Nightfall gently descended, and the Sword Sheath Inn in Seagull Town welcomed its liveliest time of the day.

Guests staying at the inn gathered in the first-floor hall for dinner, while servers bustled between large and small tables, delivering delicious dishes to the patrons.

The chatter of lively conversations filled the air, blending with the enticing aroma of food that permeated the entire room.

The innkeeper, Kyle Merrick, looked over the bustling hall with satisfaction, already calculating whether next year might be the right time to expand the inn. Perhaps he could add a small stage and hire a singer to provide entertainment for the guests.

After taking one last look at the lively scene, he decided to check on the kitchen to ensure everything was running smoothly.

As Kyle made his way through the kitchen, exchanging greetings with the staff, he passed by the backdoor in the hallway. Suddenly, an urgent knock came from the other side of the door.

Who could it be?

After all, regular guests didn’t use the backdoor.

Kyle opened the door, and the warm light from inside spilled through the narrow gap, illuminating the visitor's face. At the same time, the visitor’s eyes reflected Kyle’s astonished expression.

"…Sh-Shinya???"

"It’s been a while, Kyle," Shinya said, a rare smile breaking through his weary features at this unexpected reunion.

"Quick, come in," Kyle said hurriedly, stepping aside to clear the way. It was only then that he noticed the girl Shinya was carrying in his arms.

"You’re back? What happened? And who is this girl?" Kyle fired off questions like a barrage of bullets, but Shinya didn’t respond to a single one.

"Do you have a room available? She’s injured and needs rest," Shinya said, carrying the girl straight toward the stairs.

"Yes, of course," Kyle replied, striding after him. "End of the hall on the second floor, turn left."

Shinya’s arrival didn’t draw the attention of the guests dining in the hall, but a brunette woman passing through did take notice.

Because wherever Shinya walked, faint traces of blood marked his path.

"What’s going on? Who are they?" the brunette woman asked Kyle in confusion.

"Molly, bring all the first aid supplies upstairs. I’ll explain later," Kyle instructed briefly before following Shinya up to the empty room on the second floor.

Molly hesitated for a moment, then handed the tray she was holding to a passing server and disappeared from the hall at a brisk pace.

In the room, Shinya gently laid the girl on the bed, positioning her flat on her back. Kyle, standing nearby, lit the crystal lamp.

As the light illuminated the girl’s face, Kyle’s expression turned to shock once again.

The girl’s face bore an uncanny resemblance to someone Kyle once knew—a figure from his past. But that person was supposed to have died fifteen years ago. Even if she had somehow survived, she couldn’t possibly be this young.

"No… this is impossible," Kyle muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "What’s going on? Who is she?"

"Irene," Shinya said, his gaze fixed on the girl lying on the bed. He reached out and gently brushed her cheek. "I found her. She didn’t die. She survived."

"Wait, hold on…" Kyle paced the room, struggling to make sense of Shinya’s words. "If I remember correctly, when it happened, Irene was nearly thirty years old, wasn’t she? It’s been fifteen years. She should be at least forty now. But this girl—she doesn’t even look twenty!"

Shinya loosened the girl’s collar, revealing her fitted undergarments. He looked directly at her, seemingly inspecting something with no hint of hesitation.

Standing a bit farther away, Kyle couldn’t tell what Shinya was examining. His gaze wandered unintentionally, drawn to the girl’s slightly rising curves, smooth and pale as polished jade.

Realizing his own impropriety, Kyle quickly averted his eyes, then strode over and grabbed Shinya’s hand.

"Stop it! What are you doing?" he demanded.

It was as if Shinya didn’t hear Kyle’s protest. Instead, he let out a relieved sigh and said, "It worked."

Just then, an angry voice came from the doorway.

"Stop! Stop right there! Move aside, both of you!"

The two men by the bedside turned toward the doorway, where Molly stormed in, clutching a first-aid kit.

She smacked Kyle on the head with a sharp slap. "Getting bold, are we? Where were you looking just now??"

Kyle shrank back in embarrassment, muttering under his breath. He took the first-aid kit from Molly, opened it, and placed it by the bedside before obediently stepping aside.

"And you," Molly said bluntly, pointing at Shinya, "move away too."

Shinya frowned but ultimately complied, stepping away from the bed.

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"Who’s she?" Shinya asked Kyle.

Kyle beamed with pride as he introduced her, "My wife, Molly. She used to be a physician in the neighboring town. Now, she’s the boss lady here."

Shinya glanced at Molly, who was busy tending to the girl, then turned to Kyle with a hint of surprise. "You got married?"

"What, jealous?" Kyle replied smugly.

Before Shinya could respond, Kyle pressed on with his questions. "Enough about me. Who is this girl? What’s going on? She can’t possibly be Irene."

Just as Shinya was about to answer, Molly’s voice cut through the conversation.

"Honey, go grab a few clean clothes of mine and bring up a basin of fresh water."

Kyle immediately responded to his wife’s command. "On it! Right away!"

With that, he hurried out of the room, leaving Shinya standing there alone.

"Out. Close the door behind you," Molly ordered firmly, her back still turned to Shinya.

This time, Shinya didn’t comply.

"Kyle said you’re a physician. Please take care of the wound on her leg for me."

"I will," Molly replied without turning around. "Now, leave."

"No, I need to stay here."

Shinya’s stubbornness seemed to ignite Molly’s temper. She rolled her eyes in exasperation and raised her voice to call out a name, "Kyle!!!!"

Before long, Kyle appeared at the doorway. "What’s up, Molly?"

"Get this peeping tom out of here."

"Got it, no problem."

Kyle set the clothes down and instructed a staff member to place the water-filled basin beside Molly. Then he forcibly dragged Shinya out of the room.

"Alright, start explaining," Kyle said as he closed the door behind him. "What’s going on?"

Shinya leaned back against the wall, staring down at the floor.

"After everything that happened, I never had the chance to properly explain things to you before Suzuran took me back to Togekaze. The truth is, when I reached Acorn Town that day and found Irene… she had already turned into an infant."

"What did you say?" Kyle’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Why would that happen?"

"I don’t know," Shinya replied, shaking his head.

"And this time, you’re back because…" Kyle began, but his words were cut off when the door suddenly burst open.

Molly stormed out, standing directly in front of Shinya, and demanded, "Did you know she’s poisoned?"

Shinya’s expression remained calm, devoid of any visible emotion.

Kyle, however, tried to reassure her. "We’ve got several antidotes at home, enough to handle most beast toxins. Don’t worry."

"This isn’t an ordinary toxin! Regular antidotes won’t work," Molly said, her voice tinged with urgency.

"There’s no need for an antidote. You just need to help me—" Shinya started, but Molly interrupted him harshly.

"No need for an antidote? Do you even know what kind of poison she’s dealing with?" Molly was frantic, pacing like a caged animal, yet felt compelled to explain to this seemingly ignorant young man.

"She’s been poisoned by a ghoul—a toxin that’s absolutely lethal and for which only holy magic can provide a cure. Goddess above, I can’t believe she’s lasted this long! It’s a miracle… Wait, a priest! I’ll go fetch the town’s priest right now."

With that, Molly hurried down the stairs without waiting for a reply.

The mention of "ghoul" immediately set off alarm bells for Kyle. He grabbed Shinya’s arm.

"You encountered ghouls? Where exactly did you go? The devil’s minions haven’t been seen around here in ages."

Shinya watched Molly disappear downstairs before finally answering in an indifferent tone, "Acorn Town."

"…You went back to Acorn Town? Why?"

"There was something I needed to do. I’ll explain later," Shinya replied as he pulled his arm free from Kyle’s grasp and walked back into the room.

He approached the bed and carefully inspected the girl’s injured leg, ensuring Molly had properly bandaged and stopped the bleeding. Only then did he look up with a satisfied expression.

Kyle observed Shinya’s every move, finding it increasingly peculiar. "When Molly mentioned she was poisoned, you didn’t seem surprised at all. You knew she was poisoned, didn’t you? And you know this is a lethal toxin. Why do you seem so calm, as if you’re not worried at all?"

"I'm not worried," Shinya said as he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on the girl’s forehead. "The poison won’t kill her. Not as long as she wants to live."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Kyle asked, completely baffled.

Shinya didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped away from the bed, brushing past Kyle on his way out. "I’m getting some water."

When Shinya returned from the kitchen, he noticed an unfamiliar figure in the room.

The man was dressed in the white-and-blue priestly robes of Dawn Prayers and appeared to be casting a cleansing spell on Nicole.

Shinya stood silently by the door, watching the man’s movements from behind.

The priest had neatly trimmed short hair and a small, slender frame, giving him a youthful and delicate appearance. For a moment, Shinya thought, This is what a priest should look like. So why did that white robe always seem out of place on Rivern?

The thought of Rivern made Shinya frown suddenly.

Meanwhile, Kyle and Molly stayed by Nicole’s side, expressing their gratitude repeatedly as the priest finished his spell.

“It’s nothing, really. This is my duty,” the priest replied politely, his tone humble. “I’m just concerned—where did this girl encounter ghouls?”

“Priest,” Shinya spoke from where he leaned against the doorframe, “I’ll take you to the place where we encountered them.”

The priest jumped at the sound of Shinya’s sudden voice; he hadn’t heard his footsteps at all.

"And you are?" the priest asked hesitantly.

Seeing Shinya’s indifferent demeanor, Kyle took it upon himself to make introductions. "He’s a friend of mine, a werewolf shapeshifter—Akane Shinya."

The priest looked startled. This was the first time in his life he’d seen a werewolf. For a moment, he couldn’t help but wonder how werewolves seemed so similar to humans. Realizing his lapse in manners, he quickly stepped forward, extending a hand in greeting.

"Hello, I’m Eddie, a priest from Seagull Town."

Shinya glanced at the short-statured priest and made no move to shake his hand. Instead, he asked bluntly, "How much experience do you have fighting dark creatures?"

Eddie awkwardly withdrew his hand, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I’ve never faced them directly."

"Doesn’t matter. As long as you can cleanse poison and use Holy Light, that’s enough." Shinya turned and headed downstairs, motioning for Eddie to follow. "If you want to save the life of your fellow priest, you’d better move quickly and come with me."

"Fellow priest? Who?" Eddie asked, hurrying after him.

"Rivern Rybirths," Shinya replied.

"R-Rivern?" Eddie froze in place for a moment before hurrying to catch up with Shinya. "You mean Rivern Rybirths, the priest from Echowater Town?"

Kyle watched the two disappear down the stairs and suddenly made up his mind. "I’m going with them." He turned and headed toward his quarters.

Molly, concerned for her husband’s safety, followed quickly. "Are you really going? You don’t have any experience dealing with ghouls."

"My dear, I can’t let Shinya and Eddie go alone." Kyle pushed open the door to their bedroom, retrieved a longbow and shortsword from a weapon chest, and donned a set of sturdy leather armor. "Fifteen years ago, because of something I said, Shinya went to Acorn Town alone. This time, I won’t let him face it alone again."

Kyle finished gearing up and turned to his worried wife with a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry, love. I’ll be fine. Besides, we’ve got a priest with us."

At the inn’s entrance, Eddie caught up to Shinya. "Where’s Rivern? What’s going on?"

"You’ll find out when we reach Acorn Town," Shinya replied, his tone laced with impatience.

"Acorn Town?" Eddie, as a member of Dawn Prayers, had heard of the disaster that struck the town fifteen years ago. His nerves immediately spiked. "I need to inform Chaplain Vanessa before we leave."

Shinya pushed open the inn’s door, pausing briefly as he glanced back. Seeing Kyle approaching, now fully equipped, brought a flicker of surprise and a trace of reassurance to his eyes.

"There’s no need. The three of us are enough," Shinya said confidently.