* * *
As he shifted the blame in his mind, Eren glared at him with all the strength in his eyes.
The fact that the theater was right in the city center only made the unfairness feel worse.
As the saying went, Trovien was even brighter at night.
The streets were lit up with dazzling lights and not a single shadow in sight.
The delicious smells wafting from the long rows of shops felt like they were tugging at his feet, begging him not to leave.
The moment Eren stepped toward one of them, tempted by the aroma, a hand suddenly grabbed him by the back of the neck.
When he looked up, Ashard was gazing down at him with a rather stern expression.
“Are you crazy? What if you get lost wandering around on your own?”
Like a child left alone by a stream, Eren pouted at the look in Ashard’s eyes.
Sure, he was younger than Ashard, but not so young that he should be treated like a kid.
“L-Let go of me. It’s not like I’m going to get lost or anyth—”
Eren wriggled to escape Ashard’s grip.
But the moment Ashard let go, a surge of people suddenly swelled around them.
Judging by how the music in the distance had stopped, it seemed the performance had ended.
Caught in the rush of the crowd, Eren instinctively grabbed at Ashard’s robe.
They say words can come true—he really felt like he was going to get lost.
Struggling to regain his senses amid the wave of people, Eren finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Haa… I almost lost him—?”
But Ashard was nowhere to be seen.
All that remained in his grasp was a torn scrap of the man’s robe.
Judging by the jagged edge, it had definitely ripped off.
“Haha… I really did lose him…”
Eren let out a hollow laugh, almost as if he’d gone mad.
He couldn’t help it—he was the one who, barely a minute ago, had insisted Ashard let him go, claiming he wouldn’t get lost.
“What kind of clothes tear this easily?!”
The tiny shred of fabric dangled uselessly in his hand.
Eren flung it to the ground in frustration and shouted.
‘First, I need to find His Excellency…’
His anger subsided quickly as he forced himself to calm down and look around.
With Ashard’s large build, he should’ve stood out even from a distance.
Or so he thought—but no towering figure was in sight.
Strangely enough, the street was now quite empty, a stark contrast to the earlier crowd.
The lights that had brightly lit the area had vanished, leaving only a thick shroud of darkness.
Though it was the same street, it suddenly felt like a completely different place—like he’d stepped into another world.
“Why is it so dark here…?”
The only landmark he knew was the theater, so he decided to head there.
Despite the warmth in the air, a chilling breeze blew through, biting deep into his skin.
Eren shivered and kept walking.
Where was he supposed to go?
He wandered aimlessly, unsure of the way, but moved forward nonetheless, driven by his single goal: to find Ashard.
“—Hey! Move!”
At a sudden shout, Eren snapped his head up.
“Get out of the way! Move!”
Along with the voice, the ground began to rumble slightly.
Only when the vibrations grew stronger did Eren turn around—and freeze at the sight of a carriage barreling straight toward him.
“What the—! Are you insane?!”
Who drives like that in the middle of a city street?
Eren barely dove out of the way and clutched his pounding chest, breathing heavily.
But before he could recover, another loud commotion erupted.
“You bastard! You think you can just run off without paying me?!”
“What the hell are you talking about?! I never borrowed money from you!”
“Oh, come on! You borrowed one gold coin—I remember it exactly!”
Two drunken men were yelling at each other.
Eren thought it was none of his business and tried to pass by, but one of them stumbled toward him.
Best not to engage.
Eren resolved to ignore them and walk faster.
But the man ended up blocking his path completely.
“Hey. You—are you a noble?”
“……”
“You look like you’ve got money. Just give me one gold coin.”
It was the kind of cliché line a third-rate thug might use.
If Ashard were here, Eren would’ve scoffed and walked away.
But right now, he was alone.
Acting defiant would only guarantee trouble, so Eren silently pulled out a gold coin and tossed it over.
As the man bent to pick it up, Eren took off running.
But his effort was short-lived—he was quickly caught.
Another man violently yanked off Eren’s hood, revealing his entire face.
Eren slapped the hand gripping his robe.
“Get this off me.”
“…I almost missed something better than a gold coin.”
‘Gross.’
Eren scowled, disgusted by the leering eyes locked onto him.
One man even licked his lips with a smirk.
That expression—eerily similar to the way the male leads had looked at him back in Epentel—sent a chill down his spine.
‘What is it with this novel and these damn expressions?’
Every one of them had that same sleazy grin. Eren’s face twisted in utter repulsion.
“Come on. I’ll make sure you have a good time tonight.”
“Buzz off. Like I’d ever go to someone like you willingly.”
“…What did you just say?”
“Go look in a mirror. That face? So not in my league.”
Their faces flushed red with rage.
It was more than enough to provoke them—but it was also absolutely the wrong thing to say in this situation.
Realizing too late, Eren mentally kicked himself and braced for a fight.
‘If they charge, go for the back of the neck!’
He recalled the advice Melody had given him earlier—not meant for this kind of situation, but it’d have to do.
As one of the men lunged for him, Eren sidestepped and slammed his palm into the back of his neck.
Judging by the jolt in his hand, it hurt a lot—hopefully enough to knock the guy out.
But of course, the world wasn’t that easy.
What had worked effortlessly for Melody barely fazed the man now.
Gripping his neck, he glared at Eren with a snarl.
‘Zenzaang… Why is the world so cruel to me…’
It felt like the universe had it out for him.
Whatever—come what may.
Driven to desperation, Eren grabbed two stones off the ground and hurled them with all his strength.
Even if the world wasn’t on his side, at least the rocks were.
They flew straight and true—one hitting a forehead, the other an eye.
Using that moment, Eren bolted again.
“Ugh—!”
His breath came in ragged gasps.
Desperately trying to steady himself, Eren ducked into a side alley, hiding where he wouldn’t be seen.
He glanced back—no sign of the two men. He must’ve shaken them off.
As he finally caught his breath, the lantern above him flickered ominously.
There wasn’t even a breeze, yet it swayed violently, as though about to go out.
“…What the hell? That’s creepy.”
Now that he thought about it, things had been off for a while.
The air wasn’t cold, but the wind felt icy.
And now the lantern moved when there was no wind.
The unnaturalness of it all made Eren bite down on his lip.
“…!”
Then something from the original novel suddenly came back to him—and his eyes widened in alarm.
* * *
