Chapter 119

Hemlock finishes his solo run back to Garden headquarters by morning, where the Shopkeeper, already briefed by Matthew's report, hears his apologies for the damaged forest and the attacks on the elk and Yor. The old man withholds blame for the latter, admitting he once tested the Thorn Princess himself, and asks whether she is strong; Hemlock confirms it. Gympie hands over a salve formulated for Yor's wounds, telling Hemlock to deliver it as his apology, and confesses her own envy of Yor's power. The Shopkeeper muses about grooming Garden's next generation so Matthew can finally retire, concluding the young ones all need work.

At the Forger home, Yor panics over the date she engineered. Unable to endure the slash on her arm, she had asked Loid to revisit the restaurant from their first date, hoping its cocktail would dull the pain like before, disguising the request as practice for public displays of affection. With Franky babysitting Anya and Bond, the couple heads out, Yor steamrolling Loid's sightseeing plans in her rush to the bar. The cocktail fails her, having only "worked" the first time because it was poisoned, and round after round leaves her drunk and despondent. Loid, determined to fix her mood, escorts her along the new waterfront, where she scandalizes their neighbors by asking about welcome-home kisses. Slipping away to redo her bandages, Yor senses hostile intent: Hemlock, beckoning. He passes her the salve and vanishes, but Camilla, Sharon, and Millie witness the exchange from across the river and start whispering about an affair.

The salve works, Yor sobers, and the date resumes until Loid spots her coworkers tailing them. The hand-holding meant to deflect suspicion ends with a mortified Yor crushing his fingers, and the two flee together, a run she privately enjoys until Hemlock's words about assassins resurface. Reading her gloom, Loid brings her to the hilltop park from the early days of their acquaintance. Gazing over Berlint, Yor realizes she no longer needs the spot to remember what she fights for, since home now holds it. She raises the question of how long their marriage agreement will last. Loid, inwardly alarmed, assumes she wants an extension and offers to continue indefinitely for Anya's sake and the mission's, expressing gratitude when pressed on his feelings. It is not the answer she wants. Recalling Matthew's quiet hope that his wife would stay regardless, Yor swallows her real wish, deciding that hoping for it would be selfish.

The Shopkeeper absolves Hemlock's attack on Yor while signaling plans to develop Garden's younger members toward Matthew's retirement. Gympie's salve reaches Yor through Hemlock, healing her arm but sparking affair rumors among Camilla, Sharon, and Millie. Loid and Yor recreate their first date, and Yor probes the future of their marriage agreement, only to have Loid's mission-driven reassurance confirm her fear that he views the arrangement as purely contractual.

Dialogue here establishes that nearly half a year has passed since Loid and Yor first met. The chapter illustration appeared just after Tanabata with the caption "Am I too late...?", and the same art was recycled for Chapter 137 with a new caption the following year. The chapter runs 25 pages, released July 7, 2025, and opens Volume 17's share of the Poacher Hunting Arc.