A week.

It took only a week for hunger to return.

“They said the Holy Nation would support us. They promised we wouldn’t run out of food.”

Arsil had spoken with joy to everyone who had come to see her off.

But now, both Ravin and Lina lay on the ground, suffering from hunger.

“They said the demons are ravaging the world. That as someone who can use holy power, as a saint, I need to go to the Holy Nation to train and prepare for the hero's party that will form one day to defeat the Demon King. They said that if we don’t save the world, even this place will be in danger.”

Everyone nodded at the mention of demons and heroes because Agraeus had often talked about it. Under his exaggerated descriptions, the children had grown fearful of the demons and the Demon King, beings they had never seen.

The noble cause was something that even Lee had to accept as the reason Arsil had to leave.

“I’ll definitely come back. I don’t know how long it will take, but I’ll return. Lee, I... I want you to wait for me.”

Arsil, afraid that he might disappear, held his hand tightly, her voice trembling in a way that was unlike her. Lee offered her a small hairpin.

“What’s this…?”

“I haven’t done much for you other than providing food. I found it in the forest... haha, sorry, even at a time like this, there’s not much I can do.”

“No! That’s not true.”

Arsil accepted the hairpin with care.

“I’m happy.”

It was a face they had never seen on the girl before.

Ravin felt jealous, but given that it was a farewell, she decided to let it go.

However, Agraeus, watching the two, harbored a hidden displeasure beneath his smile.

‘This place is a shackle for the saint.’

“Goodbye, Arsil!”

“We’ll wait for you!”

“We won’t have to go hungry anymore, right?”

The children each said their farewells.

Arsil held back her tears and waved.

“Really... you’re really going to help our alley, right?”

Arsil had asked for reassurance several times.

Each time, Agraeus responded with a smile that was hard to decipher.

“Arsil abandoned us!”

The hunger that followed their brief period of plenty was a pain unlike any they had experienced before.

Lee tried to gather roots and berries, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy the palates that had grown accustomed to bread and meat.

As most of the children, even those who had followed Arsil, began to rise up, Ravin was taken aback.

“You’re all overreacting!”

“When is the support coming? I’m starving. Let’s go out and take everything we can—anything that’s worth money or edible!”

Surprisingly, the one inciting the children was Lupino.

No one expected the frailest among them to show such a harsh side.

Ravin was too shocked to act, but it was Lina who stepped forward to try and calm the situation.

“If we do this, we’ll only end up putting ourselves in danger!”

Lina desperately tried to make her point.

“Right now, we’re nothing more than a mob. If we go out and act as you suggest, the hunting squads will catch us immediately, and we’ll all be slaughtered!”

“Shut up! You’re just the daughter of a concubine, only good for your looks!”

The children of Filthy Alley already knew what kind of person Lina was.

They knew that she had insisted on being called Arsil’s right hand, but in reality, it was Lee who had practically supported the group.

“What... what did you say?”

“Get lost, Lina! You were acting all high and mighty by Brak’s side, but on the day of liberation, you stayed back!”

“You... you stupid rags!”

“What? Say that again?”

The children who had once followed her out of obligation were no longer the same. Their eyes, now filled with anger, made Lina feel terrified and powerless.

“Hey, calm down! If we’re already fighting among ourselves, what do you think will happen when we go out there?”

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Ravin tried to soothe the group, and though they grumbled, the kids began to settle down. Lina, however, was deeply shaken.

Biting her lip, she turned and ran, with Lee chasing after her.

“Lina! Lina!”

“Haa... haa...”

Not far from where she stopped, exhausted, Lina wept in despair.

Lee, feeling sorry for her, pulled out a soft cloth to offer, but Lina slapped it away harshly.

“Leave me alone!”

“Lina….”

“You think I’m stupid too, don’t you? That I’m just a pretty face with a big mouth!”

“That’s not true.”

Even though he hadn’t shown the same care as before since the day of liberation, Lee still held feelings for Lina.

But Lina didn’t recognize his sincerity.

“This place is full of useless people! Look at you, the so-called first servant. You only make things worse until your master has to step in. If I had real servants, things wouldn’t be like this. It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault!”

“Lina!”

Unable to hold back, Lee raised his voice, causing Lina to stop crying and look at him in shock.

He’s shouting? Lee is?

“I’m not your servant.”

“Lee…?”

“Even if I was, I’d be useless, so you don’t need me.”

“No, that’s not what I meant….”

“I think I’ve done enough for you.”

“Wait, Lee…!”

“Take care.”

Lee turned his back on her.

The meaning of his actions hit Lina hard.

He was leaving.

In a panic, she grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

“Let go.”

Why does this coldness hurt so much?

“Don’t go, Lee. If you leave, I’ll have no one on my side.”

“Let go.”

“You said you were grateful! When I made you my servant, you said you were grateful!”

“Hah.”

Lee sighed.

“Not anymore.”

No.

Lee pulled his arm free and started to walk away.

There was no hesitation or regret in his steps.

“I’m sorry!”

Lina broke down.

Words that a noble would never say came out of her mouth.

“Lee… From the moment I arrived, no one liked me. Only you. They kept criticizing me, trying to tear me down, so I had no choice but to put up my thorns!”

“…….”

“Lee, please…!”

“Even so, you went too far.”

That’s it.

He responded.

He was willing to talk.

Lina clung desperately to that chance.

“Yes, I was wrong. I won’t do it again. But... but… I can’t do this alone. I need someone to help me change, to be there for me.”

“Even if I help you, it won’t matter if you don’t truly change.”

Lina staggered toward him.

She stood directly in front of him, meeting his eyes.

Her desperate gaze made Lee’s heart race.

They had never looked at each other for this long before.

Unlike the wild Arsil and Ravin, the delicate, feminine gaze of this girl captivated him, who was unaccustomed to it.

“I’ll start by changing how I treat you.”

Her pale, slender hand touched Lee’s cheek.

“I’ll treat you not as a servant, but as an equal.”

“An equal?”

“Yes, an equal. Someone who stands by me and cares for me.”

Cunningly, the girl left gaps in her words, but the boy was too overwhelmed to notice.

Even if he had, she gave him no time to think.

“To do that, you’ll need to become someone meaningful to me.”

“Your words are too complicated.”

“It’s nothing, or maybe it’s everything.”

After a moment of thought, Lina smiled brightly at him.

“Lin.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s your name.”

“What?”

Her smile alone brightened the surroundings.

And now, she was giving him a name—his heart felt like it would burst.

“Just calling you Lee doesn’t feel like we’re equals. Since you don’t have a name, I gave you one.”

“Why Lin?”

The girl pointed to herself.

“Lina.”

Then she pointed to the boy.

“Lin.”

“Lina, Lin….”

Muttering it under his breath, the girl shyly laughed.

“Hmm, since you’re Lee, it could be ‘Lee Lin.’ Commoners usually have their family name first.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Well, you’ve only lived here, so it’s natural you wouldn’t know.”

She took his arm in both hands.

“Do you like the name?”

The boy nodded sincerely.

“I’m glad.”

As she softly rested her head on his shoulder, a faint scent of sweat and fragrance mixed in.

“Someday, we’ll have to leave. But we need to prepare. The kids don’t understand that.”

At some point, the hostility had faded, replaced by a warmth that stirred the heart.

“There’s a lot I’ve done wrong, so if I say something now, they won’t listen.”

Lina whispered in his ear, pressing her chest lightly against his arm.

“I’ll change. So please, help me.”

She whispered desperately, trying her best not to make any mistakes, hoping to regain control.

After a deep breath, she softly uttered a single word.

“Lin.”

The boy, blushing, could only nod.

The girl beamed at him and hugged him tightly.

Lee—no, Lin—immersed in this new reality, wrapped his arms around her.

Breathing in Lina’s sweet scent, Lin felt that things really would change from now on.

In a more positive direction.

Though it was bittersweet and upsetting in many ways, this was how Lee got his name.

And it was also the beginning of the foolish girl's first and last regret.