The five people stood frozen, their eyes darting around the mountain, but they saw not a single person. Only the man's soft, unsettling laughter echoed eerily through the trees.
Abrafo looked at the others, a wry amusement playing on his face. "Well, this is really interesting." His eyes, however, continued to search the emptiness around them.
"So, we're not alone," Yul murmured, his expression grim.
"I guess not," Hajime said, a hint of awe in his voice. "Your theory of seeing a white deer is indeed very accurate."
"What are we going to do now?" U-ri asked, his voice tinged with apprehension.
Michio looked around at the worried faces. "Should we stay or leave?" he wondered aloud.
Yul sighed, his gaze fixed on the unseen presence. "I wonder if we are actually in Magior?"
The four men stared at Yul, then burst out in unison, "What?"
Yul pulled out a tattered map, unfurling it to show the others. "This was shown to me last night," he explained.
Hajime snatched the map from Yul, a playful exasperation in his tone. "And you were too lazy to tell us." He scanned the map, which clearly showed a route to a place called Magior. "Well, according to this old map, we're not even near Magior." He handed the map to Abrafo.
Abrafo took the map, his expression doubtful. "Are we really going to follow this old map?"
Michio, standing next to Abrafo, peered over his shoulder at the drawing. "Do you have any other suggestions?" he asked dryly.
"The last time we followed this damn map," Abrafo scoffed, a visible shudder running through him, "the route took us to the sacrifice ground. We almost died there. I suspect the map was designed to fool us into killing ourselves."
"I agree with Abrafo," U-ri chimed in, taking the map from him, his voice laced with suspicion. "The last time we followed this map; it led us to the wolves that were trying to eat us."
"But it also led us to a clue that we didn't have in the first place," Yul countered, his gaze firm.
"It's true," Michio piped up, nodding his head. "If you don't pay the price, you get nothing."
"Getting the keys to No Man's Land is a very dangerous task," Yul said, his voice grave as he looked at the anxious faces behind him. "I can understand if any of you don't want to continue."
As the men were engrossed in their discussion, the strange man's laughter abruptly ceased, leaving an unsettling silence in its wake.
Hajime, who hated arguments, seized the opportunity to change the subject and divert everyone's thoughts. "Since there's nothing here, let's go down the mountain. I'm sure there's a village nearby." He looked at Yul and Abrafo, a hopeful note in his voice. "If the two of you are up for some walking?"
"Not me… my legs are still hurting, and I'm going to rest here even if the sky falls," Abrafo declared, his face set in a stubborn grimace as he limped back into the cabin.
"Let's have breakfast first," Michio said, his stomach rumbling audibly. "It's not a good thing to talk on an empty stomach." He grabbed U-ri's arm and pulled him towards the cabin. "Yul, come in."
Hajime walked towards the cabin door, but noticing Yul wasn't following, he turned. "Aren't you coming in for breakfast?" he asked, a touch of concern in his voice.
"You go…" Yul replied, his eyes scanning the surrounding woods as he grabbed his sword and strapped it back on.
"Where are you going?" Hajime asked, his voice sharpening with worry.
"I'm going to look around," Yul stated, his jaw set.
Hajime knew Yul was fiercely determined to find the key to No Man's Land, but seeing Yul's still-injured condition, he knew he couldn't go far alone. He quickly grabbed Yul's arm.
"You're not going anywhere," Hajime said firmly, his grip unyielding as he pulled Yul back towards the cabin. "Let's go have breakfast, and if you still want to go later, I'll go with you."
Yul pulled his arm away, his frustration evident. "Hajime… you have no idea how important this mission is to me."
"I know this mission is important to you, but your safety is also important to me," Hajime countered, his voice gentle but resolute. "Not just me, but everyone. So, before you leave, I must make sure that you are in good health. Only then are you allowed to continue."
"I have never failed the mission His Majesty entrusted to me, and I don't want to fail now," Yul insisted, his gaze burning with conviction.
Hajime grabbed Yul's arm again, a playful glint in his eye, and dragged him towards the cabin. "Well, now, the task your wife gave you is to eat and heal your injuries. You'd better not miss this task, otherwise…"
"Otherwise?" Yul asked, his expression softening slightly.
Hajime grinned at Yul. "Otherwise, your wife will turn you into a wooden man."
Just then, Yul's eyes narrowed as he spotted two shadows lurking behind the bushes. He stepped forward, his voice suddenly booming with authority. "Get out of those bushes and show yourselves, or I'll shoot you!"
Hajime quickly looked to where Yul was staring. "What is it?" he asked, his heart pounding. "What do you see?"
"I saw something behind those bushes," Yul whispered, his eyes still fixed on the spot.
Slowly, gracefully, the large white deer Hajime had seen before walked out of the dense bushes. Hajime looked at Yul in surprise, a glimmer of wonder in his eyes. "He seems to understand human language."
As Hajime took a step forward, Yul instinctively grabbed his arm, his grip tight with worry. "What are you doing?" Yul asked, his voice strained.
"I think this white deer just wants to make friends and won't harm us," Hajime said, his voice soft and reassuring. He gently approached the white deer, which was also walking calmly towards him.
Hajime slowly extended his hand towards the white deer's forehead. "I won't hurt you," he murmured, a warm smile gracing his face as he gently touched the white deer's forehead. "Yul… look, this deer is harmless. I think it just wants to make friends."
Yul shook his head, a skeptical sigh escaping him. "I'll ask you again when we run out of food."
Hajime looked at Yul with mock outrage. "Even if there's no food, I will not hurt this white deer… Look at its blue eyes and white eyelashes. Somehow this deer looks like me." He smiled, continuing to lovingly stroke the white deer. "Its fur is also so…"
Suddenly, with a swift, fluid motion, Yul retracted the sword with his left hand and deftly cut off an arrow that had been aimed directly at Hajime's back. Hajime whirled around, his eyes widening as he saw many men rushing towards them, armed and ready.
A man in armor shouted, his voice rough, "Give us the white deer!" The men continued to charge, and in the distance, three hunting dogs barked wildly, their barks growing closer.
Hajime gently patted the white deer. "Run quickly…" he urged, his voice soft but urgent.
The white deer shot a piercing glare at Hajime, a moment of profound connection passing between them, then swiftly fled towards the forest and mountains behind the cabin, disappearing in a blur of white. The three dogs, now closer, rushed forward, barking ferociously as they chased after the white deer.
Six men and one woman stopped abruptly in front of Yul and Hajime, while the rest of the men continued their pursuit of the white deer and the hunting dogs.
Kexin, the woman, glared down at Yul, her face contorted with fury. She pointed her sword directly at Yul. "If you hadn't cut my arrow, the deer would be mine!" she snarled, a malicious grin twisting her lips. "Arrest them!"
"Why did you want to arrest us?" Hajime demanded, his voice sharp with indignation.
"I have been chasing that white deer for four days," Kexin hissed, "but you cut off my arrow when I had a good shot!"
"Although your shot is good, it doesn't mean you can hit it," Abrafo remarked calmly, leading Michio and U-ri out of the cabin, his voice laced with a subtle challenge.
Michio whispered nervously, "They surely have many men with them."
Abrafo gave Michio's left abdomen a light tap, a confident smirk on his face. "We have defeated a group of wolves. We can easily defeat a group of men."
Just then, the men and their dogs returned, panting and empty-handed. Kexin quickly turned to them. "Did you find it?" she asked, her voice tight with impatience.
One of the men shook his head, his shoulders slumping. "No, my lady. The smell of the deer seems to have disappeared at the foot of that hill." He pointed to the rocky hills behind the cabin.
Kexin's eyes fell upon Hajime, dressed in white, with his long white hair and eyelashes, and a fresh wave of anger surged through her. Hajime's appearance eerily resembled the white deer, fueling her rage. She grabbed the riding whip around her waist and swung it fiercely towards Hajime.
Yul's reflexes were lightning fast. He quickly grabbed the whip, pulling Kexin off her horse with a powerful yank. Yul pushed Hajime back, his hand already grasping the hilt of his sword, his stance defensive.
"My lady!" the men cried out, rushing forward to support Kexin.
Kexin scrambled to her feet frantically, brushing the dirt from her clothes. She glared at Yul, her eyes blazing with raw fury. "How dare you pull me off my horse?"
"Nobody is allowed to hurt Hajime," Yul stated, his voice low and dangerous.
Hajime looked at Yul, a soft, almost inaudible "Yul…" escaping his lips. A sudden wave of warmth and happiness washed over him. It had been so long since someone had intervened to protect him. The hero in his mind had saved him many times in his past life, but now, he couldn't even remember what that hero looked like. It seemed he hadn't thought about his past life recently, and the people from that time were slowly fading away with each new sunrise.
Kexin gritted her teeth, her anger simmering. "I can hurt anyone I like," she snarled, her furious gaze darting between Yul and Hajime.
Yul met her stare, his own eyes steely. "You can hurt anyone you like, but you can't hurt anyone who stands with me. Especially him." He looked at Hajime, a protective fierceness in his gaze. "If I'm still standing, no one is allowed to hurt him."
Hajime looked at Yul's hand, noticing with a pang of concern that it had started to bleed from where he'd grabbed the whip. Hajime gently took Yul's hand. "Yul… your hand is bleeding."
Seeing Yul's tender concern for Hajime, Kexin's rage intensified. She lunged, swinging her sword to stab both Yul and Hajime. Yul, with incredible speed, quickly kicked her sword aside and simultaneously struck Kexin's right thigh, causing her to stumble forward towards him. With his left hand, Yul pushed Kexin back towards her men.
Kexin gritted her teeth, her voice a venomous snarl. "Release the dogs!"
Abrafo snorted disdainfully. "Bad idea…" He drew his own sword, ready for a fight.
Hajime's gaze fixed on Kexin, and a cold fury began to simmer within him. Kexin's aggressive demeanor suddenly reminded him of Akako, a painful memory. The more he looked at her, the more his breathing quickened, his anger rising. "I hate women like you the most," he snarled, gritting his teeth and glaring intensely at Kexin.
Hajime's sudden burst of raw anger surprised the four people traveling with him, who had rarely seen him lose his composure in such a way.
Kexin looked at Hajime, a flicker of bewildered fear in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. "Release the dogs now!" she shrieked at her men.
Kexin's men let go of the dogs, and the beasts rushed towards Hajime and the others, who stood a few feet away from Kexin and her group.
Hajime pursed his lips together and let out a sharp, short whistle. As soon as the whistle echoed through the air, the gray wolf, who had been patrolling the cabin, suddenly let out a deafening roar and appeared from the side of the cabin, a formidable presence.
Hajime smirked coldly at Kexin. "Tear up those dogs into pieces," he commanded, his voice dark and resolute.