Every morning, like clockwork, Neneva would take her seat in a wooden chair outside the mansion.
She would carefully smooth the hem of her white dress and sit with her back perfectly straight, waiting in silence as if performing a sacred ritual to welcome a Royal Messenger.
Ever since receiving that letter from the Royal Family, she hadn't missed a single day. Not even the rain could deter her.
No matter how dark the clouds or how biting the wind, Neneva remained in her chair.
Graymond would hold an umbrella over her, meticulous in his efforts to keep her shoulders dry. Even if her feet were splashed by raindrops or the hem of her dress grew heavy with mud, she never seemed to notice.
When I asked if she ever grew bored, she would simply offer a carefree smile and say, "Not at all! I’m too excited!"
She didn't look like a girl burdened with the heavy title of [Saint]. She was just—a daughter of her age, dreaming of the day she would see her mother again.
From sunrise to sunset.
Neneva waited for her escort with a racing heart. This continued for ten days.
Then came the eleventh day.
I looked down from a second-story window at Neneva, who had been at her post since dawn. A small sound had caught my ear.
Neneva stood up from her chair and froze, her gaze fixed on something in the distance.
"...They’re here! The carriage is finally here...!"
At the sound of her voice, Graymond—who must have been standing by nearby—stepped outside to join her. It seemed the Royal Family’s escort had finally arrived.
I hurried down to the first floor and peered through the dining hall window. A three-horse carriage was slowly approaching the mansion, flanked by four mounted knights like an honor guard.
The carriage flew the flag of the Imuris Kingdom. And on the armor of the knights... I saw the Shield Crest.
It was the emblem of the Shield of the Sky, the most powerful adventurer's guild in the kingdom. The moment I saw it, I instinctively ducked. My heart hammered against my ribs, and my palms turned slick with sweat.
The Royal Family and the Shield of the Sky were inextricably linked. Back at the Cradle of the Dead, Fiona and her team had been working directly with the Royal Guard.
It wasn't surprising that members of the Shield of the Sky would be chosen to escort a [Saint].
If I showed my face, I would ruin Neneva's triumphal return. I had to stay hidden. That was the one thing I could do for her. No—it was the one thing I had to do.
The rhythmic thud of hooves echoed outside. I heard the horses whinny. And then, a voice called out to me.
"Walt, come quick! The escort from the Royal Family is here!"
Neneva’s voice was overflowing with pure joy. ...Please, stop. Don’t call my name. Not only was I useless to her, but was I now going to ruin her big day as well?
"Geez, where are you!?"
Neneva sounded a little annoyed. I couldn't blame her. She probably thought I was some heartless lout for not showing my face at her moment of glory. It was a shame, but it couldn't be helped.
Once she reached the Royal Capital, we would never meet again. The distance between a [Saint] of the Royal Family and a bottom-tier member of a Dark Guild was just too great. I wouldn't even be allowed to speak to someone under the protection of the Shield of the Sky.
—At least, let me see her one last time.
With that thought, I crept toward the entrance. Graymond had rushed out in such a hurry that the door was still wide open.
Outside, the clinking of metal armor mixed with the breathing of the horses. It was the Shield of the Sky.
A heavy, tense silence followed.
"So, you’re Neneva."
A woman's voice, low and cold, sliced through the air. The moment I heard it, an alarm went off in my chest.
"What... Who are you? Something feels wrong. Didn't you come to get me? Aren't you taking me to see Mama?"
"Oh, I'll let you see her. In the afterlife."
What? What was going on?
"What do you mean...?"
Neneva’s voice, so bright moments ago, was now trembling. This wasn't right.
I activated [Hiding Arts], pressing myself against the shadows of the doorway to peek outside.
I could see Neneva and Graymond. Standing across from them were the members of the Shield of the Sky.
"The whore who seduced the King died of illness years ago. By the end, the disease had rotted her mind so thoroughly she spent her final hours clutching a doll and calling it by her daughter’s name. A pathetic end—"
"Shut up!"
Neneva shrieked. Instinctively, I pulled a certain item from my [Storage Space].
The sound of swords being unsheathed rang out. There was no time to think. I only had one shot at this.
"You will surely bring ruin to this world. My intuition says so... Die."
"You lot are the ones who are going to die!!"
I lunged out of the doorway, hurling a liquid-filled bag toward the members of the Shield of the Sky. My [Sure-hit] skill triggered, and the projectile flew true.
There were six of them in total. I spotted Fiona and a man in robes I recognized.
The six of them stared at me in shock as I suddenly appeared. At their feet, the bag burst, releasing a thick, toxic cloud of green smoke. It swallowed them whole.
"Cough! Hack, hack!"
"Hurl...! Gag...!"
"Retch...! Ugh...!"
The knights inhaled the green smoke and collapsed. Their breathing became ragged as they writhed on the ground in agony. It was a pathetic sight.
"Walt... what did you do!?"
Unable to process the situation, Neneva stared at me with bloodshot eyes.
"I... DILIGENTLY... COMPOUNDED... THE... HERBS... FROM... THE... POISON... SWAMP... TO... CREATE... A... MEDICINE... TOXIC... TO... HUMANS..."
"Why are you talking like a robot!?"
Well, it’s not exactly easy to admit I was secretly manufacturing poisonous medicine!
"Young Lady, never mind that! We have to run! The Royal Family has marked us for death! More may be coming!"
Graymond’s calm voice cut through the chaos. The agonized groans of the Shield of the Sky members filled the air.
"Right! Let's go!"
"We’re taking the carriage."
Graymond pulled a knife from his coat and rushed the driver’s seat. The driver threw up his hands and scrambled down immediately.
"Lord Walt, help me secure the horses to the carriage! We’ll take them all so they can't follow. Young Lady, get inside!"
"Okay!"
"On it!"
I mimicked Graymond, lashing the horses' reins to the carriage shafts.
I caught a glimpse of the Shield of the Sky bastards; they were emptying their stomachs onto the dirt and dry-heaving. It was a concentrated dose of the Miasma of the Poison Swamp. They were in for a world of pain. They might even die. Not that I cared.
"Quickly, Lord Walt! Inside!"
"Right."
The moment I dove into the carriage, it lurched forward at a terrifying speed. Within seconds, the pathetic cries of the Shield of the Sky faded into the distance.