Balsa makes preparations to leave the capital with Chagum. She must leave the city without being noticed; a task made difficult by the prince being overcome with the grief of leaving his family. The Emperor dispatches four secret hunters to recover the prince and kill Balsa.
Balsa discovers that she and Chagum are being followed. She has no choice but to fight against the pursuers. In the confusion she loses Chagum; she manages to rescue him, but due to her wounds, he must carry on by himself to Tanda's hut.
Following Balsa's direction, Chagum successfully reached Tanda's house in the mountains. Balsa is able to catch up, but must now recuperate her strength. She and Tanda nurture their relationship in the process.
Chagum's ailment is revealed by Torogai. Balsa knows that the Emperor will never openly search for the prince. However, when Chagum's staged funeral is held in the capital, a wide-area search for her is in the works.
Unable to determine Balsa's exact position, the Emperor's hunters split up. In the Aogiri Mountains they see Balsa and Chagum dragged down a cliff by a large wolf. They assume that the pair have died.
In order to remain hidden until next spring, Balsa buys a watermill and settles there with Chagum for the time being. To pass the time and make some money, they use the mill to grind grain for the local villagers.
Balsa visits a great swordsmith to get a new blade for her spear. The smith agrees to forge her new blade once he is convinced that she did not kill the prince.
Tōya teaches Chagum how to act more like a city dweller. After the prince sees through a rigged gambling game, he is determined to teach the men a lesson and help the people get their money back.
Shuga tries to figure whether the drought sign is diminishing. He gets permission from the head star-diviner to translate the ancient stone scrolls that record the history of Yogo and are rumored to contain information about the drought.
i was just killin ogres... when this shadow priest tried to flex.
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