"Y-You're..."
"Do not fear, we are not here to bring you harm, but we have a few questions for you."
Sometime after the residents of Kabba departed from their town, with the woman along with her family leading the way, their path was blocked off by the same woman who gave Uruk the message about Gilberto's death.
"We?"
Along with the woman in black, are her companions who swiftly surrounded the residents of Kabba without them realizing it, causing uneasiness to the people.
"Just like the boss said, we are not here to harm you, so just stay calm and answer her questions."
Without wasting a moment, the woman who have on of her companions called her "Boss," went and asked:
"Do you happen to encounter a girl by the name of Lyrica Ley Rael?"
At that moment, the mother, while keeping her youngest daughter in her embrace, thought:
'So she is really on the run, but to think that the ones chasing Lyrica are the assassins of Kruule, and top of that, that woman is with them, too.' She glanced at the boss. 'She said earlier that she killed Gilberto not long ago, I guess it's only natural that they cannot underestimate her anymore.'
"You mean the one with the red scarf?" Queried, the woman's husband.
"Red scarf?" The boss's stare intensified.
"She came to our town just before we left."
Right as the others gave the woman in black an answer, the other woman who conversed with Lyrica not long ago, could not help but to just shift her gaze onto her youngest daughter.
'As much as I want to help not to let them get to you, there's nothing I could do if the ones answering are the people who have no choice but to earnestly give them the information they want.'
"It looks like we are following just the right path."
"That's our boss for you."
The boss sighed. "Enough chatter, go and find her, I'll be right behind you."
Her men who surrounded the residents followed her orders without hesitation, making haste towards Kabba to follow Lyrica. Meanwhile, the mother bit the corner of her lower lip in frustration.
'I'm sorry, Lyrica.'
Right then, the boss glanced to her men who went straight for Kabba. She let out a short sigh as soon as they disappeared into the distance.
"You, weren't you supposed to be dead?"
The words that came out of the boss's mouth shook the mother.
"Y-Yes?"
"I remember your husband there saying you died in a monster attack a long time ago, and the high commander was utterly devastated by the news." The boss spoke about the high commander Lyrica just killed right before the woman's scarlet eyes. "So your death was nothing but a lie so that the high commander won't chase you anymore? What a clever idea. Carla, was it?"
The boss further added that if Carla wasn't present when the Hari put the curse on everyone, that would mean Carla is safe.
"And what about it?" Carla responded, knowing that there's no use trying to hide the fact the boss just stated. "What are you gonna do? Will you kill me after realizing I'm alive after all this time?"
Saying this, Carla glanced at the boss's right hand, holding the dagger's handle from its holster.
"I-Ina...!"
"Carla...!"
Carla's family who also noticed the boss's stance felt worried and nervous. As much as they want to protect Carla from whatever the boss is about to do, they knew that a simple order to get out of the boss's way is enough for them to step aside. But then...
Sling~!
"No, you're not on my kill list."
Instead of pulling the dagger, her grip relaxed before eventually taking her hand off the handle of her weapon.
"Though if you are, you'll only see me the moment I already cut your throat." She added. "But again, there's something in your scarlet eyes that's telling me I shouldn't lay a hand on you, I guess I should listen to it."
The boss went ahead and walked past Carla calmly.
"Be careful, you runaway."
The boss's words as she took her leave, left a shakingly nervous Carla.
"So you still remember me, huh..."
***
Fast forward in time. An hour has passed since Lyrica left the ruined town of Kabba. She did not expect to encounter people and be forced to kill again, but it was a fortunate encounter because she got a lot of information regarding Uruk and the four heroes thanks to the woman whose name she'll later learn as Carla. But again, the one thing that got really stuck in her head is the curse that Uruk put in everyone, as well as their way of countering it.
'Who would have thought they are the ones who are trying to hide their genuine thoughts and emotions, it never really crossed my mind.' Lyrica's face darkened as the crunching sound of the ground with her every step, accompany the tranquil silence. 'No, it's not like it never crossed my mind at all, I just didn't think there'd be people who are like me.'
Crunch, crunch...
Whistleee~
For the past hour that she's pushing north after going past Kabba, Lyrica could only hear the sound of her footsteps along with the crisps of dried leaves lying on the ground, the tranquil whistle of the wind, and the quiet crackling of tree branches as she walked through the woods. However, at some point...
Whistle~
A deadly presence just intoxicated the tranquil atmosphere.
'Not just one, there's more of them.'
Lyrica is on the run, she knew that Uruk would send someone to chase her down. But as much as she tries to get farther from the kingdom, those who try to capture her will eventually catch up to her, especially when the night comes. That being said, Lyrica thought:
'If I'm going to fight them eventually, I might as well fight in an environment where it doesn't put me at a great disadvantage.'
Crunch... Thud–!
That's right, instead of letting enemies chase her until nightfall, Lyrica decided to confront the ones following her where the sunset can give her a far and wide visibility.
"Come out, you all know that I know you're there hiding behind the shadows of the trees." She uttered with a serious face.
A moment has passed since Lyrica stopped taking a step forward, the sudden gust of wind had her scarf flailing from the back of her neck. A tense air, that is almost as if it's only circling around Lyrica as she's carefully watching her surroundings, trying to read her enemies' movements. And then...
Crackle!
'Behind...!'
A sound of a tree branch crackling lured Lyrica's attention.
Clang!
And then, a sharp dagger was thrown from the direction of the branch.
"Keh...!"
Lyrica, however, anticipated such an attack, thanks to her experience in the battle against the goblins back then.
Fwoosh!
Grab!
She caught the dagger with a single hand. However, the instant she got distracted by the dagger...
"What?! It's gone!"
The person from atop the tree branch, or at least their presence, has disappeared. Apart from the others whose presence remained still to where they are right now, the person who threw the dagger has completely vanished. Just where could he have gone?
"I could not believe it at first glance, but now that I see you up close, I guess they were right." A voice of a man resonated.
'No, he didn't disappear!'
That's right, the person did not disappear. But in just a mere blink of an eye, a man in dark just suddenly appeared before Lyrica, holding another dagger with his hand.
'Impossible! How...?' Lyrica tensed up as she gritted her teeth. 'I did not see him get close to me at all!'
"You look just like her!"
Clang!
Fwip!
Without delay, the man swung his dagger directly onto Lyrica.
'Damn it!'
Flash!!