Chapter 44: Going Home

“Larvia?!”

Snapping back to reality, Chloe realized she’d buried herself in Larvia’s arms.

She clung tightly, making Larvia struggle to breathe.

Her heart pounded as the near-death moment replayed in her mind.

“Larvia~~~ I almost died just now…”

Chloe rubbed her face against Larvia’s shoulder, teary-eyed, pointing at the black-robed figure. “He bullied me…”

“There, there. With me here, you don’t need to worry.”

Larvia comforted her, ruffling Chloe’s hair, making her squint contentedly like a crescent moon.

“Larvia~ Why’re you here~”

“Remember the secret letter from Tarrilberg’s lord?”

“You’re here for the traitor?”

Larvia nodded.

“Yes and no. Thanks to you, little Chloe, you’ve earned some merit.”

Chloe tilted her head, confused.

‘Yes and no? Merit how?’

“From the moment you left the capital, I’ve been following you. Guess who left food for you under the bridge?”

“Huh?”

Chloe froze.

She’d never escaped Larvia’s watch?

Her face paled.

‘Couldn’t do it after all…’

“Then why only step in now… I was so scared…”

“Because it’s cooler this way.”

“No other reason?”

“Nope.”

“…”

‘Damn.’

She’d tried to be cool and failed, only for Larvia to steal the show.

“But, little Chloe, can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“How did you know about the traitor? I never told you.”

“…”

Shock!

Chloe panicked.

“Uh, well… let me explain…”

“We’ll talk later. There’s something more urgent now.”

Larvia tugged Chloe’s cheeks.

“Look at your chubby face. Ran away for days and didn’t suffer a bit, huh?”

“Hehe… I stayed at the west relief station. The sisters there were so nice! Free food and lodging, and it’s like an inn!”

“I arranged it just for you. Normally, hardly anyone’s there. Why waste taxpayer money like that?”

“…”

Chloe fell silent, then hugged Larvia’s arm, nuzzling her shoulder to change the subject.

“By the way, were you serious?”

“About what?”

“Taking me back!”

Chloe’s eyes sparkled, gazing at Larvia expectantly. “I was so rude to you and snuck away for days. I thought you didn’t want me anymore…”

She pouted pitifully.

“You know what you did. Do you have any idea how much chaos your absence caused in the schedule?”

Larvia gave her a look, exasperated. “You made a mess. We’ll settle that when we’re back.”

“I’m sorry! Don’t dock my pay, please~”

Chloe snuggled against Larvia’s shoulder, whining.

She knew Larvia letting her return was already a mercy.

Even if her pay was cut, she couldn’t complain.

Besides, mooching off the palace without pay was still better than wandering outside.

“We’ll talk later. First, we deal with this guy. I kept him alive for a reason. He’s likely the traitor leaking intel.”

Larvia let go, turning to the assassin.

Chloe suddenly remembered—she’d been about to finish him when Larvia interrupted. Her sword technique was likely canceled by Larvia’s casual ice shield, sparing him.

She’d been so thrilled to see Larvia that she forgot about him.

Now, he was trapped in a pit spell, far stronger than the one Chloe had cast days ago.

It hit her again how vast the gap was between her and Larvia.

“Oh, here!”

Chloe stopped Larvia, pulling the mithril box from her pocket.

Now she understood why a plain letter needed such a high-end box.

He must’ve come to retrieve it and saw she’d found it first.

“Good.”

Larvia patted her head.

“Go back to the relief station, little Chloe. I have a few questions for him.”

Her lips curled into a cold smile as she released the pit spell.

But in that instant, the assassin began chanting rapidly.

The next second, he burst into flames.

Before Chloe could react, Larvia covered her eyes.

“No looking, kid.”

In moments, the assassin was ash.

“Smart move,” Larvia said coldly, staring at the ashes. “If you’d fallen into my hands, it wouldn’t have been so easy.”

“Gulp…”

Chloe swallowed nervously.

Larvia turned to her. “Let’s go home.”

She headed for the nearest main road.

“Shame we couldn’t get any intel,” she muttered.

Soon after Chloe returned to the relief station, a knock came at her door.

She knew who it was.

“Larvia?”

She hopped off the bed, bouncing to the door.

As expected, it was her.

“Pack up. We’re heading back.”

“Yay!”

Chloe gleefully dragged her travel bag from the corner.

She’d planned to sell Lena’s gear, but the ambush and Larvia’s arrival changed that.

Since it was her sister’s, she’d keep the cloak as a memento.

Sadly, the staff was in pieces.

Her bag also held oddities: a disposable toothbrush from the station, a half-used “disposable” toothpaste tube, a half-eaten biscuit…

“No need to pack this junk,” Larvia said, frowning as she pulled out the odd items. “You’re from the palace. Can’t you have some dignity?”

“Oh, right.”

Chloe snapped out of her thrifty mindset.

After packing, she checked the time. “Larvia, when are we leaving?”

“I didn’t expect to catch the traitor today, so I didn’t plan ahead. The next train’s tonight.”

“Traitor? Did you figure out who he was?”

Larvia shook her head.

“Probably just a low-ranking officer. His recent movements were suspicious, so it’s likely him. I wanted to interrogate him, but he burned himself. Still…”

She trailed off.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Larvia waved it off.

He’d chosen to burn rather than be captured.

Whatever secret he held, its revelation would’ve brought a worse fate than self-immolation.

Larvia had her suspicions about who was behind it.

But telling Chloe now was too soon.

For now, she’d let her daughter be a carefree maid.

“Alright. Uh, Larvia?”

“What now?”

“If I apologize, can you not dock my pay…”

Chloe looked at her tearfully.

“Don’t worry. Not only will I not cut your pay, I’ll reward you. You’re the hero who caught the traitor.”

“Reward!” Chloe’s eyes lit up. “What reward?”

“You’ll see,” Larvia said mysteriously.

“Tch, boring…”

Chloe’s cheeks flushed as a thought hit her.

“Um, Larvia, I want a reward now…”

Blushing, she lowered her head, sneaking glances like a sneaky cat.

Larvia smiled, understanding, and opened her arms.

Snuggle~