With that, however, she glanced at her shadow.
Unnoticed by anyone, the shadow subtly signaled her that they would talk later.
She sighed.
'So something really is afoot.'
Ray, that guy... he truly had the instincts of a rat. He sensed danger better than most diviners in the employ of the Song Army.
Just as he thought that, his face suddenly changed, growing pale. His eyes widened.
A moment later, Rain sensed a deep shadow moving in their direction, and felt her heartbeat growing calmer.
The shadow fell on their pitiful group, and she turned around to look up at the person who approached them.
Then, she blinked.
'O—oh?'
There was a tall man standing above them, looking down with an aloof expression. His handsome face seemed to be carved from stone, and his eyes were as calm as a lake.
She knew who it was, of course... it was the Saint of Sorrow.
Tamar's dad.
What Rain did not know, however, was what he was doing here. He had never once shown initiative to seek out his daughter since the start of the war.
Until today.
Tamar looked as surprised to see her dad as Rain did. She stood up hurriedly and bowed her head to greet him.
"Father."
He lingered for a moment, then nodded to accept her greeting.
"Tamar. Let us talk."
She studied him carefully.
"You can speak in front of my friends."
He spared them a short glance, then sighed.
"...Alright. It is for the best, since what I am about to tell you concerns them, as well."
The Saint of Sorrow paused for a moment, then looked directly at Tamar.
"Leave the Greater Crossing Stronghold. I will arrange a transfer with Saint Seishan as soon as she returns. Your cohort will be assigned guard duty, escorting supply caravans from the Song Domain."
Guard duty...
That meant that they would have to return to the main camp of the Song Army, then descend from Godgrave to the Moonriver Plains... and come back with the next supply caravan.
They would not have to participate in the defense of the fortress anymore.
This was great news... however, it made Rain shiver.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the Saint of Sorrow, stunned.
There could only be one reason why he would sacrifice his dignity to arrange something like that.
It was that he believed that the Greater Crossing would fall, and wanted to make sure that his daughter did not perish with it.
'No way...'
Rain knew that the morale in the Song Army was woefully low. The soldiers did not believe in victory anymore — or rather, they did not care about it anymore.
But if the Saint of Sorrow, one of the most stalwart champions of the Song Domain, was doing something like that...
It meant that hopelessness had infected even the Saints, now.
Things were far worse than Rain had anticipated. Tamar's lower lip trembled.
Nevertheless, she controlled her emotions and managed to maintain her composure.
Her voice remained even:
"What about you?"
The Saint of Sorrow looked at her for a few long moments.
Then, he said simply:
"I'll stay."
With that, he raised his hand, froze for a second, and hesitantly patted her on the shoulder.
Not saying anything else, the Saint of Sorrow turned around and walked away, his broad back seemingly as solid as a cliff.
Tamar was left standing, watching him leave with a distant expression.
Rain wanted to comfort her friend, but at that moment, her shadow signaled her to move.
Letting out a sigh, Rain frowned and stood up.
She raised the Green Canteen.
"I'll go and try to find some water. You guys rest."
She left her cohort behind and headed in the opposite direction from where the Saint of Sorrow had gone.
When there was no one around to hear her, she whispered:
"What?"
Her brother quietly:
"Seishan is returning to the fortress. She's not alone, either... she's escorting a prisoner."
He lingered for a moment, then said:
"Go take a look."