Chapter 18
That night, the Angelic Faith collapsed completely.
Two days later, Naya’s group stood on a street in Dawn City, facing the "bonus" the second prince—a man of generous means—had granted them: a vacant two-story apartment building.
"It’s a bit small, but the location’s excellent. Sign here, and it’s yours. No more inn stays," Aile said.
Naya had never dreamed of owning a home in Dawn City. Leon was even more stunned—on his first visit to Dawn City, after completing his first mission, he’d been rewarded with a house.
Of course, that mission was no ordinary feat.
"The second prince is truly kind," Leon murmured.
"Nonsense. You dismantled the Angelic Faith for us. This is only fair payment," Aile replied. "He also asked if you’d like a servant assigned."
"No need. Ruri can handle everything," Ruri said timidly.
"Yeah, yeah… we’ll clean ourselves. By the way, Aile, you still don’t want anything?" Naya asked.
"Well… I did ask the prince for one thing. It’s not settled yet. Whatever!"
"You’re welcome to stay here anytime, Aile. Why not join my and Naya’s adventuring party?" Leon suddenly invited.
He expected refusal, but Aile merely glanced at him and smiled. "Not a bad idea. Consider it done! Ruri, you’re joining too. Rothschild—the bigwig—was arrested by the king for funding cult activities. Serves him right! You’re free now, Ruri."
"Staying with you feels safer," Ruri said, her gaze lingering on Leon. To Naya’s feminine intuition, that look was far from ordinary.
*Holy Knight joined the party—*
*Sorceress joined the party—*
*Party members: 4.*
But official registration at the Adventurer Guild was required. Fortunately, its headquarters sat just a few streets away in Dawn City. When filling Ruri’s occupation, Naya hesitated. In this era where sorcerers were nearly extinct, writing "Sorcerer" would cause chaos. She scribbled "Priestess" instead.
Warrior. Priestess. Holy Knight. Priestess (Sorceress)…
The guild clerk stared at Leon with utter disbelief when presented with this lineup. "One hundred seventy registered teams lack healers," he grumbled. "Why do *you* need three? And all girls, no less."
"Eh—? Naya?"
Her snow-white hair made her instantly recognizable. A knight in expensive, high-end armor called out. Behind him stood three male companions and one female, all bearing one-star adventurer badges.
"Why the new team? Where’s Siso’s crew? Gods, you’re not the infamous ‘jinx’ everyone’s whispering about, are you?"
He reached to ruffle her hair. She stepped back, avoiding his hand.
"Please don’t say things like that."
"Ah—sorry. Just joking," the knight stammered, flustered. "You’ve worked hard, Naya. Your new team even earned a one-star badge. We’re tackling the Butcher—an A-rank quest. Let’s both give it our all."
He waved and left with his group. Naya stood frozen, a shadow falling over her heart.
"What’s the Butcher?"
"A massive goblin. The outermost dungeon zone of Eilant has opened—it’s the hottest spot for adventurers now," Aile explained.
Eilant, the continent’s central mage capital. Its "outermost zone" bordered the Four Great Kingdoms—territory overrun by goblins after the Calamity. The Four Kingdoms were gradually reclaiming lands once dominated by mages, clearing all threats from the dungeon zones.
Aile led Leon, Naya, and Ruri to the bulletin board. Posters plastered its surface, most offering bounties on various goblin types. At the center hung the notice for the Butcher—the strongest mutant goblin encountered so far.
"Business is booming," Aile remarked.
Leon scanned the board. Among the goblin sketches, one human face stood out.
"Why’s a human on the bounty list?"
"Notorious bounty hunters! Remember that gang we first met?" Aile said.
Leon studied the poster’s black-haired woman. His eyes widened in shock.
"How is this possible?!"
He genuinely doubted his own vision. The poster read: *S-RANK BOUNTY HUNTER: VANESSA. WARNING: EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!!!*
Ruri’s voice whispered beside him: "She was Ruri’s master… back at the Rothschild estate."
*No way—*
"Someone you know, Leon?" Naya asked.
"My benefactor…"
***
Meanwhile—
The black-haired woman on the poster stood before the Rothschild manor gates. Chaos reigned—shattered debris littered the grounds, the front iron gate ripped clean off its hinges.
"Much happened in your absence, Mistress. The Angelic Faith fell. The master was implicated…" The gardener—now maskless—bowed his head.
"Where’s Ruri?"
"Given to the Angelic Faith… by the master."
The woman frowned. "Who did this?"
"Aeon Sect’s Holy Knights and Priestesses. And… a swordsman in black. Black hair. His swordsmanship was extraordinary—he matched my speed."
"Few in this continent can match your speed. Black clothes, black hair?"
Vanessa Rothschild slung her sword over her shoulder—the stance eerily mirroring Leon’s.
"How old is he? Does he have… delicate features?"
To be continued.
