When Belle and Sebas heard Kan Yune, they knew they were in trouble. Their jobs were to monitor their assigned hero, to contain the hero, and to regulate the hero’s power. They were supposed to keep their assigned hero under control. They didn’t care much about the high priest nor his powerful backing. They feared the employer, who assigned them to work under Kan Yune. They knew about the great importance this mission held. They shuddered. If the situation worsened any more, they wouldn’t be able to die with their corpses intact. They followed as the high priest entered the tent.

Kan Yune apparently left his light mood outside of the tent. Right now, he expressed a heavy and stone-cold mood, turning the temperature within the tent glacial. From the very beginning, he neglected to spare the three of them even one glance. He merely paced toward the thick desk placed in his tent, seated himself behind it, and waited for them to speak. He said nothing, while they stood still and remained silent.

Inside, the tent appeared larger than its outer appearance revealed. He had the tent decorated rather grandly: paintings hung on the walls and thick rugs, woven with the occasional thread of gold, lined the floor. The desk was massive and seamless, sculpted from a singular portion of wood that appeared either enchanted or special in some way.

Several long minutes of tense silence elapsed before Kan Yune opened his mouth.

“You were supposed to keep them in check. “None of us can afford to screw up this mission, yet look at what happened this morning!”

Belle and Sebas lowered their heads. Belle naturally refused to accept the scolding from a nobody of a priest. In other circumstances, she would have argued back. However, Kan Yune was right. None of them could afford to mess up the plans of their respective master. The high priest ran his nails against the grain of the wood on his desk, releasing a high pitched sound. The ‘happiness’ and ‘willingness’ of each hero was crucial. Right now, one needed to be restrained, one wanted to leave, one had to be monitored extremely closely to keep him from escaping, and another one raised his guard a bit too high. They failed the beginning of this mission. He wanted to express his anger! He wanted to beat these two people black and blue, but he knew he couldn’t. He had nowhere to vent all this anger and frustration.

---

Out of the corner of her eyes, Ran spotted Kan Yune summon Belle into his tent. Belle and Sebas may have talked to act together, but would they still have the same courage when they met the high priest?Furthermore, no one could ascertain that Nora will be unable to participate in battles. In the end, she decided to merely stay put until they reached their destination, choosing to improvise from there.

Ran placed her yarn and needles down next to her and gazed up at the sky. In this world, the stars shone brightly and somewhat colorfully. The moon appeared much larger here than on Earth, with a bluish tint. Ran closed her eyes. A soft tingle brushed against her skin. Expanding the range of her senses, she immersed herself in the feeling. An hour flew by in this manner, before she lifted her head to the Heavens. They say the Heavens were all-seeing and fair. I wonder if it’s true here. Suddenly, melancholy overcame her. Her heart filled with tears that nearly drowned her. Standing back up, she tossed her needles aside. She refused to reminisce. She refused to think.

She paced around the camp in an attempt to distance herself from these memories.She paced around the camp to try to distance herself from these memories. One lap after the other, one cake and one sweet bread after the other. She grumbled under her breath and failed to notice the curious looks she was getting. To begin with, she had very little strength, so she ran out of stamina quickly. Tired out, she stopped and stood there, alone in the woods. Under the moonlight, she felt small and lonely. She felt angry at herself for being weak. Angry at Kan Yune for summoning her. Angry at the world for being left behind. Large beads of salty tears trickled down her face. She didn’t want to be like that. She didn’t want to be swallowed by the darkness once again. She needed time. She needed time.