Riding east from Oosant late at night, Tiyung fights nausea and shock as he processes what happened at the warehouse. He realizes his two years in the king’s guard meant little compared to actually killing; he fixates on the fact that he does not even know the name or life of the man he ran through. Despite the guilt, Tiyung admits he would repeat it to save Sora.

In the tense quiet of the coach, Tiyung studies the others: Mikail sleeps as if the bloodshed is routine, and Tiyung credits Mikail’s planning and lethal skill for keeping Sora alive. Tiyung is disturbed by the deaths of the barmaid and her father—betrayers dragged in with bolts in their chests—but tries to tell himself their betrayal endangered Sora. For the first time, Tiyung feels the group’s acceptance, and Aeri thanks him for saving her, reminding him he also killed a second man.

Royo tells Tiyung he did well, and Tiyung decides secrecy is pointless after what they survived. He openly states he would never hurt Sora, then reveals the order he was given: after King Joon is dead, his father Seok expects him to burn Sora’s indenture and then kill her. Pressed by Euyn for a reason, Tiyung admits he does not know; he only guesses Seok wanted to prevent revenge.

Sora, hollow and exhausted, remarks that no one can ever ask Seok his reasons, confirming she understands Seok’s cruelty firsthand. The moment creates a fragile sense of shared suffering between Sora and Tiyung, and when Tiyung’s broken nose throbs, Sora almost reaches out to him before stopping. Tiyung quietly wonders why earlier attackers in an alley robbed him but did not kill or ransom him, and Royo vows that no one in the coach will die if he can help it.

Aeri leans into Royo, who initially recoils but then awkwardly allows the closeness, making Tiyung wonder if people can change. Tiyung also remembers a troubling detail: as they left The Mine, he thought he saw a figure in black on a rooftop watching, someone who could have killed them in the alley, suggesting a different presence than the Bulgae. When Sora asks whether Tiyung’s injuries hurt, he claims he will be fine; he gives her his jacket when she shivers, and he falls asleep, slipping into nightmares.