That night, an unappetizing dinner was set on the table.
It was still the usual stew of potatoes and onions, seasoned simply with salt—this was the staple at Holly’s house.
Previously, this “Miss Heiress” had been quite disdainful of it, or rather… even now, she hadn’t quite gotten used to this frugal way of living.
But today, her mood was especially good.
Even though she came home covered in wolf and fox scratches, and was relentlessly questioned by her grandfather and grandmother, she still maintained a smiling face.
Because… she had finally joined the mercenary company she had long dreamed of.
And she had found Sister Vena, who could teach her and was easy to talk to~
Only… the other sister who saved her, named Reliel Wood, didn’t seem very fond of speaking.
From beginning to end, she hadn’t said a single word to her.
“Holly!!”
While the girl’s mind was still occupied with these thoughts, a voice suddenly sounded beside her ear, filling her with a hint of fear.
“Ugh…” The girl looked up and found her elder sister, Apprentice Pharmacist Ailu Hills from Stream Town.
This sister, two years her senior, had been the pillar of the Holly family since their parents passed away.
Holly’s fear of her was like a child afraid of an angry mother… instinctive and difficult to control.
“Si… Sister…” The girl’s once exuberant mood instantly deflated, and she glanced at her sister with some guilt.
“That face of yours…” Unlike their elderly grandfather and grandmother with their poor eyesight, Apprentice Pharmacist Ailu immediately saw through her troublesome little sister’s unusual expression.
She crouched down to examine her carefully, the two of them so close their noses were less than five centimeters apart…
“Uh… Sis… I… I’m really fine… hiss!?”
Before Holly could finish, Ailu poked her gently on the girl’s abdomen with a finger!
The sudden pain made Holly curl up in agony.
And in that moment, Ailu’s expression darkened.
“Come! Inside with me!” Without another word, she grabbed her sister’s wrist and pulled her into the room.
Bang! As the door shut, the girl who was pressed down on the bed looked pitifully at the mature sister who bore some resemblance to her.
“Sis…”
“Alright… take it off.”
“Ugh…”
“Want me to help?”
“No!” With no other choice, Holly slowly peeled off her shirt, revealing a large bruise spreading across her abdomen.
“…” At that moment, Holly could feel the heavy pressure emanating from her sister.
“Who did this?”
“I… I went to the Mercenary Guild this afternoon… just sparred a bit with someone… but I didn’t lose!”
That sentence was like lighting a long-dormant powder keg!
Ailu instantly ignited.
“Holly!! Have I ever told you not to go to places like that?! We are just ordinary civilians! It’s dangerous there! Don’t you understand?!”
Her tone grew increasingly urgent, as if she was furious to the brink!
“The family never demands anything special from you, so don’t cause trouble, alright?! I’m busy every day! I don’t have time…”
“You’re always like this…”
But before Ailu could finish, Holly cut her off sharply.
“What?”
If it had been the old Holly, she probably wouldn’t have dared to defy her sister, but now “Holly Ai Ai” felt disdain for the scolding.
Her own memories surged forth like a fountain, wrapped in grievance and stubbornness.
“You never care about what I think!! Do you even know what I want? Do you know what I want to do? Why do you always say I’m causing trouble? Did I ask you to care about me?!”
As she spoke, the girl suddenly stood up and shoved her sister, who was left staring in shock.
“Ugh…?”
Ailu was stunned, eyes wide, looking at the little girl she had raised since childhood.
Those words and that shove hit the sister hard.
“You never truly cared about me!”
“Holly… why would you think that…”
Step, step, step…
Without even putting on a shirt, Holly, covered in wounds and wearing a slightly worn chest wrap, charged out of the house.
“Holly!!” Her sister’s anxious shout came from behind!
But the girl didn’t look back, just ran straight into the dim moonlight.
“I hate you, Sister the most!!”
…
Stream Town was very quiet at night.
Due to the recent disappearances, there was almost no one on the streets.
Except… the mercenaries who had been commissioned to patrol.
At this moment, in a somewhat dim alley, clad in light armor and with a cold expression, Reliel Wood was walking alone through the darkness.
Her strength was enough to lead a small team.
But her personality clearly proved that being powerful didn’t necessarily make her fit to be a team leader.
Bena, who had been constantly by her side, was actually the team leader, so when dividing groups, Reliel had simply given her a look…
Making it clear she intended to go solo.
Before Bena could object, Reliel had already left the group.
Lately, perhaps because of Ileya Bateos’ situation, she had been thinking hard.
How… to improve her own strength.
She had always been the most diligent in training, and now she was pushing herself even harder, increasing her training load!
Although in the past few days, she had felt that she was indeed getting stronger.
But… she still felt the gap between herself and that person hadn’t actually narrowed.
If they met again, she would still be instantly defeated.
Her current level was Sub-Bronze Rank; to advance to White Silver Rank through training…
Reliel estimated it would take at least three years.
That was far too long… humans really do have limits, huh…
The best way to grow stronger was to surpass humanity… to become a Transcendent.
But… becoming a Transcendent wasn’t something one could achieve just by wanting it.
This caused a trace of anxiety in the usually impassive Reliel.
She wanted to become stronger, but had no clue how.
Lost in these thoughts and a little distracted, suddenly a small figure dashed out from around the corner!
Bang!
The next second, the two collided head-on!
“Ugh?!”
Or rather… Reliel didn’t move an inch, while the person who ran into her simply fell to the ground.
Holding out a lantern, the flickering candlelight barely revealed the girl’s face…
Wasn’t this the girl who got beaten up at the Mercenary Guild before?
Why was she here again?
Though somewhat concerned, Reliel stood still without making a move, not even attempting to help her up.
“Ugh…” Holly felt like she’d run into a steel wall — and indeed, she had.
Ah… that meant she had collided with the breastplate.
“You are… Sister Reliel?!”
She hurriedly got up and finally noticed the mess she was in.
Subconsciously, feeling embarrassed, she stepped back two paces.
Of course, she still felt some grievance, but showing such a pitiful side in front of someone she admired made her want to disappear into a hole.
Clatter!
Standing before her, Reliel still said nothing, only taking a Public Notice from her side pouch and placing it into Holly’s hand.
Holly was slightly stunned, and instinctively looked down at the notice.
【Recent Disappearances have been frequent at night. Residents are advised not to go out unless necessary.】
She read the words aloud without much thought.
She had never really cared about these matters before; she might have heard of them, but all her focus was on mercenaries and becoming stronger.
Only now did she realize… the night breeze made her shiver.
As she shivered, Reliel glanced down at her own light armor.
Obviously, it couldn’t be taken off to lend to the girl.
Better to get her home quickly.
“Lead the way.” For the first time, Reliel spoke to the girl in front of her, her voice cold and economical with words.
“Huh? Lead… where?”
“To your house.” Reliel said this as she slowly stepped behind the girl, making it clear she intended to escort her back…
Hmm…
Though somewhat cold…
She was also so gentle…