The morning sunlight was just right.
Pale golden light slanted down from the eaves, warming the stone wall across the street until it gleamed faintly. Smoke was already rising from the chimney of the breakfast shop. The sound of wooden buckets knocking together came from the neighbor’s yard, and in the distance, a child dragged out a long, whining complaint after being urged out of bed by their mother.
It should have been just another ordinary day.
If she hadn’t seen that silver-haired guard with the eyes of a hunter outside the window.
“……Maybe I’m just too nervous.”
Qiu Meng could no longer tell if what she had just seen was real or not.
She backed away slowly, leaving the window behind. Dragging her still-aching body, she returned to her room, closed the door, and flopped straight onto the bed.
The blanket smelled of sunshine.
Next to her pillow was still the little cloth doll her mother had sewn for her a few days ago. It was a lopsided little rabbit, one ear long and the other short, its eyes not quite symmetrical.
Normally, she’d at least have time to play with dolls… but right now, she didn’t want to play at all. She just wanted to bury her face in the pillow.
‘Too many things happened yesterday… I’m so tired.’
Drowsiness slowly crept over her, but she kept shaking her head.
‘Can’t sleep… What if that silver-haired person comes back?’
‘What if the door gets blown open again, what if those eyes made of blood appear outside the window again… If that person is also a mage… what do I do…’
Her eyes flew open in panic as she looked around the room. There was nothing there, just the curtains gently stirred by the wind.
Qiu Meng pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady her breathing.
“It’s okay… this is home…”
She told herself that.
When Qiu Meng closed her eyes again, what appeared in her mind wasn’t the Ice Mage’s face, but the emblem revealed under his cloak.
Four squares.
Like four concave little flags.
“That thing… I’ve definitely seen it somewhere before.”
She murmured quietly.
‘A strange wolf, and a bear like a monster… and a guard with eyes like a wolf.’
‘If only I could be as strong as the protagonists in manga and novels… that would be great.’
She recalled the reincarnators in light novels: at twelve years old, some were already stunning everyone in the Royal Capital Academy entrance exams, while others made their teachers kneel in collective repentance when their hidden talents were revealed. The more exaggerated ones could even tame dragons, contract spirits, and casually save two nations on the side.
And her?
She was being chased by a sadistic mage.
Going all out, she could only manage by throwing lime powder and using tricks.
“The gap is way too obvious.”
Qiu Meng covered her eyes with the back of her hand and let out a self-deprecating laugh.
The smile faded quickly. She wasn’t willing to just accept her fate.
She wasn’t willing to watch helplessly as those people used every means to destroy her life, to destroy this home that had finally allowed her to live again.
“I need to get stronger… I absolutely won’t let them die because of me…”
Her voice was soft, but far more resolute than before.
‘If I don’t have magic power… then I’ll research magic stones… and make firearms.’
‘If I can’t become a proper mage, then I’ll find a way into an academy that deals with magic tools.’
A magic academy probably wouldn’t accept someone without magic power, unless she had an aristocratic connection or a special recommendation.
Unfortunately, she currently had neither an aristocratic connection nor any mysterious little gadgets.
So, what about a combined magic-and-swordsmanship academy? A swordsmanship academy? Or using her mother’s connections to study at the Adventurer’s Guild’s affiliated academy?
Her mind began to race.
“The most suitable path for me right now… is definitely traps and ranged weapons.”
She slowly sat up, reached out, and pinched her own thigh. The pain gradually dispelled the drowsiness.
“Can’t just sleep like this. It’s too dangerous.”
Qiu Meng wobbled out of bed, opened the door, and walked down the stairs.
In the living room, Dante was sitting at the table, flipping through a guard patrol report.
On the table sat a half-cold cup of tea, and beside it were a few door lock parts he had taken apart, clearly studying how to reinforce the house’s security.
Hearing footsteps, Dante looked up.
“Daughter? Why are you back down again?”
Qiu Meng stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking at the bandages on her father’s hands, then at the newly repaired door, and finally lowered her head.
“Can’t sleep well.”
Her voice was a little weak.
“I’m really worried about you… and everyone else.”
Dante looked at her for a few seconds.
Then he closed the report, stood up, walked slowly over to her, and reached out to pat her head.
“Still toughing it out at a time like this, huh… daughter.”
“I… I’m not toughing it out!”
Dante then reached out and pinched her cheek.
“Mm, look at how pale your face is. You’re like one of those marble statues outside, and you call that not toughing it out?”
“Wah…! Father, you’re so mean!”
Dante let out a laugh.
The next second, he scooped Qiu Meng up in his arms.
“Twelve years old, and you still need someone to coax you to sleep. There’s just no helping it.”
“I… I never said I needed coaxing!”
“Fine, fine. Then it’s me who wants to coax you to sleep, okay, my little princess.”
The way he said it was so matter-of-fact that Qiu Meng couldn’t find a way to retort for a moment.
She was carried upstairs, her face buried near her father’s shoulder. His chainmail was off; he was wearing a washed linen shirt that smelled faintly of medicinal herbs, mixed with a hint of iron and woodsmoke.
That scent reassured her.
Qiu Meng clutched the collar of his shirt.
“Father…”
“Hmm?”
“The town is very dangerous right now… Just now, I saw a guard with eyes like a wolf…”
Dante didn’t stop walking; he just gently patted her back.
“A guard with wolf eyes?”
“Yes… He had silver hair. I’ve never seen him before. And that look in his eyes was unmistakable… it was the same look that person had when they pushed me into a corner and saw me as prey.”
Dante laid her back on the bed and pulled the covers up for her.
“Daughter, there are many guards you haven’t seen before.”
“There was an incident at the city gate and the High Wall yesterday. Some guards were killed, and quite a few were injured.”
“It’s not strange for the Royal Capital and nearby outposts to temporarily transfer new people.”
“But…”
“I promise, I’ll keep an eye out.”
Dante’s tone was very gentle.
“Silver hair, right? I’ll remember that.”
Hearing her father’s words, Qiu Meng felt a little more at ease.
Then she propped herself up again, looking seriously at her father.
“Father, I need a personal weapon. At least… something to protect myself in danger.”
Dante was silent for a moment, stroking the short stubble on his chin.
“Can you even swing a sword right now?”
Qiu Meng lowered her eyes.
“Not right now…”
She remembered how she had barely managed to fend off a few strikes from the mage yesterday using an axe.
It wasn’t because she was strong, but because her opponent was careless, she was in familiar territory, and luck was on her side.
In a real open battlefield, the Ice Mage would probably have downed her in a single exchange.
“But maybe… I could use an axe.”
Dante’s expression grew more complicated, as if he were thinking something over, before he finally let out a resigned sigh.
“An axe is heavier than a sword. When you swing it, the center of gravity shifts outward, and the recovery is slow, leaving big openings. It’s good for dealing with heavily armored enemies, but not suitable for self-defense in your current state.”
“What about a short sword, then?”
“The reach is too short. You can’t close the distance on a trained enemy. They can just wear you down with Wind Magic.”
“A dagger?”
“Same problem as a short sword. And if you want to throw it, you’d need to be sure you can penetrate their magic shield.”
“A slingshot?”
“Good for birds. Forget it against these mercenaries. You can’t enchant a slingshot anyway.”
Qiu Meng pursed her lips. Everything her father said was right.
And precisely because it was right, it stung even more.
She suddenly remembered the mechanical sound that had popped out of the Ice Mage’s sleeve.
That kind of device was lightweight and very concealable, and it didn’t require the user to have much arm strength. Once the range was right, you just needed to pull the trigger, and the bolt would be sent into the enemy’s body.
“Then… what about a sleeve crossbow?”
Dante’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“A sleeve crossbow?”
The air in the room grew a little heavier.
“Where did you learn about a weapon like that?”
“That Ice Mage used one.”
Qiu Meng’s voice was a little weaker, but she didn’t back down.
Dante looked at her.
“That’s a hidden weapon. The kind used by mercenaries, assassins, and desperate outlaws who stop at nothing.”
“There are already plenty of people gossiping about you. Even so, you still want one?”
Qiu Meng was silent for two seconds.
Then she nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to die.”
This time, it was Dante’s turn to be silent.
Qiu Meng hugged the blanket, looking at him earnestly.
“I don’t want any of you to die either. Father, I don’t care about my reputation, and I don’t want to be praised for fighting fair and square.”
“I just… want to survive. So that if, when you’re old, some mercenaries come to kill you, I’ll be able to fight them.”
A faint change flickered across Dante’s expression.
Finally, he sighed.
“When your injuries heal, I’ll make you a training one to practice with first.”
“For a sleeve crossbow you can actually carry, you need better materials. You also need to learn how to maintain it and how to use the safety lock. That thing isn’t a toy. If it misfires, it will shoot right through your own wrist and fingers.”
A little light returned to Qiu Meng’s eyes.
“Okay, thank you, Father~”
“On one condition: get some proper rest.”
“Then… Father, it’s a promise, okay…”
“Yeah, it’s a promise.”
She obediently lay back down, and Dante tucked the corner of the blanket in for her. Just as he was about to leave, Qiu Meng spoke up again, her voice soft.
“Keep an extra eye on anyone with silver hair.”
“I know, I know.”
Dante closed the door.
This time, Qiu Meng finally fell asleep.
***
She didn’t know how much time had passed when she was woken by a cool breeze.
A corner of the curtain was lifted. The afternoon light was already slanting. She looked at the clock on the wall and realized she had slept from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon.
“I slept way too long…”
She sat up, first checking her right arm.
The wound had already scabbed over. The surrounding area was still a little red, but it was healing much faster than she had expected.
She tried making a fist. It still hurt a bit, but not to the point where she couldn’t clench it like in the morning.
“This body… its recovery ability is amazing.”
Qiu Meng muttered to herself.
“Could my hidden talent be that I’m suited to being a meat shield?”
An image flashed through her mind of herself in heavy armor, standing in the front line getting pummeled by monsters, and she immediately shivered.
“No, no, that kind of path is terrifying.”
She patted her cheeks, forcing herself to wake up.
“I may be weak, but I’m already stronger than in my past life.”
Qiu Meng got out of bed, straightened her wrinkled skirt, and prepared to go to the study to look up information.
As soon as she reached the top of the stairs, she ran into Shalin.
Her mother was carrying a plate of freshly baked little pastries, her blond hair casually tied back, a little flour on her apron. Seeing Qiu Meng, she was momentarily taken aback, then broke into a gentle smile.
“Ah, good morning~”
Shalin paused, glancing out the window.
“Though it seems to be afternoon already. Looks like someone slept like a little piggy.”
“Mom… What are you saying…!”
Qiu Meng’s face flushed red.
Shalin put the plate on the table, walked over, and ruffled her hair.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Mmm… recovering well enough.”
“That’s good~”
Shalin’s expression relaxed, but soon a touch of reproach crept in.
“Xiao Meng.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t go running off to dangerous places again, okay?”
Qiu Meng lowered her head.
Shalin didn’t scold her. She just gently pulled her into a hug.
“Your father and I… we only hope you can grow up happily. Whether you become a merchant, or a guild receptionist, or even if you sleep until afternoon every day from now on… as long as you’re safe and sound, that’s enough…”
“Sleeping until afternoon every day probably isn’t great.”
“Occasionally is fine.”
Shalin’s voice softened.
“Since the Dark Decade ended, the kingdom has been in turmoil. There have been constant conscriptions these past few years, and the garrisons stationed on the border lose people every so often.”
“Everyone says the Demon King’s Army has gone quiet, that the monster threat isn’t as severe as before, but the border has never truly been stable.”
Her arms tightened a fraction as she hugged Qiu Meng.
“Xiao Meng, I don’t want you to get caught up in these things so early.”
“Mom, I really will protect myself.”
She said it quietly.
“Mom, I noticed a lot of strange things yesterday.”
Shalin loosened her embrace and looked at her.
“Like what?”
“It seems like the town has been targeted by some force.”
Qiu Meng tried to lay out what she had been thinking, as coherently as she could.
“When I was secretly following Father, I passed through the Hunting Forest and ran into some wolves. They seemed to have their own consciousness…”
“Then… when I asked a guard uncle for help, it ran away… and after they let their guard down, that wolf came back for a surprise attack…”
“Then Father encountered that bear. After Brother Telaika brought me home, I ran into a mage who used ice magic. He was also wearing a very strange emblem.”
Shalin listened, her expression gradually turning serious.
“Beasts with combat tactics, an ice-element mage, and an emblem?”
“Yes. The mage had an emblem made of four squares. It looked like a concave little flag.”
Shalin thought for a moment, then spoke.
“That is likely the Ice Shadow Group, under the Four Alliance Merchants’ Union.”
Qiu Meng’s eyes widened.
“I read about the Four Alliance Merchants’ Union in Mother’s notes!”
“The Ice Shadow Group is mainly controlled by the lords of the Northern Domain. There are many Demihumans in the Northern Domain. They are skilled at taming cold-region magical beasts, and they also excel in ice-type spellcraft and mercenary trade.”
Shalin frowned.
“But… why would the Four Alliance Merchants’ Union get involved in a border town?”
Qiu Meng thought for a moment, then changed the question.
“Mother, is there anyone important coming for the Hunting Festival?”
Shalin looked up and out the window.
The streets were already beginning to be hung with the festival’s prelude lanterns. The magic stone lamps weren’t lit yet, just strung up on fine ropes, one after another, under the eaves.