Near the outskirts of Gravalk territory, deep within the forest.

Splash—

The first man to reach the creek plunged his face straight into the water and drank greedily.

The one behind him stopped with mud caked to his knees before collapsing onto the ground. He scooped up handfuls of water and scrubbed his face roughly.

Another simply threw himself onto a nearby boulder.

"Haa..."

No one spoke.

One by one, they stretched out where they had fallen, until only the murmur of the creek remained.

When their breathing had finally steadied, Hirk spoke without lifting his head.

"Two?"

The soldier who had just raised his face from the water answered on instinct.

"Three of us are—"

Thud!

The man beside him smacked the back of his head.

"You idiot. Learn to listen."

The soldier lowered his head without a word.

The one who had struck him answered instead.

"Two, sir."

Only then did Hirk look up.

"You're certain?"

"Yes. Bill and Rail. Those two."

Hirk asked nothing more.

His gaze drifted toward the upper forest where they had abandoned the basket.

One of the men spoke carefully.

"We can't continue without reinforcements. Searching the Gravalk settlements is suicide."

Silence settled over the group.

Another soldier scraped at the mud with the tip of his boot before stopping.

Hirk finally spoke.

"This isn't the time to give up. We find which settlement they're in. For everyone's sake."

"We've already lost two men. Please reconsider. Even if we find them, we can't bring them back. We should return first—"

From behind them came a weary curse.

"...Damn."

Someone exhaled shakily.

"I seriously thought I was dead."

"I almost pissed myself."

The last member of the squad had finally caught up.

"Wow... this is one hell of a mood."

A brief silence followed.

"You don't think... those monsters ate the baby, do you?"

A few faint smirks appeared.

Thud!

The same soldier smacked him across the back of the head again.

"Ow, damn it! We like veal too, don't we?"

"You moron. Shut your mouth."

Another let out a quiet chuckle before speaking.

"...I've heard they don't eat intelligent beings."

A moment of silence.

"Instead, they measure worth by how many slaves they capture."

"And if someone's useless?"

"Then... who knows."

A few dry laughs escaped, but no one truly found it funny.

Hirk heard every word.

Yet his eyes never left the flowing water.

He could still see the basket drifting away.

Someone spoke cautiously.

"Today... Bill... and Rail..."

The names never reached the end.

Hirk's expression slowly hardened.

One of the men muttered quietly.

"If we return like this..."

"...won't all of us be executed?"

Another ventured cautiously.

"Then... why don't we disappear into the Neutral Lands of the New Continent while we still can?"

Hirk slowly raised his head.

His eyes were cold.

His lips never moved.

That expression alone was enough.

Every mouth fell silent.

Hirk reached into the pouch at his waist and withdrew a thin metal plate.

Using a steel spike, he carved several short lines into its surface.

— Pursuit no longer possible.
— Requesting reinforcements.

He pressed the final stroke deep into the metal.

A brass capsule clicked open.

He slid the plate inside.

Click.

Tiny gears engaged within.

A faint vibration spread through his palm.

Chirrr—

A thin strand of Sera light seeped through the seams, rising briefly into the air before vanishing.

Moments later, the capsule began collapsing from within.

Its shape crumbled apart, dissolving into fine gray dust.

The wind scattered every last trace.

Hirk stared at the empty space for a long while.

His fist slowly tightened.

For the first time...

it wasn't his fallen men he saw.

It was the basket.