Irina's slightly curly hair was a dark gold, hanging loose over her faintly trembling shoulders.
In the cover of night, it was clear that her hair was terribly disheveled and smeared with dirt. Her face was also deathly pale, almost completely bloodless.
Clearly, the girl was in a state of extreme fear.
Xia Tong pulled on the reins and came to a stop.
Burdened with far too much loot, Torrent panted heavily and snorted.
Xia Tong looked at Torrent, and Torrent looked back at Xia Tong with eyes full of resentment, as if saying, "I'm a Spirit Steed, not a pack mule."
As though she had heard the sound, Irina asked in alarm:
"Who's there?"
"Is someone over there?"
"...Or is it some kind of 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 assigned himself a fairly decent identity.
In this ruined world, the title of knight could always give people a slight sense of security.
"Thank goodness..."
Irina let out a breath, her voice carrying a trace of tears.
"If you aren't here to kill me, could you listen to my request?"
She clasped her hands before her chest and 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'm blind, and only barely managed to escape this far under the guards' protection."
"..."
Perhaps she was too frightened, or perhaps it had simply been too long since she had encountered another living person to talk to.
Irina talked nonstop for over ten minutes, like a drowning person desperately trying to grasp at something.
"If you are willing to go to Castle Morne... could you deliver this letter to my father for me?"
"My father is Edgar, the lord of Castle Morne. He must still be holding the castle and refusing to leave."
"I've already escaped. Please ask him to flee as well..."
"...As long as Father is alive, I can go on living. I'm 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 pulled a large piece of jerky from his cloth bag.
He had made it from venison after hunting by Lake Agheel.
In the game, characters did not need to eat.
But after being transported here, he would genuinely starve to death if he did not eat.
Though a Tarnished's physique was powerful enough to go without food for roughly three days, after that, physical strength would begin to decline sharply.
Perhaps this condition would improve once his level rose further.
At the level of a demigod, he might not need to eat at all.
Irina froze for a moment, then extended both hands, pressed together with her palms facing upward.
She carefully accepted the jerky Xia Tong offered her.
Then, like a little squirrel, she nibbled at it in tiny bites, moving cautiously and trying not to drop even a shred of meat.
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 slices with coarse salt given to him by Kale, the wandering merchant, then coated them with juice made from crushed wild scallions and garlic picked from the roadside.
He left them on rocks to dry in the sun during the day, then gathered them back in at night.
After about three days, the simple dried meat was ready.
"Does it taste all right?" Xia Tong asked.
"Mmm..."
Irina swallowed a bite, and a hint of satisfaction appeared on her face.
"It has a light scallion fragrance along with a faint sea salt flavor. It's quite unique."
As the daughter of Castle Morne's lord, Irina had naturally eaten plenty of delicacies in the past.
But after so many days of hunger and fear, being able to eat the jerky 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 at her clouded eyes and smiled faintly, though his tone was firm.
"I won't."
"Ah?"
Irina froze, as though she had misheard him.
"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 with herself.
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 incredibly chaotic and dangerous right now. Asking you to go there so rashly is truly irresponsible of me."
She forced a smile uglier than a cry and slowly said:
"But I'm still very grateful to you, Lord Xia Tong. At least you let me eat such delicious jerky."
A brief silence fell between them.
Only the howling wind through the canyon could be heard.
Xia Tong turned to look around at their surroundings, feeling an indescribable sense of unease.
He knew it clearly in his heart.
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,
He would find a massive Misbegotten Iron Cleaver stuck 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 deliver your letter."
Irina abruptly raised her head. Though she could not see, her face was filled with delight.
"Really? Thank you, Lord Xia Tong!"
Being here alone really was terrifying.
By evening,
Xia Tong was in no hurry 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 private space within the Site of Grace. Torrent's burden immediately became much lighter.
The two of them lit a campfire and cooked a pot of steaming meat soup.
"Here, give it a try."
He had poured half a bag of jerky into the soup, along with wild scallions and garlic gathered nearby. The aroma was rich and fragrant.
Come to think of it, the iron pot used for cooking had been casually taken from the camp at Gatefront.
Irina held the bowl in both hands and drank the soup very slowly.
Only by the firelight did Xia Tong have the leisure to study her carefully.
It was apparent that even as the lord's daughter, she had lived a very simple life.
She wore no rings and no necklace. The hem of her dress was covered in black mud and grass stains.
There were also specks of dark red, dried blood around her chest.
On her feet, she wore only a pair of crude cloth shoes, their soles already worn through.
"The most important thing right now is still to improve my strength."
Xia Tong calculated silently.
The Castle Morne dungeon was currently a little too difficult for him.
The Misbegotten there were dishonorable beasts.
Not only could they fly, but they were powerfully built, moved as fast as rabid dogs, and often traveled in groups.
Some elite Misbegotten wielding massive axes were strong enough to fight several Kaiden Sellswords at once.
As Xia Tong thought about this, he used the power of the Site of Grace to nurture 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 still very effective.
They could throw pots from afar, inflict Bleed in close combat, and were nimble enough that they did not die easily.
While resting, Xia Tong asked Melina:
"Can I take Miss Irina with me when I teleport?"
"No. Irina cannot see the Site of Grace, nor is she acknowledged by it."
"Yeah, I guess there wouldn't be such an easy loophole."
Xia Tong sighed.
At present, the only people he could rely on were probably the wandering merchants.
The journey from the Weeping Peninsula back to the Church of Elleh to find Kale was too far. It would be manageable alone, but with Irina, there were too many uncertainties.
Xia Tong was truly worried that something might happen on the road and he would fail to protect her.
However, according to his memories, if he traveled a little farther ahead, there would be another wandering merchant before Castle Morne's walls.
That merchant even sold Stonesword Keys and a Zweihander.
Irina should be properly settled there.
At most, he would have to pay a few Runes 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 depart.
"Irina."
Xia Tong patted the dust from his clothes.
"We're leaving. I need to lift you onto the saddle now, 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 considerate of me... I won't move around."
Xia Tong then gently held Irina's lower legs through her clothes and lifted her entire body.
Though Irina had said that, when Xia Tong touched her, he could still feel her petite body suddenly stiffen.
In the firelight, a faint blush spread across her face.
After helping Irina mount Torrent, Xia Tong did not get on the horse himself.
Xia Tong led Torrent by the reins, moving slowly through the unfamiliar peninsula.
At the same time, he shook the Spirit Calling Bell and summoned three Stray Wolves.
As wolves, their sense of smell and hearing were extremely sharp, allowing them to detect danger in advance.
After walking for about five kilometers,
The lead wolf suddenly lowered its body and let out a deep whimper, 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.
Cargo was scattered everywhere, and traces of battle and slaughter covered the area.
Within the shadows of the carriage wreckage, something seemed to be shifting.
They were grotesquely ugly creatures with fleshy wings on their backs, crouching over corpses and gnawing on something.
Xia Tong's gaze sharpened as he said in a low voice:
"Misbegotten!"
"Winged Misbegotten!"
Before you continue