Fey’s heart sank when she heard that. She tried her best to maintain composure, but she couldn’t prevent the rapid paleness spreading across her face.

Deneb scanned her with eyes that seemed to savor her expression. His lips formed a mischievous smile.

“I’d decided that a long time ago,” he said, and with those words, he turned and slowly walked away, expressing his desire to catch some fresh air on the other side of the lake.

“Lady Fey, are you alright?”

Under the tree where only the two of them remained, Vega looked at Fey, who was frozen, with concern.

Finally coming back to reality, Fey mustered a weak smile and wrapped her left arm around herself.

“Yes, I’m fine. I was just surprised by what Deneb said.”

She didn’t try to hide her thoughts; she knew Vega would perceive them differently. As expected, Vega only interpreted it as a reaction to Deneb’s sudden remark and responded with a reassuring smile.

“Deneb has always been outspoken when it comes to anything related to Luné. I can understand why he said it. I just hope Deneb’s rage won’t harm others.”

“Yes, I hope so too,” Fey replied, matching his smile.

It was only natural that Vega didn’t consider any conspiracy was behind Luné’s death. Luné’s death appeared to be a typical casualty of war on the surface.

Luné was wounded by a demon on the battlefield, and the wounds spread, ultimately leading to her death. How could there be any doubt about Fey’s involvement in this process?

Fey felt greatly relieved upon hearing Vega’s words. If even a knight commander of a nation thought this way, surely others wouldn’t suspect her either.

The sound of the tree rustling in the wind and the scent of the clear lake water slowly calmed her trembling heart. And then, the thought of receiving compensation from Vega for being given a permit to enter the cemetery resurfaced in her mind.

‘Yes, I can make good use of that,’ Fay thought, clenching her fist.

Thanks to Deneb’s disappearance, they were now alone. There was no better time to speak up.

Fey gathered her courage and cautiously began, “Vega, may I have a moment?”

Vega’s attention shifted toward Fey.

“What is it?”

“Do you remember the promise we made?”

The mention of the ‘promise’ caused Vega’s face to slightly stiffen.

Fey felt a moment of regret but before she could recover, Vega nodded first.

“Yes, I remember. It was a deal where you would give me permission to enter the cemetery, and in return, I would relinquish my position as the commander of the Gashal Holy Knights and become your personal knight.”

Fey was quite flustered, even though she had brought up the topic herself. Hearing the content directly from the person involved, she keenly realized how unfair the agreement between Fey and Vega had been.

“I have fulfilled my part of the deal. I submitted my resignation letter to Saint Lia and came here.”

Vega clenched his sword hilt with a pained expression. Giving up his position meant a lot to him. At the same time, Luné was also a precious existence to him, as evidenced by his willingness to go to Luné’s grave even if it meant giving up his position.

In the midst of all this, Fey was, in fact, insignificant.

Fey spoke again, realizing this fact once more.

“Sir, don’t give up on it.”

“So you consider me your knight… from now–” Vega’s head shot up in surprise, his eyes wide and bewildered. He seemed to question whether he had misheard something. Fey looked at him with a reassuring gaze, attempting to convey that he hadn’t misunderstood.

“You just need to retrieve that resignation letter,” Fey interjected, cutting off Vega.

“What are you saying? Are you telling me not to become your knight? That can’t be. This deal has already been sealed…”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” Fey quickly interrupted Vega.

She had expected this. Vega Thanatos was not only naive but stubborn to the point of frustration. In fact, he could have simply ignored the informal promise. But Vega had remembered the promise, even going so far as to bring a resignation letter to the saint.

Seven years ago, during the time when he was living with Luné, as soon as he regained his memories, he returned to the kingdom and led the anti-Cerios Faction to victory once again. He chose that path because it was a promise to himself. He was that kind of man who upheld any promises he made..

“Sir Vega, I did ask you to become my knight, but I didn’t tell you to give up on your position,” Fey said, causing Vega to look even more perplexed.

“But to become your knight, I need to come to Brimfe. And for that, I have to leave the Kingdom.”

“No,” Fey slowly shook her head.

“Sir Vega, please don’t give up on Gashal and be my escort instead.”

“Lady Fey?”

Fey smiled meaningfully and revealed the ‘price’ she truly wanted.

“Sir Vega, please take me to Gashal.”

“What? What are you talking about? You want me to take you there?” Vega’s eyes widened in surprise, and there was a crisp sound as he crushed the grass under his foot.

“Why so sudden…? Is there something going on? But I haven’t heard anything related to you, Lady Fey.”

Vega tried to rack his brain, moving his eyes in an attempt to recall if he had missed something. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t remember a schedule that stated she would come to Gashal.

Of course, there was no such schedule because it didn’t exist.

“I don’t want to go there because there’s something going on,” Fey said, holding her breath as she glanced briefly at the back of Deneb, who was faintly visible in the distance.

Gashal was a small city-state located in the central part of the Ramsis continent. Although its territory was very small, it had a significant influence on other countries due to its strong military, the divine beings that guarded it, and the saint who served them.

It would be great to settle down and live in such a powerful country, but in reality, Gashal itself was not what Fey was aiming for.

“I want to ride the Grand Transcontinental Train in Gashal. So, I would appreciate it if you could help me with the necessary procedures, Sir Vega.”

“The Grand Transcontinental Train?” Vega’s bewildered gaze narrowed.

The Grand Transcontinental Train was a train that crossed all eight major nations on the Ramsis continent.

The train that was originally created solely for the saints of Gashal, who frequently visit other countries, underwent a policy change starting from the next saint, Lia, allowing ordinary citizens to use it as long as they follow the procedures.

However, it would still be difficult for a foreigner like Fey to board the Grand Transcontinental Train, but the situation would change if the Knight Commander Vega assisted with the procedures.

In other words, Fey planned to travel to other countries via Gashal while under Vega’s protection. This way, she could save the cost of hiring escort mercenaries and securely escape from Brimfe.

Fey nodded while cautiously looking around, fearing that Deneb might overhear.

“Yes, I want to ride the Grand Transcontinental Train. So please escort me only to Gashal. Once I arrive in Gashal, I will be free to board the Grand Transcontinental Train.”

Freedom.

Vega’s Adam’s apple moved up and down in response to that word. It was a proposal that made anyone’s mouth water, as it could change the future from one where he had to work under someone he didn’t want to for the rest of his life after giving up his position as the Knight Commander, to a future where he could return to the saint’s side after a few days of hardship.

Even though Fey tried to lightly brush it off with a smile, she couldn’t shake her underlying unease. As someone who valued principles more than anyone else, Vega could easily respond with, ‘I will remain as a lifelong knight in Brimfe as we originally agreed!’

Thankfully, her worries turned out to be unfounded.
“Just one thing I would like to ask. Does Sir Deneb know about this?”

Vega wasn’t pondering whether to accept her proposal or not. He was simply curious about what was going on in her mind. Why would she suddenly want to ride the Grand Transcontinental Train?

As Fey’s answer reached his ears, a single possibility emerged in Vega’s mind, and his speculation turned into certainty the moment he heard Fey’s response.

“No, Sir Deneb doesn’t know. He shouldn’t know.”

As expected. Vega inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled.

“Lady Fey, are you trying to seek asylum?”

“Haha, seek asylum? It’s not something that grand…”

Fey’s clapping hands gradually subsided. Afterward, she fell silent, deep in thought. And then, she felt a strange sensation, as if her heart was turning into stone.

‘Am I seeking asylum?’

She had never thought of it in such grandiose terms before. But now that she thought about it, it was undoubtedly what she was doing.

Abandoning her once influential family that had committed serious crimes and was declining, fleeing to another country in secret. It was clearly seeking asylum.

Fey’s arm slowly returned to its place. While silently observing her, Vega did not press her further. After a while, Vega slowly closed and opened his eyelids.

“Very well. Lady Fey, I will escort you to Gashal.”

—