CH 4

Nisha and Mary, who had slipped out through the side door, arrived at the usual meeting place where their collaborators, Knight Rad and Stable-hand Mesh, always joined them.

“Greetings, Princess.”

“Oh, thank you for your hard work today.”

“Rad, Mesh. It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’re healthy. Where’s the carriage?”

The two men, clad in dark robes to avoid being noticed, quickly approached and greeted Nisha.

Mesh, a diligent seventeen-year-old stablehand, and Rad, one of the newly appointed knights of the imperial palace.

“It’s in the back.”

At Rad’s words, she looked behind and saw a shabby, old carriage and two horses.

In truth, calling it a carriage was generous; it was closer to a simple cart.

Of the two horses, one was hitched to the cart, and the other was equipped with only a bridle and saddle.

Mesh, the stablehand, had secretly raised these horses, weak foals taken out and treated outside.

“Then let’s go.”

“Yes.”

“Ah, wait a moment, Princess.”

Just as she was about to mount the horse, Mary’s voice stopped her. Nisha widened her eyes in surprise.

“What is it?”

“It’s chilly outside. You’re not in good health… Please wrap yourself in this.”

Mary held something out. It was a cape made of cheap animal hide.

Nisha chuckled softly at the distinctive musty smell of the animal fur.

Although it wasn’t of the best quality, it still wouldn’t have been cheap, being made of animal fur. She wondered where Mary had gotten the money for it.

“I bought it cheaply. It didn’t even cost me a day’s wages, you know?”

Mary said quickly, perhaps reading Nisha’s thoughts or seeing her lips part as if to speak, her freckled cheeks twitching slightly as she explained.

Nisha had no more words to say.

“Thank you. But let’s first send off the food and supplies,” Nisha said, draping the cape Mary had given her over her shoulders.

“D-don’t worry about this, P-Princess,”

Mesh stuttered, he had developed a stutter because of an old accident, while Rad nodded in agreement.

“Yes, we’ll take care of it”

Mesh and Mary, who couldn’t ride a horse, climbed into the carriage, while Rad and Nisha mounted the other horse.

The four of them quickly headed towards the capital along the hidden forest path, staying out of sight.

***

“Ah, the liquor here isn’t bad at all Kag-, no… Brother,” said a figure wrapped in a robe, his face the only part visible, as they lifted a glass in a restaurant that stayed open until dawn.

The mountain of empty glasses beside them testified to their drinking prowess.

The man’s tan skin and fiercely upturned eyes were so foreign that it was obvious he was not a citizen of Roshan.

At the center of the group sat a man who seemed uninterested in the boisterous banter of the others, silently taking out a cigarette and placing it between his lips.

His golden eyes, which were framed by his silver hair, lazily scanned his surroundings.

“Interesting.”

He lit the cigarette and observed the restaurant’s atmosphere, speaking with a hint of intrigue.

Despite his quiet demeanor, it was clear he was the leader among them.

He had an inexplicable, commanding presence, and his relaxed posture was reminiscent of a well-fed predator.

“What’s interesting?” one of the men asked.

“I remember today being a particularly avoided day in Roshan,” he replied.

“Ah…”

Unlike the tan-skinned men around the table, the man with exceptionally pale skin and calm, tied-back long blonde hair nodded silently in response.

He blinked his green eyes once and adjusted his glasses.

“It used to be, but it seems the rumors are true.”

“What rumors?” came the gruff question, to which the blonde man responded with a brief chuckle.

“Yes, a saintess who has appeared only on the Red Night in recent years…”

The man with the cigarette raised his hand slightly, and the blonde man instinctively fell silent

“Excuse me, sir. It’s about time for us to close.”

“…Oh, is that so?”

The female owner approached and spoke apologetically. The blond man paused, slightly taken aback.

This was because no such notice had been given to anyone else present except for them.

“Even at this late hour, there are quite a few people here. Is there something interesting going on?”

The man with the cigarette lightly exhaled smoke as he spoke.

Smiling as if greeting an old friend, he asked the question, and the female owner let out a brief sigh before shaking her head.

“No, it’s just that we have a reservation at this time.”

“A reservation…?”

“Yes, I’ll pack your meals for you. I am truly sorry.”

“I’m not sure what kind of reservation it is, but can’t we stay and watch? As you can see, we are travelers and plan to leave early in a couple of hours. If we get kicked out now, we’ll have nowhere to go.”

The man smiled and flicked his fingers. The blond man then placed five gold coins on the table.

One gold coin was worth 100,000 villia, enough to feed a family of four for a week if spent frugally.

When he placed a total of 500,000 villia, the female owner’s eyes widened slightly.

She looked at the coins with a face full of hesitation, then slowly shook her head after a long moment.

“I’m sorry, no matter how much you offer…”

“Sharhu, don’t be so timid.”

The man with the cigarette took the money pouch from Sharhu, the blond man, and placed it directly into the hand of the female owner.

“We’ll just quietly drink our liquor…”

The owner’s throat bobbed as she gulped at the weighty pouch he handed her.

The man patted her hand lightly, as if to reassure her.

Her gaze flicked between the tempting pouch and her own conscience, her face reflecting her internal struggle.

After a moment of hesitation, she bent down and whispered softly enough for only them to hear.

“…In that case… you must never tell anyone what you see here tonight.”

“Don’t worry about that, our brother here is very tight-lipped!” came a response from another man who had been steadily emptying his bottle.

“But who reserved this place at this hour?” asked the blond man, Sharhu, in a low voice.

It was already 2 a.m., quite late for anyone to book the place.

The owner hesitated before speaking cautiously.

“…Actually, it’s not an official reservation, more like an unspoken agreement. Tonight, the saintess is coming.”

“Saintess…?”

“Yes, you saw the red moon, right? The saintess comes tonight.”

The owner fidgeted with her hands, then discreetly slipped the money pouch into the pocket of her apron.

“Whenever the saintess comes, she distributes food, money, or jewels and even tends to the sick. For commoners like us, she’s a true blessing in these hard times.”

The man with the cigarette smiled warmly and nodded.

The owner, blushing, hesitated before repeatedly urging them to keep quiet about what they saw, then hurried away.

Soon after, the creaking sound of an old carriage coming to a stop was heard.

The atmosphere in the tavern grew restless, and the owner quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

“A saintess on the day demons supposedly descend…”

The man with the cigarette chuckled at the incongruity of the words.

Having grown frustrated with the procession, a few members of the delegation had broken off to move separately, arriving in Roshan earlier than expected. They had intended to drink and assess the situation, but this was an unexpected gain.

The man, Kagan Xieman, set down his cigarette and took a sip of his drink, a crooked smile forming on his lips.

It was quite intriguing.

Not long after, the owner reappeared from the kitchen, leading someone in with an anxious yet welcoming expression.

The newcomer wore a deeply hooded robe and a half-mask that concealed their face.

“Wow! The saintess!”

“Please, see my child!”

“My mother is very ill.”

“My daughter hasn’t eaten in days. Saintess, please…”

The moment the saintess entered the tavern, those who had been sitting lifelessly began to show signs of hope.

As the desperate crowd surged forward, the woman took a deep breath and smiled warmly.

Kagan Xieman slowly took in the sight of the woman called the saintess—her alabaster skin, the graceful hands visible beneath her robe, and the full lips that curved gently under the half-mask.

Though her hair was hidden by the hood, her eyes, shaded but seemingly a light purple, caught his attention.

“Please, calm down. If you sit at the tables, I will see each of you one by one, so please wait your turn.”

While another woman who had appeared behind the saintess soothed the excited crowd, two robed men began stacking food supplies in one corner of the tavern.

The woman, now calmer, moved from table to table, asking questions and jotting notes in a small notebook.

Kagan Xieman, leisurely observing, lit another cigarette.

At the sound of the match striking—hiss—the saintess glanced over at him.

Their eyes met midair.

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