡㅡㅡ

A short while later.

At the entrance to the alley.

"We've gathered about twenty."

Mercenaries and adventurers stood together, each carrying different weapons and dressed in mismatched gear.

Hirk stepped forward.

"I'll describe our targets."

"A young couple."

"The woman is blonde... and heavily pregnant."

"The first person to find them will receive ten gold."

A low murmur rippled through the crowd.

Then the hounds were brought in.

Held on short leashes, they let out deep, restrained growls.

The atmosphere shifted.

One of Hirk's men stepped forward.

He tossed a bundle of clothing taken from the laboratory onto the ground before the hounds.

Thud.

The fabric was torn...

...and stained with dried blood.

One of the hounds buried its nose into it.

Sniff.

Sniff.

A moment later, it lifted its head.

The others all turned in the same direction.

"Split up."

Hirk unfolded a map.

It showed the entire northern district of Heian.

"Three groups."

His finger traced the streets.

"The market."

"The river."

"The northern outskirts."

With a few quick strokes, he divided the search area.

"Search every inn first."

One of his subordinates spoke carefully.

"Lord Hirk... this is Heian."

"We can't conduct random searches here..."

"...The Neutrality Treaty."

Hirk's icy gaze fell upon him.

"I informed them before we left."

"If there's a problem..."

"...Delos will take responsibility."

ㅡㅡㅡ

Bang.

The door flew open.

"Volen. Inspection."

The startled innkeeper instinctively stepped aside.

"...Volen?"

"My neighbor's dog is named Volen—"

"Move."

The blankets were thrown aside.

Wardrobes were flung open.

Anything within reach was overturned.

Another alley.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Open the door!"

"Who the hell is it?!"

"Volen. Inspection."

Click.

The door unlocked.

"The hell's wrong with you people barging in at dawn?!"

As the commotion spread, windows began opening one after another.

One of the hounds stopped.

Sniff.

Its head slowly turned toward a single direction.

Hirk raised his eyes.

"North."

Another line was drawn across the map.

The search area narrowed once again.