Three days.
That was how long I had been following the river.
Three days of walking, hunting, and sleeping under trees. My body had slowly adjusted to the rhythm of survival again. Not comfortable—but familiar.
Wake up.
Check surroundings.
Find water.
Find food.
Keep moving.
The forest was quieter here compared to the southern region near the kingdom. Fewer large monsters. More small animals. Still dangerous—but not overwhelming.
At least… not yet.
I crouched near the riverbank, washing dried blood from my hands. The wound on my side still hurt, but it had stopped bleeding.
"Still alive," I muttered.
The reflection staring back at me didn't look like the same person anymore.
Messy hair.
Sunken eyes.
A faint scar starting to form near my ribs.
I looked away.
"Yeah… still alive."
As I stood up, something caught my attention.
Smoke.
Thin. Faint. Rising above the trees in the distance.
My body tensed immediately.
Smoke meant fire.
Fire meant people.
And people…
I hesitated.
Memories flashed through my mind.
The arena.
The shouting.
Mira's voice.
"...people are trouble."
But I couldn't stay in the forest forever.
I let out a slow breath.
"Just look."
I moved carefully through the trees, keeping low and silent. The closer I got, the clearer the signs became.
Footprints.
Cut branches.
A worn path.
This wasn't random.
People lived here.
After a few more minutes, the forest opened.
And I saw it.
A village.
Small.
Rough.
Nothing like the villages near the kingdom.
The houses were made of uneven wood and patched roofs. Some walls looked like they had been repaired multiple times. The ground was dry, and there were no proper roads—just dirt paths.
A few people were working outside.
Some were carrying water.
Others were repairing fences.
Children ran between the houses—but even they looked… cautious.
Not lively.
Not carefree.
Just… quiet.
I stepped forward slowly.
Immediately, several heads turned toward me.
The atmosphere changed.
Not hostile.
But not welcoming either.
More like…
Suspicious.
I raised my hand slightly.
"...Hello."
No one answered.
A man glanced at me, then quickly looked away.
A woman grabbed a child's hand and pulled them closer.
Two men standing near a fence whispered something to each other while staring in my direction.
I felt it immediately.
That same feeling.
The one I felt in the kingdom.
Being watched.
Judged.
I clenched my fist slightly.
"...Right."
I walked further into the village anyway.
If they didn't want to talk, I would ask directly.
A well stood near the center of the village.
I walked toward it and grabbed the rope.
No one stopped me.
That was something.
I pulled up a bucket and drank.
Cold water filled my throat.
For a moment, I closed my eyes.
"…Good."
"You're not from here."
I turned my head.
A man stood a few steps away.
He looked around thirty.
Worn clothes.
Rough hands.
Scars on his arms.
Not a soldier.
Not an adventurer.
But not weak either.
I put the bucket down.
"Yeah."
"Where are you from?"
I hesitated.
"...The forest."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"The deep forest?"
"Yeah."
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he nodded slowly.
"You're lucky."
"I hear that a lot."
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
Then it disappeared.
The silence stretched again.
I decided to ask.
"...Why is everyone looking at me like that?"
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he walked a little closer.
Then he raised his hand and pointed.
"Because of that."
I frowned.
"That?"
"Your neck."
My body froze.
"...What?"
He stepped even closer.
"Turn your head."
I hesitated for a second.
Then I slowly turned.
His eyes focused on the right side of my neck.
"...Yeah," he muttered.
"There it is."
My heart started beating faster.
"What are you talking about?"
He looked at me.
"A mark."
My hand immediately moved to my neck.
I touched the skin.
Rough.
Slightly raised.
Like something had been burned into it.
My stomach dropped.
"...I didn't have this before."
The man stared at me.
"You didn't know?"
I slowly shook my head.
His expression changed slightly.
From suspicion…
to something closer to understanding.
"That's a slave mark."
The word hit harder than I expected.
"...Slave?"
He nodded.
"Most slaves are marked on their hands."
He raised his own hand slightly, showing a faint faded mark on his palm.
"Or here."
Then he pointed at my neck again.
"But yours… is different."
I swallowed.
"What does it mean?"
He exhaled slowly.
"It means you were thrown away."
My chest tightened.
"In the kingdom, when a slave causes trouble…"
"They brand the neck."
"So everyone knows."
His voice became colder.
"That you are not allowed to return."
Silence.
The village around us felt even quieter now.
I laughed weakly.
"...Of course."
Everything made sense now.
The trial.
The exile.
The way people looked at me.
I wasn't just a criminal.
I was something worse.
A discarded tool.
The man crossed his arms.
"So."
"What did you do?"
I looked at the ground.
"...I existed."
He stared at me for a moment.
Then he let out a short breath.
"Yeah."
"That sounds about right."
For the first time, someone didn't question me.
Didn't accuse me.
Just… accepted it.
He extended his hand.
"Eron."
I looked at it.
Then shook it.
"Kazu."
Eron nodded.
"You can stay here for now."
I blinked.
"...That easy?"
He shrugged.
"Most people here are the same."
"Exiles. Slaves. Runaways."
"Nobody cares anymore."
I looked around the village again.
Now I understood.
The tired faces.
The quiet atmosphere.
The way everyone avoided eye contact.
These weren't normal villagers.
They were people who had nowhere else to go.
After a moment, Eron spoke again.
"So."
"How did you end up like this?"
I hesitated.
Then I sighed.
"...It's complicated."
"Try me."
I looked at him.
For a moment, I considered lying.
Making up a simpler story.
But…
What was the point?
"I'm not from this world."
Eron blinked.
"...What?"
"I woke up in the forest one day."
"No memory of coming here."
"No explanation."
"I just… existed."
I laughed quietly.
"I know how it sounds."
Eron didn't laugh.
He didn't interrupt either.
So I continued.
I told him everything.
The forest.
Robert.
The guild.
The duel.
Mira.
The archive.
The trial.
The exile.
When I finished, the village felt strangely silent again.
Eron stared at me.
Long.
Carefully.
"...You're serious."
"Yeah."
I expected him to call me crazy.
Or walk away.
Instead—
He suddenly stood up.
"Kazu."
Something in his voice changed.
"...Yeah?"
"You need to come with me."
My stomach tightened.
"...Why?"
He grabbed my arm.
"Just come."
Before I could react, he started pulling me through the village.
Past the houses.
Past the fields.
Toward the edge of the settlement.
My heart began to race.
"What's going on?"
"You'll see."
We stopped in front of a small stone building.
It looked older than everything else in the village.
A wooden cross stood in front of it.
A church.
Or something like it.
Eron pushed the door open.
Then he looked back at me.
His expression was serious.
"If what you said is true…"
His grip tightened slightly.
"...then he needs to see you."
I stared at the dark interior beyond the door.
And for some reason—
I felt like stepping inside would change everything.