Chapter 39: The Choice, The Visit, The Banquet

Allergic?

Aisha’s eyelid twitched.

A maid who spent every day cleaning armor and wiping dust off swords…

Was allergic to metal?

With acting skills like that, she could have become the lead actress at the Royal Capital Theater.

Without saying a word, Aisha quietly watched Mira.

The maid was crouched on the floor, looking fragile and helpless.

She had seen it clearly.

That moment earlier hadn’t been a simple mistake.

It had been a carefully calculated release of force and subtle redirection.

Not only had Mira avoided touching the Church emblem, but she had also disguised it as a flawless accident.

She had deliberately sent the only detection device somewhere temporarily out of reach.

On the surface, it looked like nothing more than an unfortunate accident.

The excuse seemed convincing.

Yet it was also the strongest evidence.

Anna’s warning had been real.

A chill shot from Aisha’s feet straight to the top of her head.

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became.

‘I really was too naive.’

‘I never noticed anything suspicious about our newly hired maid.’

Step by step, Mira had blended into their daily lives.

Adventure after adventure, she had earned everyone’s trust.

Every single action had been intentional.

Mira picked up a few gold coins before looking up.

Her purple eyes were filled with apology.

But Aisha saw something entirely different in them.

It was a subtle provocation.

There was even a hint of pride.

As if she were saying,

“See?”

“I threw it into the corner right in front of you.”

“And there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it.”

Aisha finally understood.

Mira wasn’t trying to hide herself.

She was playing a game of cat and mouse.

She and Kate were the mice being toyed with.

The cat before them was a hundred times more cunning than any real feline.

Mira…

She could endure the extreme temperatures of the lava region without using high-grade fire resistance potions.

Such a dangerous existence had been lurking right beside her all this time.

Worse still, her teammates Kate and Sylvia had already been thoroughly manipulated.

They trusted Mira completely.

…

Aisha’s gaze landed on the corner of the table.

A pale green talisman rested there.

Its glow had long since faded.

It was the healing talisman Yelena had used on her.

She remembered a long time ago.

Ye Lian had awkwardly bandaged her wounds with clumsy hands.

The young man and the fox girl shared remarkably similar eyes.

They gave off the same feeling.

There had to be some sort of connection between them.

‘Could they be relatives?’

Aisha’s thoughts spiraled.

Following only her intuition, she reached a vague conclusion.

Silently, she made up her mind.

Next time…

She would definitely ask Yelena about her relationship with Ye Lian.

Yelena had helped her on the battlefield.

That alone proved she couldn’t be a bad person.

Aisha clenched her fist.

She would visit the Sword Saint’s estate.

She intended to uncover the truth.

At the same time, she would inform Yelena and Yvette of everything.

Together…

They would defeat the unfathomable maid named Mira.

Early the next morning, Aisha informed her two teammates of her plans for the day.

“What?”

“You’re going to the Astraya estate alone just to thank them?”

After hearing Aisha’s decision, Kate practically jumped into the air.

Her sharp voice sounded like the whistle of a tiny steam engine.

“Have you lost your mind, Aisha?!”

“Did you already forget how they humiliated us in the lava region?!”

“Exactly, Lady Aisha!”

Sylvia tightened her grip on her staff.

“They never treated us with any respect.”

“So why are we going there just to embarrass ourselves?”

“If word gets out, where will the Church’s dignity be?”

Faced with her teammates’ fierce objections, Aisha calmly adjusted her appearance.

“This isn’t humiliating ourselves.”

She tied her long golden hair into a ponytail.

Her tone left no room for argument.

“As the Hero, this is the right thing to do.”

“She saved our lives.”

“Going to thank her is only proper.”

Kate and Sylvia remained silent.

They simply stared at Aisha without another word.

It felt strange.

Both of their personalities seemed to have changed.

Neither of them was moved by anything Aisha said.

At this point, their team’s situation had clearly become dangerous.

But she refused to compromise.

The three of them had overcome countless crises together.

If she, as their leader, allowed herself to waver now…

If she simply drifted along with the current…

Wouldn’t that be exactly what Mira wanted?

She still didn’t understand why Mira’s influence hadn’t affected her.

Although she feared the mysterious maid whose origins remained unknown…

Even though she hadn’t seen Mira today…

Aisha already knew that Kate and Sylvia had effectively become Mira’s hostages.

Even so…

She refused to give up.

She would find a way to break this deadlock.

Without another word, she opened the door and left.

Only Kate and Sylvia remained behind.

Suspicion and doubt slowly filled the room.

Discord had quietly begun to grow within the Hero’s party.

In the corner of the inn’s courtyard…

A pair of eyes silently watched everything.

Standing before the magnificent gates of the Astraya family’s estate, Aisha couldn’t calm her anxious heart.

Two guards clad in black full-body armor stood motionless by the entrance like statues.

Their steady auras immediately revealed them as elite warriors.

Taking a deep breath, Aisha stepped forward and announced herself.

“Would you please inform your master that Hero Aisha Paricio has come to pay a visit?”

One of the guards looked at her through the narrow slit of his helmet.

His voice was just as cold.

“The Lady of the House has given orders.”

“We are not receiving visitors.”

After a brief pause, he added bluntly,

“Especially people from the Church.”

Aisha’s cheeks instantly turned red.

Every prepared word caught in her throat.

‘This isn’t what I expected…’

Anna had clearly shown her goodwill before.

So why was she being turned away at the door?

Just as Aisha lowered her head and prepared to leave…

The large gate behind them creaked open.

A narrow gap appeared.

“Wait.”

“Ah… Lady Yelena.”

One of the guards immediately bowed respectfully in a knight’s salute.

A breathtaking fox girl appeared behind the gate.

Today, she wasn’t wearing her usual black cloak that concealed her appearance.

Instead, she wore a beautifully tailored Eastern-style casual outfit.

A white apron was tied around her waist.

In one hand, she casually twirled an unusually shaped silver kitchen knife.

The Silver Flame Chef’s Blade spun effortlessly between her fingers.

Its polished surface reflected the morning sunlight, dazzling anyone who looked at it.

Her nine fluffy fox tails gently swayed behind her.

A delighted smile spread across her face.

It was the expression of someone who had just discovered an especially interesting new toy.

“Let her in~”

“We meet again, Lady Aisha.”

The guards immediately stepped aside.

Leaning casually against the doorframe, Yelena tilted her head with a sweet smile.

She looked at the still-frozen Aisha.

Her smile grew even brighter.

“Perfect timing.”

“The welcoming banquet I prepared for our ‘honored guest’…”

“…has only just begun.”