In the cramped cave, the three youths sat on the ground by the light of the campfire, discussing the direction of their future escape.

"Marmore County is here..."

Azerion used a stone to draw a rough outline on the ground, then pointed to a spot on the northeastern edge of the lower left contour circle: "Based on the route taken by that prisoner transport carriage, we're still relatively close to the border. Even if we take a longer route, we could return to Therrien territory in about six or seven days. But we must be careful to avoid soldiers, as well as bandits and wild animals along the way."

Leon suddenly interjected from the side: "I think it's not suitable to flee eastward now."

Azerion and Lohak looked at him in confusion.

"Why?" Lohak asked, puzzled.

Leon's soul, after all, came from Earth. When facing the Therrien Kingdom in his memories, he didn't have the strong sense of homeland that the other two had. So he realized a situation they had overlooked.

Pointing to the border line drawn on the ground, Leon explained: "The war has already begun. Since the Kantadar army has captured the city of Rolannar, who knows how many other counties in the western part of the kingdom have also been invaded simultaneously? Returning to places that may already be occupied by them could be even more dangerous, don't you think?"

"......" Azerion was stunned upon hearing this. After all, he was still a young man who hadn't fully matured. Even with a relatively sharp mind, it was hard to consider the bigger picture from a broader perspective.

Leon continued to the two troubled youths: "I'm not sure how far the Kantadar army has invaded. What if they've already brought the war deep into Therrien's heartland? How much danger would we have to pass through to reach safer places further east? Unless you have distant relatives in the far east that we can turn to, it might be worth the risk. Otherwise, struggling to return to our war-torn homeland won't put us in a much better situation than now."

Hearing Leon's words, Lohak's gaze dimmed: "Other than my sister, all my family were killed by the Kantadars. Now, even if I return to Therrien, I don't know where to go."

Azerion smiled bitterly: "I have some relatives, but they probably would have preferred I died with my father in Rolannar."

Leon glanced at the complex, self-mocking expression on Azerion's face.

Azerion pulled himself together and asked, "So where do you think we should go now?"

After a brief thought, Leon pointed to the upper part of the border outline drawn by Azerion: "I remember hearing from traveling merchants that the northern Aurand Kingdom speaks the same language as us, right?"

Azerion nodded. As a noble's son who had received some education, he was somewhat knowledgeable about geography: "It's not just the language. Aurand and Therrien are both countries established by our Ferru people in history, although most of them don't worship the Holy Sun and the Holy Prophet."

Receiving a positive answer, Leon continued with his suggestion: "Here's what I'm thinking. Instead of risking an escape east back to Therrien, why don't we head north to seek refuge in Aurand? After all, even if the Kantadars have gone mad, they can't possibly wage war against two kingdoms at the same time. Besides, the soldiers in this county have probably been mostly dispatched east to maintain the war. Right now, heading north might actually be less dangerous for us."

He finished and asked his companions for their opinions: "What do you think?"

Azerion thought for a while and finally nodded: "Although we can't say for certain that going to Aurand is completely safe, it's definitely less risky than running east."

"I'm with you," Lohak said sullenly. He didn't have any better ideas.

Having agreed on a temporary goal and direction, Leon felt some relaxation in his tense nerves, but only relatively. Although they had escaped from the cage, their homeland had been occupied by the Kantadar army. Having lost all their family and shelter, the threats they faced—hunger, disease, bandits, wild beasts—were no less than the soldiers' swords and knives if they wanted to survive in this dangerous, chaotic world.

"How much food do we have left?" Leon asked.

"Only two pieces of dry bread," Lohak glanced at the now-deflated torn cloth bag and replied. Obviously, the dead mercenary hadn't prepared for long-distance travel; there wasn't much food in his bag.

Leon looked toward the wind and rain outside the cave: "When the rain stops, I'll try to see if I can catch something to eat out there."

"You know how to hunt?" Lohak asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, my father was a hunter, and I learned to hunt with him from a young age. Finding a way to catch some small animals shouldn't be a problem. It's a pity we don't have a bow and arrow," Leon recalled the tracking and hunting skills from the original owner's memories and sighed regretfully.

"Then we'll rely on you. All I know is how to fight," Lohak scratched his head, seeming to think of something. He handed over the arming sword: "Do you need this? If you can use it, the sword is yours. And the chainmail I'm wearing—it was you who took down that guy in the first place. The things we took from him should be distributed by you."

He looked over at Azerion: "Don't you agree?"

Azerion didn't object to Lohak's suggestion but shook the dagger in his hand: "I have no issue, but for hunting, Leon might need this more."

Indeed, Leon nodded. More than that sword, he needed the dagger to process branches and make hunting tools.

As for distributing the supplies, there wasn't much to fuss about. The three of them were currently in the same boat, and having already gone through hardships together, they basically trusted each other. Leon believed that weapons and armor must be given to those who could make the most effective use of them.

In his previous life, Leon had played with various cold weapons, but he wasn't sure how much effect his fencing experience in a gym, wearing protective gear, would have when facing ruthless soldiers who lived by the sword.

Experiencing the uneven and ankle-twisting muddy terrain outdoors made him realize that in real wilderness combat, his habits from walking on flat floors and modern roads might make it difficult even to maintain his balance.

Moreover, even if he knew some basic swordsmanship techniques from his past life, this body, which had never learned sword fighting, didn't have enough skill to use them effectively.

Thinking of this, Leon glanced at the physiques of the two in front of him, silently assessing. Being the son of a hunter, he'd had plenty of meat from a young age. Azerion, as a noble's son, also lacked no nutrition. The two of them were considered above average in stature among their peers. But Lohak was noticeably stronger than both of them—whether naturally or from training, he didn't know.

"Which of you can use a sword?" Leon pondered and asked.

"I've learned swordsmanship but don't have much experience in actual combat," Azerion understood Leon's considerations and answered honestly.

Lohak patted his chest: "I can fight with a sword. My father was a sergeant in the city guard; I practically grew up in the barracks. When those Kantadar bastards attacked the city, I was on the walls assisting the guards in defending, until..." Speaking of past battles, his eyes dimmed: "Until my father had me return home to protect my mother and sister."

"Pull yourself together; that wasn't your fault." Leon pushed the arming sword back to Lohak and handed him the thick gambeson as well: "Since you're the one among us with the most sword-fighting experience, the armor and sword should be yours. It's more meaningful to concentrate these things for use."

Then he looked at Azerion: "You keep the shield and the long dagger. If we encounter danger, you can use the shield for protection and assist Lohak in combat."

"Of course, I won't sneak away while you two fight the enemy," Leon joked with a shrug.

Azerion shook his head: "You've given us both everything. Even if you slipped away, it would be understandable."

Lohak earnestly echoed: "Yes, you've already saved our lives. If we really run into danger, you can run first! I won't blame you at all."

Leon smiled without saying more and continued inventorying the items with them.

Besides the helmet, chainmail, arming sword, long dagger, shield, clothing, and water flasks, there were also a dozen silver coins in the mercenary's torn cloth bag—a bit of unexpected wealth.

"If we come across a decent settlement, we can use this money to buy some food and tools," Azerion said.

"But we don't speak the local language. How can we trade without arousing suspicion?" Leon frowned.

"No worries. I actually speak Ulian, the language of the Kantadars," Azerion pointed to himself: "If we get the chance, I can try going alone."

... They discussed like this for a long time, one sentence after another, until the rain outside gradually lessened. The three of them then took turns keeping watch and went to sleep one after another.

The next day, after the weather cleared completely, they left the cave and hurried into the woods to find food. Fortunately, they discovered a small mountain stream.

Leon taught his two companions to make a few simple spears from branches and spent the morning spearfishing. Returning to the cave, they lit a fire and solved their immediate food problem.

Having gnawed on those extremely unpalatable dry rations in the cage for so long, and never filling their stomachs, even these unseasoned roasted fish tasted delicious to them now. Hunger indeed is the best seasoning.

For the rest of the afternoon, Leon used raw fish meat and innards as bait to set up a few small traps in the woods using pitfalls, branches, torn cloth strips, and vines. Although they would only spend one last night here, if they could get some harvest before setting off, it would make their escape journey easier.

At nightfall, Leon, sitting against the rock wall at the cave entrance and responsible for keeping watch, didn't idle. He used the dagger to cut small tree trunks found during the day into relatively straight wooden shafts, then began sharpening spear tips on rocks. No matter how crude, it was better to have a weapon in hand to deal with wild animals.

Moreover, even the simplest wooden spear could deal lethal damage to an unarmored target if used properly. Even if they encountered armored mercenaries, he could at least interfere with the enemy from the side.

As he sharpened, Leon couldn't help but think of that light arrow he'd conjured previously.

What was it called again? Issa's Arrow.

That thing was more powerful than a typical rifle bullet. If he could use it again, they wouldn't have to fear threats from ordinary wild animals or individual soldiers. Even if fainting afterward was the price, Lohak certainly wouldn't abandon him while he was unconscious, so he could reluctantly accept it...

Leon suddenly chuckled, dispelling his dreamy wishful thinking.

The mysterious voice that day hadn't responded to his calls since. It was meaningless to indulge in such fantasies of power that didn't belong to him. Having a miracle happen once was already lucky enough.

Sigh... Who are you? Touching the sharpened wooden spear tip, Leon muttered in his heart. Actually, the voice was quite pleasant, seemingly a young girl's.

However, thinking back, the hasty guess he made at the time might not be reliable now. Although the voice did echo in his heart, that didn't necessarily mean another soul consciousness was residing in his body.

Maybe it was some kindhearted mage lady who happened to be passing by and lent a helping hand from a distance upon seeing injustice?

Leon was amused by his own wild thoughts...