He hadn’t actually received any notice before, but the Lady suddenly came over today.
To be honest, the Captain himself was pretty startled.
‘Could it be… that the Lady already realized Reliel would be coming back today?’
‘That’s why she came in person…’
“This… this is…” Just as the Captain didn’t know how to explain—
“Cough~ I actually… am the legendary Bloodblossom Demon! Ileya, that’s me!!”
At that moment, the white-haired Lady suddenly sat up straight, crossed her arms, and lifted her chin slightly, putting on a proud look.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“…Huh?”
The other three people present all had a huge question mark over their heads.
‘What the hell, the three of us have all seen the Young Lady… their sizes aren’t even the same…’
‘And… if you’re Ileya… then who is the Young Lady I’ve been following for two months?’
Reliel stared blankly at the beautiful older sister’s snow-white long hair, sinking into deep confusion.
“Cough, cough…” With a very deliberate cough from the Lady, the Captain beside her instantly caught on.
“Uh… right, she… she is the Pearl of the Eastern Capital, Ileya Bathios!”
“D-Dad, are you sure? We all know what the Young Lady looks like, so…”
“Pfft~” Just as Beina said that, the “Ileya” sitting in the main seat let out a slow sigh.
“You’re talking about… Xiao Yaya, right?”
“Xiao… Xiao Yaya?”
She certainly is on the smaller side, but…
“She… is actually my decoy. I am the real Young Lady~” As she spoke, she flicked two fingers and focused her gaze.
Instantly! With her aura fully unleashed, an undeniable noble pressure swept through the entire tent.
“Ugh… this presence…” Beina’s eyes went wide.
There was no denying that the pressure she gave off was stronger than the Young Lady she had seen… several times stronger.
In front of this person, she felt like a tiny ant, frantically looking for a crack in the ground to crawl into…
“Could it be…”
‘Could what she says be true? She is the real Young Lady? The one I saw was just a decoy?’
While Beina’s mind was struggling to keep up, Reliel’s pale blue eyes narrowed slightly.
“Are you… Madam Bateos?”
“Huh?” Lady Shudrian, who was still trying to imitate Yaya’s usual expression while radiating her authority, froze instantly.
Seeing that reaction, Reliel understood immediately.
‘I guessed right.’
‘Such temperament, hair color, authority—and daring to call Ileya “Yaya.”‘
‘A madwoman wouldn’t have this kind of demeanor. So the answer is simple: she’s someone who isn’t afraid of the Young Lady at all and is actually very close to her.’
‘If so, there’s only one person in the entire Eastern Capital who fits that description.’
“Madam Bateos? Who’s that?” Beina was still confused.
“The Young Lady’s mother.”
“Ah…?”
‘T-The Young Lady’s mother? That would be the Matriarch of the Eastern Capital… Shudeleian Sayleton Bartius?!’
‘W-Wait, wait, wait…’
‘Someone that important came to see my dad?!’
Thinking this, Beina looked at her father again in shock—her eyes full of both surprise and gossip.
“You…” The Captain truly had nothing to say to his unreliable daughter.
But then he glanced sideways at the Lady, who had been seen through so easily.
‘Uh… even though she failed to maintain her dignity, what’s with that expression that says “As expected of my daughter, so smart”?’
‘You… don’t actually think such a clumsy lie could fool normal people, do you?’
Beina: (￣ー￣) ‘Am I really her biological daughter…?’
The atmosphere fell into an awkward silence for a few seconds.
“I’ve been found out~~ Ehhehe (๑＞ڡ＜)☆~~” It was Lady Shudrian who broke the deadlock first, playfully tapping her head with a little fist.
But if you asked Beina what it felt like to see the most noble woman of the Eastern Capital act cute…
She’d answer, “She sure is pretty, but your smile kind of hurts.”
Unlike Beina’s carefree attitude, Reliel looked at her father with some concern.
In the mercenary circles of the Crystal Capital, the Captain of the Hunter Blade Mercenary Group might be someone—but when placed among the high ranks…
Let’s just say the overall strength of the Hunter Blade was barely enough.
‘But now that I’m the Young Lady’s maid, what should I call her?’
‘Lady?’
Reliel opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing, instead looking at her father with a questioning gaze.
The Captain also opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say.
He wanted to tell Reliel the truth, but some things… if said, the consequences were not something he could bear.
“Actually… the reason I came to find you today… is because I have a commission I’d like to ask of you.”
Lady Shudrian was the first to speak again.
As if she’d turned to business, her expression became noticeably more serious.
The surrounding atmosphere froze almost instantly.
‘A commission… from Lady Shudrian herself?’
‘What kind of…’
“Please…”
Gulp… The two girls listened intently and unconsciously swallowed.
“Help clean the Marquis Castle.”
“What?! Such an important… huh?”
Beina and Reliel, both on high alert, exchanged blank looks.
Their eyes were filled with confusion.
‘Clean… huh?’
‘Wait, isn’t that a maid’s job? Why hire mercenaries to clean a castle?’
“Um… Lady, we’re actually a mercenary company…” Perhaps out of youthful audacity or feeling her profession was insulted, Beina pouted and whispered.
“I know~ The fee… is twenty gold coins per day.”
“Wha—! Twenty gold coins… A quest to hunt a Divine Kin and risk life and limb is about that much, right?”
But even though she offered a lot, the honor of a mercenary…
“…per person~”
“Thump!!”
“Lady! We will definitely clean every corner of the castle until it’s spotless!!” Beina instantly dropped to one knee, her eyes practically turning into gold coins!
“Ugh… you were about to refuse just now, weren’t you?”
Seeing her spineless sister, Reliel could only shake her head helplessly.
Then her gaze inadvertently drifted back to Lady Shudrian.
For some reason, whenever she looked at her, she felt a… strange sensation.
Or rather, when the Lady looked at her, her eyes were also strange.
Maybe it was because Reliel wasn’t very talkative and often had to read others’ expressions.
She was pretty good at reading people.
She always felt that this Lady Shudrian, whenever she looked at her, seemed to have a desire to rush over and hug her.
Could she have some kind of special fetish?
No, no! She’s the Young Lady’s mother! Such disrespectful thoughts… I shouldn’t have them.
Maybe… she just likes children… that’s all?
Hmm, that sounds even stranger.
…
Lately, the atmosphere in Stream Town had been strange.
Because many strange people had arrived.
They called themselves “Truth Believers” and claimed that this disaster was humanity’s own fault, but if they joined the Truth Sect, they could wash away their sins.
And thus survive this calamity.
“For your families, for your loved ones, join the Truth Sect, escape misfortune, and achieve infinite merit.”
These Truth Believers wore white robes and hoods with bizarre inscriptions on them that ordinary people couldn’t understand.
This kind of propaganda had some effect on the already panicked townsfolk.
Many elderly people first became convinced of the Truth Sect’s claims and were quickly recruited as believers.
Of course, there were still some calmer individuals who saw through their tricks.
For instance, the town’s only apothecary, Holly’s sister, Ailu Hills.
She happened to pass by the home of a family who had recently converted to the Truth Sect.
As an apothecary, her sense of smell was quite sharp.
Standing outside the door, she caught a faint, delicate fragrance…
This smell made one instinctively want to breathe deeply, to inhale more of that sweet air into their lungs…
But Ailu instantly came to her senses.
‘This smell… isn’t it “Scented Coin Herb”?’
‘This herb, shaped like a round gold coin, has a calming and numbing effect when mixed with other herbs.’
‘But used alone, dried, and ignited with fire, the smoke it produces has hallucinogenic properties and is addictive…’
Thinking of the townsfolk who had been flocking to the Truth Sect lately, Ailu instantly guessed the connection.
‘These people… are using hallucinogenic drugs to control the townsfolk! Their intentions are definitely not good!’
With that in mind, Ailu immediately went to find the Town Mayor of Stream Town, hoping to get his help in exposing these so-called “Truth Believers.”
But… she did find the Mayor. However, after listening to the apothecary’s description, he fell silent.
“Ailu… I’ve watched you grow up. Do you think, in this day and age, Stream Town is still safe?”
“Huh?” Looking at the Mayor, Ailu instinctively shook her head.
Stream Town had no walls, only some wooden fences.
Those fences could keep out forest wolves, but not the terrifying rumors of Divine Kin.
“So… many people have left… but I don’t want to leave. Do you know why?”
He slowly stood up from his chair.
“Because I’m the Mayor! The Mayor of Stream Town! This whole town is mine! Mine!! How long did it take me to climb to this position?! Why should I leave? If I go somewhere else, I’d be nothing but shit!!”
“Bang!!”
The Mayor angrily flipped the table in front of him, the loud crash making Ailu’s face turn pale.
Even as slow as she was, she realized… the Mayor was acting strange.
“But if I don’t leave, what if those foreigners really attack? So… going to the Crystal Capital is the best choice right now…”
“Tap, tap, tap…”
Just as he was saying this, two figures slowly walked out from the back of the room.
They wore white robes and hoods.
They were members of the Truth Sect.