Euyn and Mikail ride donkeys through the Tangun Mountain Pass and cross the border from Fallow into Yusan near dusk. Euyn is relieved to be “home” but fears samroc still hunting them, and Mikail stays irritable and withdrawn, which Euyn suspects is worsening laoli withdrawal.

As they discuss the route, Mikail insists they avoid the more guarded city of Swift and instead stop in the smaller town of Gorya before taking a fleet carriage to Rahway. Euyn reflects on the bounty once placed on him and how recognizable he may still be to Yusanian soldiers, remembering his former ceremonial service in the king’s guard and the two men he killed during his first year of exile.

Euyn’s fear of being hunted triggers guilt about his past “hunting” of Idle Prison convicts and Yusan’s brutal culture of spectacle, including the Royal Tuhko Championship where losers are ritually sacrificed. Unable to hold back, Euyn challenges Mikail about why Mikail agreed with King Joon during Euyn’s banishment. Mikail bluntly explains that Chul exposed Euyn’s illegal hunts before the Council of the Lords, leaving Joon politically cornered, and that if Mikail had opposed the king he would likely have been executed or imprisoned rather than exiled.

Mikail reveals that his public loyalty was meant to enable a rescue: Mikail dragged Euyn to the oasis during the sandstorm and arranged and paid for the caravan to take Euyn east to Outton so Euyn could survive and blend in. Euyn realizes Mikail has been protecting him all along, apologizes for doubting him, and Mikail accepts, admitting he wishes he could have acted sooner.

As darkness deepens, Euyn asks why they must still kill Joon if Joon had limited choice; Mikail replies that Joon is not a fair king and that Euyn can be better. The two stop talking and prepare for danger—Euyn keeps his crossbow loaded, Mikail rests a hand near his sword—and they ride deeper into the night until a sudden cry echoes nearby, signaling a new threat close at hand.