Chapter 6: As Gentle as a Mother

Late at night, in the dormitory of the Rose Knights, Leanna stood before Meilin’s room.

She had keenly sensed Meilin’s unusual mood today. As the Captain, it was her duty to care for her mental well-being.

She knocked on the door and spoke:

“Meilin? Are you there? It’s Leanna.”

“Meilin?”

After a long silence with no response from inside, her brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

Finally, as if realizing something, she suddenly pushed open the door.

The room was simply decorated, with a faint scent of youthful freshness lingering in the air.

But what made her face pale was that it was empty.

Not being in the dorm late at night—what else could she be doing?

Meilin… could she be trying to run away?

What nonsense! There were so many guards patrolling nearby, there was no way she could escape. And if Lady Isavel found out about this…

She’d be dead!

Leaning against the door, Leanna thought for a long while. Finally, she bit her lip and decided to tell Cylis about this tomorrow.

Only Cylis could save Meilin.

……

Pulling her black hood tightly, Meilin climbed over the dormitory wall and fled straight toward the edge of the forest.

She knew what would happen if she was caught running away, but staying here was no different from death.

She could not die.

Her ailing Mother was still waiting for her to return.

Glancing at the guards with their spotlights in the distance, she lowered her body and slowly weaved through the trees.

But soon, she accidentally stepped on a brittle branch.

Crack—

The spotlight immediately shone over.

Meilin intended to hide, but the next moment a guard’s magic seized her wrist.

Raising the spotlight, the guard looked at the girl’s face and said:

“Miss Knight, according to regulations, this area is now a Forbidden Zone. Anyone found here at night must come with us to see Lady Isavel.”

“I—I…”

Her body trembling, Meilin stammered out words. Instinctively, she wanted to escape again, but the guard’s magic was far beyond her ability to break free.

At that moment, a holy light flashed through the forest. Wearing a pure white gown, Cylis appeared beside her.

To the guard, she spoke gently but firmly: “Step back. You saw no one tonight. This place is under my care now.”

“Yes, Lady Saint.”

The guard bowed and quickly disappeared before them.

Afterwards, Cylis knelt down before Meilin, gazing into her eyes, and asked: “You want to go home, don’t you, Meilin?”

Blushing, Meilin lowered her head, and all the fear and grievances poured out:

“I’m sorry, Lady Cylis… I’m sorry. I know I’m a deserter, a coward, but I’m really so scared! I’m afraid of dying here, afraid I’ll never see Mother again…”

Cylis gently touched her head and smiled: “Fear of death, longing for family—these are never signs of cowardice, Meilin. They are what make us human.”

“B-but everyone says being a Rose Knight is an honor. The Empire gave my family a lot of money to find the best Imperial Physician to treat my Mother’s illness. I wanted to endure…”

At this point, hesitation flickered in Meilin’s eyes.

“But today’s training… Lady Isavel was really terrifying! She would really kill us! If I die, what will happen to my Mother? She only has me…”

Cylis knew that compared to the other girls who joined the Rose Knights, Meilin’s background was far more tragic.

Because of this, her attachment to family was even stronger.

After a brief silence, a flicker of struggle crossed Cylis’s gaze before it transformed into unwavering determination.

“Meilin, I can’t make your choice for you, but I can offer you an option.”

She stepped aside. At the edge of the forest, moonlight shimmered—a symbol of freedom, filled with infinite temptation for Meilin.

“Stay, or keep moving forward. No guard will know you left. Once you pass the last checkpoint, you will be free.”

Meilin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You… you’re going to let me go? Why? But you are…”

“My identity doesn’t matter. What matters is that tonight, standing before you, I am just an ordinary person who doesn’t want to see a daughter lose her Mother, nor a Mother lose her daughter.”

With that, Cylis took a small Money Pouch and a Magic Talisman glowing with soft white light from her bosom and placed them into Meilin’s hand.

“This money should cover your expenses on the road. This talisman has a magic spell engraved on it. If you encounter mortal danger, crush it. Remember, once you choose to leave, don’t look back.”

Holding the pouch and talisman, Meilin clutched what felt like the heaviest yet warmest things in the world.

She fell to her knees, not out of formality but pure gratitude.

“Lady Cylis, your kindness—I, I…”

“Go now. No need to thank me. Hurry before the other guards arrive.”

Helping Meilin up, Cylis waved her off.

At parting, Meilin looked at the Saint deeply, as if imprinting her figure into her soul.

Then she turned and disappeared into the dense night.

Cylis stood still until Meilin’s footsteps could no longer be heard, then let out a barely audible sigh.

Most of the girls in the Rose Knights had just come of age.

At this age, bearing the burden of saving the world was bound to cause some psychological wounds.

And what she had to do was heal those wounds.

Just like a Mother.

Thinking this, she walked toward the place where Meilin had vanished.

……

Ding-ling ding-ling—

The carriage passed through a bustling street, carrying the scent of noble perfume.

Standing by the small town street, Meilin felt confused.

Where… was this?

Having left the Rose Knights’ Temporary Encampment, she realized she knew nothing except that her destination was Anna Town.

Just as she wandered aimlessly down the street, someone suddenly bumped into her.

“Sorry, sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Seeing the person pull down their hat and quickly disappear into the crowd, Meilin didn’t pursue it further.

Walking on, she came to a carriage rental stand.

She found the coachman and, with a hopeful tone, asked: “Excuse me, how do I get to Anna Town from here?”

Anna Town was an obscure little town in the Ost Empire; few knew of it. But luck was on her side—the coachman happened to know the town.

“Anna Town? That’s really far. By carriage, it would take months. But you can first head north to Rodel Fortress. There’s a large teleportation array there that can send you very far. From Rodel Fortress to Anna Town is only a day or two.”

Removing his hat, the coachman enthusiastically asked:

“So? Want to take a carriage to Rodel Fortress? Discounted price—just sixty Copper Coins per person.”

“Ah, okay.”

Sixty Copper Coins?

Though Meilin thought it was a bit expensive, she had no choice but to pay if she wanted to return.

However, when she touched her pocket, she found only the talisman remained.

Where was her Money Pouch?

Feeling around, she couldn’t find it anywhere.

The coachman seemed to realize something as his enthusiasm faded.

He raised an eyebrow and said:

“No money?”

“N-no, that’s not…”

Panicked, Meilin suddenly recalled the stranger who had bumped into her earlier.

A pickpocket!

Damn it! She should have caught her then!

…Without money, what could she do now?

Returning was impossible, and if she kept going… just the fare to Rodel Fortress was enough to take her forever to earn.

Lowering her head, Meilin clenched her fists, overwhelmed by frustration and helplessness.

“There’s one hundred and twenty Copper Coins here. I’ll go with her.”

Just as she stood there unsure what to do, the scent of lavender drifted to her nose on the breeze, and a familiar figure appeared beside her.

Handing the coachman a Money Pouch containing one hundred and twenty Copper Coins, Cylis smiled gracefully.

The coachman hurriedly opened it and began counting the coins.

Staring blankly at her profile, Meilin’s lips trembled as she whispered in a faint voice:

“Lady Cylis?!”

“Oh, you.”

Cylis pointed a finger at her forehead with a hint of exasperation: “Really, you should be more careful when you’re out. How can I rest easy otherwise?”

In that instant, tears welled in Meilin’s eyes.