029 ┃ Warning! Highly Flammable

Dawn began to breathe heavily as the stalker approached her. She was going to die for real. She had come up against an enemy stronger than her, and she had lost. She couldn't believe it.

Just when she had started to be happy, having fun with Lion and Spud. At the very least, she hoped they would survive. Yes, Spud had learned a lot in the past few weeks. He certainly wouldn't have any trouble hunting for his own food. She just wished she could be with him a little longer.

"I don't want to die…" the girl murmured, frightened.

She had already dropped her spear and had fallen to her knees on the ground. The stalker walked toward her menacingly. It seemed in no hurry now, in fact, it even appeared to be enjoying the moment. It raised one of its huge fists.

With a scream, Spud leapt from the inner balcony. He landed on top of the monster with a heavy blow and shattered the two bottles he was holding in his hands against its body. The transparent liquid from the bottles covered the entire beast.

Spud fell awkwardly to the ground as the stalker was slow to react, confused. Dawn just watched. Was he trying to kill it by wetting it? He would only get himself killed as well.

With a groan of pain, the boy quickly got up and ran to Dawn's bow and arrows lying on the ground. He took a torn piece of cloth from his pocket and carelessly wrapped it around the arrow's tip.

The stalker then changed targets. As soon as it spotted Spud, it let out a howl and charged at him.

The boy took up the bow and arrow and hurried to the torch he had thrown earlier, now on the ground. He nocked the arrow and brought the tip close to the flame, causing it to ignite.

"Please, please... let it work," he muttered nervously.

The cloth caught fire just as the monster was about to reach him. With an expression of confidence, Spud raised the bow and fired the flaming arrow at the stalker.

As soon as the projectile hit the monster's skin, it burst into flames as if made of straw. Engulfed in fire, the stalker staggered from side to side, screaming in pain as it was consumed by the flames.

That was when Dawn smelled it. The contents of the bottles Spud had broken weren't water, but alcohol. It was the liquor that Dawn had stolen from the city that morning.

After a few seconds of wailing, the stalker collapsed dead on the ground. Once Spud made sure it wasn't moving, he ran over to his companion and crouched down next to her, concerned.

"Dawn! Are you okay?" the boy asked, looking at her intensely.

The girl hadn't yet processed what had just happened. In her mind, she was still about to die. She merely nodded, her gaze fixed on the burning monster.

Spud dropped his head, letting out a deep sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness. That was so dangerous," he said aloud, still nervous from the battle. "I've never been so scared..."

Dawn looked at him as he spoke and suddenly hugged him tightly. Spud was surprised but returned the embrace.

"I thought I was going to die," said the girl as they hugged, serious. "You saved me."

Spud blushed, smiling.

"It's nothing. You've saved me plenty of times already. It was about time I returned the favor," the boy justified, somewhat embarrassed.

Dawn stopped hugging him and looked at him seriously.

"I don't understand. Why did you come back? I thought you had gone to hide," the girl asked, still shaken by the experience.

"I was going to, but in the end, I couldn't," Spud answered, embarrassed. "I knew you were in danger, and I... had to do something to save you."

Dawn's eyes widened in surprise, and she looked at him intently. Spud noticed his companion blushing.

"Lion!" Spud greeted, bending down to pick up the cat in his arms and hug it. The cat licked his face. "You have no idea how much we missed you."

Spud put the feline down, who immediately went to rub against Dawn's legs. The girl knelt down, smiling, and petted it.

After finding two intact rooms, they slept in the castle until the next morning. Their plan had been to leave early, but they were so tired after the confrontation that they ended up leaving almost at noon.

"I still can't believe that the first night I spent outside my home was in a king's castle. It would have been an amazing experience if we hadn't almost died," Spud joked, setting his belongings on the dining table.

He took out of his bag the two most important items they had found in the city: the printing pamphlet and the black book. Dawn didn't respond and just kept petting the cat, her eyes thoughtful.

"Anyway, I'm going to look into the paper we found. What are you going to do?" Spud asked cheerfully. Since defeating the stalker the day before, his confidence had grown more than he would like to admit.

"I'll go hunting," replied the girl, serious.

"Do you want me to come with you? I can look into the paper later..." Spud offered, eager.

"It's not necessary. I'll go alone," she answered.

She stopped petting the cat and headed for the exit. After grabbing the bow and quiver, she left without saying anything more.

Spud was stunned by his companion's reaction. She had been acting somewhat distant since that morning. They had barely spoken during breakfast, and she avoided looking him directly in the eyes. The thought crossed his mind that she might be upset because he had saved her the day before. But it was still very strange. He believed they had gained more trust in recent weeks. He would ask her later.

For now, Spud went to his room and began to investigate.