I watched the prince retreat into the camp, my nerves still frayed from our brief encounter. The weight of his gaze lingered like a bruise. Before I could gather my thoughts, I heard a splash. Leon appeared out of nowhere, and without saying a word, he began stripping down, tossing his clothes carelessly on the shore. My mind struggled to catch up with the sudden change of scene. One moment, I was inches from a gruesome death, and the next... Leon was happily diving into the lake like a carefree child, as if we weren’t on the brink of war.

"..." I froze. The hell?

My eyes widened in shock as more historians and warriors joined in, casually undressing and jumping into the water. They didn’t even glance my way, like this was the most normal thing in the world.

"Oh god, why am I seeing this? My eyes...!" My inner scream echoed in my head as I shut my eyes too late. The image was already burned into my memory—muscles, bodies, and way too much... anatomy.

Leon’s cheerful voice called out, "Tuk! Come in! The water’s great!"

My stomach dropped. 'That idiot!' I screamed internally, desperately trying to keep a straight face as warriors waved me over like they were in some sort of shampoo commercial. They gleamed in the sun, their muscles and sun-kissed skin looking like they belonged in a magazine. But I couldn’t stop my brain from focusing on the more... unflattering details.

"I’m fine!" I shouted back, forcing a smile. "I’ll wash up later. I just want to rest!" With numb feet, I started crawling away, trying not to cry over the ridiculousness of it all. Damn it! The water was so clear. I saw... things. A collection of variously shaped, long, thick mushrooms... burned into my brain forever.

Just as I thought I had escaped, I froze. A pair of boots blocked my path. I looked up slowly, dreading what I’d see. It was the prince.

"What are you doing?" His voice cut through the air, cold and measured.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Oh, thank the gods, he's still wearing clothes! I didn’t need another traumatic memory today.

"I... I was just..." Think, think! "...admiring the grass?" I blurted, grabbing a handful as if that would somehow make my excuse more believable. "What about you, Your Highness? What brings you here?" I cringed internally, wishing I could disappear.

His gaze was sharp and unamused. "Do I need to report my every move to you?" he replied, his voice laced with arrogance, as if the very idea of him explaining himself was beneath him.

"N-no, of course not, Your Highness." I plastered a smile on my face, even though I was cursing him in my head. "Please, go ahead."

He shot me one last look before turning and walking away. Only then did I allow myself to breathe, stabbing at the grass in frustration.

This all started because of those damn scrolls in the Homonhon Empire. Why were they so important to the prince? He was already in power, so why make everyone miserable over some ancient words? From what I could piece together, the scrolls supposedly told a story of dragons and power. But it’s not like that power was literally hiding in someone’s heart, right? What was his obsession with this? I’d get it if the scrolls could make me levitate or send me back home—but no. They were just some cryptic, rhyming story about dragons, like one of those crappy fairy tales.

I shook my head. I didn’t have time to waste on these thoughts. Hiding my identity was getting harder by the day, and to make things worse, I couldn’t even bathe with all these naked men around. I’d have to wait until they fell asleep and hope the water wasn’t ice-cold by then.

Several Hours Later

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“Argh! Why is the water so cold?!” I hissed, jolting awake as a cricket decided to make my face its landing pad. The camp was dead silent, everyone asleep in their tents. I’d managed to sneak away unnoticed, but I hadn’t expected the water to be freezing.

“Ah, whatever!” I muttered, wincing as I forced myself deeper into the icy lake, biting down hard to keep from screaming.

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This is torture! My body trembled uncontrollably as I hurriedly scrubbed down with the soap and shampoo I’d sweet-talked out of the kitchen maids. Normally, I loved taking long baths, but at this rate, I was going to start hating them—if they were always this cold!

Every few seconds, I peeked nervously over the rocks, making sure no one was lurking. My lips had gone numb, and I was sure they were turning blue, but I pressed on, shivering all the while. When I finally finished, I scrambled out, dressing in fresh clothes with trembling hands and wrapping myself in every dry garment I had left. I huddled by the fire pit, praying for the warmth to sink into my bones.

This is torture! Torture!

Before I knew it, I was fast asleep again, my wet hair plastered to my face like a soggy mop. Maybe if I got sick, I could use it as an excuse to escape this madness, but no—my stubborn body refused to cooperate. Even catching a cold seemed impossible. My immune system had apparently decided to team up against me. Of course, even my own body conspires against my escape plan.

"Hey, Tuk..."

"Tuk, wake up!"

I jolted awake, gasping for air, my fingers tightly clutching Leon's clothes like they were the only thing grounding me in reality. The nightmare still clung to me—that headless face from my first day in this cursed world, its twisted smile etched into my mind.

This place… it just keeps giving me new traumas, I thought grimly.

"Are you okay? Sorry for waking you so abruptly, but we have to go now." Leon’s voice was soft, but the urgency in his words sent a chill through me. I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead, trying to make sense of where I was. The weather wasn't helping—it was as if nature couldn't decide between desert heat or autumn chill. Around us, the camp was bustling, people swiftly packing up. "Everyone’s been preparing; we’re entering the border of Homonhon."

Ah, that’s right... We’re at war. Maybe that’s why I dreamed of that scene again.

Leon gave me a sympathetic smile as he helped me to my feet. "By the way, I didn’t know you had curly hair. That’s rare, but it looks good on you."

My hand shot to my head, only to realize I’d forgotten to tie up my hair before sleeping. It was still damp from last night’s icy lake bath. I scrambled to fix it as I followed Leon toward one of the barracks, fighting the exhaustion that made my limbs feel heavy.

The trees around us seemed exhausted too—some bore autumn leaves, others had fresh spring blossoms. The ground beneath our feet was either rock-hard or as mushy as summer mud. And the warrior? They acted like they were on a twisted vacation, casually lounging around, or worse, stripping down and diving into every lake or waterfall we passed, their… well, mushrooms flapping freely in the breeze. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t avoid the sight. Every time I spotted a naked figure, my brain screamed, Why, why, why?! But I kept my mouth shut—acting out would only make things worse and draw unwanted attention. I can get used to this soon, right?

After walking for what felt like forever, we came out of the forest into a cold, empty place. The ground was covered in snow and dirt. The air was very cold, even though the sun was bright. I didn't know how many days we had been walking. The warriors kept going without getting tired, but I felt like I was dying. I have never been walking this far to the point that I can feel the muscle on my legs ripping apart.

Why is it so damn cold now? What’s wrong with the weather in this world?! My toes throbbed, raw and aching. The nail on my baby toe had already fallen off somewhere along the way, but I didn’t even have the energy to care anymore. I just wanted all of this to stop—whether by battle or by the cold, I wasn’t picky.

"What should we do?" Rowell’s voice trembled, his hands shaking so violently I thought he might drop his sword. Seeing his fear mirrored my own—it was some small comfort knowing I wasn’t alone. But it didn’t make the dread any easier to bear.

II put two short swords on my legs. My fingers were numb as I tried to breathe slowly. We were all scared, but we couldn't go back.

"The prince said we need to stay alive. If we want to do that, we need a plan. Do you want to hear it?" I looked at Leon and the others. They looked scared and pale. They weren't acting brave anymore. They knew we might all die.

"First, if someone attacks you, use your shield and run to the nearest warrior. Hide behind them. Second, find the safest place—near the warriors. Last, always be ready to run. If the warrior protecting you falls, find another one and stay close."

“So, in short, stick near the warriors,” Marco said flatly, his usually sharp gaze dulled by disappointment.

“Exactly,” I replied, trying to muster some confidence, but even I knew how weak it sounded.

"That’s not a plan, Tuk," Leon muttered, dropping to the ground in frustration, his voice cracked from defeat.

"Really? I thought it was decent," I said, trying to lighten the mood, though deep down, the pit in my stomach told me otherwise.

"It’s easy for you," Rowell snapped, his voice harsh. "You’re favored by the prince, the warriors know who you are. They’ll protect you without a second thought. But for us? We barely know these people. Hell, they might just let us die and say we got caught in the crossfire."

Rowell’s words stung because they were true. I had a level of safety they didn’t, and the guilt twisted inside me like a knife.

Leon, ever the peacemaker, stood up again. “We’re all on edge. Whatever happens, just stay alive. I want us back at the historian’s office, arguing over old scrolls, not…not dying here. So let’s survive, okay? Do your best.”

His words struck something deep inside me. My throat tightened, and for a brief moment, I felt the sting of tears welling up. We were all terrified, all struggling, but I wanted to believe—needed to believe—that we could survive this.

Suddenly, the commander’s voice pierced the freezing air. "Get ready, warriors! The battle will start soon. Be brave and show them how strong the prince's warriors are! FOR THE EMPIRE!"

"FOR THE EMPIRE!!!" all the warriors shouted together, sounding very determined.

All I could think was, The end. Please let this end.

"GET READY FOR BATTLE!!!"

The roar echoed through the air like a thunderclap. The conversation died instantly as we looked ahead to see the warriors marching forward, the prince at the helm. The sound of weapons clanging and scraping filled the air, making my heart thud painfully in my chest. The ground beneath us felt like it was quaking, the weight of a thousand unseen horrors pressing down on my chest.

'This is real. This is really happening!'

The air seemed to freeze.

The shout was so loud. We all stopped talking and saw the warriors walking forward, with the prince in front. The sound of weapons hitting each other was so loud. My heart was beating so hard. The ground felt like it was shaking. I felt like something heavy was pushing on my chest.

This is real. This is really happening.

The air felt like it froze.

"WE ARE BEING ATTACKED!"

Everything went crazy. Before I could think, arrows were falling from the sky like sharp rain. The white snow turned red as people got hit. I could smell blood, and I heard people screaming in pain.

I hate this world! I hate Isekai!!