The procedure was exhausting, but successful. At the hidden riverbank, Kenzo stared at the reflection of two strangers. His jet-black hair was gone, replaced by a pure white. Beside him, Lina stared at her own reflection in wonder. Her once-bright yellow hair was now also a snowy white.
"Still too long," Kenzo muttered. He took out his crude knife made from a sharp stone fragment. "Sit down, Lina. This will make you harder to recognize."
Lina sat still while Kenzo carefully cut her hair short, into a practical and slightly messy bob. Now, they looked completely different. No longer obvious fugitives, but perhaps a pair of refugee siblings who had fallen on hard times.
"From now on," Kenzo said, crouching in front of Lina, looking her seriously in the eyes. "I am your older brother. Call me 'Big brother Kenta'. We're going into the city, and we must stay together. Don't talk to anyone unless I ask you to. Understand?"
Lina, who had been through so much, just nodded obediently. She clutched the runic pendant hidden beneath her clothes.
Kenzo stood, picked up his crude spear, and shouldered their thin, makeshift pack. "Alright. Let's go."
They moved cautiously along the edge of the forest, parallel to the main road they could see in the distance. They needed to find the gate of the small, backwater town. After walking for nearly an hour, they saw it: a simple stone wall and a wooden gate, guarded by a few soldiers.
Just as Kenzo was analyzing the guards' patrol patterns, looking for a gap to slip through, a sound broke the forest's silence.
"Help! Anyone, please help me!"
It was a woman's scream, sounding panicked and pained, coming from not far away.
Kenzo's reaction was instant. He didn't hesitate. He immediately pulled Lina and pushed her into the thickest nearby bush. "Stay here," he commanded in a low, firm voice. "Hide. Don't move or make a sound until I come back. Understand?"
Lina nodded, her eyes wide with fear. Kenzo made sure she was completely covered by the leaves before he turned and moved quickly toward the sound. His crude spear was held tightly in his hand.
He pushed aside the last branch and arrived in a small forest clearing. The scene in front of him made his blood run cold. A teenage girl, perhaps a little younger than him, was cornered against a rock wall. Her clothes, which were made of fine cloth, were now torn and dirty. One of her legs was bleeding heavily, leaving a red pool on the ground.
In front of her, a giant monster-snake was hissing. Its body was as thick as a young tree, its scales shimmered like emeralds, and sharp spines protruded from its back. The snake raised its head, its tongue flicking out, preparing to strike its helpless prey.
[Analyzing situation. Target: Emerald-Spiked Viper. Threat Level: Medium. Victim: Human, injured, arterial bleeding in leg.]
Kenzo's mind raced, ignoring his first instinct to attack. He remembered the Shadow Wolf. 'I could kill it. Maybe. But it would be noisy. It would cost mana. And I have to get back to Lina.' His priority was clear: rescue the victim, repel the threat, and escape.
He stepped out from his cover. "Hey!" he shouted, drawing the monster's attention.
The viper spun toward him, its vertical pupils locking onto the new threat. Kenzo didn't give it time to think. He was already building the formula in his mind. "Fire!"
A dense, blue-white fireball shot out, not at the snake's head, but smashing into the ground directly in front of it and splashing onto its side. The explosion wasn't large, but it was intensely hot and shocking. The snake's scales were scorched, and it roared in pain. The monster recoiled in surprise, confused by the sudden, painful attack.
Kenzo did not press the fight. He used that split second. "Now!"
He ran forward, dashing past the still-reeling snake, and grabbed the shocked girl. "Hold on tight!" Kenzo lifted her, ignoring the strain on his muscles, and immediately ran back the way he came. He disappeared into the forest before the wounded snake could decide to pursue.
He didn't stop running until his lungs felt like they would burst. He finally stopped in a safe place, far from the clearing. He gently set the girl down. Lina emerged from her hiding place, staring warily at the injured stranger.
"You... you saved me," the girl panted, her face pale from blood loss. Her leg was badly wounded. Kenzo examined the wound. It was a deep gash, and it was still bleeding profusely.
Healing magic. "Damn it, I don't know how," he cursed under his breath. He glanced at Lina for a moment. Lina's Light Affinity might be able to, but no. It was too risky. Leaking a secret that huge to a stranger was suicide. 'Prometheus, first aid. Bleeding.'
Kenzo tore off the cleanest remaining piece of his cloak. "This will hurt." He pressed the wad of cloth hard against the wound to stop the bleeding. The girl screamed softly. Kenzo then bound it tightly.
"My name is... Ken..." he hesitated for a moment. "Kenta. This is my sister, Mina," Kenzo said curtly, trying to hide his real name. "We're on our way. You need to be treated by a healer immediately."
"I... I can't walk," the girl whispered, trying to move her leg and failing. "My name is Keysa."
Kenzo sighed. He couldn't leave her. "Is your home in the town? I'll carry you." "I can't trouble you..." "You'll bleed to death if you stay here," Kenzo cut her off. "Let's go." He crouched down so Keysa could get on his back.
The journey to the town gate was slow. Their appearance drew a lot of attention. A tattered, white-haired young man was carrying an obviously injured noblewoman, followed by a small, white-haired girl. The guards at the gate, who had been lazing about, instantly tensed and raised their weapons.
"Halt!" one guard shouted, leveling his spear at Kenzo. "Who are you?! Put Lady Keysa down! What did you do to her?!"
Kenzo froze, his mind instantly calculating the probability of a fight. This situation could get very bad, very quickly. Before Kenzo could even answer, Keysa, though weak, lifted her head from his shoulder.
"Stop, you fools!" she shouted with a surprising tone of authority. "They are my saviors! I was attacked in the forest. Lower your weapons! Now move, my wound needs to be treated immediately!"
The change in the guards was instant. They lowered their weapons as if they had just been electrocuted and snapped to attention. "Lady Keysa! Our apologies!" "Quick, clear the way!" "Someone, call a healer to the Baron's residence, Lady Keysa is injured!"
The guards scrambled to get out of the way, pushing the gate wide open. Kenzo, still stunned by the sudden turn of events, walked past them. He was in. He stepped onto the town's busy, dusty streets. He exchanged a brief glance with Lina.
He had successfully entered the town. Not as a fugitive skulking in fear, but as a hero, invited in through the front gate. Keysa directed them through the busy streets, toward a more affluent district. They finally stopped in front of a building that made Kenzo and Lina stare. It was a huge mansion, surrounded by a high wall, far too grand for a small, backwater town like this.
Servants rushed out of the house in a panic. As they helped lower Keysa from Kenzo's back, Kenzo couldn't stop himself from asking. "Is this... really your house?"
Keysa, wincing in pain as she was helped, looked at Kenzo with a weak, grateful smile. "Yes. I'm sorry, with all the chaos, I forgot to introduce myself properly. My name is Keysa Van Hellyasa. From the family of Baron Hellyasa."