After looking into it further, I found myself even more drawn to the request of this beautiful Black Cat Beastkin… No, to Riel’s request.
The timing of the request was also perfect—it took place during the deep hours of the night, exactly when I preferred.
It wasn’t an illegal job that could lead to clashes with demons, just a simple bodyguard task.
Plus, it wasn’t a lengthy assignment that would take several days, only lasting from late night until just before dawn.
And most importantly, the payment was so unbelievably high that it was enough to make my head spin.
It was, without a doubt, a request that met every single one of my ideal conditions—utterly perfect.
At that moment, I genuinely felt grateful, thinking that fate hadn’t completely abandoned me and that this was a last-minute stroke of luck.
But that gratitude didn’t last long.
Not long after, I was forced to experience firsthand the cruel law of this world—nothing is truly perfect.
No matter what it is, there is always some kind of flaw.
And in this case, that flaw was quite severe for me.
It all started on the very day I first met Riel, when I officially accepted the request.
***
The next day, in the early hours before dawn, just as I was leaving the guild to begin the assignment, I heard something from her that made me freeze in place.
Her voice was light, almost casual, as she spoke:
“…What? W-Wait a moment. I’m sorry, but could you say that one more time? I think I misheard you.”
Riel chuckled softly.
“Of course. You heard me right. I’m actually a Secret Marshal. Well, temporarily, at least.
“And for this request, your job is to protect me from any dangers that might arise during my covert mission and provide me with full support. Simple, right?”
For a moment, I thought my ears had deceived me.
The way she casually revealed both her identity and the nature of the mission—like she was merely chatting about what she had for dinner—left me utterly frozen.
At first, I wanted to believe it was a joke.
But the unwavering seriousness in her emerald-green eyes shattered that hope completely, despite the playful smile lingering on her lips.
A Secret Marshal’s covert mission.
Just hearing those words was enough to send a chill down my spine.
This was the absolute worst kind of request I could be involved in, given my current status.
As the reality of the situation set in, a wave of dizziness washed over me.
And at that moment, all the strange details about this request came rushing back to me.
***
Thinking about it now, wasn’t it odd that, as the receptionist had mentioned earlier, a Diamond-rank mercenary was needed as a bodyguard in the capital, where security wasn’t even that bad?
Even that alone was suspicious enough.
But then, add in the ridiculously high payment?
Anyone could tell there was something hidden behind all this.
Normally, I would have caught on to this much earlier.
But in my desperate state—backed into a corner as I was—this request had seemed like a miracle.
It had looked so perfect that my vision had narrowed, blinded by relief and hope.
But even if I regretted it now, it was too late to back out.
With only a short time left until the banquet, canceling the request was a near-impossible option.
And if I lost this opportunity, not only would I fail to get Yuria’s dress, but the financial recovery of the Blue Palace would become nothing more than a dream.
There was no choice now but to move forward—whether it led to success or disaster.
Even as I desperately tried to deny reality, I had no choice but to resign myself to despair.
Still unwilling to accept my fate, I forced myself to remain composed and asked, trying to suppress my frustration:
“Why would a Secret Marshal come to a guild to hire a mercenary? It makes no sense.”
Her response was even more ridiculous.
“Actually, I was invited here as external support for this case,” Riel explained, tilting her head slightly.
“But during discussions with the local investigation team, we had… a bit of a disagreement. So, I decided to conduct the investigation on my own. Hiring a skilled bodyguard from the guild was just a part of that plan. I mean, I’m confident in my investigative skills, but I’m not exactly cut out for combat.”
‘Wait… So an external investigator had a disagreement with the local team and just decided to investigate alone? In this massive, complex capital? Does that even make sense?’
Her explanation was hard to accept on a rational level.
Though I was somewhat relieved that she wasn’t an official Secret Marshal, everything else about her still seemed utterly incomprehensible.
And at this point, my next question was practically inevitable.
“Okay, but why in the world would you hire someone like me? A completely unknown, newly registered mercenary? Doesn’t that seem way too reckless?”
“Hmm… To put it simply, because I found you interesting?” Riel smiled.
She continued, her tone light and teasing, “I mean, how could I not be curious? A young girl, wrapped in secrecy, suddenly appears as a Diamond-rank mercenary at the guild, only showing up at night before vanishing again? It was impossible not to be intrigued. And when I heard from the receptionist that even the Guild Master acknowledged your skills, well… How could I not want to see for myself?”
With an infuriatingly playful wink, she flashed a smug grin.
‘So basically… she hired me for fun?!’
The realization hit me like a brick, leaving me utterly speechless.
She claimed this was an important mission, yet she had chosen her bodyguard purely out of curiosity?
‘Does she even take this job seriously? If she had a shred of common sense, she wouldn’t be conducting an investigation alone in this huge city, let alone hiring a mercenary from the guild like this.’
Frustration boiled up inside me.
It took every ounce of my self-control not to curse her out right then and there.
Suppressing my irritation, I could only let out a deep, exhausted sigh.
No matter how much I regretted it now, nothing would change.
If I could turn back time and return to yesterday before dawn, I would have smacked myself in the back of the head for foolishly falling for the bait.
But spilled water couldn’t be gathered back.
After passing through despair and resignation, I reached the stage of accepting reality.
And with that, a fierce determination flared within me as my eyes sharpened with resolve.
That’s right.
‘So what if she was a Secret Marshal?’
As long as I kept my identity hidden until the very end of the request, that was all that mattered.
Besides, she was only a temporary Secret Marshal who was merely stopping by the capital for a short while.
And though hard to believe, she claimed everything would be over before dawn.
‘Just finish the job as quickly as possible before she has a chance to grow suspicious.’
That was the resolve I made.
With that in mind, I decided to limit my words and focus solely on my role as a bodyguard, as stated in the request.
But reality didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped.
***
Thud! Bam! Crash!
“Aaaaah!!!”
Boom! Thud! Thud! Thud!
“I-I’m sorry! I was wrong…! Aaaah!!!”
Whoosh… Boom!!
“What the hell is with that monster of a woman…?”
After casually revealing her shocking identity, Riel led the way through the capital, eventually arriving at the outskirts—specifically, the slums.
Even in the thriving city of Trassion, this was the lowest of the low—a desolate area filled with irredeemable scum, the weak, the impoverished, and forsaken non-humans.
A bleak, death-ridden district.
As expected from a place called the slums, it was a haven for all the city’s darkest shadows.
Crime was rampant, and security was practically nonexistent.
Yet, despite visiting such a dangerous place, Riel’s outfit was far too conspicuous for this environment.
She might as well have been screaming, I’m an outsider!
Naturally, the slum dwellers saw her as a prime target, and attacks came at us from all sides.
‘If this had been during the day, it might not have been as bad. But in the dead of night?’
And to make matters worse, I was accompanying her, wrapped up in layers of clothing to hide my identity.
But my small physique made me an easy target.
To the thugs lurking in the shadows, we were the perfect prey.
Or at least, that’s what they thought.
One after another, they rushed at us, only to be met with my fists.
After taking a thorough beating, they fled as if their lives depended on it.
At first, I was worried that some of them might be demons, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
Even if a demon lost everything in Trassion, their pride wouldn’t allow them to seek refuge in a slum filled with non-humans.
They would have migrated elsewhere instead.
That realization gave me a small sense of relief.
But as Riel continued venturing deeper into the slums, the increasing frequency of attacks finally made me break my silence.
***
“Uh… Riel?”
I hesitated but eventually asked, “I was trying not to pry, but what exactly is this secret mission of yours?”
“I was wondering when you’d ask.”
She kept walking, turning her head slightly to glance at me with a small smile.
“Are you curious? After all, depending on how things go, I might actually need the strength of a Diamond-rank mercenary for this mission.”
Her tone was teasing, almost as if she were trying to provoke me.
I frowned behind my mask, my lips pressing into a slight pout.
At the same time, her vague attitude only fueled my growing suspicions.
‘Was she really a Secret Marshal?’
‘Was this “secret mission” even real?’
Given everything that had happened so far, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that she had made it all up.
I wasn’t so naive as to believe everything at face value.
Sure, I was trusting—but not to the point of blind stupidity.
And even though she had shown me a golden badge, supposedly proof of her status as a Secret Marshal, I had no way of verifying its authenticity.
It wasn’t enough to completely erase my doubts.
As my suspicions continued to grow, Riel must have noticed my prolonged silence.
She soon spoke again.
“I can’t give you all the details due to the nature of this mission…”
She paused briefly before continuing.
“But I suppose I can tell you this much. Right now, I’m tracking down a certain individual and according to my sources, that target is most likely hiding somewhere in these slums—specifically, deep within the underground sewer system.”