Cold night wind moved quietly through the narrow alley behind the inn.
Moonlight reflected faintly across wet stone paths left behind by the earlier rain.
The entire capital felt strangely peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Ren quietly adjusted the dark cloak covering his body before looking toward the distant rooftops.
Then—
Without hesitation—
He began walking.
Lyra followed directly behind him.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of distant night wind echoed through the sleeping city.
Eventually—
Lyra quietly looked toward Ren.
"…How are we even going to leave the city?"
"The walls should still be guarded."
Ren continued walking calmly.
"I already memorized the city layout yesterday."
Lyra blinked slightly.
"…When?"
"When we registered your guild card."
"The adventurer guild had a full city map near the registration counter."
"I memorized it while waiting."
Lyra stared at him silently for several moments.
"…You memorized the entire capital city map just by looking once?"
Ren shrugged casually.
"Military habit."
Years inside the army had trained his memory differently from ordinary people.
Routes.
Escape points.
Supply paths.
Blind spots.
All of it naturally remained inside his mind.
Ren quietly continued speaking while guiding them deeper through the dark streets.
"The heavily guarded walls only exist around important districts."
"The royal palace."
"The noble district."
"The dungeon sector."
Lyra slowly nodded while listening carefully.
"The nobles fear attacks constantly."
"They care more about protecting themselves than protecting ordinary people."
"So the outer slum walls are much lower."
"And less guarded."
Lyra's silver eyes widened slightly.
"…So we're escaping through the slums?"
"Exactly."
But reaching those slums first—
Would require crossing nearly half the sleeping capital.
The two quietly moved across the market district first.
Hundreds of empty stalls stood beneath moonlight.
Shops remained closed.
Dark.
Silent.
Only a few lanterns still burned faintly along the streets.
Ren carefully observed the patrol routes ahead.
Around three to five guards slowly walked through the marketplace lazily.
Meanwhile—
Nearly twenty other guards slept carelessly across benches and wooden chairs nearby.
Some even snored loudly beneath their helmets.
Lyra looked shocked.
"…They're actually sleeping during patrol duty?"
Ren quietly smirked.
"This isn't a frontline city."
"No enemy army is marching toward the capital."
"So discipline becomes weaker."
Especially during deep night hours.
The two silently crossed between sleeping guards carefully.
Every step controlled.
Every movement precise.
No sound.
No mistakes.
Eventually—
They reached the commoner housing district.
And unlike the market area—
This place looked even worse.
Drunken guards lay sleeping against walls and wooden fences.
Several empty wine bottles rolled carelessly across the streets.
The strong smell of alcohol filled the air completely.
One guard even slept face-down in mud while still holding a spear loosely.
Lyra looked genuinely speechless.
"…How does this kingdom still function?"
Ren answered calmly.
"Corruption."
"Comfort."
"And distance from war."
Armies far from real battlefields always became weaker over time.
Especially kingdoms ruled by greedy nobles.
The two carefully continued moving through the dark streets.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Then suddenly—
Clink.
Lyra accidentally kicked an empty wine bottle.
The sound echoed sharply through the silent street.
Both Ren and Lyra froze instantly.
One nearby guard suddenly opened his eyes halfway.
"…Huh…?"
Without hesitation—
Ren immediately grabbed Lyra's arm and pulled her behind a nearby wooden cart.
Their bodies collided together tightly inside the narrow shadow.
Lyra's back pressed lightly against the wall.
Ren stood directly in front of her.
Their faces were only inches apart.
Warm breath mixed between them quietly.
Even worse—
Their lips were barely millimeters away from touching.
Lyra's wolf ears twitched violently.
Her silver tail stiffened instantly.
Meanwhile—
The half-awake guard lazily looked around the street.
"…Damn idiots…"
"Probably kicked another bottle…"
After mumbling tiredly—
He collapsed back asleep immediately.
Silence returned once more.
But neither Ren nor Lyra moved immediately.
The closeness between them suddenly felt strangely dangerous.
Lyra could hear Ren's heartbeat clearly.
And Ren could feel the warmth of her body beneath the cloak.
Then—
Without thinking—
Their lips softly touched.
A brief kiss.
Warm.
Unexpected.
Silent beneath the moonlight.
Several seconds later—
Both suddenly separated slightly.
Lyra's face turned completely red beneath her hood.
Her wolf ears flattened in embarrassment.
Ren quietly cleared his throat.
"…We should move."
"…Y-Yes."
Neither of them mentioned the kiss afterward.
But the atmosphere between them had already changed slightly.
After leaving the commoner district—
The surroundings slowly became worse.
The clean roads disappeared completely.
Broken wooden houses appeared everywhere.
Garbage filled the streets.
Rotten smells and human waste polluted the air heavily.
The slum district.
Unlike the noble capital shown during the day—
This was the true face hidden beneath the kingdom's wealth.
Poverty.
Disease.
Neglect.
No guards existed here.
No patrols.
No protection.
The kingdom simply ignored people living in these areas.
Lyra quietly looked around the dark slums.
"…This place is worse than some war refugee camps…"
Ren silently agreed.
Eventually—
The two finally reached the outer wall section near the slums.
Unlike the massive inner city walls—
This one stood much lower.
Still tall enough to stop ordinary people.
But nowhere near impossible to cross.
Dark black stone covered the wall surface.
And beneath moonlight—
The black stone made the entire area appear even darker.
Perfect natural cover.
Ren carefully climbed first before helping Lyra upward.
A few moments later—
Both reached the top of the wall quietly.
Outside the city—
Dark wilderness stretched endlessly beneath moonlight.
Freedom.
But also danger.
Ren carefully looked downward.
The wall wasn't high enough to kill someone from falling—
But jumping carelessly would still create noise and injuries.
He frowned slightly.
"…I should probably buy a rope from the system."
But Lyra tilted her head slightly.
"…Why?"
Ren blinked.
"To climb down safely."
Lyra looked confused.
"We can just jump."
"…What?"
She pointed toward herself slightly.
"I have wind magic too."
Ren froze briefly.
Then immediately realized—
He had completely forgotten.
The recent tension and escape preparations had occupied his thoughts too heavily.
Lyra quietly stepped closer beside him.
"Hold my arm."
Ren did so carefully.
Then—
Together—
They jumped from the wall.
Cold air rushed violently past them.
The ground approached rapidly beneath darkness.
And just before impact—
Soft green wind mana exploded around them.
WHOOSH—
Their falling speed instantly decreased.
The two landed almost silently against the soft dirt outside the city walls.
Ren looked genuinely impressed.
"…That's incredibly useful."
Lyra smiled proudly for the first time that night.
"Told you."
Then both slowly turned back toward the distant capital city behind them.
Massive walls.
Sleeping nobles.
Corrupt royalty.
Dangerous politics.
All slowly disappeared behind darkness.
For the first time since arriving in this world—
Ren and Lyra had finally escaped the capital.
Ahead of them waited long roads.
Forests.
Monsters.
Fenrisgrad.
And eventually—
War.
But tonight—
Beneath the cold moonlight—
Freedom finally belonged to them.