"Rumble..."
In her daze, Tier seemed to feel a faint tremor.
It appeared to be an earthquake from somewhere far away, with only a slight vibration reaching this place.
That barely perceptible trembling woke Tier, and she opened her eyes.
"You're awake?"
The moment she opened her eyes, Tier heard a familiar, gentle voice.
So Tier turned her head and looked beside her.
There, Vivian was leaning her shield against the rock wall and looking at her with a smile.
On closer inspection, several places on Vivian's body were stained with blood and dirt. She did not seem to be injured, but she looked utterly exhausted and disheveled.
Nearby, Lumya and Merika rested their heads against each other. Like Vivian, they were covered in blood and dust, as though they had been completely drained after a fierce battle.
Naturally, Tier herself was no exception.
At that moment, Tier too was leaning against the rock wall. She was stained with the most blood and dirt, and looked the most exhausted and bedraggled among them.
The sight instantly made Tier remember everything.
That was right.
They had fallen into a trap.
They had fallen into the trap set by those nobles who wanted her dead. That was why she and the others from Vivian's Squad had ended up deep within Arutol Canyon, reduced to this state.
Tier vaguely remembered the nobles, each filled with hatred, ordering their guards and knights to charge at her group. Her group had desperately resisted, fighting and fleeing for three whole days before they finally shook those people off for the time being, found this relatively hidden cave, and collapsed into unconscious sleep here from sheer exhaustion.
Remembering that, Tier fell silent for a long time.
"I dragged you all into this."
After a long while, Tier