Lord Euphemia had not spoken a word since the incident. She seemed to have heard the murmuring of the people in the dining hall, and kept casting a troubled gaze across the crowd. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she spoke in a voice that was soft yet firm: "Wait — please let him go. I believe he meant no harm to me."

  The two soldiers holding the heavyset man stopped in their tracks at the sound of her voice and turned their heads, looking toward Lord Euphemia with uncertain expressions. Not quite sure whether it had been Lord Euphemia who had spoken, the two soldiers simply stood where they were and made no move.

  "Lord Euphemia," the Suzaku Guard Captain said, bowing respectfully. "The backgrounds of these outsiders are all very complicated. We have uncovered several spies in the past who came to gather intelligence on our Sanctuary. To ensure that the Sanctuary's secrets are not leaked, and above all to guarantee your safety, my lord, we must verify his identity. As soon as we confirm he is not a spy from the outside, we will release him immediately."

  "But…" Lord Euphemia's expression turned hesitant. She swept her gaze around the hall, then said, "This will make everyone uneasy. These people came to the Sanctuary because they love it here — they arrived full of joy and excitement. I don't want this incident to ruin the experience of their visit. Besides, I bear some responsibility for what just happened, so… please let him go."

  "Since you say so, my lord…" The Suzaku Guard Captain let out a quiet sigh and waved his hand at the two soldiers. They immediately released the heavyset man, who thanked Lord Euphemia profusely before quickly making his exit from the dining hall.

  Lord Euphemia turned to face the crowd with a warm smile and said, "Everyone, what just happened was a misunderstanding — please don't take offense. Shortly, we will be heading to the nearby grassnds for a hunting excursion. If anyone is interested, you are all most welcome to join us."

  Seeing Lord Euphemia's warmth and approachability, the crowd's impression of her improved considerably. Someone called out, "It's no trouble at all — we're just grateful that Lord Euphemia invited us here in the first pce. How could we possibly hold anything against you?"

  "We'll definitely join the hunting excursion — as long as Lord Euphemia doesn't mind having us along!"

  "Wonderful. I look forward to seeing you all there." Lord Euphemia gave a nod to the crowd, then departed the dining hall accompanied by the Suzaku Guard Captain.

  "This Lord Euphemia doesn't seem so bad after all," Kallen remarked. She had assumed that everyone in the Sanctuary was wicked to the core, but witnessing Lord Euphemia's conduct just now had done much to change her mind.

  Nana said softly, "I think she seems really decent too. I suppose not everyone in the Sanctuary is a bad person — there are good ones as well."

  C.C. wore a strange smile as she turned to Rulu and said, "What do you think, Rulu? What's your take on this Lord Euphemia?"

  Rulu replied, his expression bnk, "I have no comment on what just happened. I came to the Sanctuary with one goal and one goal only. Anything beyond that is none of my concern."

  C.C. said, "In that case — will you be joining the hunting excursion?"

  "Of course I will. It's a good opportunity to learn more about this Lord Euphemia. I'm not about to pass that up."

  An hour ter, a rge procession of roughly several hundred people was making its way across a vast grassnd. Of those several hundred, about half were members of the Sanctuary tour group, and the other half were soldiers belonging to Lord Euphemia.

  Lord Euphemia, dressed in her long white gown, rode in a carriage in the middle of the procession. Though it was a carriage, the creature pulling it was a half-human, half-horse beast.

  The Suzaku Guard Captain, cd in a silver uniform with a sword at his side, sat astride the centaur's back to drive the carriage. Numerous soldiers armed with spears marched in formation around Lord Euphemia, while the outermost fnks and the rear of the procession were made up almost entirely of tour group members.

  As the procession advanced, the tour guides expined to the group that hunting was a common activity in the Sanctuary. Its purpose was not to obtain food, but rather to strengthen the management of the territory and maintain order within it.

  Many ferocious Strange beasts lived throughout the Sanctuary, and these creatures posed a constant threat to the human inhabitants, endangering their lives and safety. The purpose of the hunting excursion was to eliminate these threats before they could cause harm — without it, the people living in the Sanctuary would have no way to live in peace.

  The procession moved in a straight line deeper into the grassnds. Along the way they encountered many strange and unusual creatures. For the more docile, smaller ones — rabbits, foxes, and the like — the soldiers took no action and let them go about their lives undisturbed.

  For the rger, more aggressive creatures — wild boars with long tusks, ferocious wolves, tigers, leopards, and the like — the soldiers would unch coordinated attacks with spears and other melee weapons, cutting them down on the spot.

  At that moment, three Sanctuary soldiers came rushing in from up ahead. All three were in tatters, their clothes torn and their bodies streaked with blood, as though they had just fought their way through a vicious battle. They pushed through the crowd and made straight for Lord Euphemia's carriage, saying they had an urgent matter to report.

  "What happened — how did you end up like this?" the Suzaku Guard Captain demanded loudly the moment he id eyes on the three battered soldiers. Lord Euphemia climbed out of the carriage as well, looking at the three men with an expression of arm.

  One of the less severely injured soldiers answered, "Reporting to Suzaku Guard Captain — just a short while ago, our forward scouting unit encountered a rge Strange beast shaped like a tiger. The creature was extremely fierce. The moment it spotted us, it attacked without hesitation. We fought back with everything we had, but we couldn't subdue it — we were the ones who ended up wounded. Our unit is still engaged with the beast as we speak. We ask that Lord Euphemia dispatch reinforcements at once."

  Lord Euphemia, having heard the soldier's report, immediately said, "Suzaku Guard Captain, send men to their aid right away. Find a way to bring that Strange beast under control."

  The Suzaku Guard Captain acknowledged the order and dispatched around twenty soldiers to rush ahead to the scene and support the scouting unit. Lord Euphemia then commanded the remaining soldiers to change course and advance in the direction where the beast had been sighted.