I wasn't sure if my laughter was directed at myself, the situation I found myself in, or Rose's words. She spoke to me with a familiarity that suggested we had known each other for years. It didn't take long for her to notice my grin and she looked at me quizzically."

"Did I say something amusing?" Rose asked, her eyebrows raised in confusion.

"No," I replied with a shake of my head. "It's just that I've been awake for so long and everything seems a little surreal right now. When you said what you did, I couldn't help but laugh."

Rose studied me for a moment before responding. "I can't tell if you're completely sane or utterly mad."

"Yes, unfortunately I don't understand it either. If you figure it out, would you let me know?"

After my words, Rose continued on her way but her pace had slowed. It was as if something weighed on her mind that she wanted to discuss. I remained silent, waiting for her to speak. Eventually, she did just as I had anticipated. Without turning to face me, she said,"

"Why did you save me?" Rose asked.

"I did for you what you did for me," I replied. "Leaving you behind would have been both impolite and a great loss. As a wise man once said, 'Good people show mercy and kindness is always repaid with kindness.'"

My words seemed to touch Rose and her silence confirmed that I had struck a chord. She nodded thoughtfully. Perhaps her decision to become a paladin was driven by a desire to do good for people like me and fight for what she believed in.

"You're not from around here," she said. "Where do you hail from, Ryuu?"

"I was born and raised in the First Kingdom," I replied. "That's where I come from."

Rose continued to probe. "So what brings you here?"

Without hesitation, I spoke plainly to Rose about my purpose. "I'm here to defeat the Third Epic and restore justice to the kingdom."

Rose stopped in her tracks and turned her head slightly towards me. "I asked you earlier if you were sane or mad," she said. "Forget that question. You're clearly insane. What you're attempting is nothing short of suicide.".

"Is he really as powerful as they say?" I asked.

She didn't want to answer my question, but his expression suggested that she had seen something before. "He has killed many powerful paladins without any difficulty," she finally said. "I've seen it with my own eyes. He's no joke. If you face him, he'll kill you without hesitation. And let's not forget about their alliance."

I answered her with confidence in my voice. "I have to fight him," I said firmly. "It's the only way for me to become a legend and bring peace to our land."

Rose made a nonchalant face as she spoke. When she realized that her words held no meaning for me, she shrugged and replied with a casual tone.

"Why do you want to do this so badly?" she asked.

As I understand it," I said thoughtfully. "A paladin wants more than anything to bring goodness and peace to his people. That's why I, like you, want to fight many enemies and bring good."

Rose did not like my answer. She looked at me sharply and added something to my words.

"You mean well," she said firmly. "But you are a fool. No matter how strong you are, even if you are stronger than the third epic, you cannot bring peace by fighting alone."

I knew what she said was true, but I wanted to tell her that we would try with everything we had.

"My friends and I will do everything we can," I said determinedly.

Rose grinned with her mouth slightly closed. "So there are people as gullible as you," she said. "People who think they can win. It's a pity. It's nothing but false hope."

The words she said to my friends made me angry. Even though she didn't know us, even though she didn't see what we were struggling for, it didn't make him right. I could see in his eyes that she had already lost hope.

"My friends and I have accomplished a lot together," I said firmly. "Not because we were strong, but because we had hope. But I see that you have already lost hope. You have forgotten what you are fighting for."

Rose knew what my words meant, but she didn't care what a stranger like me said. "Hope is a waking man's dream," she said. "And I advise you and your friends to wake up. After I take you to town, we'll call it even and go our separate ways."

Her words were very clear and harsh. As if I had offended her with what I said. She turned her head and started walking at the same speed. It was better for both of us to move on the road like this. Even though what I said was harsh, I stood by what I said.

Maybe I was wrong, but I couldn't tolerate the things she said to my friends. I don't know if it was because of the events she had experienced in the past, but for some reason she seemed to have lost hope. As if she had lost a hope she had been waiting for a long time.

It was not my place to think about it. I shook my head and tried to focus on the present moment. The town was getting closer with every step we took and soon we would part ways with this mysterious paladin. We walked along the road in a flat wooded area. There were rocks and bushes on the road, but this did not hinder us. The sun was overhead and no matter how much we sweated, I felt that I was getting closer.

After about half an hour of walking, Rose stopped. When I approached her, she pointed to the small town about half a kilometer away with her hand.

"There's the town," she said.

The town was not very big, but it was bigger than I thought. We went slowly down the slopes of the forest and got closer and closer to the town. After a few steps we were in the town. The town was crowded, there were markets and shops on every corner.

As we got closer to the town, Rose stopped where she was. "I brought you into town like you asked," she said. "Now we're even."

"Yeah, thanks for bringing it," I replied.

"Good luck with your case," she said.

I shook my head and said nothing. As much as I wanted to say something, I couldn't, but I had a strange feeling inside me - something I had never felt before. While I was lost in thought, I happened to see them in the middle of the town - my friends. They were waiting for me by the big fountain. I left my thoughts and went towards them.