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>>>>FLASHBACK – 30 MINUTES EARLIER
When they approached the city gate, Ryan saw a guard standing beside a wagon—a sturdy, well‑maintained one. The guard spotted Scarlette and broke into a smile.
"Scarlette! It's ready. We cleaned it yesterday. The boys wanted it perfect since you're leaving on a job."
Ryan blinked.
The guard spoke to her so casually.
Unlike the citizens who avoided Scarlette like she carried a plague, or the ones who whispered reverently when she passed, this guard—treated her like a normal person.
Scarlette nodded, simple and quiet. "Sorry, Evan. Thank you. Here."
She handed him coins.
Evan flailed his hands. "N‑no need, Scarlette! Really!"
Scarlette tilted her head.
"Please accept. Favor."
Knowing her stubbornness, Evan sighed deeply. "Alright, alright. I'll split it with the others. Safe travels, Scarlette. And you too!" he said, nodding toward Ryan.
Ryan waved awkwardly.
Then he turned to Scarlette.
"I'll drive the wagon," he said. "Since I'm joining the mission… I want to be useful."
Scarlette only nodded once—and for her, that was acceptance.
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>>>>PRESENT
Hours passed.
The capital disappeared behind them, replaced by vast open plains and distant mountains.
Ryan handled the reins carefully, adjusting their speed when the path turned rocky. Scarlette sat beside him, silent as usual, her presence calm but heavy—like a quiet storm brewing behind a thin veil.
Ryan swallowed nervously.
He had been meaning to ask something.
"Ahm… Lady Scarlette?"
Scarlette didn't turn her head. "Drop 'Lady.'"
"S‑sorry! Habit…"
"Don't address me like a noble," she added. "I'm not one of them."
Ryan's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
"I… I didn't mean to offend you."
Scarlette didn't answer immediately. Her eyes were distant—thoughtful.
Something bothered her. Something about him.
Ryan felt her stare.
Scarlette leaned back slightly, arms crossed as she studied him silently.
If Ryan had to guess, she looked almost… troubled.
"You're not from here," she said suddenly.
Ryan stiffened. "Uh—well—I'm—"
"You're an outlander," she clarified. "Your accent. Your posture. Your way of speaking."
Ryan forced a laugh. "Y‑yeah, I guess it's obvious."
Scarlette didn't respond, but her unreadable gaze lingered on him for several seconds longer before turning away.
She's… analyzing me again…
......….
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...............….
What Ryan didn't notice—
Scarlette had already recognized something far more alarming the moment she met him back at the guild.
Something he had tried so hard to hide.
Something no one else could have seen.
She had seen a shimmer—an invisible distortion—near his right ear. A faint ripple of magic normally undetectable to the naked eye.
A stealth communication earring.
No normal adventurer carried one.
No commoner would ever acquire one.
And no ordinary person could hide it so well.
Scarlette's eyes, hidden beneath her veil, had narrowed.
She had focused her senses—those hidden abilities she never revealed to anyone—and watched as the illusion around Ryan subtly faltered for a split second.
Just long enough for her to glimpse the truth beneath his disguise.
His real mana signature.
Familiar.
Unmistakable.
So that's who you are…
Of all places, of all times, of all people to cross paths with—Ryan Wayne was a lie. And Scarlette had known the moment she saw that forbidden magic shimmering faintly.
But she said nothing.
Not yet.
Instead, she had chosen him.
For what reason, even Ryan had no idea—but Scarlette's mind was quietly sifting through possibilities.
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The journey continued as the sun dipped lower. The sky turned shades of warm orange and deep gold.
Ryan's back ached, and his arms were sore from holding the reins.
Scarlette had barely moved all day.
He wondered if she even felt discomfort.
"Scarlette…" he said timidly. "Do you want to… I don't know… switch? Rest a bit?"
"No."
"O‑okay then…"
A beat of silence.
Then Scarlette added, in a quieter tone:
"…You're doing fine."
Ryan's heart skipped.
Was that… praise?
REAL praise from Scarlette Overland?
He blinked in disbelief. "R‑really…?"
Scarlette hummed lightly—barely perceptible but undeniably affirmative.
Ryan grinned like an idiot.
"…But still troublesome," she added.
Ryan faceplanted into the reins.
"D‑do you EVER stop calling me that?!"
"No."
He groaned dramatically.
Scarlette didn't smile—but her eyes softened behind her veil.
She didn't dislike his presence.
Which… surprised her.
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After more than ten hours on the road, night finally arrived.
Ryan pulled the wagon to a stop near a forest clearing.
"A‑ahhh… are you sure it's safe here?" he asked nervously. "Sleeping in the wild seems a little…dangerous?"
Scarlette hopped off the wagon without hesitation.
"No dangers," she replied simply.
"How do you know that?"
"I know."
Ryan didn't feel reassured.
But he trusted her enough not to argue.
They began unloading supplies from their dimensional pouches.
Ryan watched as Scarlette examined the trees, the wind direction, possible threats—her movements fluid, calculated, and strangely elegant.
Her hood blew back with a sudden gust.
Her long crimson hair swirled like flames under the moonlight.
Ryan froze mid-motion.
'Wow… even though half of her face is hidden… she looks ethereal…'
He shook his head violently, trying to refocus.
Stop staring. Stop staring. STOP STARING, RYAN.
He cleared his throat and approached her nervously, holding his sword for safety.
"Scarlette, I'll gather some firewood nearby. You should—uh—rest or something."
Scarlette didn't move from where she stood leaning against the wagon.
"Go."
Ryan nodded quickly.
"Yes ma'am— I-I…. m-mean…. Scarlette! Scarlette!" he corrected immediately.
She hummed again.
As Ryan disappeared into the trees, Scarlette watched him quietly.
Her eyes narrowed.
His mana…
His aura…
His strange earring…
The illusion covering him was good.
Very good.
Too good for an ordinary adventurer.
Scarlette closed her eyes, listening to the faint wind, sensing the shift of magic in the air.
Then—
There you are.
The truth she alone had recognized back at the guild resurfaced in her mind.
Ryan Wayne was not who he said he was.
And Scarlette Overland intended to uncover why.
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As much as Scarlette wanted to know the real reason behind "Ryan's" sudden appearance in the Silveria Empire, there was only one explanation she found remotely plausible.
A hound never acts without a master's order.
'Of course. Someone sent him. Tsk… Typical.'
Her thoughts churned as she stared at the dim treeline, irritation prickling beneath her calm demeanor.
'Though… I can practically guess why "Ryan" approached me at the guild. Curiosity, perhaps. That's how he used to be…'
She cut off her thoughts as a faint smirk tugged beneath her veil.
Yes. Back then, "Ryan" was the type to approach anything unusual out of curiosity alone. But this time… this situation… something was different. He had seen something in her.
Or so she first assumed.
'No. He didn't see anything. I let him see [it] deliberately.'
Scarlette dismissed the thought with a shake of her head. She would not let herself become distracted. Not now.
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