『Neizan: From now on, you will be alone. I warn you that you can't go back to your father, nor can you stay here. 』
『Lina: ... 』
Upon hearing that, Lina lowered her head and frowned. She longed to see her father again; knowing that he was safe had become a priority that now seemed out of reach.
『Neizan: I understand how you feel, but this isn't the time for regrets. We need to leave this town now. 』
『Lina: Why? 』
『Neizan: ¿...? 』
The boy looked at her with doubt, waiting in silence to hear what she would say next.
『Lina: Why did you have to do that?! 』
『Neizan: Do what? 』
『Lina: Why did you leave my father alone there? Why did you kill those men? Why are you leaving me alone now?! 』
『Neizan: I have no reason to save you or your father, but he didn't want you to go with that man, and neither did I. If I had waited to see what would happen, it might have been too late. And if I had intervened between the guards, I wouldn't have had any other choice but to deal with them. 』
Upon hearing that, Lina was left speechless. They both fell silent for a moment.
『Neizan: One mistake could cost us our lives. I don't want to leave you here alone, but I think it's for the best if we want to get out of the town without drawing attention again. 』
『Lina: … What am I supposed to do now? 』
The girl asked in a low voice, her face reflecting concern and sadness.
『Neizan: I don't know what you plan to do, but I was already being hunted for being a thief, and after this, things will get a lot worse. So I'm going to get far away from here.』
『Lina: ... 』
It was then that Lina calmly sat down on the ground, letting small tears fall from her bright and beautiful jet-black eyes.
Her lips trembled with the desire to cry as she thought about what might happen to her father.
『Neizan: Hey, don't cry anymore. You can't afford to look like that now that you have to leave the village alone. I know a good place to hide: it's by the mill river. Right by the bridge, there's a hiding spot. If you want, you can go there and wait for me. 』
Upon hearing this, Lina's eyes widened a little more in surprise.
『Lina: If I wait for you, will I be able to see you again? 』
The girl, sitting on the ground, looked at her knees while listening to the boy. Then she turned her gaze toward him and asked, distrustful of his words.
She didn't want to be alone again; if that were to happen, perhaps her mind wouldn't be able to bear it.
『Neizan: It's okay, just wait for me there.』
The boy's eyes showed compassion and sincerity, but Lina was not able to clearly perceive the feelings inside him.
『Lina: What's your name?』
The boy averted his gaze from her for a moment, remaining silent. He wasn't sure whether he should reveal his name, and he thought for a moment that he should be cautious.
『Neizan: ... I'm sorry, but I'm not going to tell you my name. If I did, you would run to tell the guards, and that would be a useless and reckless act on your part. I don't trust you. But don't worry, whatever you do, nothing will happen to me. You can be sure that I will go to the river, whether you're there or not, to see you. 』
He doubted that if he revealed his name, his identity would be at risk of being discovered, and that a reckless act by the girl could compromise both her and her father's safety.
『Lina: Please don't abandon me... 』
That was her greatest fear: being abandoned again, not seeing a person who, although she had just met, was all she had left at that moment.
Just thinking about it was enough to make her legs tremble and her heart hesitate.
『Neizan: I won't do that. It's not that I'm a man of my word, but when I make a promise to myself, I never deceive myself. Rest assured of that, so don't be afraid. 』
『Lina: ... 』
『Neizan: Even if it doesn't seem like it, you can trust me. So, I'll see you there. 』
In the midst of a shared silence, the boy turned around and walked away. Lina thought about saying goodbye, but instead, she stayed seated, letting one more tear fall to the ground.
After an hour, she decided to set out. She managed to leave the village without any trouble and eventually arrived at the agreed-upon spot.
Sitting on the grass in the field, she waited, waited, and continued waiting. Feeling the coldness of solitude, the beautiful girl with dark eyes and black hair watched the water flow beneath the shadows of the bridge and the sky.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
『???: Open up, Arthur, it's me! 』
The voice of a boy could be heard as he knocked on the door with his knuckles. After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a young man with short brown hair and light brown eyes.
He wore brown pants and a white shirt, along with a dark gray flat cap. His fair skin and youthful appearance stood out.
『Arthur: What's going on? 』
『Neizan: We need to pack and leave. I messed up. 』
The boy ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh before rushing into the house as Arthur watched him.
『Arthur: What do you mean? How are we supposed to leave now after all the effort it took to settle here? What am I supposed to tell my clients now that we're leaving? 』
Arthur raised his arms in frustration and confusion.
His face and tone showed not only bewilderment but also a hint of annoyance.
『Neizan: Forget about that. Right now, the guards are searching for me all over the town. 』
The boy began gathering his belongings, quickly stuffing them into a backpack. In the middle of the chaos, he rolled up the sleeve of his right arm to check the time on his dark silver watch.
It had already been over an hour since the last time he saw the girl he had spoken to.
『Arthur: What the hell did you do?』
Arthur, growing impatient and frowning, raised his eyebrows and asked loudly, demanding an explanation.
『Neizan: I'll explain later. Right now, the important thing is that we pack our stuff and get out of here as soon as possible.』
The boy grabbed two backpacks, one for himself and the other for his companion, Arthur.
Seeing how the boy acted without hesitation, Arthur began to follow his lead, packing whatever he deemed necessary for the journey, even though he had no idea where they would end up.