… In the middle of the desert, I studied Delic’s map, comparing the coordinates we’d marked to the destination. It seemed we had arrived—though it wasn’t the destination I had imagined.0

"This appears to be the place," I said to the individual beside me.0

"This place?" replied the individual.0

Sophien had been following me from close behind, almost as if watching from a distance, and she glanced around with composed grace even though there wasn’t much to see, only a single wooden cabin standing alone in the vast sand of the desert that looked suspicious at first glance as if it were built to be a trap.0

"It is a cabin," Sophien continued, her eyes narrowing.0

The knights at Sophien’s side stood stiff as boards, clearly on edge as they watched her every move, careful not to step out of line.0

"Who supplied this information?" Sophien added, her tone edged with anger.0

"I did, Your Majesty," I replied.0

Sophien’s lips parted as if to speak of something, but she fell silent because by now I had grown too used to feeding her lies.0

Grit—0

"I am well aware that you have received the report," Sophien replied, gritting her teeth.0

"Yes, Your Majesty, but I was the one who deemed it a reliable source."0

Sophien remained silent.0

"A supervisor carries responsibility precisely because of their position, and it is not...0