Irina, the Noble Lady

Irina's hair was a dark gold with slight curls, spilling over her faintly trembling shoulders.

Under the cover of night, Xia Tong could see that her hair was a complete mess, stained with dirt. Her face was deathly pale, almost entirely drained of color.

Clearly, the girl was gripped by extreme terror.

Xia Tong pulled the reins and came to a stop.

Burdened with far too much loot, Torrent kept panting heavily and snorted as well.

Xia Tong looked at Torrent, and Torrent looked back at Xia Tong with eyes full of resentment, as though saying, "I'm a spirit steed, not a pack mule."

As if she had heard them, Irina spoke up in alarm.

"Who's there?"

"Is someone over there?"

"...Or is it a wild beast?"

Xia Tong cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound gentler.

"I am a knight who has traveled from afar."

Xia Tong silently gave himself a fairly respectable identity.

In this broken world, the title of knight could always bring people a sliver of security.

"That's wonderful..."

Irina let out a breath of relief, her voice carrying a trace of tears.

"If you aren't here to kill me, could you hear my request?"

Her hands clasped before her chest, she spoke quickly, as if she had seized a lifeline.

"My name is Irina. I escaped from Castle Morne in the south."

"The servants in the castle rebelled... I am blind, and only barely managed to escape this far under the protection of the guards."

"..."

Perhaps she was too afraid, or perhaps she had gone too long without meeting a living person she could speak to.

Irina talked nonstop for more than ten minutes, like a drowning person desperately trying to grab hold of something.

"If you are willing to go to Castle Morne... could you deliver this letter to my father?"

"My father is Edgar, the lord of Castle Morne. He must still be holding the castle, refusing to leave."

"I've already escaped. Please tell him to flee as well..."

"...As long as Father is alive, I can survive. I truly am such a weak person."

Xia Tong did not answer immediately. He simply listened to her in silence.

Seeing her cracked lips, Xia Tong interrupted her.

"You haven't eaten in a long time, have you?"

As he spoke, Xia Tong took out a large piece of dried meat from his cloth bag.

He had made it from venison while hunting by Lake Agheel.

In the game, characters did not need to eat.

But after being transported here, not eating could genuinely make someone starve to death.

Although the Tarnished had strong constitutions and could generally go three days without food, their stamina would begin to decline drastically after that.

Perhaps this condition would ease after his level became higher.

At the level of a demigod, he might truly no longer need to eat.

Irina froze for a moment, then held out both hands together, palms facing upward.

She carefully accepted the dried meat Xia Tong handed her.

Then, like a little squirrel, she nibbled at it in tiny bites, taking great care not to drop even a crumb.

Xia Tong did not really know how to prepare complicated dishes.

He had simply cut the venison into strips half a centimeter thick and ten centimeters long.

He rubbed the meat with coarse salt gifted by Kale, the wandering merchant, then spread over it the crushed juices of wild scallions and garlic picked by the roadside.

He left it on rocks under the blazing sun during the day, then brought it back at night.

After about three days, this simple dried meat was ready.

"Tastes all right?" Xia Tong asked.

"Mmm..."

Irina swallowed a bite, a trace of satisfaction appearing on her face.

"It has a faint scallion fragrance, paired with a light sea salt flavor. It's quite unique."

As the daughter of Castle Morne's lord, Irina had naturally eaten many delicacies in the past.

But after so many days of hunger and fear, being able to eat the dried meat Xia Tong had made already made her feel immensely happy.

After eating, Irina seemed to regain some strength and asked hopefully.

"Lord Xia Tong, you'll help me deliver the letter, won't you?"

During their earlier conversation, she had already learned Xia Tong's name.

Xia Tong looked into her clouded eyes. He smiled faintly, but his tone was firm.

"I won't."

"Ah?"

Irina froze, as though she had not heard clearly.

"I won't deliver your letter for you."

Xia Tong repeated himself.

Irina was stunned for a moment. The color instantly drained from her face, and she did not know what to do.

She had thought Xia Tong was a very gentle knight...

"I see..."

She lowered her head, her voice full of disappointment and self-reproach.

"Castle Morne is in complete chaos right now, and it's very dangerous. Asking you to go there rashly would be far too irresponsible."

She forced out a smile uglier than crying and slowly said,

"But I still have to thank you, Lord Xia Tong. At least you let me eat such delicious dried meat."

A brief silence fell between them.

Only the howling wind through the canyon could be heard.

Xia Tong turned to inspect the surroundings, unable to shake the strange feeling in his heart.

He knew very well.

In the original game's storyline, once he accepted this quest and delivered her letter to Edgar, the lord of Castle Morne—

When he returned here again,

What would await him would be a massive Misbegotten Iron Cleaver embedded in the ground, along with Irina lying in a pool of blood.

"Come with me."

Xia Tong suddenly spoke, his voice leaving no room for doubt.

"It isn't safe for you to stay here. Those Misbegotten will find you soon enough!"

"Once I settle you somewhere absolutely safe, I'll help you deliver the letter."

Irina abruptly raised her head. Though she could not see, her face was filled with delight.

"Really? Thank you, Lord Xia Tong!"

Being alone here truly was terrifying.

By evening,

Xia Tong did not rush to travel through the night.

He settled Irina at the Site of Grace beside the Bridge of Sacrifice, then transferred the equipment and weapons on Torrent into the space belonging to him within the Site of Grace. Torrent's burden immediately became much lighter.

Together, they lit a campfire and cooked a pot of steaming hot meat soup.

"Here, give it a try."

He poured nearly half a bag of dried meat into the soup, along with wild scallions and garlic gathered nearby. The aroma spread everywhere.

Come to think of it, the iron pot used for cooking had been swiped from the camp at Gatefront.

Irina cradled the bowl in both hands and drank the soup very slowly.

Only by the firelight did Xia Tong finally have time to study her carefully.

It was clear that even as the daughter of a castle lord, she usually lived very simply.

She wore no rings or necklace, and the hem of her dress was covered in black mud and grass stains.

There were also specks of dark red, dried blood on her chest.

On her feet were only a pair of plain cloth shoes, their soles worn through.

The most important thing right now is increasing my strength.

Xia Tong silently calculated.

Castle Morne was a little too difficult a dungeon for him at his current level.

The Misbegotten there were shameless beasts.

Not only could they fly, but they were powerfully built and fast as rabid dogs, often moving in groups.

Some elite Misbegotten wielding massive axes were strong enough to take on several Kaiden Sellswords at once.

Thinking this, Xia Tong used the power of the Site of Grace to nourish the Spirit Ashes injured in the earlier battle.

The Stray Wolves were simply too weak right now, with far too little health.

But the Fanged Imps were quite capable.

They could throw pots from a distance, inflict bleeding in close combat, and were nimble enough that they were not easily killed.

While resting, Xia Tong asked Melina,

"Can I bring Miss Irina with me when I teleport?"

"No. Irina cannot see the Site of Grace and is not acknowledged by it."

"Yeah, I suppose there wouldn't be such an easy loophole."

Xia Tong sighed.

At the moment, the only people he could rely on were probably the wandering merchants.

Going from the Weeping Peninsula back to the Church of Elleh to find Kale was too far. He could manage alone, but with Irina, there were too many uncertainties.

Xia Tong was truly worried that something might happen on the road and he would be unable to protect her.

However, according to his memories, if he traveled a little farther ahead, there would be another wandering merchant before the walls of Castle Morne.

That merchant even sold Stonesword Keys and a Zweihander.

Irina should be properly settled there.

At most, he would only need to pay a little Rune as compensation.

Though the wandering merchant clan was despised, they were extremely trustworthy.

Everything could be traded.

The night passed without incident. As dawn gradually broke, Xia Tong packed up the camping gear and prepared to set off.

"Irina."

Xia Tong dusted himself off.

"We're leaving. I need to lift you onto the horse, and I'll inevitably have to touch you. Forgive my discourtesy."

Irina blushed slightly and said softly,

"Lord Xia Tong, you needn't be so careful with me... I won't move around."

Xia Tong then gently lifted Irina by the legs through her clothes, raising her whole body up.

Though Irina had said that, Xia Tong could still feel her petite body stiffen the instant he touched her.

In the firelight, a faint blush spread over her face.

After helping Irina onto Torrent, Xia Tong did not mount the horse himself.

Xia Tong led Torrent by the reins, slowly making his way across this unfamiliar peninsula.

At the same time, he shook the Spirit Calling Bell and summoned three Stray Wolves.

As wolves, their senses of smell and hearing were extremely sharp, allowing them to detect danger in advance.

After traveling roughly five kilometers,

The leading wolf suddenly lowered its body and let out a low whine, its fur standing on end.

Xia Tong immediately became alert and tightened his grip on the greatsword in his hand.

Under the moonlight, more than a dozen wrecked carriage remains appeared beside the road ahead.

Goods were scattered everywhere, and the area was covered in signs of battle and slaughter.

Within the shadows cast by the wrecked carriages, something seemed to be moving.

They were hideous creatures with fleshy wings on their backs, crouched over corpses and gnawing at something.

Xia Tong's gaze sharpened as he said in a low voice,

"Misbegotten!"

"Winged Misbegotten!"