"You know me?"
His voice was calm and gentle, completely different from the way he had just reprimanded the giant. Yet for Xia, who was still staring blankly at the pile of wreckage, Fu Qian's words were a tremendous shock. The two figures before her seemed even more mysterious.
Even the fact that he had asked whether she "knew" him rather than whether she "recognized" him hinted at a subtle shift in her mindset.
Unlike the pride the Fallen Star race had always shown, she had unconsciously placed herself in the position of someone being scrutinized.
"Why did you come here?"
Unfortunately, as everyone knew, when you voluntarily lowered your own standing, you could well end up even lower.
The knight, who looked fairly amiable, showed no intention of answering. In the same tone, he simply continued questioning her.
"Um... I don't know either."
And sure enough, Xia held out for only two seconds before deciding to answer.
"I've never been here before. I don't know where this is, either. I was doing something else, and before I realized what was happening, I was here."
As she spoke, she seemed to remember something and hurriedly fumbled with the chains, taking them off herself.
"And then I was like this, with these wrapped around me and a stone tablet on my back. Oh, and I should thank you for helping me."
As she described the incomprehensible accident and her predicament, Xia soon remembered something else and added her thanks.
Although the conflict had ended far too quickly, she clearly understood how difficult the giant had been to deal with. She knew she would have been in serious trouble without help.
"So what were you doing before?"
This time, Fu Qian finally gave a slight nod. But even as he acknowledged her,