Snow drifted quietly beyond the windows.
The warmth inside the roadside inn stood in sharp contrast to the bitter cold outside.
No one moved.
Five men wearing crimson cloth around their arms stood before the entrance.
Their leader slowly folded the portrait in his hand.
He looked directly at Ren.
"...We've found you."
The room fell silent.
Travelers exchanged uneasy glances.
The innkeeper's hands trembled as he clutched a kettle of hot tea.
Ren instinctively stepped back.
"...Who are you?"
The leader ignored him.
Instead, he spoke to the room.
"Everyone who is not our target..."
"...leave."
No one argued.
Within moments, merchants, pilgrims and travelers rushed outside, desperate to avoid whatever was about to happen.
Only three people remained.
Ren.
The old innkeeper.
...
And the traveler wearing a weathered straw hat.
He quietly lifted his teacup.
As if nothing had happened.
One of the Crimson men frowned.
"...Old man."
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No response.
"I said leave."
The traveler took another sip.
The Crimson soldier scoffed.
"You deaf?"
Still...
Nothing.
The leader finally noticed him.
His eyes drifted toward the old katana resting beside the traveler.
The worn sheath.
The faded wrapping.
The straw hat.
His expression slowly changed.
"..."
One of his men rested a hand on his sword.
"Captain?"
The leader raised a hand.
"Don't."
The room became strangely quiet.
He stepped forward.
Not aggressively.
Carefully.
"...Forgive my subordinate."
No answer.
The traveler continued drinking his tea.
The Crimson soldiers looked at one another in confusion.
Their captain...
Was apologizing?
The leader bowed his head slightly.
"We have no quarrel with you."
Silence.
"We're only here for the boy."
The traveler gently placed his teacup onto the table.
...
Click.
His voice was calm.
"The tea house owner."
The leader looked toward the frightened innkeeper.
"He welcomed me."
Another pause.
"...Do not spill blood in his home."
No threat.
No anger.
Just a simple request.
Yet every Crimson soldier suddenly found it difficult to breathe.
One whispered...
"...Captain..."
The leader slowly exhaled.
Then...
He smiled.
"As you wish."
He turned toward his men.
"We're leaving."
The room froze.
"...What?"
One of the soldiers couldn't believe what he had heard.
"But sir, the boy—"
"I gave an order."
His tone allowed no argument.
Reluctantly...
The Crimson soldiers sheathed their blades.
As they reached the doorway, the captain stopped beside Ren.
He spoke quietly.
"So..."
"You're Ren Hayashi."
Ren remained silent.
The captain smiled faintly.
"We'll meet again."
Then...
The Crimson Hunt disappeared into the falling snow.
Only after they had gone did the innkeeper collapse onto his knees.
His hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Ren stared at the traveler.
"...Why?"
The traveler finished the last of his tea.
He stood.
Placed a few coins on the table.
The traveler adjusted his straw hat.
Without any word...
He walked out into the snow.
Ren hurried after him.
"Wait!"
The traveler never stopped walking.
Within moments...
The snowfall swallowed him whole.
---
Several hours later...
The Crimson riders arrived at an ancient fortress hidden deep within a forest of black pines.
No banners flew above its walls.
No villagers knew it existed.
Torches illuminated a single corridor leading underground.
The captain walked alone into a stone chamber.
At the far end...
A man sat before a shogi board.
His back remained turned.
Without looking up, he spoke.
"...Report."
The captain knelt.
"We located Ren Hayashi."
A wooden shogi piece clicked softly against the board.
"And?"
The captain lowered his head.
"...The Silent Blade was with him."
Silence.
The room itself seemed to grow colder.
The seated man reached for another piece.
Click.
"...So."
"The ghost walks once more."
The captain remained motionless.
"Should we continue pursuing the boy?"
The man finally stood.
His face remained hidden within the darkness.
"The boy carries answers."
A pause.
"...The Silent Blade carries something far more valuable."
He slowly walked toward the narrow window overlooking the snowy forest.
"From this day onward..."
"I want every movement of Ren Hayashi reported."
Another pause.
"...And every rumor concerning the Silent Blade."
The captain nodded.
"What if we encounter him again?"
The man answered immediately.
"...Do not engage."
The captain hesitated.
"...Even if we outnumber him?"
The figure gave a quiet laugh.
"Numbers..."
"...have never mattered."
For the first time...
He turned his head slightly.
Only one eye caught the moonlight.
"If you encounter the Silent Blade..."
"...leave."
The captain's expression hardened.
"Yes, my lord."
Far away...
A lone traveler walked beneath the falling snow.
His footsteps left a single trail through the endless white.
He never looked back.
He never slowed.
Somewhere ahead...
Something awaited him.
And for the first time in many years...
The legend known as the Silent Blade...
Was no longer walking alone in his story.
---
End of Chapter 4
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